Penang weekend getaway : Quality vs economic protectionism?

Life is so short but my story of life is seems even shorter.thn ni rupa2nya mmg xde blog sgt..hahahahhaaaaa..wpun thn ni byk travel tp utk nk tulis psl travelog punya blog sikit punyq malas..cuma last aku update ke Lombok sbb rasa sgt mengader2nk cerite psl lombok.

last week we went to Penang..terkejut jugop sebenarnya kerana secara teknikalnya utk diri sendiri..aku xpernah jejak kaki  kat Penang ni sebagai flashpackers or even worse sebagai pelancong..tapi Penang always dalam list tempat utk dilawati sbg tapak UNESCO..tapi fokus aku nak tulis blog psl penang lebih kepada komen secara personel mengenai Penang..wpun bini mmg excited nak backpack ke Penang..

In Penang, we carried out our 'great experiment of backpacking' with an aim to travel with the slimmest budget..so we decided to ONLY travel with public transports or bare-footed if necessary.
So ni nak bagi tips la sape2 yang nak explore Penang..

Penang in its old days...

Okla utk travel sbb dlm negara sendiri xpyh la bawak buku rujukan berat2 kot..tapi membaca time backpack ni impact dia lain sikit..kita maybe lebih focused and also ada feeling sbb mood bercuti..tapi kali ni xbawakla my lovely lonely planet..hanya bawak buku yg agak meng'hibur'kan sekadar melalui hari2 cuti di penang..

Street food to celebrate our gastronomic feast..

OK..kembali ke niat asal..mai cek nak habaq..Macam biasa kami travel dr Sultan Mahmud airport Tganu to LCCT then amik Flight AA ke Penang..(Thank to AA for being late not more than an hour..huhuhuuu)..then kalo korang dah sampai Penang international airport..korang xperlu susah2 amik taxi.just keluar je airport langsung menapak ke sebelah kiri korang..kat hujung tu ada bus stop..Akan ada dua bijik buses yg mmg bergerak every 1/2h Rapid Penang..Bus No 102 destinasi Teluk Bahang (ni masuk KOMTAR-Tg Bungah-Batu Feringgi-Teluk Bahang..)..then another bus kalo xsilap 601 (laluan menuju mana ntah..)

see..on your left hand side..the bus stop over there..no need to rush.the have fixed schedule to-fro..

OKla dipendedkkan cerite kami punya flight mendarat lewat sejam..muka pun dh puffy sebab air turbulance dlm aircraft..wpun hujan lebat mujur plane mendarat dengan baik.(ayat klise isteri " AA mmg bagus la kalo bab2 touch down ni..")..Naik Flight KL Penang maybe 50mins je..tapi MasyaAllah jam nya yg mmg membawa ke'malang'an pada kami kerana...time tu kami sampai 5pm..it took us 1 1/2 hours to get to Tanjung Bungah..

Good night la Tg Bungah,..The traffic jam successfully ruined our first day..

Next day..again sbb 1st day konon nk duduk kat area pantai.(selalu konflik dgn isteri since im really really NOT into beaches/islands for backpacking destination...sebab mmg dh besar di Tganu dari kecik tengok pantai yg jauh lagi cantik..so it is less favorable for me to enjoy pantai2 ni compared to her).Pagi2 lagi check out after breakfast and again amik bus ke KOMTAR naik rapid penang..just berdiri je kat stop bus tepi jalan2 mana kat Penang ni nanti ada la tu bus lalu..(impressed with Rapid Penang..)..

Old system might be just the way we like it..

Sampai sana...kat KOMTAR tu korang turun la.ada bus station belakngnya...then just jalan je ke bawah jejntas berhdpn pondok info Rapid penang ada tempat tunggu bus free..CAT Penang meant for tourists..but i believe it has been serving the locals as much as it serves the tourist to move around the city centre..Our destination is Jalan Chulia..sbb aku memang terpaksa cari moto nak sewa..aritu dh cuak telefon a company yg ada blog sewa motor kata dia punya moto dh abis disewakan..she told me that i can try my luck by seeking it at Jalan Chulia..

find this spot..see the Maybank is on opposite site of the road.and under the jejantas..

look up..and you will find this metal sign..

