Penang’s top 12 Most Popular Attractions

There are many interesting tourist attractions in the beautiful island of Penang. Recently The Penang State Tourism has came out with an online poll for Penang’s top 12 most popular attractions.

1st place : Penang Hill

Penang Hill which rises over 830 meters above the sea offers tourists magnificent views of the sea and Georgetown in a cooling temperature. For those who like to watch the sunset over the town, do visit the hill around early evening. The view is not to be miss! Visitors can travel up this hill resort by the funicular railway which takes up approximately thirty minutes.

Funicular railway operating hours -
Sunday to Thursday – 6.30am to 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday – 6.30am to 11.15pm

The Penang Hill funicular railway service will be stop for upgrading works from 22th Feb 2010 and resume only in July 2010. Visitors could still visit the hill by jeep.

Nearby Eateries :
David Brown’s Restaurant & Tea Terrace

2nd place : Batu Ferringhi
Batu Ferringhi is famous for its beaches and night bazaar. You will find many stalls setting up in this tourist belt selling a wide variety of goods, from clothing to handbags, watches, paintings and many more.
Night Bazaar Hour : Daily 7pm – 12am

Nearby Eateries :
Ferringhi Garden Restaurant

3rd place : Gurney Drive
Gurney Drive is famous for its mouth watering cuisine, ranging from hawker food in open-air food courts to seafood and restaurants fine dining.

Nearby Eateries :
Gurney Drive Hawker Center
Bali Hai Seafood Market

4th place : Kek Lok Si Temple
Kek Lok Si Temple is the best know place of worship in Penang. It has many tourists visiting this place daily. The main attraction is the statue of the Goddess of Mercy which can be view from afar.

Nearby Eateries : Penang Assam Laksa (Air Itam Market)

5th place : Penang Bridge
This bridge is another landmark of Penang and is the place where the Penang Bridge Marathon is being held annually.

6th place : Fort Cornwallis & Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower
Explore Fort Cornwallis which has a gallery featuring historic displays with a public park. Right next to it is the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower.

Admission fees to the Fort : RM3 for adults and RM2 for children below 12 years old.
Open : Daily 8.30am to 7pm

Nearby Eateries :
The Sire Museum Restaurant

Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower

7th place : Street of Harmony (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)
You can find Buddhist and Hindu temples and Malay mosques lining along this street. Indeed a sight to behold.

Nearby Eateries :
Ah Quee Street Lor Mee
Restaurant Kapitan

Masjid Kapitan Keling

8th place : Penang Ferry & Tanjung City Marina
Penang famous yellow ferries provides transport to many passengers from the island to the mainland and vice versa. Passengers can see many heritage buildings, including the Tanjung City Marina when approaching the island. The short ferry ride takes approximately fifteen minutes.

9th place : Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
No visit to Penang is complete without visiting the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. Be amazed by this blue Mansion with architectural designs which was awarded the Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award 2000. This well preserved Mansion with beautiful courtyards and sculptures is open for visitors. For enquires : +604 2625289

Nearby Eateries : Tai Buan Porridge

10th place : St Anne’s Church
St Anne’s Church is located in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. This church is the focus point of the celebration of St. Anne Feast and each year the feast draws around 40,000 to 60,000 devotees.

11th place : State Museum, Cathedral of the Assumption & Penang Art Gallery
Take a stroll down this memory lane filled with the history of early Penang.

Nearby Eateries :
Peace & Joy Coffee Shop – Curry Mee
Heng Kee Restaurant

12th place : Armenian Street
This street has many religious temples from various faiths and centuries old historical sites.

Nearby eateries :
Edelweiss Cafe
Nan Yang Chinese Cuisine

Tua Pek Kong Temple Tanjung Tokong, Penang

Tua Pek Kong Temple, another popular place of worship in Penang is located just by the sea. To enter to the entrance of this temple, take a right turn at the Tanjung Tokong traffic light, passing the Malay kampung which will lead directly down a little lane into the Chinese village . At the end of the road you'll be welcomed by the arch which is the Tua Pek Kong big gate.
 

