My CNY Penang Trip, 2009

Summary for my Penang Chinese New Year Trip.

The common topic :-
Among friends and especially at the coffee shop, the most common topic I heard was :-
1) Economy downturn.
- "I heard that factory gonna close down already!"
- "Mr A and Mr B had been retrenched!"
- "That factory going to close and swift to Butterworth"

2) Traffic Congestion.
- "Wah! Penang Town area jam like nobody business!"
- "The Penang Bridge Toll long queue for 5km!"

I heard the same topics repeat and repeat again at everywhere....

The most excited moment I had :-
1) Visit Penang Hill after 25 years!
2) Stayed at one of my favorite hotel - 1926 Heritage Hotel
3) Met my old friend at Penang - Bob, Khoo & Lance.

The local foods I had at Penang :-
1) Penang Jawa Mee (Noodle)
2) Penang Ice Kacang
3) Penang Dry Curry Mee (Noodle)
4) Penang Char Kuey Tiaw (Fried rice noodle)

The Worst Jawa Mee I ever had before!

Ice Kacang with Ice Cream!

The above Jawa Mee & Ice Kacang were sell at the same kopitam (Coffeeshop). Located at Jalan Teratai of Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth. (N5°26.317' E100°23.200')

Penang Dry Curry Mee (Noodle)

Jawa Mee again! It's GOOD this time! :)

The above Jawa Mee & Dry Curry Mee were selling at one of the coffee shop at Chai Leng Park. It's located at the junction of Jalan Kurau and Lebuh Kurau 3. (N5°23.110' E100°23.581')

Penang Char Kuey Tiaw

I had Char Kuey Tiaw many times! Most of them were equally good!
I even taste the Famous Malay Char Kuey Tiaw at Sungai Dua, Butterworth. It's GOOD! They can fried it so delicious!

The Famous Sungai Dua Char Kuey Tiaw. (N5°26.802' E100°25.286')

But I cannot understand how can I MISS the Penang Assam Laksa??!! I really missed it this time.....

The most upset moment I had :-
1) Forgot to eat Penang Assam Laksa! (I cannot forgive myself!)

The Unforgettable memory I had :-

Holiday with my family!!

Penang Trip - Chinese New Year 2009 :-
* Dengkil R & R (RSA) Area - Selangor
* Sing Tat Garden Hawker Center, Butterworth
* Blossom Seafood Steamboat at Auto City, Butterworth
* The Nine Emperor Gods Temple (九皇大帝) at Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth
* Long House Seafood Restaurant, Batu Kawan - Butterworth
* Auto City of Juru - Butterworth
* 1926 Heritage Hotel at Burmah Road, Penang
* Funicular Train Station at Penang Hill, Ayer Itam - Penang
* Top of Penang Hill (Flagstaff Hill), Penang
* David Brown's Restaurant, Penang Hill - Penang
* Bellevue Hotel at Penang Hill, Penang
* Famous Tau Sar Pneah of Penang

MY TRIPS - Home

Wat Sawan Kuha Temple (Phang Nga)

I have been meaning to visit Wat Suwan Kuha (or Wat Suwannakuha; aka Wat Tham; also known as "that temple with a big Buddha in a cave") for a long time. I have seen many photos on the web, the temple is often visited by tours heading to Phang Nga for excursions including elephant rides or white water rafting, so we decided to go last weekend. It's only just over an hours drive from our house to reach Phang Nga town, and the temple is about 10km before the town.. but was curiously poorly signposted. On the way through the North of Phuket you pass rubber plantations, and there were a couple of local caged bird singing contests in progress. Heading over the Sarasin bridge out of Phuket the views are always great. One of these days I must head up there just to get some photos of the area.

The road from Phuket to Phang Nga is good, you pass a number of Buddhist temples and mosques on the road towards Phang Nga Town. I was surprised to find that the turn off to Wat Suwan Kuha is not marked (at least, not in English - the temple entrance on the main road is in Thai). There is a sign pointing to Raman Waterfall National Forest, so follow that! Wat Suwan Kuha is about half a kilometer along the road. There is plenty of parking and, as I say, there are tours visiting here. Quite a few "farang" visitors when we were there, but it was far from crowded.

