is Penang / Georgetown one of the most overrated places in
SE Asia ? All the guidebooks rave about it, and all the
'colonial charm' etc.. it has, but this is not much to hold
your attention for long. Kota Cornwallis and the fertility
cannon is the biggest non-ever ever (and they still charge
you for it !), and Penang Hill is hardly spectacular. On
top of this, even on Lebuh Chulia, there is almost nothing
to do at night. I'm in Melaka at the moment, and that is
much better, as was KL. So what did I miss in Penang then ?
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I thought Thailand was...:(
yea i agree. i stopped there after visiting samui
and phuket and couldn't figure out how it got the
"pearl of the orient" label. the beaches were not
half of thailands and the place was pretty boring
all in all. i couldnt think of 1 reason to go back.
Twenty years ago, when you ferried over and everybody went
to Batu Ferringhi and smoked various stuff, it was a
traveller's hang. There weren't a lot of places like that in
Malaysia, and the East Coast was hard going without bahasa.
Now, Penang is about like Singapore was 20 years ago, and
Malacca is more like Penang used to be, insofar as being
attractive is concerned.
Glad you like it better than Penang/Georgetown. I thought
it was pretty horrible when we were there. TOO MANY
motorscooters and cars, dirty river area, and very
expensive shops. However it does have some history and more
to look at than P/G
You're so absolutely right about Georgetown. We stayed
there for about 3 days (forced actually, waiting for the
ferry) and it was 3 days too long. Small streets full of
stinking motorbikes, cars and busses unfriendly people and
really nothing to do than stroll the malls for the fouth
time in a row. If you want to spend your time doing
something nice, stay away from this shithole!!!!!! :((((
i posted my carping criticism a bit lower down and expected
to get a load of flack. so it really is crap. it was the
traffic and the poor service that really pissed me off. when
i was there in the 80's it was friendly and good - when i
was there last time they were surly and slow as hell. i
waited 25 minutes to check into the Shangri-La hotel on
Farrenghi Beach and the restaurants were crap, the rooms
weren't cleaned one day until we phoned down and and.... the
only saving grace is that it was free!!
mind you they still sold cold anchor at the rebuilt
restaurants across the road - one guy was still running the
same restaurant.
agree with the sentiments in the preceding responses. as
far as we could tell (in 1996) Penang attracted either the
backpacker (generally renewing Thai visa's), or the Asian
tourist market, camping out at one of the luxury but
largely homogenous resorts along Batu Ferringhi. I remember
taking a round island guided tour (we were in the latter
visitor category on this occasion) the "highlights" of
which were a visit to a batik shop (sorry, i meant batik
folk craft and art centre), a temple hemmed in by
technology parks, a run down on the unique characteristics
of durian every time we passed a durian tree - which was
often, and a visit to a kampong, which wasn't a kampong at
all.
Penang is great if you live in S'pore, KL and want to work
on your (crazy golf) handicap for a weekend. For anything
else - especially good beaches - head East Coast and North
to Thailand...
About Georgetown. But there are a couple of nice
out-of-the-way at the northern end and the west of the
island. Go way beyond the dirty, crowded beaches of Batu
Ferrenghi toward the Butterfly Farm and Nature Reserve.
There are a couple of homestays near there and some
relatively deserted beaches on the straits side of Penang,
surrounded by forest and away from the hustle.
A Penangite's lament.... : (
So, my home is a shithole!
Or so some of you say,
Have you tried the durians?
Or do you merely gaze at them in vain,
So my streets are full of motorcycles,
But have you ridden on one,
To the glories of Gurney Drive,
Where eating food is always fun
So the shit leaves from the back orifice
But the front one tastes only pleasure
So complain not about my boring, shithole home
'cause the food's a darn sight better!