4 Nov 2004 happens to be my friend's birthday. Later at the end of the day, she said the day was one of the more boring ones for her in Penang. If I had a magic wand, I would like to give it to her so that she could find something fruitful for herself despite the apparent boring nature of the day.
We started the day with breakfast in the Kopitiam, the hotel's restaurant on the ground floor. The menu for breakfast was about the same throughout the few days that we were in Penang, but since breakfast is one of my favourite meals of the day, I could contentedly enjoy it anyway.
After breakfast, we enquired for the use of the hotel's internet facilities, and I was up surfing the internet for about half an hour. It was rather disappointing that my friend had not received the email reply that she had been waiting for. Perhaps if she had received one, it might have made her day a little more delightful? I think I must have been a slight workaholic then, I spent quite some time trying to clear some work-related emails.
Afterwhich, I found out that it would take about 40 - 50 ringgits for a one-way trip to the War Museum by taxi. I have heard about the Penang's War Museum before I left for Penang, and I wanted very much to visit it. My friend had some reservations going there, but she obliged to join me to visit the war museum. I am touched by her gesture, at the same time, I was not sure if she went there with me at a great expense to herself. Whatever it is, I accepted her gracious gesture of agreeing to visit the War Museum.
We were quite lucky to get a taxi driver who was willing to take us to the War Museum, wait for us there till we were done with the tour, and then drive us back to the hotel for 60 ringgits. He said it was difficult to get a taxi there, so he offered to wait for us outside the museum. It was indeed difficult to catch a taxi there, and I was very glad that he offerred to wait for us while we toured the War Museum.
My friend definitely has good social skills and she started chatting with the taxi driver on the way. We found out that during the month of Ramadan (the month whereby the Muslims fast during the day), business for the taxi drivers is usually slow. Business would usually pick up on the week just before Hari Raya Puasa. The taxi driver told us that in Penang, the taxi drivers generally do not drive around the roads to look for potential passengers to flag their taxi like what is done in Singapore. Instead, the taxi drivers would usually wait at a spot for passenger to come. Our taxi driver for the day told us that taxi drivers can't afford to waste petrol by driving around the roads to look for potential passengers. Usually, he would have to wait for an hour or two to get a passenger. He said he was lucky on that day, because he only had to wait for about 20 minutes outside our hotel and we hired his taxi for a long distance trip to the War Museum.
I cannot remember how long it took for us to get to the War Museum, but it was quite a pleasant ride. It was good that we got onboard a taxi whose driver could speak fluent English, and my friend had someone to converse with to get some insights of the country's culture.
The War Museum is a military fortress located south-east of the Penang Island. It was built in the 1930's by the British to protect the island of Penang from enemies. It is situated on 20 acres of land, and is constructed on what is now called Bukit Batu Maung.
I am thankful that my friend knew me well enough to request for the VIP guided tour around the War Museum. Being on the VIP guided tour has definitely shed more light about the museum than if we were to tour the war museum on our own. There was an extra cost to request for this VIP guided tour. I had very much want to pay for the extra cost and the admission for my friend and myself, but my friend insisted that we go Dutch.
I enjoyed the tour at the War Museum. We even walked an underground military tunnel which was meant for soldiers to take cover should there be any emergency. I doubt I might be brave enough to venture the tunnel without the tour guide. I must praise our tour guide at the War Museum for being competent and knowledgeable of the history behind the war museum. I have an expectation for tour guide to be able to give insightful information regarding the historic background of the attraction, and he certain had lived up to the expectations. I supposed you could now have some understanding why I say that my tour guide for the day tour on 3 Nov 2004 was more a driver than a tour guide. Then again, maybe it was just me, I have been having high expectations perhaps.
The military fortress that has made up the War Museum has been well-maintained and well conceptualised. Somehow I like this military fortress at the Penang's War Museum than the Battlebox located at Singapore's Fort Canning Hill. The fortress at the Penang War Museum is beautiful and looks much more integrated than that at Fort Canning Hill. We also had a chance to see the canon firing bays, the sleeping quarters, the cook houses, the trenches that form a part of this military fortress during our visit to the war museum. I have no regret to visit the War Museum. I am thankful that my friend cum travel companion was willing to bear with this fascination of mine with war relics. Furthermore, on her birthday.
