ON THE ROAD FROM SINGAPORE TO PENANG
WHEN MANY RESIDENTS OF SINGAPORE PLAN THEIR VACATION THE FLIGHT IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY DECIDE ON. WANTING TO VISIT KUALA LUMPUR AND PENANG WE THOUGHT WE WOULD DO IT DIFFERENTLY, WE’D GO BY BUS AND FERRY.
Many years ago, Farah and I travelled to Penang from Singapore by bus. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant passage. It was on an overnight bus and we arrived in Georgetown early in the morning somewhat crinkled, wrinkled and grumpy. It was not a time when you could go on the Internet and browse through a list of the available hotels, so we bumbled about looking for a place in the wee hours of the morning.
A BREAK HALFWAY
When Farah suggested we do it again I didn’t want a repeat of our first experience. Already more wrinkled even before the trip began, I didn’t want to arrive in Penang more crinkled and grumpy as well. Instead of going direct to Penang I thought to break the trip in KL, give us a chance to catch up with friends in the city and then go on to Penang.
Now that we’d determined our destinations, I got in touch with marketing people for hotels in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. I wanted to stay right in George Town, not at Batu Ferringhi as most of the times I’ve visited Penang, this is where I’ve stayed. If you want a good beach holiday, with or without the family, this is a great place to stay with many good hotels. Unfortunately, my choices for places to stay didn’t work out and Farah booked the Northam All Suite Penang. Which I wasn’t thrilled about despite its excellent sea views. I wanted smaller and in the heart of the World Heritage area of George Town.
For Kuala Lumpur I got in touch with Tania Joslin at Petrie PR and we soon had reservations at the new Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, which I was totally thrilled about.
GOLDEN COACH EXPRESS
With hotels settled, I dropped into Golden
Coach Express, Asian Journeys’ most consistent advertiser. I told Winnie Sim that I wanted tickets to KL. “Where are you going?” When I told her, she recommended a different bus company,
First Coach. “It will drop you in Bangsar,” Winnie stated. “Our drop is on the other side of the city. You’ll have to take a taxi to the hotel.”
Disappointed that I couldn’t give my business to Golden Coach Express I was pleased with First Coach. Buying tickets for Saturday I deliberately picked the 10:00am departure which would – and did – result in us missing the morning jam at the border. Advantages of travelling by coach –
didn’t have to worry about the weight of bags or liquids or sharp objects.
A COMFORTABLE RIDE
The First Coach coach was spacious and comfortable and with large windows so we could enjoy the passing scenery. Admittedly, for the first part of the trip this wasn’t too exciting as we had good views of the traffic on the freeway and the passing Singapore highrises.
There was little delay at customs on either side of the border and crossing the Johor Strait on the Second Link is always enjoyable for the great view. From there to KL there is little to report about. We enjoyed the snacks we’d brought, read and we snoozed.
THE STOPS
We made one stop at the very typical Malaysian roadside rest stop. Had a cup of tea, watched an old gent do a faceplant when he misjudged a down step, and happily slithered out of the heat and into the air conditioning of the coach.
We thought the bus would deposit us at KL Sentral station at Bangsar – which is one stop from the Alila, on the LRT line, as we were told. Where we did land was at a shopping centre below the LRT line a short distance from KL Sentral. Using Google Maps it showed that the Alila was near about, but I wasn’t sure where exactly. I left Farah with the luggage and tried to find the best way to get to the KL Sentral station. As Farah sat with the luggage, she looked across the rail lines, she could see around pillar blocking my view and she spotted the Alila. We were one stop from the station. I wouldn’t have been amused if we’d schlepped luggage and selves the few blocks to KL Sentral only to come back to where we’d started from.
LOVING THE ALILA
There are many things that I love about the Alila, all of which I mentioned in the article about it in the June – July 2019 edition of Asian Journeys. Many things well worth mentioning again. Particularly the staff who endeavoured in every way to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. The lobby is situated on the
41st floor, the pool and facilities on the 40th floor and the extensive windows and high ceilings create an opulent openness for light and views. Views over Brickfields, Little India and on the other side Bangsar. Our corner room gave us panoramic views, which I spent a bit of time taking in.
Alila means “Surprise” in Sanskrit,
but you shouldn’t be surprised at the quality of the food and the service at Entier, where breakfast is served and then lunch and dinner. An old
French word, ‘entier’ means whole or entire. When we had lunch, the staff was very attentive and encouraging us to try every possible dish. Our problem was, that just a few brief hours earlier we had the excellent breakfast.
WE HAVE THE PACKAGE
We have quite a few friends who live in KL, but some were in Singapore, so we didn’t catch up with them. However, we did get together with AJ contributor Stefan Pertz and his newly minted wife Jacqueline, and David Bowden another regular contributor. All long-time friends. It was a rare treat for us to get together outside a group chat.
As they know the city better than I do I left it to them to choose a restaurant. Stefan picked us up, though we could’ve easily walked, and David met us at Southern Rock Seafood, which was a street beyond where the bus had dropped us. After dinner, Stefan lead us to one of his favourite bars in the area and we checked out the funky Bobo Kaula Lumpur. For night life, Bangsar has some interesting bars and restaurants. If you stay at the Alila it is just a short walk from the hotel.
BRICKFIELDS / LITTLE INDIA
Walk in the other direction from the Alila and you are in Brickfields with ‘Little India’ providing energy, eating places, temples, a lot of colour, and being a great place for taking pictures. In fact, if you stay at the Alila, you don’t even need to walk as transport will be provided up to KL Sentral. We took advantage of the ride and then walked back.
