Day two of our family vacation dawned damp and gloomy. Ipoh was still as empty as the day before, but the hotel itself was packed to the brim. The breakfast buffet was crowded with people looking for a place to sit, and even going up and down on the elevators took a while with the high volume of passengers.
Finally, we were on the road again. Winding through the mountains, into the tunnel and out again; a drive flanked by misty greenery, guided by Waze. I was the navigator of the journey while Mama drove. We decided against taking our usual route through the Penang Bridge or ferry, instead opting for the newly constructed second bridge, or the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge. The highway here was near empty, and the weather set a dramatic entry into Penang Island. It was definitely a beautiful drive.
We met Papa at Hotel Penaga, which is becoming our usual Georgetown destination. You can read about my experience there last year here at WeekendNotes. The hotel hasn't changed, and we enjoyed the stay as much as we did the year before. While waiting to check in, we had lunch first at the mamak shop across the street. The maggi goreng there was superb! It has to be one of the best I have ever tasted anywhere. Even better when you order it with the ayam goreng - they chop it up and mix it together with the noodles. The mee goreng mamak here is delicious as well.
We spent the afternoon wandering through the busy Georgetown streets. The main roads were pretty busy, and when we walked past the Pasar Chowrasta, there was a cendol stall there singing out to us. I have a weakness for cendol pulut, and this really hit the spot. I even ate some of the red beans, even though I don't like red beans.
Even though we have been visiting Penang every year for half a decade, we've never actually explored Georgetown. Our previous visits were always to Batu Ferringhi, for the sun and sand. So this year's trip was really something else. Papa led us through the streets and old shoplots until we got to Lebuh Armenian, known for being the town's arts hub. I
I found this down an alley. This city is ridiculously photogenic, and I thoroughly enjoyed snapping photos throughout the holiday. Helps that I had just gotten my new phone a few weeks back (Motorola Moto G2 whoo!). However, it started to rain while we were on Armenian, so we ended up buying umbrellas from some street vendors. Seriously laku for them, man! I was particularly fascinated by one girl who was manning stall - when we asked her for the price of a brolly, she turned to her grandfather sitting in the shade and asked him in Mandarin. He replied in Hokkien. This went on for a minute or so, her in Mandarin and him in Hokkien, before we got the price. So we trudged back to the hotel while huddling under the three umbrellas we managed to buy.
Later in the evening, the sisters and I went out to explore some more. We ended up in a mall called First Avenue, where we spent the rest of the evening eating sushi and wandering around. By the time we got back to the hotel, the parents and Nazim had already eaten dinner. So we walked down a block to find food at a Thai restaurant. I ordered the cantonese kuey teow, which was AMAZING. The kuey teow was wrapped in a fluffy egg, sitting pretty in a pool of delicious sauce. I feel hungry just thinking about it.
Ah, Penang! Land of food galore!
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