Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Rojak : Before and After

Yumm...now the secret to good Rojak is the Rojak Sauce. It has to be thick enough and sweet and spicy. Rojak is a special sweet and sour Malaysian salad of cucumbers, mango, cuttlefish, pineapple and mangkuang(i don't know the english name-a type of gourd. Top it off with a generous sprinkling of peanuts. The sauce has shrimp paste, chilly and molasses and it's really unlike any salad you've tasted. Eat it quickly before the juices come out of the fruits throush osmosis...but as you can see it was delicious!

Swatau Lane Coffee Shop

One of the best Ais Kacang with Fruits is to be had at Swatau lane, just off Burma road, behind the Penang Plaza(Giant).

I would recommend the Ice Kacang with Fruits and Ice Cream, plus the Rojak and Curry Mee....mmmm!

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Caught a big Puffer


Caught a big puffer and thought of making some sushi...but did a catch and release. It's nice to see the big fella swimming away into the clear water!

Just back from Langkawi


Langkawi island is about a 20 minute plane ride or a 2.5 hour ferry ride from Penang. Not too far and it's a very nice place to visit. I went there mainly for a fishing trip with friends. This is at Pantai Rhu, one of the beaches that faces the Thailand border. Very nice sunset!

Friday, July 08, 2005

Penang Taxi Contact Numbers


It's almost impossible to hail a taxi unless you are in the town center or close to the hotel. So to save you the hassle, do call and book the taxi before hand. If possible get the hotel concierge to book and pay for you so you won't get cheated. A small tip is still appreciated.

Penang Taxi Booking

Penang Georgetown Taxi Service 04-226 3015
Penang Jade Auto Company 04-262 5721
Penang Taxi Drivers Association 04-642 5961
Penang Sunshine Taxi Services 04-226 2411
Penang Super Taxis (Radio Taxi) 04-2299467
Georgetown City Taxi 04-2290501

Ais Kacang

Ah another favourite desert in Malaysia. Long before Coffee Bean had frappacinos, ais kacang (litereally iced beans) were all the rage. Fantastic for the hot weather, it's a concoction of shaved ice, kidney beans, corn, jelly, raisins, nutmeg, rose syrup and sarsparilla syrup with a scoop of ice cream, and evaporated milk....wowo!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Assam Laksa

Ah another authentic Penang Hawker Dish, Assam Laksa. How do I describe it? I guess it's a noodle dish with special noodles made from rice flour. What makes it special is the fish soup and hey-korr (a black prawn paste) with pineapple, fresh mint leaves and herbs. It has a pungent aroma and a sour bite, very nice. You can get it at most hawker centers in Penang, but I like the ones sold along Gurney Drive.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Night View at Penang Hill

Around 7pm, the lights start blinking on in the city of Georgetown with the Penang bridge in the background. The air is cool up here, about 15-20 degrees celcius at night. Stroll around and dine at the hotel down the road. Try out the steam boat food in the cool night air...nice.

Penang Hill Train

Penang Hill is another trip not to be missed if only for the panoramic view of Penang. The best time to go is in the late afternoon to catch the view of the city lights coming to life. To go up, you can hike up, or take the cable railway to the top, about a half hour ride.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Penang Buttefly Farm

Did you know Penang has a very nice Butterfly farm hidden away in Batu Feringgi? It's not big, but it houses thousands of butterflies, very exotic and humid. Worth a visit here.

Satay = mini kebabs

Another dish not to be missed is Satay! They are like mini kebabs roasted over a charcoal grill and eaten with peanut dip and cucumbers and ketupat (a rice cake). There is a choice of chicken, beef, mutton and sometimes...intestines. Yum!

  • More Pics by Bigfish
  • Sunset Beach

    Sunsets in Penang can be very beautiful. Take the time to relax by the beach preferably with a tall tropical drink and take in the sunset from about 6.30pm to 7pm. I admit I haven't taken the time to do that in a long while. Thanks to my friend MyBest for his beautiful pics.

