Travel Guide to Penang, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia - Pearl of The West Coast

Once traveling over the Penang bridge coming from the main land, not just an island but a metropolitan city arises ahead. An island scattered with industry, housing estates and condominiums, but also an island with a long trading and exciting history and many of these elements can still be found when excursioning around Penang.

History of Penang

The Sultan of Kedah was convinced by the British captain Sir Francis Light to surrender Pulau Penang (Betel Nut Island) to the British East India Company. The first city was named after King George III, and Georgetown is still the major heart of the island. After 100 years of British occupation the island joined the Federation of Malaya in 1957.

Pulau Penang or Penang for short (sometimes referred to as Pinang) houses a multi cultural population of nearly 1,5 million inhabitants. Pulau Penang is part of the State of Penang which can be found in the North Western tip of Malaysia.

Georgetown booming heart of Pulau Pinang

Georgetown Is the main administrative and commercial district of the island. Its heritage and colonial history can be found on every street corner, as many building and sites are kept intact and withstood the passing modern times. Georgetown definitely a modern city wrapped in a historical package.

China Town and Little India are a must-visit district an exciting and well preserved area, and gives perfect insight into the lives of early settlers.

Hotels And Accommodations in Penang

Accommodation on the island is plentiful, whether one wants to be pampered in a five star hotel or resort or just basic or standard accommodation, Penang will comfort the travelers needs. Georgetown, Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi is where all the top class accommodations are found.

Food of Penang

Penang offers its own fine cuisine which of the historical background is a wild mixture from various cultures. And the seas surrounding the island bring fresh catch to every plate every day. Asam Laksa a spicy soup, and Char Kway Teow a noodle dish should not be missed. Coffee houses in Penang are called Kopitiam, and offer a wide variety of foods and desserts.

All over the island quality entertainment can be found, for nightlife the island offers plenty of pubs, clubs and restaurants, we recommend Upper Penang road, Gurney Drive and Batu Ferringhi.

Penang Shopping

Penang is definitely a shoppers heaven, the many shopping centers, bazaars and markets offer a wide variety of goods. Penang’s port brings the best from all over the world to this island of abundance. Jalan Penang, Lebuh Kapitan Keling, Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Cambell, Batu Ferringhi and Chowrast Bazaar should not be missed.

Culture and Traditions

Pulau Penang’s geographical location brought a wide range of cultures and traditions to the island. The exotic culture is found in many heritage sites open to the public, to list a few; Kek Lok Si Temple, Fort Cornwallis, Dharmikarama Burmese Temple, Acheen Street Malay Mosque, City hall, Khoo Kongsi temple Complex, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Little India, The State Mosque, St. Anne’s Church and Victoria Memorial Clock Tower. Exploring the island the toursit will understand there are many more to be to discovered.

Recreation in Penang

However a large part of the island is changed into housing and industrial estates, Pulau Penang offers a wide range of fascinating natural attractions. Penang’s Northern shores are reserved for sun lovers; the pristine beaches offer idyllic sites and sceneries and stretch for miles, Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang are world famous and all water sports can be found here. But Penang also offers a National Park, Tropical Spice and Fruit Garden, Botanical Garden, Butterfly Farm and Bird Park. Penang Hill has to be done once in a lifetime, either hiking or taking the charming Penang Hill train to the 830 meter high summit, the views from this standpoint will awe everyone. The island also offers excellent Jungle trekking trails and absolute top notch gold facilities and driving ranges.

Museums on Pulau Pinang

If museums and galleries are preferred, Penang has plenty to offer too. Venues to put on the checklist, Penang Museum, Forest Recreation Park Museum, P. Ramlee’s House, War Museum, Toy Museum, University of Science Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, USM ABN-AMRO Arts Centre.

Getting to Penang

Whether travelling by road, rail, sea or air, Penang will cater to every traveler’s needs. Penang International Airport connects to all major capital cities in the area. From Butterworth its only a small crossing by ferry, and sometime is faster than the congested Penang bridge. The island offers plenty of taxis, and within Georgetown small three wheelers are found called Trishaws, very smart and inexpensive way to get around town fast.

Pulau Penang, an exciting island with enough entertainment and leisure activities for every traveler. Tourists will go home, satisfied and with lots of stories and pretty pictures.

