Penang: The land of nice ol' buildings, ferries and prawn mee.

Another of my road trips. This time it was a wedding that brought me and my family up North, to Butterworth, Penang. Now Penang is another island that somehow has a different flavour from the rest of Malaysia. The people, the food and the places on and around the island give Penang a distinct character that I can never get bored off. Regardless of who actually runs the state things are still the same as my last trip sometime last year. It is currently under the rule of the opposition joint party Pakatan Rakyat. But since they are now in power in Penang they are no longer the opposition party over there, so just ignore the politics, which often makes no sense at all and enjoy Penang for what it is.

The road trip this time was pretty normal. No B-road jaunts as we had time to catch. I wasn't bored out of my mind as I was driving a decent speed (I'm not telling you guys how fast as that would be detrimental to yours truly), enjoyed the stretch after Ipoh Utara toll where the road goes up, over a mountain range and into a tunnel (called the Menora Tunnel) and then the road goes super windy and very interesting downhill. This is where handling reigns supreme and where thrills are aplenty. 

-The unscheduled pitstop in Simpang, Taiping

And if not for an unscheduled 'pit stop' in Simpang, Taiping due to the worn out rubber brackets that held the exhaust up giving up the ghost (and requiring a section of the pipe replaced and new brackets put in) we would have reached Butterworth even sooner than expected. Anyway it still took us about three hours forty five minutes from the Sg. Buloh R&R with that hour long pit stop (hah, I HAVE answered how fast I went - you just have to do the math) and, the food at the kenduri was good and we then headed for Penang Island to check ourselves into a hotel that we had reservations for.

The good thing about Penang is that there are still old and unique buildings here and there. It is a real nice mix of old and new. There are not many places where there is such a mix like Penang. I mean, where can you find a KFC located in an old colonial styled mansion? Or quaint bungalows located right beside condominium towers to the left and right of it?

After Georgetown and a trip to Batu Feringgi the night before to visit the night market. We ended up taking the ferry back to the mainland as the kid has not experienced a ferry ride before. It had been eons since I myself took the ferry. In fact, I think ever since the bridge was opened in the mid 1980s, we stopped using the ferry. It is a motoring experience that does not require you driving, with the exception of you driving on and off the ferry. I mean, where else in Peninsular Malaysia can you take your car for a boat ride? I have to put this Penang ferry ride as a Malaysian motoring experience that a person should experience at least once. We headed to Alor Setar for some shopping at Pekan Rabu. This was were the wife wanted to go buy good rojak sauce and those traditional Malay snacks.

-Kedah, very hot and humid this time around

On the trip back from the extremely hot and humid Alor Setar, we stopped at Sg. Dua in Penang. This is a small town aptly named as its location is between two rivers. The town is located just off the North-South highway and has its own exit (Exit 165). This thing that this little place is most known for to Northerners is that the town is famous for prawn mee, or 'mee udang' in Malay. You turn off the highway and you will find lots of stalls, both small and large, but most of them with the 'mee udang' signage in front of them. Since we were down for a wedding and we had a Penangite among us, he recommended us to the shop above, which was located further in from the roadside stalls and beside one of the two rivers at Sg. Dua. Pretty scenic and a nice spot to enjoy seafood with family and/or friends.

-good food beside a river...ah the life.

I am not a prawn eating human being, but the rest of the family members were, so at the restaurant they started choosing the size of the prawn or prawns that they wanted in the large (for sharing) bowl of prawn mee, and then wait for it to be served. For a a person who does not like prawns, I have to say that it was pretty good mee served in suculent thick gravy, slightly sweet and spicy with a hint of prawn in the gravy. Since the prawns were fresh, I was told that it was superb. Yes, I know. A non-prawn eater writing a review on prawn mee. Anyway, I had the 3 flavour fish ('Ikan Tiga Rasa') and deep fried small fish in batter, both tasted great. It should since you could choose what fish you wanted. Try finding it, Restoran Aur Gading in Sg. Dua, Seberang Prai.