  • MyBest's Pictures
  • Penang Trishaws

    Ah the Penang Trishaws, the king of the road! Imagine a busy road with cars in both directions...and a bicycle travelling in the middle of the road oblivious to everyone. Tourists love them, as it is a good way to see the city sights in Penang. Just make sure they don't rip you off. Get the hotel bellboy to arrange a trip for you instead of haggling with them. Definitely worth a trip.

    Watches & Trinkets at Batu Feringgi

    Batu Feringgi is the stretch of beaches where all the hotels are. At night stalls appear all along the road from 7-11pm selling all kinds of souvenirs from watches to batik sarongs.
  • Pics by Shutterjam
  • Saturday, July 02, 2005

    Orangutan = Man of the Jungle

    Actually you won't find them in Penang, but at the nearby Taiping Zoo. They are very peaceful docile creatures, and very intelligent. My friend MyBest took this excellent picture.

    Char Koay Teow

    Fried Seafood Flat Noodles or Char Koay Teow is a Penang Specialty. If you haven't eaten Char Koay Teow, you haven't been to Penang! It tastes real good, but has to be eaten hot from the frying pan with a liberal garnishing of prawns and cockles. If you are worried about Hepatitis A, better ask them to leave out the cockles.

    Black Pepper Crabs

    Yum...had some black pepper crabs at the End of The World in Batu Feringgi...very tasty!

    6 months since the Tsunami

    If you visited Penang today you wouldn't find any evidence of the Tsunami that hit us. Yet it's on our minds, because the impossible had happened. People stood and watched the Tsunami approach because we never ever knew that the sea could kill. But we have learned, and are lucky that we were spared the worst from this disaster.

    Effects of the Tsunami


    It's been 6 months since the Tsunami changed our lives forever. I read this and was amazed at the power of this earthquake...

    "Peninsular Malaysia moving in wrong direction after Dec 26 quake
    By Fay Angela D?Cruz and Anita Anandarajah

    KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs:
    PENINSULAR Malaysia is moving in the wrong direction. It should be shifting eastward, but since the Dec 26 earthquake, it has been moving westward.
    Survey and Mapping Department data show that tidal waves from Sumatra have dragged the Sunda Plate (on which the peninsula sits) westward.
    This is unusual, as the plate had been shifting eastward by 3cm every year.
    The southern tip of Johor has moved 2cm westward. In the north, Langkawi has shifted 18cm westward toward the epicenter of the earthquake.
    Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem) director-general Datuk Hamid Ali said the shift in land mass was not significant enough to require redrawing the map of the country."

    Hidden Temples

    Many temples lie hidden within the maze of streets in Georgetown. Some are only accesible on foot, but worth the effort to visit.

    Friday, July 01, 2005

    The Pagoda

    Georgetown is the main city and it's a contrast of modern and traditional, colonial history and many cultures make a very colourful potpurri of life. The Pagoda lies at the foot of Penang Hill and has a staircase lined with shops that leads right to the top. Definitely a must visit here. You can feed the old turtles here with "Kangkung" vegetables for long life. (Tip: Buy the vegetables from the market at the base of the Pagoda, it's like 10x cheaper!)

    Hawker Food 24/7




    You'll always get a steaming bowl of spicy noodles any time of the day for less than 1USD...so you'll never ever go hungry here. This stall is famous for it's Hokkien Mee (Noodles in Prawn Soup) which is so delicious that by the time I remembered to take a picture...I already finished eating it!

    Pasar Malam = Night Bazaar



    There are a lot of small shops along the roads of Penang. There are some nightmarkets that sell cheap goods and food. A colourful night bazaar.

