Can’t look past these though!

Like I said before, I could ignore some things, but others... I just could not.

Like crazy hair-raising drivers, for example.

Man, the traffic in Penang was bad, even on a weekday! People drove like there were no lines on the road. It’s as if no one taught them at driving school that the signal exists for SOMETHING! And that break pedals are supposed to be pressed when you see like 2 cars in front of you starting to break! Not immediately when the person in front of you breaks! Urgh!

Of course, when it rained, it “jammed up” more than normal and made things even worse! So, yes, the whole time I was in Penang, I would look out the car window, and read the signboards or take photos of anything that caught my eye. Looking forward in the car just gave me heart palpitations!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you about the crazy traffic (and drivers!)

Parking at Tune Hotel

If, and this is only a big if, you’re planning to stay at Tune Hotel, you’ve got to get back by at least 10 p.m. They’ve only got like 20 parking bays available at the back of the hotel. Some of the reviewers said it’s free. Some said they were charged RM 5 per entry. So, if you leave and come back to the hotel like 3 times a day, you’ve got to pay RM15.

We were never charged when we were lucky to land ourselves a good (and legal) parking spot at Tune Hotel. So, we thanked our lucky stars everyday. That’s until we decided to go for the kill on our last night there, when we returned to the hotel at around midnight and the parking was full.

Having read up beforehand, we knew that there were parking bays available at New World Park (next to Tune Hotel) for a flat rate of RM10, if you were a Tune Hotel customer. That’s what we understood anyway.

Much to our surprise, the next morning, when we checked out, I had to pay almost RM 20 for parking! I almost hit the guy’s head because I thought he was trying to cheat me or something! Turns out that we just didn’t understand the system enough. But still. That really pissed me off. I could have bought us 2 packets of Nasi Kandar Beratuq with that money okay!

Other than that, the parking elsewhere was really cheap. Sometimes surprisingly cheap. Like 8 kupang (sen) or 6 kupang for an hour kind of cheap.

But really, these are just the 2 things I couldn’t look past because it pissed me off.

So, be read the parking rates properly and cast them in stone in your memories. I don’t think I can ever get over the fact that I had to pay RM20 for parking. Can you? Pscchhht. Hmmmph.And of course, beware of the drivers! They drive like crazy!

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take the backseat, and relax

To say that our trip to Penang was perfect would be an overstatement. It wasn’t. There are actually a lot of downs, if I were to list them down properly.

But subsequent to Perth, I promised myself that I would make every trip together more worthwhile because we would never know the next time we’ll get to travel again.

Travelling doesn’t come cheap, be it locally or internationally.

When travelling internationally, we learn to see the world through rose-tinted glasses and that’s only because we’ve paid so much for our airfares, lodging, food and each time we do/buy something, we begin converting the currency. So, we think that while we’re at it, we might as well make the most out of things, even if we’re not that impressed with what the international location’s got to offer.

I find that applying the same principle (and wearing those rose-tinted glasses!) while taking a holiday locally works the same wonders too. Like I mentioned before, travelling doesn’t come cheap. Even when you stay at a hotel, which offers rooms at dirt cheap prices. So, yes. That’s basically what I consciously did on this trip. I consciously thought of how wonderful the place I am at, and kept my mind fixated on that point. Well, except of course when the negative is a lil’ too overbearing.

It’s actually really nice travelling in Malaysia because Halal and cheap food are abundant. Man, my whole Penang trip (just in case you haven’t yet noticed!) was about food! The weather was real nasty on some days, I agree, but most times, it’s bearable. I’m afraid I’d sound snobbish if I admitted this, but I used to think that Malaysia was not as nice a place to take photos at, as other international locations I’ve been to. Simply because the skies weren’t as blue and the seas weren’t as clean.

But as I grew, I’ve learnt to look past all that. I learnt that if you can’t take a pretty picture of Penang skyline, while on Bukit Bendera because it was a tad hazy, take photos of multi-coloured binoculars , since that’s such a happy sight. It’s what we focus on that makes the memories we bring home beautiful.

People always say that the grass is greener on the other side, but who said that the greener the better?

So, yes, in a nutshell, I may have enjoyed my trip, simply because I chose to. And in all honesty, I’m glad my husband and I are on the same page when it comes to making the best out of things, even when there’s so little that we can make things of.

In other words, we’ve all just got to learn to put our hair down, sometimes. Take the backseat. And relax.

Phewww. I'll be planning our next trip, now ;)

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spoilt for choice.

Check-out time for Tune Hotel is at 11 a.m. Yeap, early right? But seeing that we had some “things” to attend to that morning, waking up and getting out early was the only option. We deposited our towels at the Lobby on the 2nd floor and off we went!

