INTRODUCTION
Georgetown is the capital of the island and state of Penang, on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia.
Founded in 1786 by British trader Francis Light, Georgetown was one of the three Straits Settlements along with Malacca and Singapore. Modern-day Georgetown is one of Malaysia's largest cities with 600,000 inhabitants.
Note that with its combination of Chinese and Muslims, Georgetown takes its religious resting days. Most of the town stops working for the latter half of Saturday, and all of Sunday. Many shops and restaurants are closed during these times and the streets are extremely sleepy and quiet, with little tourist friendly activity going on. Muslim prayer calls can be heard at the required prayer times, and it is not uncommon to see the Chinese locals burning incense for ancestor worship on the sidewalks.
The town seems quite relaxed, as restaurants, small shops, and mall shops don't fully open until around noon. If you're waking up early, be sure to look for Chinese Dim Sum stalls as they are only available in the morning. But don't bother looking for any other activities besides eating.
DIRECTIONS TO GEORGETOWN
Georgetown is Penang's transportation hub. Ferries arrive at the terminal on Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld) on the east city of the city; the bus station is nearby on Victoria Street.
GETTING AROUND GEORGETOWN
Public transportation around the city is not very well organized. There are, however, buses that ply the length and breadth of the city, and even one that can take you around the island itself. Having said that, there is a chance you master the system by going either to the KOMTAR building or the ferry terminal. There, all busses stop on their route, and if you don't mind going around the city a bit if you actually want to leave it, you have good chances of getting where you want. But if you're planning to venture out of Georgetown to the suburbs and beyond for a day's tripping, do bear in mind that the public buses STOP picking up passengers AFTER 10pm daily - apparently even on weekends and holidays (as of November 2006). And if you need to take a taxi back to your quarters after midnight, be prepared to pay a 100% surcharge on top of the usual quoted fare.
Going to the airport (bus 3-4 from both ferry and KOMTAR) takes forever, as you might wait up to 45min for the bus to come and another 60-120 min to reach the airport. Costs only around RM 4 as opposed to the official RM 35 tariff..
Taxi rides within the city should cost RM 10-20; agree on the fare before you get in as they do not run on meters.
Trishaws cater to tourists and charge around RM 15 per hour. However, these trishaw rides are becoming more of a curiosity rather than the norm as the number of trishaw peddlers are now lower in number than before.
You may also rent your own motorbike or little scooter to get around. These shops can be found along Chulia Street and also Penang Road.
Street names can be confusing: the street signs are in Malay, but locals will invariably use the old English names, e.g. Pitt Street instead of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Beach Street instead of Lebuh Pantai, etc. Lebuh, Jalan, Lorong, etc. are the Malay words for street, road, lane, respectively.
THINGS TO DO
Preserved by strict zoning laws, the gently crumbling but largely intact shophouses of Georgetown offer a glimpse into the town's colonial times. Restoration works are slowly progressing.
SHOPPING
Markets
- Little India, junctions of Market Street (Lebuh Pasar) with King Street and Queen Street, is where many traditional Indian traders selling all sorts of Indian traditional wares such as saris, garlands, trinkets, sculptures, Indian music, handicrafts, Punjabi suits, Singhalese silverwares, stainless steel housewares and accessories since 18th century. Spicy Indian food likes roti canai or thosai are available along the streets either at coffee shop, restaurant or road-side hawker stalls.
- The Little Penang Street Market, which is held on the last Sunday of every month, from 10AM-6PM at Upper Penang Road. The objective is to promote creativity, entrepreneurship and street revitalisation. The project aims to upgrade local arts, crafts and culture by providing design and marketing support to local artists, artisans and cultural entrepreneurs. Visitors can find many different mechandises over there, such as silverware, clogs, Henna art, seashell art, hand-paint clothes, hand-made jewellery, calligraphy, batik, potraits and etc; there is also live music, kid's corner and other interesting activities.
Shopping malls
- Bukit Jambul Complex, located at the fast-developing Bukit Jambul area of Malaysia. Features 414 shops, hypermarket Cosmart, food court, an amusement centre, six cineplexes and a 40-lane bowling alley.
- Gurney Plaza, Gurney Drive (Pesiaran Gurney), lots of good food, plenty of stuff to shop and 12 cineplexes. It is the second largest shopping mall in Penang after Queensbay Mall and by far the most classy, and was completed in 2001.
- Island Plaza, Jalan Tanjung Tokong . Restaurant, food court, cineplexes and more than 150 specialty shops.
- KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak), Penang's first skyscraper and a bit of an eyesore, is a useful navigational landmark but not so good for shopping anymore.
- One-Stop Midlands Park, Jalan Burma. A huge mall with lots of small shops inside.
- Penang Plaza, Jalan Burma
- Prangin Mall, next to KOMTAR, has stolen much of its neighbor's buzz and offers a convenient yet sanitized shopping experience. It offers a cutting-edge consumer experience and features five-floors of shopping, dining and entertainment.
- Queensbay Mall, Bayan Baru, Opened 2006. 5 levels of retail and 8 levels of parking, JUSCO as its anchor tenant, 17 junior anchors and more than 500 retail merchants.
CUISINE
Eat
As in most other Asian countries, the local food is somewhat spicy. However, being a melting pot of different cultures, you can easily find a wide variety of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine that abounds at almost every street corner. Penang is well known as the "food haven" for Malaysia as one can find many foodstalls all over Malaysia as Penang this or Penang that. It's best to ask the locals to head you towards the best locations for food, though walking in to any "coffee shop" or stall would almost certainly guarantee an experience for your taste buds. Having a basic Malaysian vocabulary of menu items is extremely helpful. Be sure to print out a translation of Malaysian words for basic foods, such as chicken, beef, pork, noodles, rice, etc.
The roasted peanuts at the hawker stalls are extremely tasty and a good deal at RM 1.
Jaya, an Indian restaurant open 24 hours, is a little more tourist friendly than other local restaurants. They offer a wide variety of fresh Indian food, including chicken masala, fresh garlic naan, roti prata, roti cani, tandoori chicken, and curry puffs. The prices are cheap and the food is fast and fresh.
- Cendol (Ice delicacies) - Enjoy the famous Teochew cendol at Penang Road during the hot day in Penang.
Drink
- Teh Tarik (Milk Tea) - Enjoy at any Mamak stall along Penang Road in the evening, chit chat with friends, watching the culture of Penangite
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Beers & Liquor
The Garage located in the upper Penang Road should be the first choice to have fun there.
- Cocos, Upper Penang Road, Phone:+60 4 263-8003. Daily 5PM-3AM,.Local delights available.
- Slippery Senoritas Salsa Club & Restaurant. Upper Penang Road, (Located in the garage). +60 4 263-6868. Open 11am - 3am.(Lunch Dinner.Music) 1/2 price drinks until 9pm. Live music/D.J's from 9.30pm. "Ladies Nights" Wednesday and Friday.
- GLO Dance Club, A8 The Garage, 2 Penang Road
- Shamrock Irish Pub, Ground Floor, MWE Plaza, Faquhar Street
- Soho Freehouse, 50 Penang Road, Phone:+60 4 263-3331/262-8331, Fax:+60 4 263-5146. Soho Freehouse offers selection of continental food and beer.
Other:
- Church Street Cafe, 12 Church Street (Lebuh Gereja), Phone:+60 4 263-9422
- 20th Leight Street Pub Wine Bar & Bistro, 20 Leight Street
ADVICE FOR TRAVELERS
Be extra careful in shopping malls and crowds, as they are the spots of petty crimes such as pickpockets and snatch thefts although rape crimes ocasionally happens.