Just a point to put across, there are mosquitoes breeding in the vicinity of the War Museum, and I would recommend visitors of the war museum to bring insect repellant if they would like to avoid getting mosquito bites. I have quite some mosquito bites, I suppose those were my undesired souvenirs from the war museum.
After the visit to the war museum, we set off back to the hotel. On the way back to hotel, my friend was trying to ask the taxi driver for suggestions to shopping spots in Penang. The taxi driver suggested Gurney Plaza.
Back in the hotel, we took a short rest before we went for lunch. We had Indian food for lunch at one of the eateries nearby the hotel. Then we ventured around the streets of Georgetown. I think my friend would have like it better if there were things for her to shop along the way?
We found ourselves near Khoo Kongsi, a clan house for Chinese of the same clan or surname Khoo. We visited this attraction. It is regarded as one of the most impressive buildings of historic and cultural value in Penang. Indeed it is, the carvings, statues and the paintings that wee found in Khoo Kongsi look so intricate.
After Khoo Kongsi, we continued our journey walking along the streets of Georgetown. My friend started making remarks that she was feeling bored. I wish I could have further understanding how this feeling of boredom had arised.
Along the way, we walked past the Kapitan Keling Mosque, the Kuan Yin Teng (Goddess of Mercy Temple), the St. George's Church, the Penang Museum, and Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
The Kapitan Keling Mosque along Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling was founded in 1801 by an Indian-Muslim merchant, Cauder Mydin Merican. This mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Penang. I understand that it is crowned by distinctive yellow domes and has influences of Moorish architecture. We did not enter the mosque. I understand that permission to enter must be obtained from the mosque officials, and I suspect that we did not have the appropriate attire according to the standards of Islam to enter the mosque.
I would have visited Penang Musem if not for the fact that it was just 15 more minutes to the closing time of the museum. Anyway, I was contented that I had visited the War Museum, so it was not a disappointment that I could not visit the Penang Museum that day.
We reached the hotel sometime in the early evening, and after taking a short rest in our hotel room, we set off to have dinner nearby. Dinner was acceptable, though not up to expectations. I missed the food at Gurney Drive while having Fried Mee for dinner. After dinner, we adjourned for the hotel.
I had wanted to get my friend a cake or a gift, but she has been declining my offer since Day One in Penang. Maybe I should have gave her a surprise, but I guess I did not want to end up going way against her wishes either. Such is a dilemma not well resolved. Anyway, I think the title of this post might have been an appropriate caption of how my friend could be experiencing the day. Then again, I think she had only experienced it as a boring day rather than a big day. I must have been the one who had perceived it as a big day for her. Afterall, it was her birthday.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Tour Under the Moonlight - 3 Nov 2004
After much contemplation, my friend and I decided to travel to Gurney Drive on our own on a taxi. My friend had wanted to look for a shopping complex that sells things that are up-to-date with the latest trends, and we were told that we should check out the Gurney Plaza which is along Pesiaran Gurney.
Our very helpful personnel from the hotel kindly got us a taxi. In Penang, most of the taxis do not use the taxi meter, hence it was recommended that we either insist on the meter being turned on or agree on the price before we move off. We were told that it takes about 10 to 12 ringgits to travel from the hotel to Gurney Plaza. If it were 15 ringgits or more, than we would have been overcharged. Our taxi driver charged us 12 ringgits claiming that the traffic was rather heavy on that day. It was.
Gurney Plaza is supposedly one of the premiere shopping complexes in Penang. We later heard from the person who did manicure for my friend that the Gurney Plaza is owned by a Singaporean. We find that Gurney Plaza had much interesting kind of selection than the Prangin Mall which we had went the day before. Nevertheless, I figured that my friend might be more spoilt for choice if she were to have shop in Singapore. Then again, we were in Penang, and Gurney Plaza did seem adequate if we were to be objective and contented.
My friend had wanted a pair of shoes to match her mini-skirts, and I shared her disappointments that she could not find a suitable pair at the Gurney Plaza that day.
