Malaysia
Finding the charm of days gone by in Penang
Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia, has a certain feel to it.
An intrigue of days gone by. Of opium dens and spice trades and older Chinese men sitting in cafes, of rickshaw cycles and food.
Food
We’ve heard a lot about the food in Penang. How the mix of Indian, Malay and Chinese cultures infuses the city with a tantalising food scene.
When we step out of Armenian Street Hotel in Georgetown on our first morning we’re searching for Tiger Char koay teow. But we’re not certain the place we end up is this.
We take a seat and a thin Asian man in an I ❤️ Penang t-shirt, tattoos up his arms and a blond styled flick in his hair asks for our drink order.
We ask about food and he indicates the food carts on the perimeter of the restaurant. I don’t take food orders, he says. Just drinks. You order from them.
I get up and look in each of the carts. The sellers, in broken English, explain their offerings, recommend their favourites.
In the end I choose a chicken soup, kind of like a pho while Ade has pork wontons. I don’t eat pork but the pork in his soup is delicious.
A monk in orange and maroon robes comes to the table with a bowl. Ade puts in a ringgit and the monk hands over a red thread with beads on it.
But he wants more, money or discussion, we’re not sure which, but in the background our waiter is shaking his head. Telling us not to engage, indicating this is a scam, or not the blessing we think it is.
We say no, still not sure what we’re saying no to, and our helpful provider of tea and coffee and food and cultural advice ushers the man out.
We leave the restaurant and within 100 metres find at least four more food outlets we want to try.
On our second morning in Penang we decide to check out the artwork of the city streets but we get distracted by the cool buildings down Armenian street.
We’re looking for somewhere for breakfast but it doesn’t seem so easy this morning. And I’m reminded of that old travel truism, turn one way out of the hotel you’ll find nothing, turn the other you’ll find gold.
We find restaurants for dinner and cafes for lunch but little in the way of breakfast.
Finally we succumb to Google maps which recommends Loong Fong cafe but when we get there we find everyone else has had the same recommendation and there is a huge queue.
Fortunately, the restaurant is bookended by bakeries, offering the most delicious looking croissant and pastries.
We choose The Maker because the staff are so friendly (hint the Parisienne Flan is delicious, well worth the stop) and are definitely not disappointed.
At the famous Boy on the Bike street art in Ah Quee Street, we find hordes of tourists all stopping for that quintessential image of Georgetown. Next door we find House of Street Art and stop in for a coffee.
Sall hands us a map of the street art, highlighting the most popular artwork, and urges me to make a wish. I pick out my ribbon (pink, of course), write my wish, throw a coin in the well, ring the bell and climb the ladder to tie my ribbon.
And then we escape back into the Penang heat to wander the streets in search of street art.
There are different types of street art here, metal works that tell the story and history of the city and graffiti style art, sometimes linked with physical pieces – the bike used in the kids on the bike for instance, mostly painted scenes.
Some of the artwork has faded into the buildings and we have to strain to see it, wandering past multiple times in search of the work. Sometimes it is vibrant.
We discover the artwork listed on the map and new artwork not yet listed.
Every new piece brings a thrill, like finding a hidden gem.
When we’ve had enough of artwork we head over to the pier
To the fort
And even up into the mountains.
We fell in love with Georgetown. A town with character and charm and some of the best food we’ve had.
Fast Facts
We travelled in 2024.
We stayed at Armenian Street Heritage Hotel and MaliHom Private Estate.
We were in Georgetown for five nights, popped up to the mountains for two nights and then came back to Georgetown for another week,we loved it so much.
Was it long enough? We didn’t get to the beaches, if that’s your thing. We definitely could have spent longer here, but only because we loved the chilled vibe, we had plenty of time to see all the highlights and the things we wanted to see.
Highlights: The street art, the food, relaxing in the mountains and our breakfast waiter who we went back to visit often.
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