Something for everyone in
THE shrill ring of the trishawman’s whistle filled my ears.
I braced myself as he swiftly manoeuvered us off the road and onto the pedestrian pathway, weaving around a small throng of shock tourists and non-chalant locals.
My travel companion and I sat dumbfounded, making loud gasps whenever we zipped past a large group of people.
From behind us, we heard the trishaw-man reassure us with humour in his voice: “I just don’t want to wait for the traffic light la!”
As we neared the upcoming junction, with a sudden burst of speed, the trishaw-man cut back onto the main road and turned sharply down a quiet lane.
Within seconds more trishaws from our group caught up to us, forming a quaint line as we rode down the quiet lane, filled with small shophouses from the colonial era with a sprinkle food stalls.
With the wind in my hair, and the early morning sun smiling down at me, I looked forward to enjoying the scenery, the smell of street food lingering from nearby stalls, and the smiles from both locals and fellow tourists alike giving me small nods or waves of acknowledgement.
It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re a foodie, a naturelover, a shopper or a history buff, there is something for everyone in Penang.
Penang-Kuching direct flight route
I recently participated in Malaysia Airline Bhd’s (MAB) organised trip to Penang, catered for top Sarawakian travel agents, and local media representatives.
The trip was part of the launch of MAB’s new Penang-Kuching direct flight route — MH2724.
“The purpose of this trip is to provide a first-hand experience to all our top agents and the media to experience the local products that Penang can offer,” shared Aalias Suut, assistant manager sales, Brunei and Sarawak, Malaysia Airline System Bhd (MAS).
And experienced Penang we did. Over a period of three days, we were ushered all around Penang, by Capital One Leisure Sdn Bhd, a local tour and sightseeing company, showing us all that Penang has to offer — from her breathtaking sights to her rich cultural heritage, we saw it all.
Suut who was also part of the trip, acting as the organiser, urged Sarawakians to take advantage of MAS’s new Penang-Kuching route and come over to the beautiful northern island state which has a lot of products to offer such as nature, family activities, not forgetting the local cuisine and food.
Food, in particular, seemed to be a huge theme on our trip as we were presented with local delicacies at every turn — from the addictively refreshing local nutmeg juice with sour plums, to colourful nyonya kuih.
Foodies can rejoice as Penang is especially famous for its Peranakan or Straits Chinese cuisine which is heavily influenced by Malay, Chinese, and Thai flavours.
It’s a taste that is unique to Penang and highly sought after by true foodies.
However, you may find yourself waiting a lot if you’re on a food tour as the ubiquitous local food stalls seem to be perpetually packed with throngs of people, giving new life to the famous phrase -- Penangites don’t eat to live, they live to eat.
For less adventurous eaters, never fret as there are some aspects of Penang’s cuisine rather reminiscent of our own with many similar popular dishes like our Oh Chien, Char Koay Teow.
Of course, as we touch on similarities, we cannot forget the controversial topic that has plagued our communities for many years.
“So which is better? Sarawakian or Penang laksa?”
With both states being fiercely proud of their own laksa, the question has led to an uncountable number of heated arguments among foodies and travellers alike, with some preferring Penang’s assam laksa over our curry-based one.
Having tried both, I can only say it’s very different from what we are used to back home. You just have to go try for yourself! Hidden gems Of course, there’s more than just food to Penang. Once you’ve had your fill and would like to walk it off, there are a handful of local hidden gems -- from museums and galleries, to traditional trades and crafts littered around the city centre, waiting for you to explore.
For art lovers, around every street corner is a work of art waiting to be discovered as Penang is filled with quirky murals and street art.
In particular, her infamous Little Children on a Bike is one piece that has made international headlines and shouldn’t be missed. Grandest clan temple If you’re more of a history buff, perhaps a quick trip down to the famous Khoo Kongsi, the grandest clan temple and house in Malaysia, would be more appealing.
Funded by its existing clan members, the Khoo Kongsi has been immaculately restored and opened as museum for tourists to showcase its rich cultural heritage and history of the Khoo clan.
With many of the original fixtures still intact and restored, stepping into the temple gives you a glimpse of what life was like as a member of the prestigious Khoo clan in the 1900’s. It really is a definite educational destination for both adults and children alike. Butterfly farm Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of Penang city to another family orientated destination, Penang’s butterfly farm, recently rebranded as Entopia to appeal to the broader market.
The rebranding has also included the introduction of adorable mascots for the nature sanctuary, making it a perfect destination for families with young children.
At Entopia, you can learn a lot about our planet’s little denizens — from those that fly freely in the sky to the ones that creep stealthily beneath the ground.
