Penang - A slightly different trip

When we were informed at the airport that our flight was already one hour late, the signs were not particularly good. Thanks to the delay, we could only check into the hotel in the middle of the night. The next morning we wanted to go straight to the north of Malaysia, to Penang.

The bus was supposed to start right next to our hotel, so the plan was to get on the bus at 11 and go. However, that was far from the truth. After we drove to a new bus terminal (now everything is centralized), we stood in line for a comfortable 2 hours to get our ticket for 3:00 PM. It was then delayed for another 3 hours and the anticipation for the 6-hour drive (which turned out to be 8 hours) was immeasurable. We arrived in Penang in the middle of the night, completely exhausted, only to find out that the late check-in did not work out completely and we had to find a bed somewhere in the hostel because someone had taken our key. So it was a successful start for Malaysia.

But enough complaining, now we were in Penang, the capital for culinary delights, the city of peaceful religions, the city of street art. Overall, the expectations were high. Well-rested (meaning it was already in the middle of the day), we went out and explored the city. It didn't take long and we were sitting in the first café, enjoying a late breakfast. Walking through the streets, we saw a lot of beautiful graffiti and shops. Our art tour ended in Harmony Street, where all major world religions are represented side by side and don't fight each other. After all the temples, churches, and mosques, we naturally ended up in a café again. To round off the day perfectly, we went to eat again, this time in one of Penang's famous food streets with countless food stalls.

The next day, we successfully continued where we left off - eating. On the way back to the hostel, we did a little shopping and then found ourselves in a tropical downpour. The plan to visit the National Park with an adjacent beach was far away. The fact that Philipp also had a higher temperature than he should have didn't help either. So we only went to the National Park in the afternoon, which is surely an impressive experience in good weather - it was okay with heavy clouds and still muddy from the rain. It was only on the way back with a stopover at a larger food corner (over 100 stalls) that the fascination for this country came back to us.

Our next destination, the Perhentian Islands, were then reached the next day (of course by bus).

Conclusion:

- A bit of bad luck with the journey and the weather do not make Penang our biggest highlight

- The food was still good 😊