This temple is very popular as it is the place whereby the annual flame watching ritual, Chneah Hoay takes place on the 14th night of the Chinese New Year. Many people will gather during the ceremony to watch the height of the flame which is believed to show the fortune of the coming year.

Within the vicinity of this temple is the seafood restaurant, Sea Pearl Lagoon Cafe (also known as Hai Choo Hooi in Hokkien) which serves one of the best baked crabs and prawns.

The surrounding location is charmingly idyllic… 

One of the small fish farm

Tua Pek Kong Temple
338 Mukim 18
Tanjung Tokong
10470 Penang

GPS Coordinates : N05 2748.8   E100 1828.9

Penang Indian Milkman

Zoom2see presents to you the Indian milkman that provides home milk delivery services around George Town, Penang. There used to be many of them but has since decreased over the years and not many people are aware of their existence.

The milkman usually starts the day delivering the milk straight to their customers doorsteps. They have a container mounted at the back of the motorbike.

 The container containing the milk

Many people still like to consume this fresh milk …..as they enjoy the super fresh and richer taste.

The Indian milk men is an absolute gem, making life easier with the convenience of home-delivered milk. I am sure some of you have flashbacks of the milkman in your own town.

Peranakan, Baba Nyonya Heritage and Culture with Raymond Kwok

Nyonya Kebaya  is a unique traditional ethnic clothes worn by the Nyonyas during the Straits Settlement times. I had the pleasure to take the photo of this beautiful embroidered Nyonya kebaya and other delicate antiques in a meet-up with Raymond Kwok, a Nyonya/Peranakan historian in Penang.

 Stunning and richly embroidered Nyonya kebaya

I had the privilege to meet with him through an introduction by Tan Bee Lee, author of “Penang Nyonya Cuisine: Hawker’s Delight” who happens to be also a reader of my food blog.

The weekend meet-up was held in his house which was filled to the rim with unique antiques! I had a long discussion about the books he has written, the history of Peranakan (Baba and Nyonya) and his vast collection of antiques.

 

Many of Raymond’s antiques are derived from the Peranakan culture, and he has immersed himself in the culture deeply for the last few decades! His interest in Peranakan remains steadfast despite the culture itself ebbing away with modernization.

Raymond is very proud of the Peranakan culture, and tries his very best to uphold the traditions. Besides Peranankan items, his private collection includes many other antiques of porcelain and works of art. I managed to take some photos of his valuable collection. This fine and delicate pair of beaded shoe ‘ kasut manek’  and accessories for the Nyonyas caught my eye.

Small enamel spittoon tin to hold the saliva spat out during the ‘Makan Sireh’ also known as chewing betel leaves which the Nyonyas indulges in.

 

4-tiered enameled Tiffin food carrier

Truly classic antique bellows suitable for any fire place

Over the past years, he has authored five books.

The books he has written are:

a) Hokkien/Baba Sayings for All Occasions

b) Hokkien Rhymes and Ditties : Down Memory Lane

c) Local Chinese Beliefs, Myths, Taboos & Superstitions

d) Charm Charm Rhymes and Ditties

e) Malay Echoes from The Past : Penang Hokkien - Baba ‘Language’

The book, Malay Echoes from The Past : Penang Hokkien - Baba ‘Language’ is the last of the series of four books dealing with Penang’s quaint and unique, yet distinct Hokkien dialect which contains a lot of loan words from Malay, English and to a certain extent Cantonese.

All of his books are highly recommended and are available for sale solely from him only. He can be reached at +604 6569550 and by email at kahmeng9@yahoo.com

It was a very enjoyable meet-up with Raymond. I got to gained interesting experience from him besides the advice and understanding regarding collector items.

Thanks a lot Raymond for sharing many Peranakan, Baba and Nyonya culture with me! Wishing you success in your up-coming new book, Penang Baba Nyonya Heritage.