Entopia also provides learning programmes aimed at school tours from kindergarten to tertiary students. Vita Nova Its nature activities are all free, and there is one, in particular, that should not be missed by visitors. Its daily Vita Nova activity involves the release of newly hatched butterflies into the open and really is a sight to behold.
Following in the line of educational attractions, tourists, interested in history and culture, can also take a ride up Penang Hill Railway but rather than just look at its amazing view on the top of Penang Hill, a quick detour to the left as they walk out of the railway station will take them to The Habitat to experience a different part of Penang.
The Habitat features a 30minute hike up Penang Hill, with canopy walks, soon to be implemented zip-line system, ending at a 360 platform to give you an even better view of Penang.
The surrounding rainforest is 130 million years old and due to its status as a nature reserve, is filled with many of its natural flora and fauna, of which tour guides are more than happy to educate you on.
If you have been thoroughly bored so far, perhaps you’re looking for more of a leisure holiday instead. In that case, maybe a booking to some of the cruise liners stationed in Penang would be more your speed.
Some of the cruise liners offer trips to nearby destinations like Singapore or Thailand — perfect for a long holiday plan for both families and couples.
If you would rather not break the bank, the SuperStar Libra, a cruise liner stationed in Penang, maybe worth looking at as it offers one-night cruises with prices starting from RM192 per person.
It really is a luxurious experience and a rather unique one, considering our own lack of local cruise liners.
For free independent travellers (FIT), wanting to go by their own pace without being shackled by a schedule, Penang’s hop-on hop-off tour service will be a godsend as it provides tourists the ease of visiting all of Penang’s major attractions as they are all connected in its route.
Running seven days a week with a bus arriving every 20 minutes within the city area, and 75 minutes within the beach area, it provides tourist immense flexibility in how they would like to tour Penang. Potential packages Of course, there still needs to be a little bit of planning involved — and for tourists, wanting everything taken care of for them, be on the lookout for upcoming potential packages from our local travel agents who have promised to work on attractive packages for tourism to Penang.
Inez Ting, executive director of Ping Sing Travel and Tours (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, noted that there is an opportunity for potential wedding packages.
She explained that Penang’s beautiful scenery and some of its beautifully restored colonial theme buildings such as Gurney Paragon’s restored chapel would be ideal for couples looking to take wedding pictures or even hold a wedding.
“For couples looking to get married outside of Sarawak, we could potentially create a package for the whole family with an after wedding tour of Penang for the family as the couple head off for their honeymoon. It’s a chance for a unique wedding experience and a holiday for the entire family,” Ting shared.
After experiencing all these locations, it seems to be a variety of tourism opportunities present in Penang, suited to a variety of travellers and tourists.
There really is something for everyone in Penang. Sarawak tourism Of course, this is not a onesided story as we do expect Sarawak tourism to receive a boost from Penanites from the introduction of this new direct flight, and we are not just expecting Penangites to come visit us.
Asked if there would be a trip organised to showcase our local attractions to Penang tour agents and media, Suut indicated it is in the pipeline.
“We are going to plan it soon. We have started indicating to Penang’s tourism industry that we welcome them to Sarawak and on that note, on our part, our Sarawak Tourism Board and the Malaysia Hotel Association in Sarawak are willing to have some kind of business to business (B2B) session with our counterparts from Penang.
“Our intention is for Penangites to experience our inbound tourism because we have a lot of heritage as well in Sarawak in terms of flora and fauna and adventures such as the Mulu and Niah Cave.
“I do hope with that reciprocal agreement and understanding we can leverage on the tourist arrivals to Sarawak. Not only mainly to Kuching but also Miri, Sibu and Bintulu.”
Suut went on to explain that he expected much more for Sarawak as well due to Penang’s already booming tourism industry.
“There is a huge amount of international tourists who are taking Penang as a hub for their holiday destination, hence we are expecting a flow of the international tourism to come over to Sarawak and to promote Sarawak by itself.”
With over 200 international flights weekly to Penang International airport, and 91 from Singapore alone, it is extremely likely that Suut’s expectations will bear fruit.
On that note, Patrick Sim, managing director of Wah Tung Travel Sdn Bhd, said upon return to Sarawak he would be creating two packages — one for Sarawak and one for Penang.
He added that he would be pushing Sarawak’s package to Penang tour agencies and is hopeful it would attract not only Penangites but also international tourists in Penang.
For Penang, he believes there will be no issues, considering the known establishment of Penang as a tourist hub already, and is looking towards creating smaller packages for smaller groups looking for a week-end getaway to Penang.
The purpose of this trip is to provide a first-hand experience to all our top agents and the media to experience the local products that Penang can offer. — Aalias Suut, assistant manager sales, Brunei and Sarawak, Malaysia Airline System Bhd (MAS)