Earth Hour in Penang... No noticeable lights out

Took pictures of the city of George Town, Penang during the Earth Hour where lights are supposed to be switched off from 8:30pm till 9:30pm. I did not see anything diferent this year. Last time, I can see more lights being turned off. Why the lack of support for this year? No one cares now?

Before 8:30pm

After 8:30pm

Wish List#3: More Parks Needed

I believe Penang has a high number of active folks who would love to have more recreational parks for them to breathe in the fresh air and for a place to exercise. Sadly, there is only a handful of parks in Penang, and you can tell by the crowd you see on the weekends that there are not many choices. The most popular  park is now the Botanical Gardens and Youth Park. Both are located very close to each other, and the single lane road access becomes a bottleneck.  There is a big renovation going on at Botanical Gardens with more parking lots, but some long term planning needed to widen the access road as there is only a single lane road going into the park.
A couple of parks or places of recreations in Penang now are:

a.  Botanical Gardens - nice lush surroundings with many trails (http://www.penangbotanicgardens.gov.my/)(pic)
b.  Youth Park ( Taman Belia) - Lots of exercise machines, and skate and skateboard rink.
c.  Air Itam Dam - Nice place for running but a bit isolated and not safe esp. at late evenings or very early mornings  ( Video)
d.  Bukit Dumbar, Jelutong - A bit small for a park built on top of a underground reservoir. Not enough greens to provide a cooling atmosphere.
e. Metropolitan Park, Relau - haven't been there yet.
Other notable smaller areas esp. for hiking are:
a. Bukit Hijau ( Green Hill at Island Park)
b. Bukit Jambul ( Hiking Trail to the top of hill)
c. Pearl Hill , Tanjung Tokong ( long road up a hill to a Sultan's residence)

Happy New Year 2010.. Scenes of PG from 2009

WELCOME 2010.... Have a great year ahead....

Panaromic Shot of Penang Skyline..

A photo shoot of Penang Northern City Skyline on a clear day. Penang tallest building, Komtar can be seen at the background. 

Raining Cats and Dogs in Penang

It has been raining cats and dogs in Penang past few days. Looking at the weather forecast ...
# Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
# Tomorrow: Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High near 85F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
# Tomorrow night: Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
# Saturday: Scattered thunderstorms. High 86F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
# Sunday: Scattered thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 70s.
# Monday: Scattered thunderstorms possible. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the mid 70s.

Looks like if it keeps raining like this I might need a boat to get to work. :P

Places to Visit in Penang

I was in Singapore for a few days and was chatting with one of the taxi drivers there. He was asking where I was from, and upon knowing that I was from Penang, he was asking what to do there if he's there for 2-3 days, or what are the attractions there. I told him immmediately to try the Penang Hawker fare but didn't give him an answer on what are the places that he could visit. Now that I am back, a few things that I shld have told him to do when he is here is probably to go for a trip round Penang Island, and stop over at a few places e.g Balik Pulau ( for its famous Laksa, and durian if in season), visit Pulau Betong beach, and the fruit farm and dam near Teluk Bahang. At night, a visit to Gurney Drive and/or Penang Hill will be worth a visit. A walk around historical downtown Penang is also worth a visit with free Penang bus ride that takes you to all the historical sites.

Authentic Indian Food in Penang

Authentic, in this case Southern India cuisine is one of my favourites. And Penang is blessed with some great and authentic mainly South Indian cuisine. Just go to the section of Penang known as Little India which is at Market / Queen St Area, and you get the feeling u are in India where there are shops which sells spices and food products direct from India. Some of my Indian friends shop here as according to them the taste of authentic Indian food requires these spices e.g. shallots,that will affect the outcome of the flavour of the final product. Can't argue with them. One of the many restaurants, which I was introduced is located at Market Street, called " Karaikudi". They have some of the best banana leaf servings. They also have a branch at Tanjong Tokong near Pearl Hill.
If you are there some of the other famous and popular restaurants are Achi, Kaliammans, and Woodlands at Penang Street.

MATTA FAIR - Penang

Went to the MATTA Travel Fair in Penang. The crowd wasn't that big on a Saturday evening. Must be the economic situation. There were some pretty good deals for most destinations. The Australia Tourism Booth had lots of great brochures and holiday tips that they gave for free, for those interested to visit. I was looking around for tours to Europe, and there was one tour to Italy & Swiss 10days/7 nights costs ~ $5988 from Hong Thai Travels, under their Smart Holidays Packages. AirAsia, MAS had some pretty good deals too e.g. Australian Free n Easy Package in Melbourne for 4D/3N at $1769 and Perth at $1639. Most of the deals are valid only during the fair period. Depending on your persuasion power, u might be able to get the same rate after the fair since I presume that less people are travelling due to the economy and H1N1 concerns.