When it was about 7 p.m., I figured I would need dinner before I forget all about having one. We walked to the foodstalls along Gurney Drive for a hawker-fare dinner. It was drizzling slightly, but it was light enough that it did not dampen my mood to eat at the outdoor hawker area.
Penang is renowned for its food and this hawker centre beside the the waterfront at Pesiaran Gurney is pretty well-known for its variety of specialities served by the many hawkers who operate there. My friend had a bowl of Penang laksa and she was singing praises of it. I had Fried Kway Teow, and it was pretty good.
After a rather satisfying dinner, we went back to Gurney Plaza to shop. I must say that I am not quite a shopper, but I could happy go along with the flow as there was no crowd at the Gurney Plaza during that time. I think I might have freaked out if there was a crowd. I would not enjoy crowds if I were to have a choice.
My friend wanted to do a French manicure at one of the beauty shops, and so I decided to wait for her at the MPH Bookshop in the Gurney Plaza. This gave me time to browse some of the titles available in the bookshop. The prices of the books were comparable to those in Singapore. I did not get any books there, I reckon I might be better off getting the books in Singapore rather than lugging them back to Singapore from Penang. However, I got myself some bookmarks from the bookshop. Somehow, I like the designs on the bookmarks. Each bookmark has an image of a scene of Penang printed on it. The designs were probably designed by artistes using watercolours.
When my friend was done with her manicure, we went around to do some window-shopping in the Gurney Plaza once again. My friend said that it was much cheaper to do a manicure in Penang than in Singapore. Good for her, I thought. It must have been quite a bargain for her to have her manicure done in Penang.
Then when we felt it was time to call the shopping an end for the day, we departed for the hotel on a taxi. Just before that, my friend got herself a bowl of dessert from the hawker stall along Gurney Drive.
Reflecting, I think we were having a kind of shopping cum food tour under the moonlight that evening. Nice food and a value-for-money manicure for my friend. And for me, I had the pleasure of enjoying the ambience of having dinner under the evening's moonlight. It was just a pity that I did not manage to take any photographs of the beaches along the Gurney Drive, else it would have been almost perfect.
Our very helpful personnel from the hotel kindly got us a taxi. In Penang, most of the taxis do not use the taxi meter, hence it was recommended that we either insist on the meter being turned on or agree on the price before we move off. We were told that it takes about 10 to 12 ringgits to travel from the hotel to Gurney Plaza. If it were 15 ringgits or more, than we would have been overcharged. Our taxi driver charged us 12 ringgits claiming that the traffic was rather heavy on that day. It was.
Gurney Plaza is supposedly one of the premiere shopping complexes in Penang. We later heard from the person who did manicure for my friend that the Gurney Plaza is owned by a Singaporean. We find that Gurney Plaza had much interesting kind of selection than the Prangin Mall which we had went the day before. Nevertheless, I figured that my friend might be more spoilt for choice if she were to have shop in Singapore. Then again, we were in Penang, and Gurney Plaza did seem adequate if we were to be objective and contented.
My friend had wanted a pair of shoes to match her mini-skirts, and I shared her disappointments that she could not find a suitable pair at the Gurney Plaza that day.
When it was about 7 p.m., I figured I would need dinner before I forget all about having one. We walked to the foodstalls along Gurney Drive for a hawker-fare dinner. It was drizzling slightly, but it was light enough that it did not dampen my mood to eat at the outdoor hawker area.
Penang is renowned for its food and this hawker centre beside the the waterfront at Pesiaran Gurney is pretty well-known for its variety of specialities served by the many hawkers who operate there. My friend had a bowl of Penang laksa and she was singing praises of it. I had Fried Kway Teow, and it was pretty good.
After a rather satisfying dinner, we went back to Gurney Plaza to shop. I must say that I am not quite a shopper, but I could happy go along with the flow as there was no crowd at the Gurney Plaza during that time. I think I might have freaked out if there was a crowd. I would not enjoy crowds if I were to have a choice.