The Many Flavors of Kuala Lumpur - Sensations For The Palate

South East Asia is the place where East meets West, and this is definitely true when we look into culinary affairs. All cultures unite in kitchens around this region. For all means we can place Kuala Lumpur In the center of this dining universe.

Whether one is looking for cheap and inexpensive dishes or in search of fine dining adventures, Kuala Lumpur offers the best of all worlds. Prices are reasonable for the quality and services offered. Tips are not expected.

Malaysia’s Food Obsession

Malaysia is truly obsessed with food, it is a food culture and the whole nation evolves around food. In this country one will never go hungry and the variety offered is enormous.

Malaysians love to eat outside, either in well air-conditioned restaurants, mamak stalls, food courts or road side hawkers.

Lets look at the basics first, most Malaysians love to feed themselves on a high carbo based breakfast, which are mostly taken between 8.00 am and 10.00 am. Most favorite dishes are; nasi lemak which is a form of sticky rice with mild to hot sambal, roti Chennai little fluffy pancakes eaten with a curry or Mee Goreng which is a noodle dish. Most people arrive first at work and then go for their breakfast.

Lunch is taken at 1.00 pm, the moment the whole nation goes for lunch, we advise to avoid this time for lunch, unless one loves crowds and waiting in line. Nasi Champur (rice with mixed dishes) is definitely a most favorable dish.

High tea and a coffee break at 4pm, is part of the working day routine. Most people will consume their beloved Kuih, a variety of sweet or deep fried snacks and wash it down with a Tea-O or Kopi the local variety of milky tea or coffee.

For dinner there is no set time, and Malaysians love supper, a last meal of the day around midnight shared with friends preferable at a local coffee shop

Food Paradise Jalan Alor

When talking about food in Kuala Lumpur the first thing that comes to mind is Jalan Alor. Jalan Alor is a bustling side street of Jalan Bukit Bintang during the day, but a 400 meter long stretch of outdoor food festival during the night. A wide array of local and international dishes can be found here; sitting at plastic tables and chairs does not sound very romantic but is an absolute must to have done once in a lifetime. It’s an exciting street with lots of activity and sublime mouth watering bites.

China Town and Petaling Street

Petaling street food paradise is smaller in scale than Jalan Alor but definitely worth a visit, a semi open air food paradise with savory delights from all regions of Mainland China.

Kuala Lumpur Restaurants

Kuala Lumpur has one of the finest arrangements of restaurants to be found anywhere. All countries and cooking styles from around the globe can be found in the heart of K.L. The Middle Eastern influence can be felt, as Malaysia is becoming a more popular travel destination for this region. Culinary food establishments are spread out all over the Golden Triangle, but the main concentrations can be found at

Starhill Gallery – The cluster of restaurants in the basements breaths a welcoming atmosphere once decending down the escalator. Up class dining in a candle light ambiance with soft live jazz music in the back ground, a great place to unwind the day.

Pavilion Shopping Complex – More than fifty high end and mid class restaurants can be found at The Pavilion. The up class food court in the basement is a real treat. The Pavilion is a true paradise for the palate, and a fabulous venue to start the day or evening.

KLCC Suria – On all floors of this immense mall in between the Petronas towers, nourishment for the inner body can be found, a wide range from fast food and budget restaurants to seriously chic establishments can be found here. A visit to the food courts are good value for money.

Berjaya Times Square – In this ten floor shopping arena, restaurants can be found on all floors, the main food court is at the tenth floor, and the main restaurant area at the second and third floor surrounding the entrance of the indoor theme park. Time Square for long and timeless dining.

All 5 star Kuala Lumpur hotels offer multiple fine dining and lunch accommodations which are available to non resident visitors.

Fast Food in Malaysia

All the world renowned fast food brands are found on any corner in the city and on every floor of every mall. Malaysia loves fast food. And the wide variety of chains and franchises are here to tickle the fast food taste buds and truly will not disappoint you.

Outside of Kuala Lumpur fine dining can be found in areas like Ampang, Bangsar, Sri Hartamas, Damansara Utama and Bandar Sunway.

Travel Guide to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Backpacking & Cheap Hotels

Malaysia’s currency the Ringgit Malaysia for short RM is worth five times more than your Euro, and six times more than your British pound and three and half times the US Dollar. Malaysia offers the opportunity to live on a couple of Dollars a day.

