6 Things I LOVE About Penang

It's break time on one of the fishing boats along the Jetty.

As I get ready to pack my backpack and leave Penang, I thought it would be fun to write a post on why I love this city so much -and ended up spending 2 months here. In some ways I feel like I’ve been in Penang for a really long time, but in other ways I feel as though I haven’t been here long enough.

• Georgetown – I am a sucker for anything old, crumbling and worn. So, naturally, Georgetown is like mecca for me. This entire section (It’s more than a neighbourhood) of Penang screams history, intrigue, and is full of amazing food vendors, crumbling buildings, and culture. My goodness, Georgetown oozes culture. Yes, oozes!
• The Culture- Penang is probably one of the most multicultural cities in Asia. Almost every Asian culture can be found within the city, and each culture has brought along their own traditions, food and customs with them. This has created one hell of an interesting city. I absolutely love the fact that a mosque, a hindu temple and a buddhist temple can co-exist on the same street (sometimes there are next door to each other) without any problems. Cultural acceptance and diversity thrive in this city and I think that is an amazing thing.
• Food- If you’ve read my previous posts on Penang, you’ll know that I adore the food. Who wouldn’t?! Any city that is home to several different cultures is bound to have amazing food. During my time in Penang I had the opportunity to cook authentic Nyonya food (Nyonya is a fusion between Chinese and Malay which started when Chinese settlers came to Penang and started to inter-marry with Malays), which was beyond anything my taste buds could imagine (okay, taste buds cannot imagine. But if they could, they wouldn’t be able to comprehend the awesomeness that Nyonya food would bring them. Yes, I know a food cannot bring awesomeness. Move on already.). Not to mention the vast amounts of savoury Indian food. Oh, and satay. The satay was delish as well….

A man making fresh samosa and other delicious foods in Little India

• The Beaches- I’m not a beach girl, meaning I would never put on a bathing suit and lay on the sand for hours on end, soaking in the sun and possibly playing in the water. Nope. Not for me. However, I am totally into sitting on the sand for a few minutes and watching the water, or walking along the shore. One of the things I loved doing in the morning in Penang was walking along the beach -before all the sun-worshipping tourists invaded the sand. The sand in Penang isn’t as fine as in other countries, but it’s still sand, and I still enjoy feeling it between my toes. 
• Uniqueness-  Okay, every place on the planet has something that makes it unique. I think.  Penang has so many fabulously unique and quirky things to see and do. Some of my favs include the colonial cemetery, Clinc Café, Tbowl, abandoned buildings and schools, and I was told (the day I was leaving) that there is a Charlie Brown-esque café at Straits Quay. How did I not know about this before?! Yet another reason why I need to come back to Penang.
• The People- Penang is home to some seriously cool people (kooks and nutbars too). For the most part I found the locals to be friendly and very hospitable. Some of them needed to be ‘cracked’ first, but once they were, they were absolutely lovely. I was also introduced to a lovely family who I will definitely see again.