My friend wanted to do a French manicure at one of the beauty shops, and so I decided to wait for her at the MPH Bookshop in the Gurney Plaza. This gave me time to browse some of the titles available in the bookshop. The prices of the books were comparable to those in Singapore. I did not get any books there, I reckon I might be better off getting the books in Singapore rather than lugging them back to Singapore from Penang. However, I got myself some bookmarks from the bookshop. Somehow, I like the designs on the bookmarks. Each bookmark has an image of a scene of Penang printed on it. The designs were probably designed by artistes using watercolours.
When my friend was done with her manicure, we went around to do some window-shopping in the Gurney Plaza once again. My friend said that it was much cheaper to do a manicure in Penang than in Singapore. Good for her, I thought. It must have been quite a bargain for her to have her manicure done in Penang.
Then when we felt it was time to call the shopping an end for the day, we departed for the hotel on a taxi. Just before that, my friend got herself a bowl of dessert from the hawker stall along Gurney Drive.
Reflecting, I think we were having a kind of shopping cum food tour under the moonlight that evening. Nice food and a value-for-money manicure for my friend. And for me, I had the pleasure of enjoying the ambience of having dinner under the evening's moonlight. It was just a pity that I did not manage to take any photographs of the beaches along the Gurney Drive, else it would have been almost perfect.
Up on Crane Hill
I'm up on Crane Hill. This photo was taken at Kek Lok Si Temple. There is quite a nice view from this part of the temple. 
Village of the People of the Sea
A fishing village. The tour guide called it the village of the "People of the sea".
Day Tour - 3 Nov 2004
Soon enough, it was 3 Nov 2004. My friend and I had breakfast in one of the restaurants in the hotel. Breakfast was satisfactory. At least it had baked beans and scrambled eggs, my favourites for breakfast. I think I would have preferred breakfast at the Oscar's Cafe at Conrad Hotel, Singapore, but I shall be contented with what I have had in Penang.
After breakfast, my friend and I waited at the hotel's lobby. We had been asked to wait there because the day tour that we had registered for will set off from the hotel's lobby at 9.30 a.m. Including ourselves and the tour guide (though I would personally think that he is more like driver than a tour guide - I had expected more from a tour guide, perhaps.), there were ten persons on the tour. We set off from the hotel on a van, and off we were on our day tour around parts of Penang.
I must have been eager to test out my amateurish photography skills on my digital camera. This would have explained why I was busy trying to take photographs on the moving vehicle.
We were first taken to what the tour guide term as a village of "people of the sea" (literal translation from Mandarin). He told us that this village would be demolished soon. It must have been me, I got rather delighted being near the water. I love the sense of "openness" of the sea.
Our next stop was the Kek Lok Si Temple situated on Huock-san (Crane Hill), in the village of Air Itam. Kek Lok Si Temple is Malaysia's largest Buddhist temple. I love the colours of the skies and the views of the hills of the area. The temple is beautiful. Somehow, there was a sense of serenity and tranquility that I experienced at the Kek Lok Si Temple. I love the views from the top of the pagoda of Kek Lok Si Temple. My friend and I took several photos at the Kek Lok Si Temple. We also took an inclined lift to travel to the part of the hill where the statue of Kuan Yin Bodhimandala was located. It is a grandeur statue, I must say. We spent about an hour at Kek Lok Si Temple.
Afterwhich, the van drove us to Bukit Bendera, also known as the Penang Hill. According to one of the tourist magazines, Penang Hill rises over 800 metres above sea level, and it provides a cool retreat and good view over the island. It took about half-an-hour to ride the cable train from Air Itam to the top of the Penang Hill.
It was not the most pleasant experience to travel up. There were many people on board the cable train at the time of the day (close to noon time) that we took the cable train, so much so that my friend and I were left to stand on the cable train throughout the entire journey up the hill. Perhaps it was because I do not like share my personal space with crowds, and I found it not a pleasant experience to be on the cable train. In fact, I had wanted to wait for a less crowded cable train, but the tour guide gently urged me to take the train anyway. Later, I figured that if I had waited for the next one, it would take 15 minutes of wait. Finally, we reached the top of the hill after bearing with the crowd and not-so-ideal ventilation on the cable train. The air up the Penang Hill was refreshing and cooling. From the summit, there was indeed quite a good view of the island of Penang. We spent about 15 minutes at the summit, and then we took another 30 minutes of ride down the hill by the cable train. I suppose the arduous travelling up and down the hill must have made the view from the summit so much more "precious".