    Penang International Dragon Boat Race


    Dragon boat racing is a sport that has existed for centuries. Founded in China, it combines the power, speed and endurance of 12 or 20 people. Manned by paddlers, steerers and a drummer, the exquisite dragon boats surge towards the finish line, accompanied by the thunder of drums and roar of the crowd.
    Outside of China, Malaysia was the first country to hold dragon boat races. In 1934, dragon boat racing was first introduced as a sporting activity in Penang.
    In 1956, Penang’s first dragon boat race was held to commemorate the Georgetown Municipal Council’s 100th anniversary. 10 years later, the sport was revived as part of Pesta Pulau Pinang (Penang Festival). A truly international event.

    Kopitiam = Coffee Shop


    As my friend Azhari puts it..
    Okay, for those who are unfamiliar with the term Kopitiam, let me say something here (you can correct me if I got the wrong impression). Kopitiam is a Chinese word which loosely translates to Coffee Shop. In turn, it's a local Chinese diner. There could be two or three characteristics that make these shops unique.

    The first one is the classic porcelain cups with green decorative motives.. You can't miss that if you come to these places - much like the designers' mug like those in Starbucks, Coffee Bean, GJ and stuff.
    The second one is the marble top tables. Not to say these are rare but most of the newer designed tables are much, much lighter than these. Cleaning these marble top tables are easier too.
    The third could be the square white tiles which are arranged from the floor up to your shoulder-height on the two (sometimes three) opposite walls. There are other eatery places with similar concept but this suits well with a kopitiam.
    The fourth (optional) element is the patrons to these places. Most of them (on weekends) wear casual clothings rather than their business attires. Once you step into these places (especially in the morning), there's some kind of feeling that the time flies slowly, admiring the view (even if the view is just the bustling traffic) and looking at other people enjoying their food. It seems like you want to get away from all your responsibilities and just take your time to enjoy yourself....

    Durian Tips


    An interesting write up from www.durianplace.com
    "In Asia, durian is said to have "heaty" properties—eating very much will give your body a heated sensation for a brief period thereafter. I have found this to be true from my own experience. It’s not necessarily unpleasant, it just happens, and is part of the overall durian-eating experience (along with classic satisfied durian-scented burps!). Durian is not recommended eating if you have a high temperature from some illness, though. It follows that durian’s heatiness contributes a subtle paradoxical appeal and delight to durian ice cream.
    I’ve noticed that durians wrapped in a newspaper and plastic bag for awhile do emit actual heat — the fruit and wrapping and air inside all get heated up. A pity durians aren’t common in cold climates, and that their heat is wasted on tropical residents who already have a lavish abundance of it! Certain other fruits such as mangosteen and citrus are said to have "cooling" properties and are recommended as an antidote to a feeling of having eaten too much durian (and it can be hard to stop!)
    If eating several varieties of durian at the same time, eat the best last because the best’s aroma and flavor will cover all the others, and if you eat the best first, you won’t be able to experience the others.
    If faced with the pleasant task of eating several varieties, the preferred order of eating is the more moist varieties first, ending with the more "gummy" varieties (which are regarded in Malaysia as the best). (This is more a Malaysian-style durian situation, as Thai varieties of durians are generally larger, people tend to eat only one Thai variety at a time, and there are fewer choices of variety in the marketplace.)
    To remove the odor of durian from your hands, wash your hands with durian seeds; amazing, but it works (thanks again to T.S. Chang at Bao Sheng Durian Farm in Malaysia).
    Durian is not recommended for consuming with alcoholic beverages, as the combination of natural substances is a powerful producer of internal gas.
    Sound durian fruit will store satisfactorily in refrigeration for up to 3 weeks at 59º F. [15º C.].
    Durian is not only exquisitely delicious but richly nutritious, a complete natural meal in itself high in carbohydrate, proteins, fat, minerals, and vitamins.

    It's Durian Season Here in Penang!




    Durians...the King of Fruits, the season comes twice a year here in Penang. Once in June-July and once in November-December. This thorny fruit protects a rich yellow fruit unlike all others. You either love it or hate it...I love it! It tastes like custard and smells like sh*t! But there are many different types with different tastes and interesting names!