Georgetown, Penang – My First Impression

After being in Phuket Town for a few days, I must say that I really enjoyed walking around and just looking at old structures. And that experience made me look forward to visiting Georgetown. Our travel to Penand from Phuket already made a good first impression to me of Malaysia.

Upon arriving in Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, we immediately walked around the area to look for accommodation. If you’re looking for some affordable accommodation in Georgetown, you could check out the hostels in Lebuh Chulia, Jalan Muntri and Love Lane. We found a good deal at W&O Cafe and Hostel for 25RM for a huge room upstairs. Rates vary and we got lucky because it was low season and we were able to talked to the owner and bargained for the room.

After checking in, we started walking around to explore the area. It seemed like time stopped in Penang.

There’re so many well-preserved colonial houses that made me wander what’s life like before in Georgetown.

We had a chat once with the owner and he said that he had a few guests staying longer than expected. One of his guests stayed for a total of 7 years, doing the visa run every now and then. Another guests stayed for three years and another one for a year, both these guests are still staying in his hostel. He also said that they even bought additional furnitures to make the room more comfortable for them to live in.

After spending some time there, I quite understood what made them stay for a long time in Penang.

Georgetown has a great laidback vibe that appeals to me. Going to the beach, shopping malls, tourists attractions and other places of interest is very easy. Most places are accessible by bus.

For those who love shopping, you’ll also be surprised to know that there’s a lot of shopping areas to go to. Island Plaza, 1st Avenue, Gurney Plaza, Queensbay Mall, and Sun City just to mention a few.

Food is also great although I still prefer Thai food. Dishes that I’ve tried in Penang were really tasty and delicious. I didn’t like though some of it, but I enjoyed most of the meals that I got to tried especially Char Kway Teow .

Spending a week lounging in Penang didn’t seem enough for me since we proceeded to Genting Highlands after a week. I’ll definitely go back and stay longer on my next visit to Penang.

Source : http://flipnomad.com