Penang, Malaysia

It's been a wonderful visit to Penang. This city was so worth coming to, and I'll be coming back!

Yesterday I was able to get an Uber to church. It was only 5 ringgits, about $1.15. They have a building here in Penang, with many more members than in JB. Quite a few expats, and many Chinese and Malaysian members. It was so great to be able to be there! I love how everywhere I go I'm able to find my church and enjoy the spirit I feel there. After church while I was waiting for the Uber to find me, I heard this rustling in the trees and looked up and saw monkeys. Just a little freaky...but later about monkeys. They can be pretty scary.

I called for an Uber and he took me to the Botanical Gardens. Less that 1 ringgit. $.25. I tipped him and gave him 5. Geez...How do they survive?
I bought two bags of peanuts because the lady told me it was so fun to feed the monkeys. She said they would come right up to you and eat out of your hand....right....Just after getting into the gardens I took a path that was fairly quiet and there wasn't anyone around. This "cute" little monkey came running up to me so I threw him a couple of peanuts. It happened so fast I can't believe it. That little punk jumped right up and grabbed the bag that held the 2 bags of peanuts. He sat down and started eating. I thought that I should get back the unopened bag....not a good idea. He started hissing at me, and started towards me. Then he had these two bully friends that came up and harassed me too. The punk didn't even share with them, but they sure were protecting him. It was scary. Another guy came along with his wife and tried to chase them, but they started running towards him screaming and he ran off.

Now that the peanuts were gone I could enjoy the rest of the garden. And it was beautiful. Very different from the one in Singapore, more natural. There was a little waterfall, and tons of mature trees. The weather was not too hot...maybe I'm getting used to it?

I was also able to visit Penang Hill.

"Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks in Penang, Malaysia. It is located in Air Itam, which is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the city centre of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak. The name Penang Hill covers a number of hills, with the highest point at Western Hill which is 833 metres (2,733 ft) above sea level. The hill stands out prominently from the lowlands as a hilly and forested area. It was used as a retreat during the British colonial period, and is now a popular tourist destination in Penang. The top of the hill is accessible via the Penang Hill Railway from its base station at Air Itam." Wikipedia.org

Totally amazing. I took a train ride up to the top for $14. Which was pricy, but I didn't want to spend the $7 to wait, so I got right up there. Wonderful views of Penang, and mainland Malaysia. Usually at the top of major tourist attractions you pay a ton for food. But lunch was under $2.

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Views of the city. Lots of little shops, tons of small restaurants, wet and dry markets. Life is happening here.

I walked from the hotel over to the Komtar building and had lunch here. It was the most expensive meal I had in Penang. $11 for a 3 course meal. I had a famous Penang dish called Char Koag Teow. It is made with noodles, seafood, bean sprouts, and some type of spicy sauce. It was served with salad and dessert. The views were outstanding. The building and surrounding buildings held shopping malls where you could find anything! I was even able to get my iPhone fixed. The glass cover had cracked!

View

View

Salad

Char Koag Teow

Dessert

View from the Tower

Me

KOMTAR Tower, or Menara KOMTAR Complex is Penang's tallest building and the sixth tallest building in Malaysia located in the heart of George Town, dominating the island's skyline. KOMTAR is an acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak. When the skyscraper topped out (reached full height during construction phase), it was the second tallest building in Asia after Sunshine 60 in Tokyo. KOMTAR was still Malaysia's tallest building for 3 years before it was surpassed by Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur in 1988. It remains as Penang's tallest building since 1985 at a height of 232 metres (761 ft). In 2016 as part of the revitalisation plan, three new levels totalling 17 metres were added to the tower raising the height to 249 metres (817 ft).

I would highly recommend Penang as a destination. I didn't have time to see everything, and really want to come back again!