I’m back to Penang island after 6 years. This is my first time travelling with new colleagues after Bintan trip. It was a long weekend holiday for Wesak Day and I spent most of the weekend in Batu Ferringhi and Penang town for food hunting.
We departed from Petaling Jaya 6am sharp according to our travel itinerary and reached Kangsar wet market at 8.30am for a quick breakfast, refreshing the mind with hot coffee after the 2 hours journey.
Road Trip To Penang Begin At 6AM
Having breakfast in Ipoh before continue our journey to Penang
Then we continued driving to Penang, estimated to reach our destination in 2 hours or more. There was a change of plan as we decided to take the ferry instead of driving straight to Penang. I am actually not good with direction and easily got lost, even with Waze. We regroup at Sungai Bakap R&R (R&R means Rehat Dan Rawat), a place to rest and rejuvenate after a long journey.
My first ferry ride to Penang
Then we continued driving to the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth. I paid RM7.70 for the entry and parked my car on the ferry. It was my first time to travel this way. The ferry ride to Penang took about 30-40 minutes.
We headed for the famous Penang Teo Chew cendol and ais kacang in George Town, which located at the back alley off Penang Road. After trying the famous cendol in Penang, we headed to our villa in Batu Ferringhi, took us about 1-hour drive from George Town.
Where To Stay in Penang – Shamrock Beach Villa
Thanks to my colleague for the accommodation arrangement, I stayed at a luxurious 3-storey Shamrock Beach Villa in Batu Ferringhi. From the villa, it overlooks an amazing view of the beach and the surrounding forest.
The beach villa in Batu Ferringhi is great for a family vacation or road trip for a group of friends. There are at least 5 bedrooms to fit in for 13 peoples, so don’t have to worry of out of place to sleep. Two big bedrooms are located on the 1st floor and 2nd floor which is quite spacey too.
As stated in the House Rules, there are no parties & BBQ is allowed in the villa.
Day 1 – Road Trip Continues
We headed to the tourist hotspot in Chulia Street for photo shooting, exploring the alleys and mural sightseeing. I was at the same location 6 years ago with my friends. Then we took a short break and later checked out the Tan Jetty. It was my first time at the Tan Jetty enjoying the amazing view of the wooden houses and its pathway which only will fit 2 person side by side.
As the night getting dark for dinner, we headed to the famous Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap located at Lebuh Kimberley in Georgetown. After dinner, we headed to the Padang Kota Lama Food Court for beers and Ho Chian and it was a great chill-out location by the sea.
While enjoying my ho chian, there was a street performer singing ‘Madu & Racun’ and it got me. This song was actually a popular 80s 90s Indonesian song performed by Arie Wibowo and I used to listen a few times when I was still a kid.
It was a pretty catchy song though and it makes one happy when listening to it. I always brought back a lot of songs when travelled to Thailand.
As some of us was getting tired, we decided to head back to the villa for rest.
Day 2 – Food Hunt
Taking a break, having dessert at China House Penang. Photo credit to my colleague
Some of us got up a little late and headed out from our villa at 11am, it was raining at that moment in Georgetown. We had breakfast at Hai Beng Cafe, which is a Chinese food court and tried out the Loh Mee which is said to be popular in Penang.
Parked our car nearby and walked around the town and found an old shop lot which has huge wall paintings which are quite nice and it’s definitely an Instagrammable spot in Penang.
After breakfast, we headed to China House in Georgetown, a cafe serving foods, drinks and deserts. The cakes are good though but costed a BOMB. LOL. It was free and easy as there are not much to do, we headed to Gurney Plaza & Gurney Paragon.
Yeah, I’ve heard of Gurney Plaza since I was a kid and finally I was there. LOL. After some window shopping, we headed for dinner again at a Chinese Restaurant. Then, headed back to the villa for some rest, play games and PARTAYYY till late.
Day 3 – Ipoh Chicken Rice
I was the first to wake up that morning at around 7.30am, drove out to refill gas at the petrol station which took about 5 minutes to drive from our villa. Packed up and then headed to a Chinese food court for a quick breakfast. I tried out a lot of food including the famous Penang Pasembur, kuey teow, otak-otak and more.
Then we took 2 hours to drive back to Ipoh for chicken rice dinner and drove 140kmph back to Kuala Lumpur. Finger crossed, I didn’t get tickets or saman. LOL. It was a short 3 days road trip though but I really enjoyed the whole trip for relaxation during the holiday. Probably should go for road trips more often.