Lepas dapat bus CAT ni..so terus la naik..aimed Chulia Street..nanti kalo sape2 nak pi sana just drop kat Little India..xpun depan masjid Kapitan Kling...sana nanti ada simpang 4 traffic light..dekat dah tu dgn Jalan Chulia...

our first snacks in Little India..just try setiap salah satu kalo korang memang perut bukan ruminan..
(i just couldnt ignore my Indian blood running in my veins..but trust me the snacks is as Ori as it should be..)

Ok..back to our major topic discussion..misi mencari 'motobike for rent' membawa kami ke Chulia street..kat sini..byk boutique hotels..and also budget hotels..and of course guest houses..some of the guest houses do offer motobike..last sekali kami jumpa jugop satu mamak yg buat perusahaan guest house n sewa motol..kami amik skuter la..senang auto xpyh main gear2 ni..satu hari sewa  rm40/day..tp maybe kalo org stay kat guest house tu dpt tingtong lg kurang kot..aku xpasti(tp guest house buruk dia tu offer rm35/day with shared bathroom..not suitable for us wpun we can take the risk but with my wife along we decided to find a better hotel in which at last we found georgetown hotel is a good for cash).

our motobike yg byk berjasa..can u notice the KOMTAR at the back..?

perjalanan diteruskan ke mana2 tapak yg kononnya UNESCO heritage site..so korang just enjoy je la our snap..Dengan izin Allah moto kami sgt la behave very well..banyak berbakti sepanjang di sana..satu pulau rasanya kami pusing sampai panas melecet punggung..

built with accuracy..

Fatt Tze's Immense legacy..kami terlepas peluang nak masuk (sape yg bminat mesti dtg at 11am,1pm n last 3pm..we just missed it by 1/2h)

its so sad to think ..how a common British young guy can outsmarted us back then(or even now).. 

The Kapitan Kling mosque..front tower..

worth to pay a visit...just 100m from Masjid Kapitan Kling..its a free admission..

see how good the wooden part of the tokong.the good things is not so many visitor..probably this is how little we value our teological history..

macam KL pun ada...Penang is possibly as  prosperous as KL..

We continued our ride till Batu Feringgi memang sakit buntut naik turun kawasan bukit..tapi sebab nak pi jugok gerai char kuey teow yg pernah dimakan 2 thn lps..in 2009 i stayed in golden sand shang ri La..i found this gerai is so famous with CKT as its special menu..sebab nk cari yg halal..so kedai ni mmg mengimabu kenangan lalu..just opposite the PETRONAS and also about 50m from the Golden Sand main gate..

This warung totally earns my loyalty..thus i paid a second visit..

i think the secrets lie in its fresh ingredients and also a specially blended local soy sauce..

sunset in Bt Feringgi..

Then after finished our CKT.we proceeded to Tanjung Bungah n then to Persiaran Gurney..just to fulfill our mission to get the sense of the place by tantalizing its delicacies ...

Alang2 dh maghrib kami singgah di masjid Tg Bungah..

this guy is Umar Nakamura..baru masuk Islam..tapi memang Japanese are known for their discipline..

Umar Nakamura..i met him for a second time..here..pertama kali jumpa masa sama2 sewa moto kat guesthouse tu..i offer a hand to help him..but actually this is his second visit to Penang..last time was 10 years ago. He converted to Islam few years ago and now pursuing his studies in Arabic Language for teaching.Yg menarik pasal Umar dia sangat hebat cakap Arab..aku ni kejap paham kejap xphm ibarat baca buku teks medicine masa 1 week in year 1 medical school..paham tapi nk ulas balik merangkak2..buat malu je..oleh kerana hujan sgt lebat mahu 1hour kami berborak..sementara tunggu hujan...we are still in contact via emails.

sampai kat persiaran Gurney kami mencari Pasembor yg femes...kononla..tp aku rasa it is overrated..the kuah is so sweet till it numbs my taste buds..probably for Penangites it is their special famous snacks..but definitely not for me...it is just increased my waistlines by eating such sweet meal like that..

good food..but not necessary can please everyone's  palate

but the ice kacang comes with an excellent fare..highly recommended.

Oooh...i forgot to show a picture..of Penang's pride Indian Muslim meal..Nasi Kandar..

But sadly to say..i couldnt find any different  of  the version here compared from the norm.