The Botanical Gardens followed after our visit at Penang Hill. When my friend and I wanted to take a photo together, the tour guide specifically told us that we should take a photo with the "cannon-ball tree", a species of tree that is supposedly no so easy to find. We also took several photos at the Botanical Gardens. I had a feeling that my friend enjoyed the sceneries of nature at the Botanical Gardens.
Next was lunch-time. The van took us back to the heart of Georgetown, and we had lunch at Lorong Swatow. I had Penang Laksa and fried Oyster while my friend had Fried Kway Teow. We later discovered after our lunch that the Iced Kachang along Lorong Swatow where we had our lunch has been deemed to be one of the better Iced Kachang in Penang. A pity that I had to miss it, but then again, I am supposed to avoid cold food.
After lunch, we stopped at a batik factory, and the person-in-charge at the batik factory gave us an account of the process of making of piece of batik cloth. I was rather intrigued when I watched one of the artiste in the batik factory drew designs free-hand on a piece of cloth. I think it must have taken good skills, experience, and a deal of creativity to draw the designs free-hand and yet so beautifully.
The Pewter Factory was next in line. I was pleasantly touched by the hospitality of the staff at the pewter factory. The staff gave each of us in the tour group a cup of tea served in pewter drink container. We were given a demonstration of the making of pewter.
Next stop was the Wat Chayamangkalaram, commonly referred to as the Sleeping Buddha. This Buddhist temple houses a 33-meters long reclining Buddha drapped in a gold-leaved saffron robe. By the time that we reached this temple, it was raining rather heavily, and I decided not to get down the van to see the statue. My friend and I waited on the van while a few of our tour-mates made their way into the temple.
Last stop was a shop selling local products. One of the shop personnel gave us a demonstration of how to make bak ku teh using the pre-made bak ku teh powder and spices. Later we went round the shop to shop for local products. I got some tambun tau sar peah. I understand that these tambun tau sar peah are local delicacies with fillings made from green bean.
At the end of the day tour, we were chauffeured back to our hotel. The day tour seemed rather eventful, I would suppose. The tour guide even asked if we wanted to go on the Night tour package that would bring us to Batu Ferringhi and Gurney Drive. So, there were some ideas on how we could spend the night.
After breakfast, my friend and I waited at the hotel's lobby. We had been asked to wait there because the day tour that we had registered for will set off from the hotel's lobby at 9.30 a.m. Including ourselves and the tour guide (though I would personally think that he is more like driver than a tour guide - I had expected more from a tour guide, perhaps.), there were ten persons on the tour. We set off from the hotel on a van, and off we were on our day tour around parts of Penang.
I must have been eager to test out my amateurish photography skills on my digital camera. This would have explained why I was busy trying to take photographs on the moving vehicle.
We were first taken to what the tour guide term as a village of "people of the sea" (literal translation from Mandarin). He told us that this village would be demolished soon. It must have been me, I got rather delighted being near the water. I love the sense of "openness" of the sea.
Our next stop was the Kek Lok Si Temple situated on Huock-san (Crane Hill), in the village of Air Itam. Kek Lok Si Temple is Malaysia's largest Buddhist temple. I love the colours of the skies and the views of the hills of the area. The temple is beautiful. Somehow, there was a sense of serenity and tranquility that I experienced at the Kek Lok Si Temple. I love the views from the top of the pagoda of Kek Lok Si Temple. My friend and I took several photos at the Kek Lok Si Temple. We also took an inclined lift to travel to the part of the hill where the statue of Kuan Yin Bodhimandala was located. It is a grandeur statue, I must say. We spent about an hour at Kek Lok Si Temple.
Afterwhich, the van drove us to Bukit Bendera, also known as the Penang Hill. According to one of the tourist magazines, Penang Hill rises over 800 metres above sea level, and it provides a cool retreat and good view over the island. It took about half-an-hour to ride the cable train from Air Itam to the top of the Penang Hill.
