Change of plans

We had planned to stay at Batu Ferringhi for two nights but decided to depart early and spend our last night in Penang at the E&O. 

Hard Rock art

I don't like giving poor reviews but the Hard Rock certainly doesn't deserve any great ones. 

After a morning swim we checked out and headed back to the E&O. Our room wasn't ready yet so we set off to explore the town in foot. 

Penang really is old school Asia. The footpaths are called 5 Foot Ways. They're uneven, often in disrepair, but then often paved with beautifully patterned tiles. Shop fronts, houses, and workshops in all states of repair reside side by side under the awnings. 

Penang laksa

It was a very hot day, so we made a couple of rest stops. One, to drink coffee, Malaysian style. Hot, strong and very sweet, made with sweetened condensed milk. So good. 

For lunch we tried the Char kway teow at a local eatery. The vendors usually ask if we like it spicy, which is nice. It was very tasty, and worked well with the icy cold Carlsbergs! 

We came across the famed Penang street art - paintings inter meshed with sculpture. Excellent. 

Back to the hotel for a swim, and to watch the afternoon storms build. 

We're leaving tomorrow to drive to KL, and fly out the following day. This is a significant change to our original plans, but the best use of our time to meet our requirement to go home early. 

Luckily changing flights with Emirates only cost $100 per person, which is very cheap for international travel.

My Home Town

Our room at the E&O meant a great night's sleep. Waking to the hazy morning view across the sea wall is definitely a highlight for me. 

We love starting our day with a swim in the warm pool in the Heritage section, watching the ships and ferries come and go. 

I was born in Penang. My parents had given me the address of their old house so after checkout we took a taxi to investigate. I could recognize the house from photos - it was interesting to see where I started my life. 

From there we drove to Batu Ferringhi, the beach resort, to the Hard Rock Hotel. Last time we were in Penang we enjoyed visiting the night markets, and thought it would be great to stay here a couple of nights. 

The hotel is not really our thing. It's set up for families. The pool is lovely and the hotel is set right on the beach. 

The night markets are about ten minutes walk along the road back towards Penang. Many traders were not open this evening and trade was much quieter than last time we visited. Maybe the off-season at the moment? 

We had a lovely dinner and some wine at an open restaurant close to the hotel.

A little hop to Penang

Travelling internationally by air across short distances is time consuming, and means quite some time spent in the airport. 

I tried to work out how to drive from Singapore to Penang, but the one-way-cross-country hire car issues were more complex than I wanted to deal with. So we chose to fly with Air Asia between Singapore and Penang and then to KL. Air Asia is cheap, but efficient, with several flights to chose from, rather than only one or two a day. 

The fact that they depart from T1 at Changi means that there are lots of shops to look at whilst we wait. The aircraft was late to arrive, but turned around and pushing off the gate within 25 minutes. 

The terminal at Penang has been renovated since our last visit in 2010. We caught a taxi to the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, one of my favorite hotels. 

Malaysia is so different to Singapore, which is often maligned for being too clean, tidy, buttoned up and tethered by rules. It's neighboring country is none of these things. 

The buildings and infrastructure are old, original. There is little regard for traffic rules, but they manage admirably without using horns. The pavements are broken, with holes covered by plywood. There are abandoned mansions, no doubt once beautiful, broken and inhabited by the encroaching jungle. There are aromas not readily found in Singapore. 

I love Malaysia. The people are lovely, the jungle is heavy and vibrantly green, and it feels relaxingly slow. There are not many shops here in Penang. 

The local food is wonderful - my favorites are satay cooked over coals and served with sauce more spicy than peanut-ty, and char kway teow, spicy fried flat noodles with prawns and tofu served on banana leaf. 

We've stayed at the E&O on our first trip here together, and those fond memories brought us back. It's a little more expensive than other hotels around, but the ambience is very much worth it. 

We were given an upgrade to a suite on the ground floor of the original building (called the Heritage; the new section is called the Annex - new in the last five years) with french doors that open into the garden and the seafront. 

The room is beautiful. Polished floor boards, black and white tiled bathroom with bath, two separate basins, and shower and toilet rooms. 

We have a bedroom and a sitting room, all beautifully furnished. With a coffee machine! 

Keen to see what the new section was like, we set off along the covered walkway to the 6th floor of the Annex, to the pool. The architecture is similar to that used in the original building, and the decor is complementary. 

The pool area is one of the nicest I have seen. There is an infinity pool with magnificent views across the water to the mainland. We ordered a late lunch from the pool deck, and enjoyed local delights expertly prepared and presented.