Okay..then next day we went to Kepala Batas..sebab nak kena attend wedding member baik..in kepala batas..it was our bigger aim to get there actually compared to our food trails that we made..again just get onto any bus that showes a sign towards Jetty..tahan je and pay for about rm1.20 from the city centre (here your coins are much needed.)..then take afree ferry ride from Jetty to Seberang..but to get back it will cost u rm1.20...

a transport as old as time..

I must confess..it was slightly romantic to be on ferry ride for your first time with your wife

lepas tu senang jer..sampai seberang sana just turun terus ke stop bus pastu amik bus ke mana saje korang nak pi..we then headed to kepala batas..about 1 hour we were there to witness the solemnization..

Deli's biggest day..

Our handsome groom and beautiful bride

even more handsome ex groom and cuter ex bride..

selesai sudah trip ke Penang..our penang food trails did not end yet..we did test the Penang Laksa and also Mee Udang..but it is just better than average grub..maybe we were in hurried and we didnt search the best seriously with the time constraint.

To deli n Ain..Semoga kedua mempelai menuju bahagia and dirahmati Allah sentiasa..the wedding ceremony was not like others..the atmosphere was so overwhelming..

Tapi secara kesimpulannya..our budget trip was successfully executed..even though the food trails didnt really give us the feeling of having such a glory of Malaysian street food..Rasa macam cukupla sekali datang Penang..huhuhuuu...I love Penang only for its historical town as a 'living' museum with well-structured public transport system..not more than that..

"sesuatu yang biasa bg org lain, boleh jadi luar biasa utk kita"..SH

lombok..Bali's little stepsister

Aku sebenarnya dh malas tulis blog..tp entry kali ini memang melangkah bendul..sebenarnya blog bertimbun x di publish lagi..kononnya aku mmg nak concentrate psl travel + photography+ gastronomic feast..tapi oleh kerana dh banyak travel tp punya malas nak bercerita dek kerja kerajaan yang menimbun so byk blog2 tergendala yang delayed follow up diberikan..last sekali ramai org tanya soalan cepuperak.."sedap ke pi Lombok"?? bahaya ke? (definitely xbahaya..)

Meh nak cerite sikit la..sempena tahun ni memang Tahun Melawat Indonesia bagi aku and wife so terpaksala abiskan juga dari hujung kepulauan papua west Timor ke hujung Sumatera utara..harap2nya sempat la..
Tapi aku mmg nk cover lombok sbb pramugara AA pun siap tak der pglmn lagi ke Lombok..Flight AA for the time being is not so frequent to n fro Lombok..Kami bertolak 17th subuh and went back to Malaysia 19th afternoon..mmg Flashpacker kental..huhuuu..

Just ignore the female model who was holding my hand ..concentrate the one on the big poster..huhuhu

To cut it short (bagi tips2 yang penting sahaja)..aku punya la study nak pi Lombok ni tapi mmg sikit tergelincir dr plan.sbb kebanyakan perkara2 yg boleh dijimatkan telah menyongsang..Bandara Internasional Lombok baru dibina ni rupanya 1jam lbh ke bandarnya Senggigi *our most important destination..so tips no 1 please jgn baca la mengenai airport Selaparang yg mana mmg sgt dekat dgn Senggigi..

Keluar dr airport mengimbau kenangan di Bangladesh..ibarat semua homo sapiens berkumpul disini..agaknya masih baru,mcm artis pun ada..penuh pupils memandang tajam..memang rasa xselesa..rasa nak butakan mata semua org pun ada..

see..get urself slimmer to get through this human-ocean..

Tips no 2 : jangan pening2..kalau korang keluar dari airport buat muka selamba (tapi kami hari tu xmampu sbb kami je kot rakyat Msia yg naik flight tu..sorg lagi macam lelaki Cina..yang lain mmg org Lombok..rasa xselesa bertambah++ tp xpela sbb dh negeri diaorg..yg lawaknya semua declaration form mahu 10 baris berdekatan seat kami, aku isikan..sbb diaorg xreti membaca dh yg baginya plop English..kesian diorg)...ok melalut lagi..

semula..Tips no 2 : kalo keluar airport terus ke hujung kanan sana ada bus DAMRI stesen..mcm bus kerajaan la.maybe kena bayar dlm 40000rp-50000rp kot(dlm rm20) terus boleh ke Senggigi..tapi oleh kerana kami kejar masa so kami amik van je private 250000Rp (rm100) la kot naik 3 org..tp terus blh pi direct senggigi sbb bus tu rasanya every 1 1/2 h bergerak..

