However there is more to it – Georgetown, which is the main hub of Penang is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. People of different backgrounds and races have lived in harmony here for many years. The historical buildings have been well preserved and are still standing – it’s a very fascinating place to explore.

Besides the cultural and historical side to this city, as an island there are a few beaches available to go and relax at.

I think we had one of the best stays in Penang, which was all thanks to Danny, the owner of the Friendly Green House we stayed at in Georgetown. He took us:

• to a private beach to see the sunset, but unfortunately the clouds had gathered and the rain had started by the time we reached it. Then we headed straight for some yummy seafood at a local restaurant.
• to eat lots of local famous cuisines around Georgetown. You can read our ‘Penang – Foodie Recommendations’ post.
• to see half of Penang lit up at night.
• lent us some bicycles so we cycled around an hour and a half to get to the Kek Lok Si, a Buddhist temple in Air Itam.

Penang is also the first place, besides Kuala Lumpur, that had a decent public transport route!! The rapid Penang buses are all fully air-conditioned and run frequently. They also have a free shuttle bus (CAT), which provides a hop on and hop off service in Georgetown. This is a great way to visit and see the attractions because you don’t have to think of other modes of transport to get you from one tourist attraction to the next, which is just a pain. The map/routes can here found here. The best thing to do is go to the bus terminal and get a map of the route it goes.

Penang Tropical Fruit Farm

This fruit farm was built to preserve Penang’s green heritage. They have all types of local fruits as well as fruits from around the world (around 250 species in total). This 25-acre farm is big. We took the tour, which was 40RM per person (not including 6% GST), and this included a fruit platter and juice at the end. The tour was really interesting. I didn’t know what half of the plants were and how they were grown or what they looked like in their natural state. There was nutmeg, cinnamon, pomelo, kiwi, papaya trees, dragonfruit, mango, durian, jackfruit, water apple, rambutan, longan, mangosteen, pineapple, lemongrass bush and many others we had not heard of before. The fruit platter was really yummy, we went for 2 rounds and then had a papaya with milk juice, which was refreshing.

To get here you have to get the 101 bus to Teluk Behang and then wait for the 501 bus to the fruit farm. Note the 501 bus is every 2 hours!!

Spice Gardens

After the fruit farm you have to take the 101 bus back to central Georgetown. We decided to stop of at the Spice Gardens to have a look around. I did feel a bit disappointed as there were lots of different spices and herbs but some had not grown yet so there wasn’t much to see. They have an audio tour which was great and told you about the history and how they were brought to Malaysia.

Admission is 26RM per person. Remember to make use of the citronella oil provided or the mosquitos will make a meal out of you.

3D Art Museum

Quite a good way to spend a couple of hours. This museum has life size figures that protrude from the walls and with the painted backgrounds create a 3D effect, which you can capture on your camera.

Admission is 25RM per person.

Pinang Pernankan Mansion

I think this is my favourite bit of Penang. The mansion is home to a Kapitan Cina – Cheung Keng Kwee and coming to see his house was breathtaking. These Kaptians, which can be found all our Southeast Asia had immense power, influenced and contributed to social and economic development in areas under their jurisdiction. They made their money either in opium or in tin mining, for example, and these Pernanakans (also known as Babas and Nyonyas) lead an interesting life. They adopted the Malay ways and the colonial British lifestyle, which is reflected in this house. The mansion itself is divided up into separate areas, each one so grand, so lavish – they seriously had a lot of money. Even the buttons on the children’s clothing were made out of gold. They had a headdress and jewellery on show that were made out of the feathers of the kingfisher. I would definitely recommend coming to have a look at this house.

In and around Georgetown

There are plenty of hawkers stalls and buildings to explore. We also travelled to see the clan jetties near the ferry terminal – see the old ways of life, which is still being preserved although many of the young children have now moved into the city to find work.

Penang is definitely worth visiting!