Outside the cave you find a temple, stalls selling fruit, drinks and snacks and lots of monkeys who will steal your food given half a chance (I saw a monkey take a bag of nuts from a girl on a motorbike). Anyway, no need to buy food here, save your hunger for something better (see end of this page). Entry into the cave is just 20 Baht I am pleased to say.

 

Oh yes, monkeys... all over the place outside the cave. None inside. Of course people try to sell you food to feed the monkeys. Up to you. Anyway, if you have never been close to a monkey before, here's a place to get that monkey vibe.



Inside the main cave, the dominant figure is the large reclining Buddha. There are a number of other Buddha images too and a big Chedi which contains bones of the Na Takuathung family who were the local governors about 160 years ago and who arranged for the construction of a shrine in the cave.



The big reclining Buddha is quite impressive. You can see it from all angles. You can climb some steps behind the reclining Buddha to a couple of small shrines, light some incense, say a prayer.





We have been a few times to the temple during tours around Phang Nga. On one visit a young Monk was seated in front of the reclining Buddha saying prayers for anyone who asked. He seemed very peaceful, and a cave dwelling cat found refuge next to him.



You can climb some steps past the big Buddha, enter another part of the cave. Oh, and I must mention there are bats in the cave too :) And some kind of cave dwelling birds. And a very amusing and totally pointless sign asking people to not write on the wall.



The cave leads out into the forest. On one visit it started to rain and the wind blew the rain through the cave. After the brief downpour the light filtering through the trees was quite other-worldly. If you like caves or temples, you'll like Wat Suwan Kuha! Some more photos here: Wat Suwan Kuha on Flickr.



This was a nice day out off the island! Not in Phuket, but only an hour from home. We continued further along the road to see the Raman Waterfall.. and will go back sometime. There is a 2km nature trail with about 6 different waterfalls to see. After the temple and waterfall we looked for a nice lunch and found it - a place called Samchong Seafood, a little off the main road between Phang Nga and Phuket, a floating restaurant on a wide mangrove channel. We have been back there several times.

Phang Nga is the province to the north of Phuket and there is a lot to see here, and mostly it's within a day trip from Phuket. Wat Suwan Kuha could be combined with a ride around Phang Nga Bay and a nice seafood lunch. Sometimes I realise there is more to Phuket than Phuket!

Famous Tau Sar Pneah of Penang

Penang is famous with this "Tau Sar Pneah" (Green Bean Paste Pastry) a.k.a. Tambun Biscuit. There are three shops selling this unique food around this area - Ghee Hiang, Him Heang and Dragon Ball (Correct me if I'm wrong).

The Ghee Hiang (200 meters away towards town area from Him Heang) and Him Heang (exactly opposite) shops are just opposite of the 1926 Heritage Hotel. Before we leave Penang, we bought some of the Tau Sar Pneah from this two shops. I prefer the taste of Ghee Hiang than Him Heang.

"Ghee Hiang brand was started since 1856....it's been a tradition."

Below is some pictures of the shop and the "Tau Sar Pneah".

Ghee Hiang Shop (N5°25.391' E100°19.335')

Ghee Hiang Tau Sar Pneah (a.k.a. Tambun Biscuit)

Him Heang Shop (N5°25.443' E100°19.279')

If you happen in Penang, please give a try! You won't regret!

Burmah Road of Penang is one of the busy road. As you can see the traffic condition during Chinese New Year.

After we checked out from the Hotel, we drive to Butterworth for our lunch. I choose this Kim San Kopitiam (N5°24.851' E100°23.083') at Taman Bagan just to have the Jawa Mee (Noodle). But too bad, the stall had change the ownership...and the taste of the noodle is not as good as before....disappointed!!

Once everyone filled up their stomach, we heading back to Johor....
Bye Penang!

