#nomerlimits

とうきょう

Mer Lim - HONG KONG on Exposure >

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality". 

[May 7-8]

So we flew to Penang to experience one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Malaysia. While there’s Malacca as a choice, we opted to go the other way down the south of the peninsula - to Georgetown, Penang. 

At 10 in the morning, we boarded the AirAsia flight going to Georgetown. My one-way ticket roughly costs around PHP700. It being inexpensive was because I tried to book it 7 months before our trip, so that figures things out. However, for the plane back to Kuala Lumpur, we traveled by bus and I’ll save that for later! Oh, and you may travel to Georgetown by bus/train then ferry as well. Although time-consuming, this option would be lots cheaper than going by plane. Learn more of mytanfeet’s experience of going to Penang by train here.

When we arrived, it was simply cloudy but hours later, the rain started pouring down after the all the humidity in all of Georgetown. Luckily for us, we managed to get on board the Rapid Penang Bus 401 (5.20 RM) from the airport to the center of Georgetown). Initially, we were weighing our options since Uber is available in Penang too. But then, we decided that we take the public transport for a change. The ride was about 45-1 hr since it had a fixed route. I had the chance to look through highway’s surroundings, and noticed that it’s got the same surroundings as most Asian countries I’ve been to - high-rise buildings that looked more residential than commercial. 

So we had to walk from the bus stop, along with our baggages, going to Lebuh Campbell to our hostel - Kim Haus. We booked a room in Kim Haus through Airbnb. The room itself was extremely cozy and minimal! If you’re wondering, we had Kim Haus Loft 12, and I was so happy with it because it looked the same as the images! Although I’ve noticed that the staff at the reception was not that too hospitable, but we got our booking smoothly - he asked for an ID as well as our booking confirmation then we got to our room by ourselves. Hoped that he could’ve at least helped us with our things, though!  

So, after we settled down, off we went to a walking spree along the streets of Georgetown! The buildings had its resemblance to the bright and colorful European architecture. And usually, these would only have two stories high. 

Georgetown mainly boasts lots of street art like this one below that we had to get a map in order for us to navigate through the streets that would have these on the walls. Although we’d want to visit some of the museums, we weren’t able to because 1) the heat was killing us, and 2) famous spots are near closing time when we got there. 

Few more street art? See them here! 

After finding every street art that were on the map, we finally decided to go to the port-side of Georgetown - Chew Jetty! It’s primarily an age-old Chinese community wherein you’ll find big cargo ships docked from a few distance away, fishermen who just got back from fishing, and, of course, tourists!

In this place, all houses are made of woods, and as one of their daily source of income, there are those who have established souvenir stores at the facade of their homes, but there are those who decided to keep things in private. 

The next day, we ventured off to the Penang Hill, another interesting place to visit. Penang Hill houses a few activities for tourists and locals alike but before you go to the top, one must take the funicular train first. Although you can also talk a walk up, I wouldn’t suggest it at a time same as when we visited. A two-way ride would cost 60RM, while one-way is half of that - 30RM. If you’d like an idea of how the ride was, think of going to Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak, it’s nearly the same but with a shorter line. 

(From Georgetown, hop on a bus from the Komtar station - Rapid Penang 204 which costs 2RM per one-way - which will drop you off in front of Penang Hill’s entrance. Same goes for going back. Bear in mind, however, that there is a whole day hop-on, hop-off bus available if you have sufficient time to go around town for a whole day!)

Tip: Visit Penang Hill the earliest you can. Visitors usually come by at around 11AM!)

When we got to the top, all we saw was fog since it rained the night before that. Instead of moping around, we surveyed the place and found a temple, a place for love locks, an owl museum, a botanical garden that’s under development, and the actual old model of the funicular train - back to the time when it was all wood and manual. 

Maybe people started to flock the place 30 minutes after we got there, but before we could ride the train back to the starting point, the sky started to clear up! I was so happy that it was a hard time to contain it!

It was kind of sad though that we weren’t able to see Kek Lok Si Temple - also a must-visit! - before we left because of time constraints, but we did see it while riding the bus to Penang Hill. 

After that, we hurried back to the hotel then packed our bags, and went to the bus station for our ride back to KL. We bought tickets online and each costs around 38RM one-way. 

One thing I’ve noted down is that it’s more convenient to board at the Sungai Nibong bus station than in Komtar. 

With almost 2 hours delay for the bus, the agency’s reason was that it was traffic everywhere on a Sunday, we were getting impatient but luckily the bus arrived already! Although I’d love to tell that it was the last misfortune we’ve experienced... we still had to wait for the passengers to board at the Sungai Nibong station for another freaking three hours! Imagine the frustration! 

Buy your tickets through Easybook! Saw this one at Sungai Nibong, and I was told that it’s reliable! A bit pricier than the budget buses but it would be really convenient! 

We passed through the longest suspension bridge - Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge - in Southeast Asia, connecting Penang Island to the Peninsular Malaysia! It was a fantastic ride, but lo and behold! 

Right when we passed this tollgate here, our driver realized that we were on the wrong track that when he turned the bus around, it suddenly halted! Hunger pangs and travel stress aren’t exactly a good match. 

Thankfully, though, we managed to get back and running after around 15 minutes. The trip to KL took us 4-5 hours, but with the excruciating waiting time of 3 hours at the station, the trip was much, much longer! 

Lesson learned: Know when to book a plane or bus ride. If you want to save time, definitely, riding a plane is the only option! But if it’s monetary-related, then go for the bus ride. Downside is just the longer travel time. 

[MAY 5 -  6]

18:05, an hour past our flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur, we finally started our descent to one of the most progressive countries in South East Asia. And three hours after, we’ve arrived!

Our “journey” through immigration went smoothly as Philippine passport holders need not line up since there were two types of counters -- SEA countries and foreigners. So, around 15-20 minutes, we got ourselves to the KLIA2 Ekspres - a coach train connecting KLIA2 and the well-connected trains of Kuala Lumpur. This coach train would go through this route: KLIA2 → KLIA → Kuala Lumpur Sentral. 

Tip: booking an Uber ride (RM196 max roundtrip) is cheaper than buying the roundtrip ticket from KLIA2 - KL Sentral (RM200 max roundtrip). 

From KL Sentral, we set our foot on the Imbi Monorail going to the Imbi Station. We booked our stay at Revopackers Hostel through Agoda. It is very easy to locate if 1) we didn’t arrive at 12MN, and 2) we weren’t killing each other with hanger (hunger + anger). But it’s a 5-minute walk from Berjaya Times Square. 

Here’s a token from the Imbi Monorail! Just kidding! It’s the card equivalent of the train -- think of arcade tokens, that’s how they work. 

When, coincidentally, your company sends everyone an email saying - 

Some superheroes don’t wear capes, they are called “Dad”.