Visiting Penang, Malaysia: Itinerary Ideas (Part 2)

Georgetown's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has helped the city to preserve its many prehistoric buildings in the city centre. In conjunction with the city's Heritage Day which falls on 7 July, there is a monthly festival called the Georgetown Festival. During this one month, many events and organised walks are held in the heritage zone. In recent years, the presence of lovely murals along the streets have also helped to bring additional interest to the area. Before going on a walk or bicycle tour to explore the streets, get a map with all the locations of the murals clearly mapped out. Most of the murals are centred around Lebuh Armenian (Armenian Street) and Lebuh Chulia.

Look out for 14 Living Story, a shop along Lorong Love, during your walk. It is a charming little shop with lots of interesting items on sale. You can also admire old posters, old household items (like an antique tiffin carrier), and an old man performing on his unique keyboard-like instrument. Definitely worth a stop!

Another interesting shop to stop at is China House. Enter the restaurant and you will see an area where the band plays. Walk through the restaurant towards the kitchen area and stop to admire the lovely murals on display. We were at the restaurant too early though and hence had no chance to enjoy the live music. Maybe another time!

From this area, you can venture further towards Little India where you will hear Hindi songs blasting and many restaurants serving Indian cuisine like vadai, mango lassi and roti canai. If you still have the energy, continue walking and you will reach Fort Cornwallis.

Another historic part of the city is at Pengkalan Weld where you will find many jetty areas. One of the more popular ones is Chew Jetty. Do note though that there are still families who live here so respect them and do not take photos if there are signs saying "No photos allowed". Once you have entered the jetty area, you will feel as if you are in a different world with the houses on stilts, seemingly floating on water.

Penang Hill (also known as Bukit Bendera), another famous attraction in Penang, is easy to get to. There are Rapid buses which will bring you to the foot of the hill. From here, buy your tickets for the funicular railway which will bring you up to the top of the hill, more than 800 metres above sea level. For Malaysian visitors, do bring your MyKad as you will be able to purchase a discounted admission ticket for RM8 only. If you are coming as a family, get the family package instead.

At the top of the hill, you enjoy a leisurely walk while enjoying the cool breeze. There is also a tiny Owl Museum here right next to a small food court. For those who would like to eat Western food, there is the David Brown Restaurant. Close to Penang Hill is the Kek Lok Si temple where you can take a cable car ride up to the huge temple, then walk down the many steps while taking in the interesting sights and smells.

All in all, during my five days in Penang, I visited many places, enjoyed lots of delicious food and had a relaxing time. Although I have visited Penang before many times, this was my longest trip ever and hence allowed me to cover more tourist attractions. However, there are some which I have still missed out on like the Botanical Gardens, the Tropical Spice Garden and so on. I will definitely be back again someday!