Penang, Malaysia

Small island fully packed with history, that is how I remembered Penang Island.

I recalled taking up the 8pm train from Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, and reach Butterworth at 3am, where I took the free boat ride to Penang. It was still dark when I reached the place so I stay a few more minutes in the port area but I was a bit scared because of the loneliness so when there was a taxi cab that came I told him to bring me somewhere where I can have my early breakfast.

I stayed in the local restaurant for a while after I ate and when I saw the break of dawn I started my tour over the area. At first I was mesmerized by the sameness of the demography of the with my native place, Dumaguete City, in the Philippines. The weather, small streets, few traffic, and gentle people are almost exactly the same.

But as I explore thoroughly, it became clear to me that it one most unique place in the world. I am a fan watching travel shows on TV or read travel books but I've never seen such a beautiful place like Penang.

As I walk the streets of Georgetown, Penang in the Sunday morning, I realized that the island is composed of many different cultures and tradition. It became known to me because of the number of temples, churches, mosques, museums and cultural heritage facilities available in such a small area.

The popular sites are the Kapitan Kling Mosque, St. George Church, Assumption Church, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Fort Cornwallis, Kek Lok Si and Wat Chayamangalaram, where the 3rd largest Leaning Buddha in the world is kept. There are still many other temples you can visit within the city but I wasn't able to get there names, but I assure you they are also very worthy of your time.

After the whole day of touring, I went to their boulevard (just like in Dumaguete), popularly known as the Gourney Drive, to have my early dinner before I take the boat back to Butterworth where I can take the train back to KL. There are lots of option for food here at a very reasonable price. This is were most of the hotels are located also and where the night life is usually spent by the tourists.

It was really a nice experience to visit such a beautiful place like Penang. But I would just like to suggest one thing, for this is one of the greatest lesson I learned when I traveled this place, never travel alone. There are places that are dull and ugly but seems to be nice when you travel with a good companion, how much more if you visit wonderful place. Plus, there more benefits you can get when you travel in group, such as lesser accommodation cost, travel package discounts, lesser boring moments (like queuing in lines or waiting for transportation) and the most important is its much safer, especially when you go to a place you've never been before.