"Tho Yuen" Chicken Rice Shop...

This chicken rice shop has been around a long time. I remember when I was still in elementary school, and my grandfather used to bring me and my brother here not only for the chicken rice, but also one of our favourite dish, i.e. crispy noodle dish.
They still make great chicken rice and crispy noodle till this day. They are located at Campbell and Cintra Street Junction. ( Close to the Rolex watch shop).
Penang Chicken Rice is mainly "Hainan"-style which originally was introduced by the Chinese from Hainan, China. There are other varieties esp. in the way the chicken is roasted and the type of sauce that is used. The best chicken rice shld have really juicy pieces of chicken that is roasted to golden brown and drenched in soy sauce and sesame oil. The rice itself is cooked with chicken broth and ginger. It is usually served with cucumber and spring onions. While typing this, I can actually smell sesame oil. No kidding. Must be my imagination. :P
For the recipe to make this dish just visit this link: http://www.roseskitchenette.com/?p=316

Visit Penang ( UN World Heritage Site) Soft Launch from July

There will be a soft Launch of Visit Penang Year 2010 ~ 2012 with a number of programs. Some of them are listed here:

1) 1st July 2009. 8pm~11pm. Esplanade, Penang

In conjunction with the soft launch of VisitPenang Year 2010~2012, a diverse programme of performing arts featuring traditional dance performances by Kumpulan Kebudayaan Negeri Pulau Pinang (Penang Cultural Council), Temple of Fine Arts and Spring Production and Art Studios will showcase the unique culture and traditions of Penang.

Experience classic Malay, Chinese and Indian presentation in our open concert setting at Esplanade, absolutely Free.

2) Penang In Retrospect - Air Photo Exhibition

1st ~ 31st July 2009. 12pm. Queensbay Mall South Zone

"Penang in Retrospect" lets you examine the city from different perspective with its 60 carefully selected photos. Panoramic aerial view phogoraphy by Don Law, reveals traces of Penang history amid the development surrounding the old heritage and the new George Town.

See Penang from above, a treasure trove for anyone who loves Penang and photography.

Budget Air Travel to Penang

I am currently planning a trip from Penang to Europe. And since the Malaysian Ringgit is "puny", I explored and looked for the cheapest airfare available, browsing online and checking with travel agents. I find that you get better airfare deals via online compared to agents. One tour that I was looking at from Cosmos, was quoted US$1450. This was fine, but the local agent told me I need to pay using a "slightly" higher exchange rate, i.e. US$1=Rm$3.65! Last I checked, the exchange rate was $3.53. What the #$*? ( Pardon my language) :P I went online, and for the same tour I get a discounted price of US$1213. ( A savings of US$237 plus with the correct market exchange rate).
The cheapest budget airline now is via our own Malaysian pride "AirAsia" airline (http://www.airasia.com/). However, this is a no frills flight with narrow seats and no entertainment on board, and you will have to purchase your own meals. Of course the flight only goes from KLIA- London Stansted Airport. I found that there are also other viable alternative other than AirAsia, especially if you plan to leave from Penang, and not have to go down south to KL. You just have to book an AirAsia flight frm Penang to Bangkok, Thailand. ( Cost is about RM$100/pax), and then take Air Berlin from Bangkok, which flies to Dusseldorf, Germany, and from there you can continue on to London, or other major cities in Europe. You just pay a little extra but you get meals, better entertainment on board, and more time friendly. It works for me especially for my return trip from London to Penang, since the flight touches down in Bangkok in the morning, and you can take the direct flight from Bangkok to Penang via AirAsia in the afternoon. MAS is having some really cheap seats nowadays for a full service airline, but the seats go real fast. Check their websites, and try to book at least 3 months or more in advance to get good deals.

Horse Show in Penang ( Good for some Action Photo Shoots)

There will be a horse show at the Penang Turf Club, this Friday till Sunday ( 5th-7th June).
It is an Equestrian Event with competitions in dressage, carriage riding etc. Apart from these competitions, there will be pony rides and carriage rides for the public. A carnival air will prevail with clowns, stage shows for children, food and games stalls. There will also be an exhibition of various types of horses and ponies to educate the public on the equine industry.
It should be fun. I have never ridden a horse before. I rode an elephant once in Thailand, but I am pretty sure a horse shld be more fun. At least I shld as a horse doesn't have a trunk that likes to splash unmentionables on its rider.
The admission is free but the rides will cost ~ $2.

