Parkroyal Penang, Malaysia Batu Ferringhi

... not smelling of daisys after our manic trip to the airport! lol We suspected correctly there was a cot set up in the one bedroom and everything, however they were still very polite and the apartment was amazing. We have lost all the pictures we took as you know however we have taken a couple off the website to give you an idea!! We had three bedrooms, two bathrooms big lounge and kitchen and to my disappointment a tv showing yet more premiere league football!! I ...

... Char Hor Fun I’ve had *Ipoh* Char Hor Fun back at home, and I thought it was a very tasty dish. However, my definition of “tasty” would be completely obliterated. I ordered a Char Hor Fun – (different than an IPOH Char Hor Fun) and the difference was clear. Ipoh is a state in Malaysia where a style of Char Hor Fun is made. The one I ...

... thing, most of the residents were living there longer than 6 months, in general not doing much apart from ...

... night. They sell pretty much everything there but i found the prices to be more expensive than in Thailand. The nightlife pretty much consists of a big open area food court. Once midnight hits the town pretty much shuts down, no niteclubs, no beach discos. Batu Ferringhi is a good place to go for a quiet beach holiday but i recommend you stay away if you're looking for a party place. After 3 nights there we headed to Georgetown, which is the main city on the island.<br>

... Club for you Tony - Mike will probably take you there at some stage); Masjid Jamek mosque (check out the lucky buggers having a rest under the fans while I stand outside deliberating over whether it is worth putting on the headscarves and robes they provide). By the way, there is a mosque just behind Ali's Guesthouse where I am staying at the moment and the call to prayer and service last night was beautiful . National Museum (forced to go ...

... was in listed in the guidebooks but was not anything special. However from here we could see one of the neighboring beaches with towering apartments in the distance and casual fishermen in between. We sat in this park on the waterfront for about an hour and didn't see a single fisherman achieve any success, but I think they were here to relax more than to catch their dinner anyhow. After leaving the park, we continued walking along the sea ...

... ex dredging barge. Situated about 500 meters off the shore this was our 'holding' pontoon in no-mans land. There we just stood/sat and waited for our speed boat. We waited a good 45 minutes...... Scanning the bay Martin and I guessed that of all the speed boats moored about the bay (and there were at least 8) ours had to the boat with one of its 4 engines in parts, strewn across the sand. About 4 Thai men stood around it. The usual scene of one working while the other 3 watched ...

... species of monkeys. * We went to this crazy Buddhist temple near Penang Hill. It was a strange experience. To get to the temple you have to walk up a tunnel like walkway, which is lined on both sides with people selling cheap ****. There's even merchandise hanging from the ceiling. People keep accosting you on the way up trying to sell you t-shirts. The temple itself is extremely kitch and odd.

... dont think too fondly of them. Either way I didnt care- I was finally at the beach. The landscape is beautiful- the sand is fine and white, but the water is kinda muddy. Also it turns out that Batu was a major tourist trap- almost no travellers- just muslim and Indian families who go swimming in full clothing. The first day I stayed on the beach all day and read- Tom Clancy Red Storm Rising- definetly not a beach book ...

Penang's okay, hardly typical Malaysia, more like Thailand really, with lots of bars and nightlife and such, with an added element of multiculturalism that comes from being a member of the Commonwealth, i.e. ethnic Chinese and Indians for the most part. The only problem is that everybody speaks English, so that&#8217;s hardly inspiring. Not all the ethnic Malays do, but that&#8217;s still no more than half the population ...