The “things” we had to attend to that morning was Taman Tun Sardon; a more “Malay” food haven.

Taman Tun Sardon is like a food court selling an array of food, especially during breakfast time. When they say you’d be spoilt for choice, they weren’t just saying. It’s true. You will be spoilt for choice.

I didn’t even know what I wanted to eat! If I could, I wanted to taste them ALL!

But of course, there’s only so much one can wish, right? I headed to the Sri Buana stall since so many people highly recommended the food there. My choice of breakfast? Bihun Sup. I don’t know what’s wrong with my tastebuds, but I thought it tasted a tad too sweet to me. But the sambal tasted good, though.

I did see some people carrying what looked a bit like nasi dagang, but I was told that that is nasi lemuni. Had I not been treated to the scrumptious Nasi Kandar Beratur the night before, I wouldn’t have had second thoughts about trying nasi lemuni. But I was still so full, so no rice for me.

Tried my husband’s roti boom, which I can’t remember at which stall he got, and THAT tasted amazing. In Putrajaya, there’s this place we call Mamak Kembar, where we frequent for yummy roti boom. Now, the one my husband bought was better than the one at Mamak Kembar. So, you can imagine how yum yum yum it is!

And that, ladies and gents, was the end of my gastronomic adventure. I realise that it sounds a lil’ bit anticlimactic, but that’s only because there’s only so much a girl can eat, even if she is supposedly “eating for 2”.

This trip has been fulfilling, not only literally to the tummy, but also for both our souls. We got our last kopek “us time” and I think we’re both readier now to be parents.We both felt completely satiated and ecstatic that we made the time to take this trip together. If you're wondering why it rained so heavily in KL last Friday evening, it's probably because we were "singing along" (more like croaking, really!) to all the "karaoke-worthy" Malay songs played on the few radio stations whose frequency managed to get through the radio. Despite the occasional bad weather, we were definitely both in good spirits!

The next time we go on a trip would will most definitely be with my lil’ boy! And though it’s daunting to just think of how that might turn out, I can’t help but get all excited!

It was a great 3-day 2-night getaway and this is exactly the kind of break that I’ve been needing a long, long time.

Alhamdulillah.

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going in for the kill.

Penang, as far as food is concerned, has always been synonymous to Nasi Kandar.

Most Penangites I know refuse to eat Nasi Kandar sold anywhere other than Penang. I always thought this to be an extreme case of “patriotism” and when my husband said the same when he moved to KL, I just thought him to be extremely mengada.

That was of course, until we went in for the kill.

Having researched places of interest (food places) before the trip (OCD much, I know), I found that Penangites didn’t eat at Line Clear and recommended Nasi Kandar Beratur (pronounced Beratoq!) instead. Nobody could find fault in Nasi Kandar Beratur. From the reviews, it seems like the food was freshly prepared and it was so fresh that the packets of Nasi Kandar couriered to Singapore would still be warm by the time it was received by the recipients! I don’t know how far the truth has been stretched on that point, but in a nutshell, it was really, really good it seems.

Naturally, I harped my husband about it. But since I don’t eat anything after 9 p.m. on most days, and Nasi Kandar Beratur shop only opens at 10 p.m. and that particular night, it was raining, I thought I’d give it a miss. But Mr. Husband had other ideas.

He parked the car by the roadside and told me to wait. The best thing about it being a rainy night is that there was hardly a queue. 5 people later, my husband gleefully came back to the car with this package.

Imagine the size of my eyes at that point in time. I was literally speechless. Didn’t know whether I should thank him or kill him! He was about to contribute the kilos I so didn’t want to put on anymore! But as the smell wafted in the car, I decided I’d wait before I killed him.

We reached the room and I unpacked the coveted package. More of that yummy smell. I tasted a bit first. Malu-malu kucing. And then, I ate some more and more and more. And the next thing I know, I was licking the rice off my fingers and licking the gravy off the packet, trying to see if there was anything left.

It was really, really good! I kid you not!

It’s really no wonder now why Penangites hardly eat Nasi Kandar other than in Penang, unless totally and completely desperate. If this is the standard of Nasi Kandar set by their state, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me anymore.

SO DAMN GOOD CAN DIE!

Of course, my husband’s life was spared that night.

I do hope he didn’t mind the smiling, snoring wife sleeping beside him that night.

How could I not smile (and snore) after all that scrumptious food, right? ;)

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as good as ever!

I haven’t heard of any Penangite who doesn’t know where this photo was taken at.

Once, I went to Penang for a friend’s wedding and posted a similar photo to this on Facebook and I immediately got comments from fellow Penangites who agreed that this must be one of the best edible things in the world, ever!

