I have to be honest. When we first arrived to Penang, we weren’t that impressed. Maybe after being so thrilled with Kuala Lumpur and falling in love with Langkawi, we had high expectations for Penang. We had been shocked at how clean Kuala Lumpur was compared to the likes of Bangkok and Langkawi followed suit for the most part. Then we arrived to our lovely hotel, the Chulia Heritage Hotel, situated right in the middle of the Georgetown and it was rather…shit. I mean the hotel was beautifully charming, but the streets surrounding it…not so much. Everything was run down. There were terrible smells. The sidewalks were either piled in trash or destroyed with potholes making walking the city feel a bit like an obstacle course. Plus, it was dreadfully hot. I think a lot of our disappointment also had to do with the fact that we were both exhausted and cranky and, as I found out a few short days later, coming down with a terrible case of strep throat. Regardless, we were ready to hop on a plane and head back to Langkawi for some more island time. Yes, I know Penang is an island too but it sure doesn’t feel like it. Anyhow, our first impressions of Penang weren’t that great but the more we strolled around the tiny streets and alleyways we started to understand why so many people love it. It does have its charming ways, its just not blatantly in your face like you might expect. It has its treasures in some of the most unexpected nooks and crannies and it feels kind of like a treasure hunt searching for them which was pretty fun I must admit. Not to mention the food is just as amazing as everyone claims it to be, if not even more so, and I would return again just to indulge in some garlic naan and mouth watering masala.
Take a stroll with us through Georgetown where we discovered wonderfully fun street art, colorful cafes, beautiful colonial architecture and an abundance of bicycles…
We are Brittany and Charlie - we traded the 9 to 5 and the so-called "American dream" to live our own dream and see the world. We sold all of our belongings and left the US in August 2013. For 5 years, we lived primarily in Thailand and built our online business and location independent lifestyle while we traveled to over 30 countries. We’ve had house sitting gigs on 3 different continents and we’ve even appeared on HGTV’s House Hunters International.
Hi guys, Penang definitly has a charming side to it, I enjoyed my few days there a few years back. Also as mentioned the food is good. Ian. P. S. Had the filter thing changed on my Forza yesterday. So it should be good for a long time to come. Keep up the posts, kind regards. Ian
So sorry to hear of your “not-so-nice” first impression when you landed on Penang.. that would be the small price one pays for checking into the budget hotel area..
But nevertheless, glad to see the good old Penang charm warmed up to u both eventually !!
Penang is a great place !! Enjoy your next trip here 🙂
Yes it definitely grew on us! It really is one of the most charming places and we still find ourselves dreaming about the food. Thanks for the comment! We will definitely be back 🙂
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