Next on our list in Langkawi, an island near to Thailand. You may think of 5 star luxury, endless pampering, pristine beaches – stayed tuned for our next post.

Today we thought to do a foodie post because Penang is not just about the sightseeing there is also some amazing food.

Here is a list of the some the food we ate at and some places recommended from my foodie friend Kelly. Danny from the Friendly Green House Hostel also took us to a lot of places to sample some awesome food.

Penang is dubbed “Food Paradise of Asia”.

Ranked in CNNGo’s Asia’s 10 Greatest Street Food Cities in 2012

Ranked 12th in The New York Times’ Frugal & Food Category.

Old Green House Restaurant

233 Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town

GPS Coordinates: N5 25.421 E100 19.261

Koay Teow Soup – a bowl of flat white noodles for breakfast with its delicate broth accompanied with fish balls and pork offal. I didn’t think this was so special, it was okay.

Fook Teow Cafe

122-1, Lorong Hutton, 10050 Georgetown

GPS: N5.421381 E100.328412

Fried Oyster Omelette – juicy oysters. So cheap as well. Cooked as an omelette and loaded with a ton of garlic.

Yi Garden Cafe Corner

On the corner of Jalan Macalister and Lorong Selamat , 10400 Penang 

GPS: N5 24.985 E100 19.446

Other recommendations:

• Ah Leng Char Koay Teow @ Kafe Khoon Hiang

Jalan Dato Keramat, Penang. GPS: N5 24.779 E100 19.171

• Air Itam Duck Rice @ Air Itam Market

11500 Air Itam, Penang. GPS: N5.401845 E100.277495

• Penang Laksa @ Taman Emas Kopitiam

Laksa is a soup made from fish stock and seasoned with shrimp paste that is sweet, sour, spicy and salty all at the same time.

Jalan Gottlieb , 10350 Georgetown, Penang GPS: 5.433316,100.302864

• Curry Mee @ Lim Sisters Curry Mee

Jalan Air Hitam, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Penang GPS Coordinates: N5 24.020 E100 16.695

Go and enjoy a foodie adventure in Penang.

I think this is one the best hostels we have stayed at so far. Not only was it cheap but best of all was the owner, Danny who was really great guy and spent a lot of time with us – taking us out to have breakfast and dinner, taking us to a hilltop to see Penang at night and really wanting to get to know us. The best thing about travelling is not only going to explore the city on your own but meeting different people and understanding their way of life firsthand. Hands up to Danny, a great host who made our stay in Penang so special!!

So what is so special about Friendly Green House, Georgetown, Penang?

For a backpacker, this is heaven, the mixed dorm is 17RM per night!

(17RM is the weekday price whereas at the weekend it is 19RM per night).

Facilities:

Dorm Room – Full air con

Lounge area to socialise in

Kitchen area that is you can clean up after yourself

Free drinking water

2 bathrooms

1 separate toilet

Free lockers

Free breakfast – selections of jams, tea, coffee

Free towels

Free bike hire

Location:

It’s not in the centre of Georgetown but to walk there it is very easy. The walk to the centre is not far at all and there are shops and places to eat dotted around the hostel.

The Komtar – 10 minute walk

The free CAT bus – 5 minute walk

Food and shops – around the corner

Final thoughts:

We had a great time staying at this guesthouse. It’s our favourite so far – it’s not fancy or high class but we had so much fun with the other backpackers and Danny himself. Danny is very welcoming, friendly and he does go out his way to help you.

The hostel is also clean, which is very important for us. We were given our own towels and the bed is not too bad! We got a lot of good sleeps staying here.

To book:

I would definitely recommend booking in advance as there were a few nights that were fully booked.

You can either book via the booking system below or call Danny on 011-3172 7993 to reserve your bed.

• Agoda
• Booking.com

Friendly Green House Hostel

No 16. Lorong Ceylon,

10500 Georgetown,

Penang.

Malaysia.

Tel: 04 266 5182

Thank you Danny for having us!