Tips no 3 : korang boleh terus ke Senggigi..or melawat terus city of the past Ampenam-Mataram-Cakranegara hari korang sampai or hari terakhir..sbb 2 jam sahaja diperlukan utk melawat semua tmpt ni..
so kat sana korang xperlu nak bermimpi macam Bali..sbb Lombok ni ibarat dikakaktirikan sangat..pembangunan seolah2 tiada..tapi xpela sbb rakyatnya nampak happy.rumah kecik2 kotak2 tapi masjid besar2.So korang hanya perlu melawat 3 tempat utama ni je..kalo ke pekan Mataram-Ampenam-Cakranegara..(kalo baca lonely planet mmg la suruh korang naik bemo, tp mmg headache kalo tengok n hidu bandar yg sgt berdebu..)so pandai2la korang..naik bluebird pun xpe kot.

Taman Mayura..

pintu masuk ke kolam yg tgh tu..tp xbuka aritu..

Dalam bahasa Sanskrit, Mayura bererti burung Merak. Taman yang dibangun oleh Anak Agung Ngurah Karangasem pada 1744 ini pada awalnya bernama Taman Kalepug yang berati suara jatuhnya air di telaga.Ianya ditukar kepada nama Mayura karena pada kala itu banyak ular di kawasan taman ini. Untuk mengusir ular, didatangkanlah burung Merak dari Palembang untuk memangsanya.(aku copy org punya je)..Malas nak cerita panjang..sebenarnya taman ni xcantik sgt pun (so kalo dtg amik syarat je..)

pintu masuk Pura Meru..

Pura Meru adalah pura terbesar dan salah satu pura Hindu Bali tertua di Pulau Lombok. Dibangun oleh pangeran Bali Anak Agung Made Karang pada tahun 1720. Kompleks Pura Meru meliputi 3 pura yakni Pura Brahma, Pura Siva dan Pura Vishnu masing-masing pura beratap susun 9 dan susun 11 dengan Pura Siva.(ni pun aku copy..)malas nk masuk otak mengarang..tp yg pasti pura meru okla kalo melawat ianya pengaruh bali nampak kukuh sikit and better than Mayura tadi..jarak antara mayura n pura meru ni omputih kata sejauh lontaran batu kerikil...maybe dlm 200m je kot..keluar mayura turn left..go straight sampai simpang 3..betul2 dpn simpang 3.sini kami spent masa lama sikit.

Muzium negeri ini tiada keistimewaan yang spesifik, namun apa yang menyentuh hati kami adalah kesediaan pihak pengurusan muzium memberi peluang kami melawat dengan percuma biarpun waktu melawat adalah satu jam lewat dan keseluruhan muzium telah ditutup.Belum pernah kami mengalaminya di mana muzium dibuka semula semata-mata tourist budget macam kami..huhuhuhuuu..

Ok..semua kat atas tu kira tips ke 2..tips ke 3 which is more important..iaitu korang terus ke senggigi pun xpe..

We simply couldnt afford such luxurious hotel..but Bukit Senggigi Hotel is a very nice hotel and worth for money..The angle of the hotel has also been thoughtfully designed where almost all rooms are facing the ocean and sunset Mother Nature’s scene.but for Rm81/night..we never regretted this.

 Tips no 4 : actually senggigi ni macam base point je..sbb paling utama korang kena ke Gili Trawangan..kalo banyak masa korang stay sana lagi bagus..sbb very panoramic..

Awal pagi, kami bertolak ke pantai Senggigi bagi take off ke Gilis.Panorama yang agak unik bagi meyaksikan suatu amalan menghulurkan bantuan sesama lokal semasa bersama menolak perahu unik Lombok bersama memikul berat beban meringankan usaha.

 

otw ke Gili..about 1hour on boat..

xsangka kami perenang yg hebat..snorkeling time memang penat deltoid and gastrocnemius

pristine beach..white sand of Gili Trawangan..

Many peoples have developed a love affair with Gili Trawangan as an island,and we think we understand why...SubhanAllah.

 Lupa nak cakap kalo air surut korang terpaksa snorkel la ke daratan..Ok kalo kat Gili Trawangab..xde kenderaan bermoto..korang pandai2la naik cidomo (kereta kuda) or sewa basikal..kalo nk abjet lg berjalanla..tp aku sure korang penat..sbb snorkeling shj dh penat giler..so followings are Gili2 punya gambo sprt kbykn tmpt tourist..cuma kat sini 90% mat saleh..

bean bags are everywhere..

where is Malaysia?