Little Penang Street Market + Matters of the Heart

Since this Sunday was the last Sunday of the month, I decided to visit the "Little Penang Street Market" which is held at Upper Penang Road ( right across the E & O Hotel), every last Sunday of the month. This market is run by a committee of volunteers whose main aim is to showcase Penang's crafts, arts and culture, since July 2006. It is a perfect place to look for bargains and unique crafts and even some antiques.

Later, decided to have lunch at one of the Steak House nearby, but was stopped at the entrance. Apparently, someone just had a heart attack while having lunch. Red meat was known to be bad for the heart, but didn't realize it has an immediate effect. So, I just mooze along to another restaurant right across the street at the Continental Hotel, which is popular for its reasonably priced food. It has a very latin name, i.e. " SALSA". I opted for the set lunch which came with mushroom soup, main dish ( usual choice of fish, chicken, beef, spaghetti), dessert, and a glass of juice. Total came out about RM$15 including tax. Not bad price for a set lunch at a restaurant in town.

Favorite Hawker Dishes... Laksa

Penang is known as a food paradise as it has great food everywhere at very reasonable prices. The hawker food is sold in mobile carts which are not so mobile anymore. They stay put at sites designed to house all these food at a single place, so that everyone gets to pick and choose their favorite dishes. Of course, if you are looking for the very best of each type of hawker food, then you will need to do some hunting. Of course, opinion varies on which are the best depending on one's preference. One of my favorite dish is LAKSA. It is made of fish( mackerel or wolf herring) and tamarind, that adds the sour flavor. If u have not had fish soup before, you might not be accustomed to the taste. It actually is quite healthy i.e. low fat and garnished with mint leaves, ginger buds, chili, shallots, and lemon grass. There are many good laksa places in Penang. A few of my favorite places are at the Ayer Itam Market, Coffee Shop at the junction of Gottlieb Rd/Burma Road.

What a difference... a heavy rain does to fix the haze

After 2 days of haze, finally we had some rain to wash the dust away. I can actually see the KOMTAR tower ( the tallest building in the middle of the picture). Now, if it will only remain this clear for the rest of the week. Not holding my breath though. ( See my post 3 days earlier).

Haze in Penang : A Yearly Event.

Just took a picture of the hazy Penang City Landscape. Apparently, this is not a surprise as haze is becoming an annual event here for most parts of Malaysia and Indonesia, mainly due to open burning in Malaysia and Indonesia. When I tried to find info. from the meterological website, there is no mention of any haze. Apparently, it could be a Sunday and it is not updated immediately. Will wait till Monday.

31st May 09 : Floral Fest at Botanical Gardens in Penang + Tram Ride

Penang Floral Festival 2009 & Trams Ride
From Sunday, 31 May 2009 - 10:00am
To Sunday, 07 June 2009 - 7:00pm


Floral Fest 2009 & Trams Ride


Date: 31st May 2009 ~ 7th June 2009


Pesta hours: 9am to 7pm


Trams operation Hours: 9am to 5pm (20th - 30th May & 8th - 20th June),9am to 7pm (31st May - 7th June)


Tram fees: RM1/adult and RM0.50/child ( About 15 min. per ride)


Organizer: Penang Botanic Gardens


Contact: 604-2270428


Location: Penang Botanic Gardens
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Events and programs:

31st May (10am to 2pm) - Official Opening Ceremony at Bandstand

31st May to 7th June (9am to 7pm) - Orchid Show & Competition at Formal Garden

31st May to 7th June (9am to 7pm) - Adenium Show & Competition at Formal Garden

31st May to 7th June (9am to 7pm) - Floral Art Show at Information Center

31st May to 7th June (9am to 7pm) - Carnivorous Plant Show & Competition at Formal Garden

31st May (9am) - Sculpture Competition at Bandstand

6th June (9am) - "Fancy Dress Competition" at Nature Heritage Exhibition booth

6th June (9am) - Children Drawing Competition at Bandstand

6th June (9am) - Children Colouring Competition at Nature Heritage Exhibition booth

31st May to 7th June (9am to 5pm) - Nature Heritage Exhibition

"Bawah Matahari" Blog web address

In case u are wondering why my blog address is titled "bawahmatahari", well it is a literal translation of of "under the sun" in the Malay language. While writing this, my place and surrounding area had a power failure. Now typing this with battery power. hee hee :) Let's see how long this power trip will last. sigh! Well, attached is a picture of my surrounding area esp. the apartment blocks without lights, except for the emergency lights at the common areas.
Well, nothing much u can do without power, so retiring early to bed. Nighty Night.