The staff invited us back for cocktail hour, for free drinks and nibbles. We stayed on afterwards (everyone else quickly disappeared at the end of the hour) to have dinner on the balcony, overlooking the ocean. The staff were lovely, as were the food and wine. 

Singapore Farewell

Last day in Singapore today, so we caught a taxi down to Clarke Key, hoping for breakfast. Absolutely nothing was open - definitely an evening destination. 

We walked through Fort Canning Park towards Orchard Road and found breakfast at Dome, an old favorite. 

I haven't bought much here this time. The prices are the same as at home, and often the sizes are too small. Apart from local food, it's expensive to eat and drink here as well. We paid $12 for a coffee yesterday! 

I've loved coming to Singapore for 34 years. I've seen it grow and change. I've always enjoyed the local food, the friendly people and the great aromas. 

Tomorrow we're off to Penang, and I feel as though I'll not be back for awhile. Time to investigate somewhere new. 

A Walk in the Cloud Forest

We woke early, as we always do on the first day in Singapore due to the two hour time difference. Our plan was to walk from Scotts Road all the way down to the marina, and then catch the MRT back. As it was so early and nothing was open yet, we were reversed the plan. 

We caught the train down to a newly finished stop past Marina Bay, and wandered back through the construction to the Gardens by the Bay. 

It cost $16 each to enter the Cloud Forest, which emulates the cool-moist tropical mountains, with a 35 meter mountain and waterfall, fragrant orchids and myriad ferns and flowers. It was a lovely change to the outside heat, and an enjoyable way to spend an hour. 

We spent the rest of the day shopping our way up Orchard Road, listening to the thunder of the afternoon tropical storm. 

That evening we took a taxi to Ann Siang Hill, only to find our favorite rooftop bar was closed for renovations. This is Singapore all over - continual renovation and reinvention. Dinner on the pavement of Club Street was enjoyable. 

Singapore, Penang and KL

We're off again on a short holiday to Asia to celebrate my birthday. 

Right now I am at 34,000 feet in business class on a refurbished Qantas A330, feeling quite comfortable. We cashed in our frequent flyer points to travel in business, just for the treat of it. 

We chose to park at the airport, in the parking station closest to the terminals. We arrive home at 1am and I need to be at work that day, so dealing with the (minor) hassle of off-airport parking stations and bus transfers in the Melbourne cold wasn't tempting. We paid $180 for ten days, parking in Premium Self-Park. I'm happy with $18 a day for undercover, easy access parking. 

Check in opened 3 hours prior to departure. No hassles and no lines (thank you business class), and limited delay through security. They were trialling new equipment, so we could leave our laptop and liquids in our carry-on through screening.

One of the definite bonuses of being in the frequent flyer clubs is the reduction in lining up at airports. The higher you are in the club, the more streamlined the check in and security/customs process is. 

We shopped in the huge duty free, and left it to collect on our return. We really like this service, as experience has taught us that if we wait til we come home we are either too tired to be bothered, or they don't have the items we were keen to purchase. We usually have spare time on departure so it makes sense to do a relaxed shop then. As airport staff we can usually obtain a 10-15% discount as well. 

The Qantas Club lounge in Melbourne is large and comfortable, and had a tasty breakfast spread available, including scrambled eggs, sausages, fruit and danishes. And champagne. 

After settling in to our (not-to-become-accustomed-to) business class seats and playing with all the buttons, we departed on time and scooted across the country via Adelaide, safe in the hands of some lovely cabin crew. 

We arrived a few minutes early and within 15 minutes of touching down, including a long taxy to the bay, we were in a taxi on our way to town. I'm always amazed at how effectively Changi operates. 

It was wonderful to be back in the steamy heat of the tropics, the roads wet from the latest storm. 

Being after 5pm on a Friday evening it was a long ride to the hotel, Sheraton Towers on Scotts Road. We prefer to stay at the marina area as it's an easy ride from the airport, and convenient to shops and train stations. I thought we'd try somewhere different this time, to see some new things. Scotts Road is uptown, and the only sensible way to access it is via the long, circuitous highway around the city. $40 in a taxi. 

After changing our clothes we walked to Newton Circus, a hawker centre, for dinner. We're often here early, sometimes at lunchtime, and it's usually very quiet with only a few traders open for business. At 7.30pm it was bustling! The tempting aromas made us feel right at home. 

Sometimes people will bring laminated menus for you to choose from, they'll come to your table and offer to get drinks, or you can walk around and choose for yourself. The marketeers always manage to find you again to deliver the food (not that westerners are hard to spot in these local eateries). The locals eat this way regularly, as apparently many apartments don't have a kitchen. It's certainly very social. Families and friends and colleagues all sharing dishes and chatting.