It was not the most pleasant experience to travel up. There were many people on board the cable train at the time of the day (close to noon time) that we took the cable train, so much so that my friend and I were left to stand on the cable train throughout the entire journey up the hill. Perhaps it was because I do not like share my personal space with crowds, and I found it not a pleasant experience to be on the cable train. In fact, I had wanted to wait for a less crowded cable train, but the tour guide gently urged me to take the train anyway. Later, I figured that if I had waited for the next one, it would take 15 minutes of wait. Finally, we reached the top of the hill after bearing with the crowd and not-so-ideal ventilation on the cable train. The air up the Penang Hill was refreshing and cooling. From the summit, there was indeed quite a good view of the island of Penang. We spent about 15 minutes at the summit, and then we took another 30 minutes of ride down the hill by the cable train. I suppose the arduous travelling up and down the hill must have made the view from the summit so much more "precious".
The Botanical Gardens followed after our visit at Penang Hill. When my friend and I wanted to take a photo together, the tour guide specifically told us that we should take a photo with the "cannon-ball tree", a species of tree that is supposedly no so easy to find. We also took several photos at the Botanical Gardens. I had a feeling that my friend enjoyed the sceneries of nature at the Botanical Gardens.
Next was lunch-time. The van took us back to the heart of Georgetown, and we had lunch at Lorong Swatow. I had Penang Laksa and fried Oyster while my friend had Fried Kway Teow. We later discovered after our lunch that the Iced Kachang along Lorong Swatow where we had our lunch has been deemed to be one of the better Iced Kachang in Penang. A pity that I had to miss it, but then again, I am supposed to avoid cold food.
After lunch, we stopped at a batik factory, and the person-in-charge at the batik factory gave us an account of the process of making of piece of batik cloth. I was rather intrigued when I watched one of the artiste in the batik factory drew designs free-hand on a piece of cloth. I think it must have taken good skills, experience, and a deal of creativity to draw the designs free-hand and yet so beautifully.
The Pewter Factory was next in line. I was pleasantly touched by the hospitality of the staff at the pewter factory. The staff gave each of us in the tour group a cup of tea served in pewter drink container. We were given a demonstration of the making of pewter.
Next stop was the Wat Chayamangkalaram, commonly referred to as the Sleeping Buddha. This Buddhist temple houses a 33-meters long reclining Buddha drapped in a gold-leaved saffron robe. By the time that we reached this temple, it was raining rather heavily, and I decided not to get down the van to see the statue. My friend and I waited on the van while a few of our tour-mates made their way into the temple.
Last stop was a shop selling local products. One of the shop personnel gave us a demonstration of how to make bak ku teh using the pre-made bak ku teh powder and spices. Later we went round the shop to shop for local products. I got some tambun tau sar peah. I understand that these tambun tau sar peah are local delicacies with fillings made from green bean.
At the end of the day tour, we were chauffeured back to our hotel. The day tour seemed rather eventful, I would suppose. The tour guide even asked if we wanted to go on the Night tour package that would bring us to Batu Ferringhi and Gurney Drive. So, there were some ideas on how we could spend the night.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
View of the Greenery
Another view from the very same window of the hotel room. I suppose one could see different sceneries if one changes one's angle of perspective just a little, even when one is looking out from the same window.
Alternative View from the Same Window
If I look towards the right of the window of the hotel room, I could see a view of a part of the city of Georgetown.
Nice View from the Window
View from the hotel room's window. I love the view of the sea, and the skies.
Hotel Sweet Hotel
On the right is the City Bayview Hotel Penang where we stayed. There is a revolving restaurant on the highest floor of the hotel.
Setting Foot on Penang - 2 Nov 2004
This is the second time that I visited Penang. My first visit to Penang should be about at least 5 years ago when I travelled with a Chinese orchestra which I was then playing in for a music camp in Penang. I remembered that the people of Penang are hospitable, sincere and friendly. My impression of the people of Penang still remains after my recent visit to Penang.
My friend cum travel companion and myself travelled to Penang by plane. We were travelling with Malaysian airlines. The service has been good, albeit I wish I could have a choice not to take rice with chicken curry for lunch. The stewardess apologised that there was only one selection of meal on board the economy class cabin, and that is rice with chicken curry. I was a little envious when I saw the family sitting in front of me eat Western meal, and I was trying hard to figure out why. I think my friend cum travel companion must have been wondering why I keep looking over the seats in front.