Penang Trip - Chinese New Year 2009 :-
* Dengkil R & R (RSA) Area - Selangor
* Sing Tat Garden Hawker Center, Butterworth
* Blossom Seafood Steamboat at Auto City, Butterworth
* The Nine Emperor Gods Temple (九皇大帝) at Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth
* Long House Seafood Restaurant, Batu Kawan - Butterworth
* Auto City of Juru - Butterworth
* 1926 Heritage Hotel at Burmah Road, Penang
* Funicular Train Station at Penang Hill, Ayer Itam - Penang
* Top of Penang Hill (Flagstaff Hill), Penang
* David Brown's Restaurant, Penang Hill - Penang
* Bellevue Hotel at Penang Hill, Penang
* My CNY Penang Trip

MY TRIPS - Home

Bellevue Hotel at Penang Hill, Penang

Bellevue Hotel (N5°25.548' E100°16.146')

This hotel is located close to the Top Station of Penang Hill. And it's also the only landmark I can remember after 25 years! :) I remember the plant in front of the Hotel was a water fountain before...

There's a mini bird park located just before the Hotel.
It's really well maintain and I love this old building very much.

Once you enter from the main entrance, the Reception Counter just on the right. You will pass through the corridor for the rooms and reach the Restaurant.

And also the outdoor session.
As foongpc said, he was experienced green snake crawling on top while having his break here! Haha! What a scene!

At the back of the restaurant, you can have a very nice view of Georgetown. Usually peoples will having their function or gathering over here. (picture below)

Bellevue Hotel
Tel : +604-8299500 / 9600
Fax : +604-8292052
Email : mypenbell@yahoo.com

Room rate :-
Single bed - MYR150.00 (Weekday), MYR180.00 (Weekend)
Twin beds - MYR180.00 (Weekday), MYR220.00 (Weekend)
Extra bed - MYR40.00 nett
TV Rental - MYR10.00 nett Will you watch TV on the hill? :)

4WD vehicle transport can be arrange for 2 way. (6 persom max. per vehicle)
From Botanical Garden - MYR80.00 nett
From Georgetown - MYR120.00 nett
From Air Itam - MYR140.00 nett
From Penang Airport - MYR170.00 nett

According to the rates above, I believe the closer way to Penang Hill is from Botanical Garden...

After visiting the Hotel, the time was almost 7.30pm. And it's getting dark, but there were still many tourists around just because of the Beautiful Night View of Penang.

Night view of Georgetown and the Penang Bridge.

This is the ONLY tree I can remember...25 years ago...:)

At that time, our stomach already transmit the signal to us (It's dinner time!). So we just have say Bye-Bye to Penang Hill.....See you again in the coming future! I LOVE THIS PLACE VERY MUCH!
The queue at the station surprised me!

After 15 minutes waiting, the train finally came and it's time to wave to Penang Hill!

I like this moment...when the train pass through the tunnel during night time.

I also spotted this group of young guys (next cabin) don't know how to respect the elders for giving them a seat! What the world had become! The old lady even holding her baby! OMG!!

That's end our trip to Penang Hill.

Penang Trip - Chinese New Year 2009 :-
* Dengkil R & R (RSA) Area - Selangor
* Sing Tat Garden Hawker Center, Butterworth
* Blossom Seafood Steamboat at Auto City, Butterworth
* The Nine Emperor Gods Temple (九皇大帝) at Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth
* Long House Seafood Restaurant, Batu Kawan - Butterworth
* Auto City of Juru - Butterworth
* 1926 Heritage Hotel at Burmah Road, Penang
* Funicular Train Station at Penang Hill, Ayer Itam - Penang
* Top of Penang Hill (Flagstaff Hill), Penang
* David Brown's Restaurant, Penang Hill - Penang
* Famous Tau Sar Pneah of Penang
* My CNY Penang Trip

MY TRIPS - Home

David Brown's Restaurant, Penang Hill - Penang

David Brown's Restaurant is located at the Strawberry Hill of Penang Hill (N5°25.457' E100°16.183') It's hill upon a hill....

"It is believed that Captain Francis Light originally leveled the slope of this hill expressedly for the planting of strawberries. Visitors or tourists disembarking at the upper station of Penang Hill's funicular railway can see the entrance to David Brown's on Strawberry Hill along the road just minutes' walk away from the station."