The city can be a bit confusing at times, because of some hills and small mountains in the city center. Kuala Lumpur maps are available from any convenient store.

Inexpensive and Safe Backpackers Country

Food and travel are seriously inexpensive as long as one stays away form the Star B’s, Mac D’s and KayeFCee’s. Malaysia is a true Walhalla for backpackers hiking around the globe, relatively undiscovered and foremost safe. One of the best features of this country is that people leave each other alone. No hassling in the tourist area’s but friendly people who will make time for you for a courteous chat, helpful in directions or with navigating you around the Muddy City. Kuala Lumpur owes its nickname to the valley where the river Klang and Gombak created their muddy shores, it’s a modern well paved capital now.

Areas to Stay as a Backpacker in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur offers a wide area of hotels. Where to stay as a backpacker? There are three main areas where cheap hotels, lodges and guest houses can be found, Chow Kit, China Town and Bukit Bintang. Some backpackers hostels and guest houses are found in China Town, but the majority is located in Tingkat Tong Shin and at the end of Jalan Bukit Bintang cornering with Jalan Pudu.

Tingkat Tong Shin is packed with guest house after guest house, and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, many nationalities find a safe haven here. Guest houses will make you feel welcome, most offer internet facilities, a locker and breakfast. But breakfasts can be found all around the area, in easy accessible open restaurants or street food stalls offering local delicacies.

Places to Eat in The City Center

Parallel with Tingkat Tong Shin, Jalan Alor which is a local food paradise stretches over 700 meters. The empty street during the day turns into a hustling and bustling open air food festival in the evenings. Local hawkers offer a wide variety of fresh catch. Choices range from Chinese, Malay, Indian or Thai cuisine it all can be found here. The large variety of fresh seafood delicacies is an amazing and tongue inducing temptation. Most restaurants offer a photo album; only an index finger is needed to point out the different dishes. Always ask portion size for one person, and order a variety of dishes. This will definitely offer a colorful variety of tastes and smells. When ordering fish, request a price first, a guest might end-up paying premium prices for average fish. Prices here are cheap for the quality of food offered.

Traveling In And Out of Kuala Lumpur

Backpacking from the Bukit Bintang and China Town area makes traveling easy. Everything is offered in walking distance. The main bus station Puduraya station can be found at Jalan Pudu and lays in between Jalan Bukit Bintang and China Town. Busses will travel anywhere on the Malaysian Peninsular, busses to Singapore leave every 15 minutes, and comfortable luxury sleepers are available for all corners of the country. Chow Kit is a little further from the city center, but easy to reach as there is a Mono Rail station in the heart of Chow Kit. Chow Kit is a great place to pick up some bargains and deals.

Backpacking and hiking in Kuala Lumpur is safe, fun and easy and above all extremely cheap.

Travel guide to Langkawi Malaysia - Shopping

Langkawi surround by sandy white beaches and emerald light and bright green waters, has been attracting tourists ever since mankind can remember. But with budget airlines flying to this destination, more and more foreign tourists have found this duty free haven, with its attractive imported but above all local goods.

The local goods are mainly souvenirs, batik, pewter, silk, handicraft, sea food snacks and lots of other local delicacies. Lots of souvenirs shops can be found all over the island, many souvenirs are made of local wood, coconuts and marble, well crafted and refined in detail, but above all good value for money.

Duty Free Shopping

Langkawi’s Duty Free Port status, makes shopping in many cases very attractive, and picking up good bargains almost has become a popular sport here. Kuah is the only city on the island group called Langkawi, city actually would be overrated it’s more a nice thriving little town,

When traveling by ferry to Langkawi, the Duty Free shopping spree can start the moment the visitors step off the ferry. Just outside of Kuah, Jetty Point Duty Free Complex offers a wide range of products; most popular are alcohol, cigarettes and chocolates, ladies and men’s apparel.

The modern and well air-conditioned Langkawi Fair Shopping Mall offers at least 100 shops scattered over two floors. Samudra Duty Free Department Store offers a wide spread of duty free products, cosmetics, fragrances, leather, liquor, cigarettes and sports apparel and gear.

There are more duty free outlets in and around Kuah, Saga Shopping Center and Langkawi Duty Free, where also international branded clothes and confectionery, luggage and household appliances can be found. Just outside of Kuah the Teow Soon Huat Departmental Store in Pokok Assam, is another great place to spend an afternoon shopping.

