4D3N Penang Trip w/ Dad, Popo & Yipo

Day 1

First thing we did after checking in at Sunway Hotel was go out and eat durian. This was a vegetarian restaurant with pesticide-free durian from their own fruit farm, and yes, ther were bugs inside. It was super good though, as was the homemade kueh dadar (RM0.70) from the corner mamak stall and chrysanthemum tea and char siew pastry from Ming Xiang Tai. Initial impression of Penang food v. positive.

After that we walked to the bizarre Komtar mall for Rainbow Skywalk. (Popo was so traumatised by the walk she ran into the supermarket and bought an umbrella to use as a walking stick.) The observatory was okay. We probably should have gone during sunset like everyone else. I didn't realise there was a rooftop chillout area where you can sit around and eat/drink stuff. That would've been nice.

Day 2

Next day was Chowrasta Market which was fun but it rained heavily so we were stuck in the complex. Yipo took the opportunity to buy like 10 boxes of pickled nutmeg for her friend's daughter. 

My dad had planned to eat dim sum at least 3 times during this trip. We went to Tai Tong for Round 1. It was just "okay only".

Vaguely disappointed but not outright dismayed (yet) we walked over to the Peranakan kueh shop, Kuih Nyonya Moh Teng Pheow, for snacks. I really enjoyed the local drinks here. L-R: lemongrass & ginger, nutmeg drink, pat poh (8 treasures tea), keat poh (tangerine variant of pat poh). The kuehs and assam laksa were all good too, if tiny.

After the kuehs my dad went back to rest while I dragged Popo and Yipo around thrift shopping. In the evening we met up again to go to the Chew clan jetty. It's a century-old kampong on stilts that's still home to descendants of the Chew clan. The wooden boardwalk is lined with simple one-room houses with signs of residence, though the dwellers are understandably shy and evasive.

For some reason the tourists ignored the living history along the jetty and rushed to the end of the pier to take pictures of themselves with the sea.

Dinner was at Ka Bee Cafe, very forgettable.

Day 3

Was v excited to go to Penang Hill because it's my first time on a funicular train. I looked in vain for a signboard to explain how it works; in the end I turned to Wikipedia. It's basically a lift (elevator). There are 2 wee trains connected by a cable, and one goes up while the other goes down. So it's almost all gravity and very little power involved.

Penang Hill was misty and cool; I could have spent the whole day walking around, but the Oldies were obviously bored, so after a buggy ride (and a brief visit to Monkey Cup Garden for me to look at pitcher plants) we went back down to the town of Air Itam. It's beautiful and unpretentious, and the temple and forested hills give me a feeling of peace.

In the afternoon I snuck off for some alone time. Went for a walk around George Town and checked out Kawan Shop (very good charity shop for women's clothes!). Returned for dinner at New Lane night market for yet another forgettable meal.

Day 4

This is what George Town looks like. I like all the historical buildings but the murals are ugly and irritating. The only art I liked was the fake metal tree opposite the ubiquitous kids-on-a-bike mural. Due to limited time I couldn't get a good sense of George Town; I wish I had time to explore the Fort Cornwallis and Esplanade area (Lebuh Downing!) too.

After a short visit we went for lunch at Ivy's Nyonya Cuisine, largely because I was dying to eat curry. I would have liked to go to Jawi House Cafe Gallery but it was too far from our hotel. Anyway despite its Michelin nod it was not all that great. 

We all agreed that the food in Penang was quite disappointing. We ate char kway teow 3x and I thought all of them lose to the Chong Pang market Penang CKT. Maybe it's just that our tastebuds are not used to their seasonings or maybe because my dad chose overhyped places lol. For me I just cannot eat Chinese food for 4 days straight. Flavour-wise Chinese cuisine is so inferior to Malay. My brain was screaming "am I really in Malaysia?!" all the time.

I regret to report I was very very bad-tempered with my dad during this trip. At one point it seemed I was just being outright cruel. I stayed up at night and cried and then apologised to him in the morning. Travelling with Popo and Yipo put tremendous strain on us, both inveterate people-pleasers. After this awful experience I'm definitely opting for a guided tour if there are seniors involved.

Personally I wouldn't mind going back for Air Itam, Balik Pulau, and Penang National Park (Entopia and durian farms!).