Jangan risau..masjid di mana2 sahaja..azan nya apatah lagi..satu pulau boleh dengo.

Boleh sewa basikal..dalam rm5 satu jam..satu jam maybe xcukup pusing satu pulau...so pandai2 la korang nego

Then cukupla tu..kalo cerite pasal Gila Trawangan..memang xabis cerite..sbb ada 2 lagi Gili..we chose to go to Gili Meno

Since on the day we stepped onto the island back then,we declared the Gili Meno as our private island as it is sort of 'deserted' from others..since it suits the name that given to her 'the quietest of the three'..perfect for really getting away from all headache-activities.

memang xramai org dtg sini..terasa sgt sunyi..

memang pulau terpinggir..terisolasi..

jernih air..confirmed ni xde buaya...

Tapi sekali dh penat mandi2..tibe masa utk pulang..dapat kami rasakan awan di Gili Meno agak mendung hamilkan hujan..menjadikan suasana lagi terasa ibarat terdampar di pulau xberpenghuni...

Hujan sgt lebat..ombak memang tinggi memukul bot kecil kami..jarak englihatan pun terbatas

**(lagi tips utk korang jangan lupa utk start pulang ke senggigi just before 3pm since waktu tu dh mcm pukul 6 pm kalo kat Msia).

Tatkala kita berada di tengah lautan..memang terasa sangat faham yang mendalam bahawa nyawa di tanganNya..andai dicampak seorang atheist sekalipun,kurang 30 saat pun dia akan mencari Tuhannya yang dinafikan sekian lama.
                                                                                                                                                               kotak fikiran saya-19oct12.

Alhamdulillah..umur masih panjang..mujur x mati lemas air masin that day..buktinya aku masih menulis blog ni..Bagi korang nak melawat Gili islands ni mmg ramalan cuaca kena tepatla..jangan mempertaruhkan nyawa demi syurga yg "sementara"..

Tips no 4 do not forget sunset in Senggigi beach..so jangan korang melepaskn peluang bergambo amik sunset..sebab kaler langit memang merah n refleksnya kat laut memang dahsyat..ibarat sebijik matahari ditelan laut..lepas tengok sunset just jgn cepat letih..sbb few more steps you can reach Senggigi Art Market..
tapi sebagai tips no 5 : aku nak pesan yg harganya kalau xsama..maybe lagi mahal berbanding toko2 cenderahati yang ada kat kedai2 lagi mewah..so pandai2la korang nego kalo korang memang profesional bargainer nak test power..tapi jgn risau sebab xbyk pun brg yg menarik hati korang..except adalah hasil kerja kayu yg bcorak..

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senggigi art market just few hundred metres walking distance only from our hotel..no need to take cab

Tips no 6 : Tapi kalo korang nak kenal sgt senggigi secara geografinya amikla Bemo..tahan je mana2 yg korang nampak tgh bergerak..ikut arah trafik..means no U-turn..just ride and pay upon arrival at any destination that u would like to stop..per ride irregard your distance is Rp2000(rm1)..

turun.then bayar kat driver..prepare small note..rp2000.

Okla rasanya dh cukup dh kalo setakat tips kitaorg ni..rasanya xnyk dh nak dikongsi.sbb malamnya xbyk aktiviti yg sihat kat Senggig..yg xsihat pun xbyk..tapi tmpt ni mmg cepat gelap..by 10pm rasa macam dh 1 or 2 am..

 Berfoto di depan Pura Batu Bolong..oleh kerana "isteri"sudah keracunan pura/kuil..Kami memilih untuk tidak memasukinya.Namun demikian difahamkan panorama senja dikala matahari terbenam adalah yang terbaik dinikmati di pura ini.Sebagai flash packer, hal ini memang tidak dikesalkan kerana kami punyai waktu yang terhad.                                                                                                             

So tips2lain tu korang pandai2 la cari sendiri..as a summary Lombok is sort of a Bali's little step-sister..worth to go to senggigi n particularly Gili Trawangan..but not elsewhere in lombok..

Akhir kata " sesuatu yg biasa bagi kita, boleh jd luarbiasa utk org lain"..SH