I browsed the in-flight magazine on the flight, after meals had been served, and realised that all meals served on the plane will be halal, and if one were to have special request for the meals, one needs to inform the airlines at least 24 hours before the flight. This shall be something I will bear in mind. I figured that on the economy class cabin, there was not much selection of food to choose from, and if one prefers not to eat spicy food on the flight, one needs to inform the airlines early. Please correct me if I am wrong though.
We reached Penang at about 1 p.m. on 2 Nov 2004 (Tuesday). There was a delay in the flight and so we had reached Penang about 15 minutes behind schedule. When we reached the airport, someone from a travel agency was waiting for us. He was to be our chauffeur to bring us from the Penang airport to the hotel. It takes about half a hour to travel from the airport to the hotel that we were residing in. The hotel, the City Bayview Hotel Penang, is located in Georgetown, capital city of Penang.
We checked in. I was admittedly a little upset that there was no safe box in our hotel room. I had wanted to keep the valuables in the safe box. I called for assistance from the hotel, and the staff who had answered my call directed me to keep the valuables in the safe deposit boxes located a the back of the front desk. Looking back, it was a much safer idea to keep valuables there than in the hotel room. At least I know that there will be someone at the front desk who will watch out for the things in the safe deposit boxes 24 hours round the clock. Security was pretty sufficient there. To open the safe deposit box, two keys are needed. One is kept by me, and the other by the hotel's personnel.
I quite like the view from the window of our hotel room. It faces directly to the sea. If I look to the right, I could see a view of a part of Georgetown. What I like about the view is the fact that it faces the sea. I love looking at scenes of open spaces.
After unpacking the luggage, my friend and I decided to walk around the neighbourhood. We wanted to get some things from a supermarket, so we figured that we needed to go to a shopping complex nearby to do the shopping. One of the hotel staff helped us with the directions to get to the nearest and perhaps most well-known shopping centre (Komtar) in the area. I was pleasantly surprised that the hotel actually publishes its own locality map. The staff gave us a copy of the map, and it has proved to be rather useful.
If I am not wrong, we ended up shopping in Prangin Mall. We did not shop in Komtar in the end. Since I am not a lover of shopping, I shall not write much about our shopping experience in Prangin Mall. Perhaps my friend cum travel companion might write about our shopping experiences in Penang in my other blog, a blog that both of us share?
In the early evening, it was raining. Strangely, during our stay in Penang, it seems to often drizzle or rain in the early evening. We decided to eat in one of the restaurants in the hotel. We had steamboat in one of the restaurants.
We also decided to register ourselves for a day tour to some of the attractions in Penang. There was an office of a travel agency just located in the hotel lobby, so we made enquiries. In the end, we were recommended to go on this tour package that takes us to places such as Penang Hill, Kek Lok Hill, Botanical Gardens, Batik factory and Pewter factory. The tour was to be scheduled on 3 Nov 2004.
Tempted by my friend's recommendations, I went for a full-body massage at the massage and spa shop that was located within the hotel premises with my friend after dinner. It was rather refreshing, though I was rather disoriented when I first started receiving the massage. Afterall, this was considered my first full-body massage.
After the massage, I remembered that my friend and I walked past the lounge in the hotel's lobby. My friend said that the music was nice. In my mind then, I supposed that we could visit the lounge on one of the days, though I am not keen on alcoholic drinks and the cigarette smoke that hovers about the lounge. Afterall, maybe this could be one way to celebrate for my friend on her birthday?
At the end of the day, we were back in our room. I started reading this book titled Morrie in his own Words by Morrie Schwartz just before I went to bed.
I think I had a slightly difficult time trying to get used to the hotel's mattress and pillow. Afterall, I think my own mattress and pillow back at home were more able to give me and my back the kind of support I would prefer. Whatever it was, I survived anyway. Maybe I must learn not to be too choosy?