We were attracted by the location where it's obviously appear in front of us!

The entrance of David Brown's Restaurant

The customers of the Restaurant will not disturb by the public, because you cannot just walk around at the area. Therefore, we decided to had our tea break over here.

You need to climb up the brick staircase....and....

The Beautiful gate of the Restaurant was open for us...

We were surround by the beautiful plants and flowers at that time!

The waiters are waiting and welcome us after the gate.

"This is an quintessential British colonial Restaurant and Tea Terraces. There's a small well-manicured garden in front of the restaurant and the Lily pond was just in the middle which is enhance the beauty of the restaurant."



Initially I found this table which we can enjoy the view of Georgetown but it's too hot under the sun...

I think to myself, there will be no other enjoyment rather than having a Ice Cold Beer in this calm and relax environment!

So I grab a glass of Carlsberg and Lau had the Guinness Stout.
Beside that. we also ordered the 'Smokehouse Cream Tea set' which comes with scones, fruitcake and tea. And one orange juice....

We changed to this table where's much cooler than that table under the sun and I can snap this photo (below) for unforgettable memories...

Kids were happy running around the area...
I also take some photos inside the colonial building which furnished with comfortable old world furnishing of a past elegance.

The counter of the Restaurant.

I did request to visit the 1st floor of the Restaurant, but the waiter answer firmly "No".

Before we leave this beautiful place, I just can't resist to snap a few photos of the washroom too! Haha!

The corridor to the washroom.

The antique of the Male washroom.

The damage of the Tea Break : MYR99.00.
The cost of having a break at the 720 meter Altitude. :)

I thought it's a best place for blogging here, but too bad...it's only 2G available...

Penang Trip - Chinese New Year 2009 :-
* Dengkil R & R (RSA) Area - Selangor
* Sing Tat Garden Hawker Center, Butterworth
* Blossom Seafood Steamboat at Auto City, Butterworth
* The Nine Emperor Gods Temple (九皇大帝) at Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth
* Long House Seafood Restaurant, Batu Kawan - Butterworth
* Auto City of Juru - Butterworth
* 1926 Heritage Hotel at Burmah Road, Penang
* Funicular Train Station at Penang Hill, Ayer Itam - Penang
* Top of Penang Hill (Flagstaff Hill), Penang
* Bellevue Hotel at Penang Hill, Penang
* Famous Tau Sar Pneah of Penang
* My CNY Penang Trip

MY TRIPS - Home

Hotel Recommendation: Boomerang Village Cottages

I was just looking today at TripAdvisor - I was wondering what are the top rated hotels around the Kata Beach area. The number 1 (Mom Tri's Villa Royale) is quite a fancy place and is in my list of the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket. Number 3 is Sawasdee Village, which I have already reviewed on this blog. But I was quite surprised at the hotel in second place. I drive past it almost every day, and have often meant to go check it out, and will do sometime soon, maybe tomorrow head there for a sunset photo opportunity...

Boomerang Village seems to be very popular - I will start by saying that it's not a beach hotel - the cottages are up on the hillside off the back road behind Kata and Karon beaches. A bit of a hike to the beach, maybe a mile or so, probably good idea to rent a moped if staying there. The cottages are surrounded by tropical gardens and there's a restaurant / bar too, I reckon some good views...

There are also some bungalows - which is in a slightly different, but nearby location, just not on the hillside, no views but closer to the beach, but I reckon it's the cottages you should go for. The place is Italian owned and I believe the Italians know a bit about style. (You gotta hate the Italians sometimes, they can somehow manage to look scruffy and stylish).

Boomerang Village Cottages is just the right kind of place for this blog, a little left of center, a little out of the mainstream, something a bit different and a bit special, nothing too fancy, but well liked. Recommended.

Boomerang Village - Booking & Information Links

• Boomerang Village - Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Boomerang Village - Rates and Reservations at R24 (Sawadee)
• Boomerang Village - TripAdvisor.com Hotel Reviews


Boomerang Village - Photos











Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com