Four Hours in George Town, Penang

Hours of watching Asian Food Channel had made me drool over Penang, Malaysia’s Food Capital. So when my sister and I were planning our trip to Kuala Lumpur, we made sure to set time for a Penang side trip. Since we had limited time on our hands, we could only visit George Town.

George Town is the capital of Penang Island on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded in 1786 by British trader Francis Light and is one of Malaysia’s largest cities. Like most areas in Malaysia, it is a multicultural city comprising mainly of Malays, Chinese, and Indians, although here in George Town and in the state of Penang, there is a higher concentration of ethnic Chinese compared to Malays.

How to Get There

When coming from KL, the best way to get to George Town is by train or bus.

By train: The nearest train station to Penang is Butterworth station and is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). The train leaves from KL Sentral station and it takes roughly 5.5 hours to get from KL to Butterworth. As of writing, there is only one daily train between KL and Penang so it’s important to take note of the schedule.

By bus: The trip from KL’s Pudu Raya bus station costs around RM35 and take around 5-6 hours. You can get off at either Butterworth bus terminal (near the Butterworth train station) or at the Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal, located just outside of George Town.

Once you get off Butterworth, either by bus or train, the easiest way to get inside George Town mainland is to take the Penang Ferry Service. The fare costs RM1.20.

Here is where our (mis)adventure began. We planned to get off Butterworth to take the ferry but we thought that was the last stop. So when we saw “Butterworth” signs and virtually no one was getting off, we didn’t get off either. By the time I realized that we should have gone down, the door of the bus was already closed. And as the bus crossed the Penang Bridge (and mind you, it’s a looong bridge), I realized that we were lost. I checked out my mobile guidebook and realized that we’re getting inside Penang, but not by the way we’ve planned. Pam, on the other hand, began talking to another passenger who told her that we could get off Sungai Nibong and take a Rapid Penang bus (301, 401 or 102) that will take us inside George Town. This mistake cost us a precious hour on our already limited schedule but later we’d see that if had gotten off at Butterworth, we probably wouldn’t have stumbled upon the Camera Museum, which was our favorite part of this trip.

We had to wait for a few minutes for the Rapid Penang bus at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal. While studying our maps and the itineraries posted in the bus station, we decided that we’d get off Lebuh Carnarvon because it seemed like a good entry point to George Town. And it was. We took the 401 Rapid Penang bus. I can’t remember how much the exact fare was but it was around RM2 and the trip took about 15, 20 minutes tops. Rapid Penang is the best mode of transpo when going around Penang. The buses are clean, air-conditioned, and modern. In fact, all of the buses we’ve encountered in Penang and Kuala Lumpur were like that. Most have CCTV units inside the bus, some offer WiFi access, and the trip schedules are strictly followed.

Walking Around

After getting off Lebuh Carnarvon, we just walked around in search for food. Unfortunately, it was past lunchtime and most shops were already closed. 🙁 So we just kept on walking. Our only goal was to see the famous street arts of George Town and sample the cuisine but we didn’t really know where to go.

Along the way, we spotted British colonial buildings, temples, and colorful streets. Since it was past lunchtime, the streets were quiet.

We saw signs of a Camera Museum nearby and planned to go there after having our lunch. We also passed by the Chocolate & Coffee Museum in Lebuh Leith.

 

Yeng Keng Restaurant

Finally, we saw Yeng Keng Hotel in Lebuh Chulia which has a restaurant inside. It gave off an “expensive” vibe but we were so hungry and seriously wanted to try Penang’s world-famous cuisine. So, Yeng Keng it is.

Yeng Keng promises a “gastronomical Hainanese experience” in Penang. The hotel and the café bar gives off a 1930s vibe and serves traditional and local Hainanese dishes, as well as Western dishes.

The Hainanese are migrants from Hainan in China. For some reason, the Hainanese are famous for being cooks during the colonial days. They possess culinary ingenuities and skills creating their own style of Western and Chinese food. [Source]

We ordered Yeng Keng Fried Rice, Yeng Keng Hainanese Chicken Chop, Baked Fish with Lemon & Butter Sauce, and Banana Split. Probably more than what two small girls should eat. But hey, we were here to indulge. Indulge, we did. This was also the most expensive leg of our Malaysian trip.

Everything was yummy and worth our every Ringgit. The fried rice was my favorite because well, I love fried rice. We were so full that we ended up not having dinner.

After having late lunch, we went to The Camera Museum in Lebuh Muntri. The place is heaven for photography lovers. It deserves a separate blog post so I’m writing one – watch out for that. 🙂

George Town Street Art

After our tour at The Camera Museum, we still have about an hour to roam and look for George Town’s famous street art, something you shouldn’t miss when you visit Penang. There are different artists who contributed to George Town’s street art, and Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic is probably the most famous of them all. Zacharevic shot to fame after he was commissioned by the Penang Municipal Council in 2012 to create a street art project called ‘Mirrors George Town.’ He has inspired more artists to contribute and now, there are more than a hundred street paintings and wrought-iron sculptures in George Town. My hipster friends will die of happiness.

So much creativity went into these artworks! My favorite was the children in the bicycle but it was also a challenge to get decent photos of it because there were lots of people who wanted to pose beside it.

The list of murals is growing every year. But if you’re pressed for time, make sure that you pass by Lebuh Armenian, where we found most of the artworks above. The map that we got from Camera Museum was helpful; it showed where we could find most of the street murals. You can also check this map for reference.

We went to the Ferry Terminal in Pengkalan Weld (aka Jetty) to return to Butterworth, where we’re taking the bus back to Kuala Lumpur. Surprise, surprise! The return ride to Butterworth is FREE! How amazing is Malaysia?!

We arrived in Penang past 1PM, started roaming around at 2PM and left at 6PM. Those four hours, though short, were spent well. I love that even for a limited time, we got to experience the beauty, old school charm, and culture of George Town, Penang. I know that the city and the rest of Penang has a lot to offer so I plan to return soon. If you haven’t visited Penang, then you definitely should!

Have you visited George Town or any part of Penang? What was your favorite part of your trip? Share your experiences in the comments!