My friend cum travel companion and myself travelled to Penang by plane. We were travelling with Malaysian airlines. The service has been good, albeit I wish I could have a choice not to take rice with chicken curry for lunch. The stewardess apologised that there was only one selection of meal on board the economy class cabin, and that is rice with chicken curry. I was a little envious when I saw the family sitting in front of me eat Western meal, and I was trying hard to figure out why. I think my friend cum travel companion must have been wondering why I keep looking over the seats in front.
I browsed the in-flight magazine on the flight, after meals had been served, and realised that all meals served on the plane will be halal, and if one were to have special request for the meals, one needs to inform the airlines at least 24 hours before the flight. This shall be something I will bear in mind. I figured that on the economy class cabin, there was not much selection of food to choose from, and if one prefers not to eat spicy food on the flight, one needs to inform the airlines early. Please correct me if I am wrong though.
We reached Penang at about 1 p.m. on 2 Nov 2004 (Tuesday). There was a delay in the flight and so we had reached Penang about 15 minutes behind schedule. When we reached the airport, someone from a travel agency was waiting for us. He was to be our chauffeur to bring us from the Penang airport to the hotel. It takes about half a hour to travel from the airport to the hotel that we were residing in. The hotel, the City Bayview Hotel Penang, is located in Georgetown, capital city of Penang.
We checked in. I was admittedly a little upset that there was no safe box in our hotel room. I had wanted to keep the valuables in the safe box. I called for assistance from the hotel, and the staff who had answered my call directed me to keep the valuables in the safe deposit boxes located a the back of the front desk. Looking back, it was a much safer idea to keep valuables there than in the hotel room. At least I know that there will be someone at the front desk who will watch out for the things in the safe deposit boxes 24 hours round the clock. Security was pretty sufficient there. To open the safe deposit box, two keys are needed. One is kept by me, and the other by the hotel's personnel.
I quite like the view from the window of our hotel room. It faces directly to the sea. If I look to the right, I could see a view of a part of Georgetown. What I like about the view is the fact that it faces the sea. I love looking at scenes of open spaces.
After unpacking the luggage, my friend and I decided to walk around the neighbourhood. We wanted to get some things from a supermarket, so we figured that we needed to go to a shopping complex nearby to do the shopping. One of the hotel staff helped us with the directions to get to the nearest and perhaps most well-known shopping centre (Komtar) in the area. I was pleasantly surprised that the hotel actually publishes its own locality map. The staff gave us a copy of the map, and it has proved to be rather useful.
If I am not wrong, we ended up shopping in Prangin Mall. We did not shop in Komtar in the end. Since I am not a lover of shopping, I shall not write much about our shopping experience in Prangin Mall. Perhaps my friend cum travel companion might write about our shopping experiences in Penang in my other blog, a blog that both of us share?
In the early evening, it was raining. Strangely, during our stay in Penang, it seems to often drizzle or rain in the early evening. We decided to eat in one of the restaurants in the hotel. We had steamboat in one of the restaurants.
We also decided to register ourselves for a day tour to some of the attractions in Penang. There was an office of a travel agency just located in the hotel lobby, so we made enquiries. In the end, we were recommended to go on this tour package that takes us to places such as Penang Hill, Kek Lok Hill, Botanical Gardens, Batik factory and Pewter factory. The tour was to be scheduled on 3 Nov 2004.
Tempted by my friend's recommendations, I went for a full-body massage at the massage and spa shop that was located within the hotel premises with my friend after dinner. It was rather refreshing, though I was rather disoriented when I first started receiving the massage. Afterall, this was considered my first full-body massage.
After the massage, I remembered that my friend and I walked past the lounge in the hotel's lobby. My friend said that the music was nice. In my mind then, I supposed that we could visit the lounge on one of the days, though I am not keen on alcoholic drinks and the cigarette smoke that hovers about the lounge. Afterall, maybe this could be one way to celebrate for my friend on her birthday?
At the end of the day, we were back in our room. I started reading this book titled Morrie in his own Words by Morrie Schwartz just before I went to bed.
I think I had a slightly difficult time trying to get used to the hotel's mattress and pillow. Afterall, I think my own mattress and pillow back at home were more able to give me and my back the kind of support I would prefer. Whatever it was, I survived anyway. Maybe I must learn not to be too choosy?
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