Oh, yes! This is the infamous cheese naan Kapitan. It tastes exactly the way it did a couple of years back and better! The taste lingered on my lips for hours and hours and hours! Even when I could no longer find space in my tummy, I stomached as much as I could because there is nothing quite like this cheese naan. Leaving leftovers would be such a waste and I didn’t even know the next time I would get to taste it!

My cheese naan bar has been raised (once again!) and I think it would be some time before I will actually eat any cheese naan sold here in KL.

Please do try this when in Penang.

The combination of this and Bukit Bendera saw me sleeping all evening long, though! So much for being “just pregnant, not invalid”, I was totally bummed out by the time 3 p.m. came. Of course, the rain “helped” alot as it made my snuggling under the covers so much more comfortable.

On the second night of our trip, since it rained, we didn’t do much apart from meet up with my husband’s old Penang friends (he used to work there for a couple of years) at Queensbay Mall.

But of course, that was before someone decided to "go for the kill" that night, making this trip the ULTIMATE gastronomic trip! More of that in the next post!

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up, up and away!

On my (very short) “must-go” list, Bukit Bendera was listed.

I can hear some people gasping and some of you might already be gaping right now. Please. Pick your jaw from the floor. I’m pregnant, not an invalid. And I guess being pregnant makes it all the more reason to give in to my “cravings”, right?

Bukit Bendera was what I wanted, Bukit Bendera is what was granted. Hahaha, I’m so mean.

The last time I was there must’ve been lightyears ago! I cannot really remember what the place looked like, but I know for a fact that the trains are not what they are now. Duh, of course! Please thank me for pointing out the obvious.

Since it was a weekday, getting a parking spot and queuing (if anyone can consider just one couple before us as a queue) was a breeze.

We waited for a while and then the train arrived.

Man, I was impressed! It looked like the monorail! Well, technically, it is a monorail! But what I wasn’t ready for was the tingling feeling I got in my feet as we ascended and the yo-yoing motion I experienced at the Midway Station. I was later told that the Midway Station used to be the place where we had to alight the train to change to another train to get to the top of Bukit Bendera. See? I can’t even remember these details from yesteryears, so it must have been before I developed a curiosity for details and enthusiasm for travel.

After 821 metres later (and lots of doa naik kenderaan. itulah berlagak lagi masa mula perjalanan), we finally arrived at the peak.

If I had to pick one word to describe it – BREATHTAKING!

loving the multi-coloured binoculars! pay RM1 and you get an amazing aerial view of Penang.

Oh, and did you know that descending Bukit Bendera felt very, very, very much like a roller coaster ride? Super laju, I tell you!

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when on Transfer Rd.

Amongst other good food spots, which appeared on the GPS was Roti Canai Transfer Road. I am not kidding you. Even I was surprised that such things are recognised by the GPS. Determined, we stayed up after Subuh prayers in our quest for what Transfer Road potentially had to offer.

Donned in our yesterday’s clothes, and about 650 metres later, we finally arrived! Boy, am I glad I booked a hotel, which is so centrally located. Good food comes easy, and we didn’t even have to give up our parking spot! Oh yes! I walked!All 1.3 kilometres to and back.

Penang skyline in the wee hours of the morning. We were giggling like school kids when we saw people wearing Batik to work! Mentang-mentang kami tengah cuti! Hahaha.

My principle when eating out at a new place is simple – order the specialty. That way, you can gauge how good the others on the menu might be.

So, this is what we ordered. Roti kosong with sambal daging.

My verdict? A little too soggy for my liking, but it was still delish! The next time I go (chewwah, dah berangan nak pergi lagi), I will certainly try something less soggy. Like roti kosong without the gravy or better still, roti telur, which I heard is roti kosong served with a sunny side up. Not quite the roti telur we’re accustomed to, eh?

would you just look at that yummy foamy teh tarik! uuuu!

But the teh tarik? The BOMB, I tell you! Make no mistake about that. This I will drink again and again and again if I could!

And these are the humble premises on which the famous Roti Canai shop is located.

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Seaside

I wanted to see Feringghi again, though I had nothing in particular that I needed or wanted to get. So on the night of our arrival, we took a drive there to visit the night market.

Of course, we didn’t buy anything, seeing that we didn’t really want or need anything. But with so few people around Feringghi, it was easier to see the things sold at the stalls. However, it was disappointing that most shops did not allow photography. I would have loved to post photos of many things; like lovely, lovely pieces of bulky turquoise-aquamarine-coloured jewellery, which I would have bought had the practical monster in me not spoken up in defiance, or the rainbow-coloured pario, which I would have used as a room divider, if only it was longer.