The Local Crafts Complex

The Langkawi Craft Complex to the North of the island is a magic place to shop for souvenirs to bring home. Items found here will thrill and excite anyone and make the visit to Langkawi unforgettable. Items from the Langkawi Crafts Complex hang on walls or stand in living rooms all around the world.

At Pantai Cenang one of the most popular beaches, at Langkawi Underwater World, the Shopping Paradise Duty Free Centre is located in the same building, among many other items tourists will find watches, fashion, jewellery and batik made cloth and fashion.

Shopping Malls

Most shopping centers have great bargains, ready and waiting for shopholics.

Duty free rules - After staying at least 48 hours on the island, visitors are allowed to bring one bottle of liquor and one carton of cigarettes back to the mainland. When flying out of Langkawi, local regulations of the destination airport apply.

A few things to think about when buying delicate goods in Langkawi, some goods might be illegal in the country of arrival, among those could be decorative ornaments made of seashells, and any item made of crocodile leather.

Buying such goods also helps the trade in these items, and the world would benefit if animals seashell are left where they belong, in their own habitat and among other corals and marine life.

Most international credit cards are accepted in all shopping complexes. World wide delivery can be arranged by most art and souvenir shops, if items are too bulky to fit in the suitcase.

Langkawi, a true duty free paradise and tourists will enjoy the many shopping options offered.

Shop around first, before buying, as bargains are always around the corner in this shopper’s haven.

Religious Architecture Around Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Malaysia a culture build on religion, and a show case for other nations as religions live here in abundance next to each other.

Kuala Lumpur the fast beating heart of the Malaysia Peninsular and offers a wide variety of religious sites to be visited. Historical site seeing or religious architecture, art galleries and museums, KL, as the locals will refer to it, will tickle your senses.

Since the different nationalities and ethnic minorities descended on Kuala Lumpur since the 1800’s they brought diverse cultures and religions, Malaysia welcomed them with open arms, and let outsiders express themselves in relative freedom.

The Islamic Architecture in Kuala Lumpur

The Islam is the official religion of the country, and that needs to be respected, as politics and religion are not separated in this country. Religion plays a very important part of the daily life in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur in particular. Be aware of the local rules and regulations, shoes are not allowed inside most mosques and temples. Travelers can freely visit any house of worship; people will be inviting, friendly and ready to explain any questions.

Many Islamic architectural sites are found all around the city; sightseers are welcomed to visit any mosque. Muslims are welcoming and feel proud to show you their house of wisdom and peace. When visiting any mosque you will feel the serenity and stillness, the huge wide open spaces provide for ample free flowing breezes, which create a perfect atmosphere. The mosques provide more to the community than only a house for prayers and worship. Visiting the Friday early afternoon prayers can be quite a spectacle. The national mosque and Jamek mosque close to Merdeka Square are definitely must visit sites while in Kuala Lumpur. People flock from all over the city to participate in one of Islamic pillars, Friday prayer (Solat Jumaat). At the Jamek Mosque it can be so crowded that people find a little space outside the mosque to lay their prayer mats and perform their Solat.

Merdeka Square is the ideal starting point to find your way around the city and visit the many Moorish styled buildings, But KL offers more, and the other ethnic groups brought fantastic architecture too.

Buddhist and Taoist Temples in Kuala Lumpur

The Chinese community is almost half of the Malaysian population and many larger and smaller temples can be found scattered about the city. The Chinese believes split in two main streams Taoism and Buddhism. The Taoist temples and Buddhist temples are very much alike. Most temples will have large festivals throughout the year, which are spectacular to view, information and times can be obtained from the temple complex. The Sin Sze Sin Ya Temple is in walking distance from Merdeka Square close to China town at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee.

Hindi Temples in Kuala Lumpur

The large Indian community brought along their colorful Hindu temples. Places of worship, where prayers inside and outside the temples can be heard all day long. Main attraction would be the largest temple complex in the KL area Batu Caves 15 kilometers north of the city centre.

Christian Churches in kuala Lumpur

Christianity is a large religion in Malaysia too. A large part of the Chinese community are Christians and many foreign workers are too A wide variety of churches can be found all over the city. Some newly build, and some newly restored. Cathedral of St John close to Bukit Nanas is worth recommending.

No matter which religion one practices, any temple, mosque or church will invite you with open arms in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.