Penang JetSaver Light Challenge 1st-3rd July 2009

When I received a call informing me that I was selected for this challenge, I was happy & excited; my Mum, being a 'Penangian' was even more so, as it has been many years since we went back to Penang. We were really looking forward to visiting relatives and of course eating the Penang goodies which can only be found in "The Pearl of the Orient".


After our short briefing on 1st July 2009, at Singapore Airport Terminal 1, (where we were told the good news that the airport transfer in Penang was to be included in our package); we headed into the gates to board the flight to Penang.

As it was an Inaugural flight, we were greeted at Penang Airport by pretty ladies handing out goodie bags and men beating the ceremonial drums. It was certainly very welcoming; and certainly a great start to our trip.

After an hour long ride due to office hour traffic; ( a normal trip would have taken half an hour) we arrived at the Berjaya Georgetown Hotel. We used the extended time to take in the sights on the way to the hotel. The tour agent took this opportunity to tell us a little about Penang.










The Berjaya Georgetown Hotel is centrally located near the famous Gurney Drive food centre. The rooms were nice & clean and after checking in, we started our adventure.





Mum called her cousin, who came to pick us and we went to visit Mum's 92 year old uncle...who still drives around Penang; going out daily for his meals and marketing!!!
Dinner was a simple affair; Though we did take a walk through Gurney Drive food centre, we decided to eat at a coffee shop round the corner serving the best Lor Bak (Penang version of ngor hiang) and Ceah Hoo (Penang Chinese rojak) As expected we over ordered and overate!!!


Breakfast at the hotel on the 2nd July was pretty light as we were preparing for the hawker fare that Penang is so famous for. Again, we were picked up by cousin Lai who brought us for a 2nd breakfast at the Pulau Tikus market. We ate Chee Cheong Fun (steamed thin flour pancake), Curry noodles...yes, curry for breakfast!!! We certainly could not miss out on the Apom Manis (a delicacy found ONLY in Penang) and here, I ordered 100 pieces (@ RM$0.40 per piece) to be brought home for my friends who did not the opportunity to eat this dessert.
After breakfast, we decided that we needed to walk off the food we had consumed so, into the wet market we went...to savor the sights of a wet market which is now almost non-existent in Singapore. Here, Mum bought the special 'skin' used to make the Lor Bak... we will be able to enjoy some of the dishes when we get home, as Mum is a very good Peranakan cook!!!




A short walk away from Pulau Tikus is the Wat Chaiyamangkalaran. Here we found the 3rd largest Reclining Buddha in the world. Behind this Reclining Buddha we found 12 idols representing the 12 zodiac animals of the Chinese calender....I could not resist but have my picture taken next to my Chinese animal...guess which one???





Across the road from the Thai temple, we went into the Burmese temple. Here you can view the Epic Renunciation of Prince S.Gotama...all this is done on a wall mural depicting the forces of good & evil.






It was getting hot then so we decided to head off to Penang Hill. My Mum has special memories here as she spent her honeymoon with my Dad up in Penang Hill; so we decided to do our Star Jump at this venue. Dressed in Jet Star colours, we did the jump at the bottom of Penang Hill...Mum, being 80 years old, was advised by the organizer not to jump but, she was really game and did a Star pose anyways!!!
Unfortunately, it started to rain, so plans of going up Penang Hill were shelved.



Instead, we headed off to Kek Lok Si Temple, which is also located at Ayer Hitam. This is the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. The 7 storey Pagoda located here reflects the cultures of 3 different countries, namely Chinese, Thai and Burmese. Walking up the stairs to the temple you will find numerous shops selling all sorts of paraphernalia; from local snacks to souvenir tee shirts. Naturally, being Singaporean, we had to buy some souvenirs...mum bought a batik tee shirt, a few packets of preserved nutmeg and nutmeg oil (all for less than RM$30)
We continued up the stairs and paid RM$1 for a bunch of vegetables to feed the turtles kept in the temple compound. I wonder if this is to bring you good luck???..we did it anyways!!!





Driving back into town, we were lucky as the Indian temple at the bottom of the hill were having some celebrations, and we managed to view some ceremonial festivities.










We then headed for the Botanical Gardens. I remember, as a child, I used to watch the monkeys walk about freely in the gardens. However, we could not find any this time, presumably they were hiding under the trees, in the shade. We took the RM$2 ride around the gardens admiring the flowers and just enjoying the warm breeze.




After all that exercise, we decided that our stomachs were empty enough to put in more good eats...and we headed off to find the famous Penang sweets. Here we not only ate but also bought heaps back for friends & relatives... With each piece of Nyona kueh costing RM$0.40 to RM$0.50, it was impossible not to go overboard and buy just about everything!!!

I even managed to get quite a few rolls of Tau Sar Pheah which I had promised friends...



A drive along the Gurney road waterfront was a must. In the daytime, its just nice for a stroll along the pavement; and in the evenings the place is bustling with locals and tourist who come to 'hang out' and just "eat breeze"(chaik hong).

After a short walk, we headed back to the hotel for some 'well earned' rest. Being roomed on the 26th floor of the Berjaya Georgetown, we were given a bird's eye view of the city and a little of the coastal sights.






Dinner was another gastronomical delight. There is so much variety to choose from in the hawker fare. Naturally we had to try everything before we left and this evening it was duck noodles (ark twee kwei teow) for mum and egg oyster (owe chian) for me. We also added cuttelfish kangkong (jwe hoo eng chai) to our menu, and of course, we had to have the Loh Bak again!!!

After dinner, we had Apom Balek... somewhat similar to the Apom Manis but this time thicker and filled with coconut with banana or corn.


It would come as little surprise to learn that I had trouble sleeping that night...after being greedy and over eating!!!



We skipped breakfast the next morning (still full from dinner) and headed out to the airport early. After checking in, we managed to get (almost) all the teams together for a group photo and to share all our 'finds', food or otherwise. We all agreed that we all had a great time and everyone had put on quite a few pounds and added inches to our girth!!!Upon our return, I headed over to a friend's place where my yoga mates were waiting impatiently ...for the Apom Mains and Tau Sar Pheah (which I had promised them); and the descriptions of all the sights I had done in Penang. I must admit that we could not see everything we wanted to, with the time constraint, and would definitely want to return in the near future. With almost all the tourist attractions being free, Penang would certainly be a great place to visit. Your dollar can be easily stretched to do so much, to see so much and definitely to eat to your heart's content!!!

Admittedly, most of the allowance given by Jet Star was spent on food....our meals as well as goodies we brought back for those who did not have the opportunity to go to Penang. I know for sure that my friends will be heading off to Penang on JetSaver to experience all the food and sights that I did in the very near future.





Thank you Jet Star for making my trip so memorable, for me, my Mum AND my friends!!!