Penang, Malaysia: Temples, Beach and Food Treats

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Food Treats in Penang
Foodies, travelers and photographers will surely enjoy the scenic sights and gastronomic treats this turtle-shaped island of Georgetown, Penang can offer. Being regarded as the food capital of Malaysia, Penang also embraces the modern facet of both East and West while retaining the traditions and old world charm making it a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site worth exploring.

Hotel Royal Penang
It was already dark when we passed along Penang Bridge, one of the world's longest bridge and my eyes glistened as I began to see the city lights' reflections unto its striking coastline. We stopped for dinner at Restoran Makanan Laut Cia Xiang where we enjoyed a buffet of delicious seafood dishes. Our night ended with a relaxing stay at Hotel Royal Penang and just surfed in our room til wee hours, working and updating some needed online tasks. If not for the unexpected traffic, we would surely arrived earlier and had more time exploring streets of Penang.

I woke up early to set up my camera and tripod to get a time lapse effect of Malaysia's sunrise. I was surprised as the sun started shining its golden rays on Penang's cityscape, a pretty morning gift. It was more like "pinch me, I'm dreaming moment", that breathtaking view eventually made me realize that it's possible to live harmoniously in both cultural and industrialized city while living in a clean, greener environment, my kind of dream community.  Just take a look at these gorgeous views, lush greenery to the left and hues of sparkling blues to the right.
Penang, Malaysia at daytime

We weren't able to explore other cultural heritage sites Penang is known for, except for a couple of temples like Thai's Wat Chaiyamangalaram and Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. I was lucky to see 2 young monks coming out of the Burmese temple and like other visitors tried the "wheel of fortune" seen right in front of the world's 3rd largest Reclining Buddha for a mere RM 50 cents. A fellow Filipino-Chinese traveler kept on insisting that we all should try it, so I just gave in. It's funny how that electronic fortune telling machine works and how it exactly coincides with other past fortune tellers' prediction regarding my future. It gave me a very positive note so we'll see :)

young monks at Burmese Buddhist Temple


Burmese and Thai Buddhist Temple

After visiting the temples, our tour bus driver dropped us off at a nearby beach for a classic sight seeing and photo op. The moment reminded of the day I canceled our supposed first Boracay trip. I was kind of expecting being submerged in the waters of Boracay and enjoying a reef walking adventure on that same day. I guess God gave me this Penang Beach treat to remind me that hey, this Malaysia trip is pretty much a good deal already. It may not be Boracay but at least I've set foot on the sands of Malaysia.

Penang Beach
After a short nature tripping at Penang's coastline, it's time to buy food pasalubong. Syarikat Wah Thai Native Products was a good place to taste and bring home authentic Thai delicacies. We sampled on teas, soups (my first taste of a tom yam soup), dried fruit candies, breads, biscuits and even handmade soaps  ointments to speak.



Tongkat Ali products

After food shopping, it's time for the real shopping at the bargain center located at the foot of Kek Lok Si Temple. And honestly, it was quite a test of our bargaining skills with the Chinese where everything happened so fast. The Malaysia trip made me realized why Chinese in general are far better off economically than us Filipinos. Go to a local Chinese market and you'll learn why.

I managed to resist shopping for pasalubong and waited until we got to Kek Lok Si Temple where prices were way lower compared to when buying in famous destinations. I ended up buying souvenir shirts for my family, a wind chime and other trinkets. 

Our trip in Penang ended with another food trip at the Hawker Center of New World Park.

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