While technically not in Brickfields Maxis Centre Plaza Sentral and NU Sentral Shopping Centre have you covered if you are looking for brand name shops, cafes, restaurants, small food kiosks or even a grocery store. Outside their air-conditioned doors is the more sultry Brickfields district.
REDBUS TO PENANG
Under direction of Alila staff we downloaded Redbus’s app to purchase tickets online. Once again, I booked for midmorning. I had no desire to get up early, eat a rushed meal just to get on the road early. We enjoyed another excellent breakfast at Entier before saying goodbye to staff, who had become friends.
The taxi took us smoothly along KL’S extensive freeway network to TBS terminal. No long waits in the Jam and we arrived with plenty of time to pick up our ticket, have a quick look around and then make for the waiting room to await the bus.
GREAT CONNECTIVITY
All the tickets for George Town were booked, but there were many seats available on the bus to Butterworth. Once again, the coach, which cost us RM36 per person, was spacious and comfortable. The scenery does get interesting in places but take something to read or a device to entertain you as there are stretches of unexciting highway.
It’s about a five-hour trip to Butterworth and the bus terminal is at the ferry terminal. Costing only RM1.20 for Adult fare the passenger and car ferry runs roughly every 20 to 30 minutes and takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cross the water. With local and international travellers on board, with a gentle breeze fluffing up scents of the sea and crafts of various types sliding over the surface the trip began to feel like a real travel experience.
LOCAL TRANSIT
The public transit system in George Town is not to the level it is in Singapore but the ferry deposited us at the bus terminal. Using Google Maps I was able to determine which bus would take us to The Northam All Suite Penang. It was an interesting ride, refamiliarizing us with the city. We were dropped just around the corner from the Northam.
The room was very spacious, but in the need of updating. We enjoyed the views of the sea and one evening we crossed the road to enjoy the
local seafood. The first night we walked into the UNESCO World Heritage area where we enjoyed local food for dinner. Over the next couple of days, we meandered the streets, poked into cafes, which can be very delightful, walked out on the Chew Jetty – one of the many historic features of the former British Colony – and enjoyed the variety of temples, churches, mosques and other heritage buildings.
SUSHI IN THE CITY
Some years back I went to the opening of
Straits Quay – then a mostly empty complex without much around it. Now it has some great restaurants at “Penang’s first and only seafront retail marina” and it is surrounded by apartments where my friends Rahim and Irene Millar live. Irene writes the Sustainable Tourism column for Asian Journeys (see page 62).
We met them at the Nomiya American Izakaya. Irene ordered the sushi special for us, which was excellent. After lunch, now early afternoon I must point out, we went to their apartment and enjoyed a Single Malt whiskey (no blended whiskeys for this Scottish lady) as we sat on the balcony enjoying the view. “The sunsets from here are absolutely fabulous,” Irene stated. Having been a bit nomadic in recent years moving from Singapore to Bali to Scotland to Johor and now Penang, they are enjoying their time in the ‘Pearl of the Orient’.
BATU FERRINGHI
Normally I enjoy Batu Ferringhi but arriving in the afternoon on a very quiet, sizzling hot day and with a large chunk of the main street a construction site, it wasn’t quite the same place. We found our way to the beach and to Bora Bora where we ordered snacks and drinks and chilled for a while, keeping a close eye on the sand and blue water.
We made our way back to George Town before the Night Market opens. Stretching along Jalan Batu Ferringhi it has grown in size in recent years. There is a variety of accommodation in this area and the restaurants range from beachside cafes to quality restaurants. For families looking for a beach holiday this is a good choice.
CHINAHOUSE MAKES THE CAKE
Good friend Narelle, whom we last saw some years ago at her amazing Bon Ton resort in Langkawi, splits her time between the two islands. As it turned out, she would be in Penang at Chinahouse when we were there. Narelle creates beautiful and intriguing establishments and has done it in spades with the 400ft long Chinahouse that stretches between Beach Street and Victoria Street.
Trying to describe Chinahouse is like trying to describe Narelle herself. I will just repeat what she puts in her newsletter Chinahouse Cake Tribune: Restaurant, Café, Bakery, Library, Artisan Bar, Wine Room, Courtyard, Live Music, Event Space,
Art Gallery, Retail Shops. Just to be clear, that is a description of Chinahouse, not Narelle. As Narelle bustled about, we wandered through Chinahouse which is a traditional compound of three heritage buildings that are linked by an open air courtyard. There are 14 spaces converted into shops, cafes, restaurant, galleries, live music and bakery.
DELICIOUS DEATH
During the week there are 50 fabulously freshly baked cakes and 70 on the weekend. They are made, along with brownies, tortes, slices, biscuits, breads and pies by Chef Jojie and her talented team of 10 passionate bakers. How would you decide? Narelle took that choice out of our hands and ordered Delicious
Death Chocolate Cake for us. Kill me again!
As George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site the graffiti art is no longer allowed on building walls.
This is why Narelle set up a space where artists could express their inner graffiti urges. There is a great variety of art throughout Chinahouse, which adds to its character along with the architecture, collectables and furniture of another era. This is a must place to visit when you are in George Town.
STAYCATION
For many Singaporean’s going to Penang is almost like doing a staycation but decades back. The two former British Colonies have much in common from the history, the architecture, the food and culture. In many ways Penang has preserved much more of it than Singapore has. But with the desire to modernize it will change and morph, so enjoy it while you can.
We took a Grab to the airport and flew back to Singapore. A very short trip compared to going up, but also a good way to travel. There are many budget flights between the two cities so it would be easy to do just a weekend, but the longer you can stay, the more you will discover of this delightful island.v