But like I said, I didn’t want to risk starting an argument/confrontation about taking photos of the goods sold at the various stalls, even those which didn’t expressly forbid photography.

And after about 2 rounds of all the stalls, we decided to call it a night. The highlight of the night was, surprise, surprise... this –

The (seriously!) yummy ice cream sold by the roadside, which we shared.

Also, I managed to snap photos of some artwork, which in my opinion at least, was beautiful.

my favourite!

And of course, what's a post without Her Royal Bulatness and her 31-week old bump.

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upon arrival

As I mentioned before, most of the things listed on my itinerary was FOOD. As far as sightseeing goes, there were only 2 places listed under my “must-go” list. And if time and condition permitted, I planned on making this trip as much as a photography trip as I possibly could.

The last time I went to Penang, the first taste of Penang I got was from Tajuddin Hussain. And so, that was the first place we headed to upon arrival. I couldn’t remember what it was that ran out when I came the last time (it was nasi tomato, by the way!), but I remember the ayam ros was a specialty.

So this is what we had.

Good as ever. But as famous as it is, it did not, for some reason, appear on the GPS. So, we turned to a human GPS, my colleague, who told us it was either on King's or Queen's Street. Just in case you're wondering, it's on Lebuh Queen. Oh, but as good as it was, little did I know that there was something much, much, much better than this.

Uhuh. My gastronomic adventure was just about to begin.

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to sleep and bathe.

If you haven’t already figured out, we both left for Penang for a 3-day 2-night getaway.

I for one, have always wanted to go back to Penang as a married couple but we never got to materialise our plans. The whole of 2011 was such a busy year, all we did was work, work and work some more.

And so, when the New Year came, we sat down to plan properly. We decided that February would be the best time to go. I am still fit to travel (by road at least) and there’s this particular weekend after CNY where we only had to apply for 2 days leave to get 7 days (including weekends) off!

That’s exactly what we did.

And knowing that the traffic would be massive on weekends, I decided that we should leave and come back during the weekdays. So, on February 1st, we left for Penang.
 

Out of curiousity, I booked us a room at Tune Hotel Downtown Penang. Of course, there were mixed reviews about the place, but I went with an open mind and hoped for the best. After all, I knew that if I decided Tune wasn’t for me, I could always check out and check in elsewhere. It was, after all, a non-peak period and hotel rooms were abundant.

Turns out that I wasn’t really disappointed. To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be too much praise for something that didn’t impress, but I’d say I wasn’t disappointed. The room cost us very little and even after all the add-ons, it was still very cheap.

In a nutshell, all I can say is that Tune Hotels concentrate on 2 major things – sleep and bath.

The bed is really something, I tell you. I have never slept that soundly, ever. Well, maybe I could have just been really tired, but the fact that I could sleep on my 8-month pregnant back without feeling out of breath, for 8 hours straight is certainly testament to how comfortable the bed is, right?

I added on the comfort kit consisting of the towel and toiletries to our room package. Not that I didn't bring my own toiletries, but I was really curious as to how tiny the toiletries are. Most reviewers said they are tiny. They are TINY! Haha. I ended up using my own, of course. For 3 days, this most certainly is not enough.

The other thing they concentrate on is the power shower, with hot water. The power shower really made up for the size (or lack of) the toilet that was attached to our room.

So, all in all, if you’re looking for a good bed and a good shower to come back to after a long day, do stay at Tune Hotel Downtown Penang.

We were okay with it because we didn’t want any fancy breakfast. It is, after all Penang, the food haven, where even breakfast spots are marked on Garmin, the GPS. Plus, knowing us both, we’re not the type to not get bored just snuggling up to each other in a room, no matter how comfortable (or romantic) the room is.

When in Penang, the last thing you want to do (despite the weather) is to stay in.

So, Tune Hotel was an okay choice for us, definitely.

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Her Royal Bulatness leaves on a trip.

Over the last 5 days or so, we have travelled 900 kilometres to and back. And it was worth it. Totally worth it.

We didn’t get to ride planes across continents, or backpacked or slept on sidewalks. And no, we didn’t really spend our time being beachbums or snuggling up in romantic suites either.

But we got our time together. Just the 2 of us. I dubbed it the “last kopek” trip.

I was confident that I was fit to travel and was stoked despite the mixed reactions I got from my parents about me travelling so far. But I persevered and insisted that I leave on the trip. It’s my life and in about 2 months or so, it’s going to change. Forever. Not just for me, but for all of us.

And this is what my itinerary looked like (more or less):

Breakfast – ?
Lunch – Tajuddin Hussain
Dinner – Naan

All I could think about on this trip was good food! Because? We left for the Malaysian food haven yo!

And good food is indeed what we got ;)

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