Penang: If You Love Street Arts, Ask George

Why, hello there. I am not an artsy person but I love old stuff, that is why even if its a 6-hour ride from Kuala Lumpur, I went to see the kampong island of Penang. The first time I visited it, I'm a solo traveler. Since I was living in Kuala Lumpur for more than a year now, I'm very intrigued when locals say that the best food and best people are located on this isolated island. The thought of eating a decent kuey teow goreng and beef noodles makes me so excited, though I never think about getting the hype about the street arts which is the famous attraction in the area. 

I booked my hostel along the UNESCO World Heritage Site called George Town. It is where all the street arts are located. I was amazed to see creatively fading arts on the walls, with different concepts and different feels. 

Who would have thought that street arts can be enjoyed? As Penang is originally a quiet island with a very rich tradition, some of the artists decided to create a revolution in its arts and ask the town mayor to do mural paintings in some of the streets. As tourists nowadays like to create memories by photography, its the shining moment of these unique crafts to do the bidding. As we tell different stories, depends on how we interpret art, it doesn't take that much time to name Penang as one of the top destinations in Malaysia.

Hunting of street arts along George Town is fun, you can rent a bicycle ( RM10-20 for 3 hours ). There are also maps that hotels give to their guests where you can use to look for the murals. Yes, you need to look all 50 plus wall arts in the whole town. Most of them are located along Armenian and Love Lane Streets.

The food along the street is also very nice.

Maintaining traditional houses

I easily fell in love to the charm of Penang, where the Iced Kacang (a version of Halo-Halo ) is my favorite. That is why I came back with my friends for a short weekend gateway. 

With my two besties in high school, Raiza and Flor. If you are hippy and you love hanging out with foreigners, go out at night time and visit love lane bars. Music and booze all the way. 

Spot the real kiddos ( at heart ) haha

Eating this monster bowl of Ramen at Clan Jetty Port

Spicy Beef Noodles at RM7 only!

Breaky of the Champions at Wheelers Coffee. I highly recommend this cafe for their good food, nice staff and relaxing ambiance.

If you want some chill time in the afternoon, you can sit and catch fish at Clan Jetty Port, the other side. For me, this is one of the best parts of enjoying Penang as you can see how simple the way of living plus fishermen is nice, too.

I am guarding the fish okay haha

As for the morning, we decided to jog and stroll. Morning markets are everywhere, and people are surprisingly energetic so early in the morning.

Playing the kaleidoscope

Some 20 minutes away from George Town, you can also go to Penang Hills. You can ride the classic train going to the top of the hill, in 90 degrees ( yes, in slope ). I was nervous when I ride this because, at the middle of the climb, the train suddenly stopped, leaves us hanging at 90 degrees, haha. But, all goes well and the view of the whole Penang Island on the top is worth the scare.

Gorgeous Penang Island. See the long bridge? Its the bridge that connects the island to the mainland. I have a fun time crossing it via car.

View Deck

Coconut Ice Cream while enjoying the hilltop view

Love locks

Emote. Haha. Entrance to the Penang Hill is RM60 per person if you are a foreigner like me. Remember to go here as early as possible because of the long line which will take approximately 2 hours of patiently falling in line in the fast lane. Buy a round trip train ticket to avoid the hassle.

Never a dull moment with these two

Penang Island is my number one place to be in Malaysia for its simplicity and authenticity. And better to go here with your family or friends to make it more enjoyable.

How To Go There :

Ride a bus at TBS Terminal going Butterworth or Penang Island. It is a 6-hour ride. From the terminal, you can take a grab car or taxi going to your hotel.

//emh.