Part IV : Pearl of the Orient, Pulau Pinang

One of my favourite states who was accorded the name "Pearl of the Orient" for its simplicity yet complete, charming yet bashful and all-round good-time-having place. It has since lost a lot of that and while the name has not been taken away, it is not being used much. Penang is a bustling state with its capital Georgetown (motto : We can drive on the roof if necessary) splitting at its seams. There is just no more way to widen the roads here or create more highways without crashing into its rocky middle. They can consider building the highway into the sea like in some parts of Hong Kong.

There isn't anywhere that you can go without either hitting a restaurant, coffee shop or hawker center as well as a traffic jam. Wonderfully though, they have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. For one thing Penang will always be rich in, is history and culture....and carbohydrate.

It is definitely the place to get FAT! The food (while has been more commercialized) is still gorgeous. Just a note to you gullible folks out there, Hokkien Mee, Char Kuey Teow, Prawn Mee, just to name a few, made its name in Penang. NOT Singapore. That's just a bunch of copy cats who are just leaching off the success of Malaysia as always.

You can get good food almost anywhere in Penang. There are some of my favourites like the:-

1) Sotong Mee (Squid Noodles) at Fort Cornwallis. They cook the Mee Mamak with the Rojak Sotong sauce. It is soooo good and spicy. Don't forget to order the coconut float while you are at it.

2) I love Kuay Chap which is lean pork and bits (spare parts) in light soya sauce with thinly sliced rice noodle. Check it out at Kimberly Street.

3) I also enjoy Assam Laksa at Kek Lok Si. While this may be one of the most unhygienic places, I find it worth the while but it is definitely not for the faint hearted and weak stomach.

4) Pulau Tikus Char Kuey Teow to me far surpass "The Sisters" Char Kuey Teow at Lorong Selamat. They use duck egg instead of chicken egg (not sure why but is seems to taste a wee-bit better) and they are not as pricey.

5) Ais Kacang at Lorong Selamat still managed to retained its charm and hope for a long time to come.

5) Banana leaf rice at Jalan Perkerja called Kerala. They cook to order so the food is piping hot and fresh.

6) Hawker Centers near Sunway Hotel, Batu Ferringi, Green Lane and along Gurney Drive.

There are also very interesting places to stay and check out in Penang. My favourites are Northam, Gurney and Rasa Sayang. I don't mind the E&O which is very historical and has excellent architecture. However, its haunted. The last time I stayed there, I was awaken by people running along the corridors in the middle of the night. I thought it was an emergency so I opened the door to look outside. Just before I opened the door, I could still shadows of people running from under the door but when I opened it, there was nothing in the corridors. Believe it or not.

You can also find out which places you can go to in Penang from any website or brochure as Penang is truly a targeted tourist spot. They have very nice shopping malls for your shopping needs and tons of Buddhist, Hindu and Thai temples, churches, old Government houses and cultural houses that will showcase the many cultures and history of Penang. The 2 places I truly enjoy are the night market in Batu Ferringi and the War Museum at Batu Maung.

The night market has many eating stalls and flea market type merchandizes. You can bargain for your favourite items but be sure to tell them you are local and not a tourist.

The War Museum really used to be an army camp for the British with 2 large gun pointing out to see. The barracks, mess, offices and dungeons are long abandoned and is now donned by photos and articles of the war. While it was under Japanese rule, there is a tree stump which was used to behead war criminals by the Japanese. It is not a place to visit alone or in the evenings.

So take a ride along the Penang Bridge from the mainland or if you are a romantic, ride on the ever present and reliable ferries that are still plying the short straits as they have been for decades to Penang Island. And let your senses be thrilled and your gastromic needs satisfied.