The best thing about a stopover in Asia is not just the break in travel, but the opportunity to search out the exotic, inexpensive and delicious.
Penang, once popular for resort-style holidays, has recently earned a reputation among budget travellers for its exceptional value and unique cuisine.
The cultural flavours of Penang date back to the 1800s, when the island was transformed from a malaria-ridden jungle into a thriving centre for trade. The cultural mix is dominated by Chinese and Indian, with a peppering of Malay.
Stand on the corner of Jalan Penang and Lebuh Chulia, just down from the Cititel Hotel, and you can see what I mean.
Chinese antique dealers open their doors around 10am and enjoy the daily newspapers with a cigarette.
Statues of Taoist and Buddhist deities smile down from the shelves, imploring you to buy a few rusty coins or mysterious wooden chests.
Down a small side street the golden dome of the Benggali Mosque reflects the hazy light of the morning, and does a good job of waking up the nearby hotel guests at around 5am.
There‘s a Hindi movie house on one side of the street, opposite the Kashmiri Indian Restaurant, and a fleet of trishaw riders hanging out in the shade of a budget hotel.
They smile eagerly for the chance to push you around town on a three-wheeled bicycle with a passenger seat.
Batik stores are scattered in either direction, as are the workshops with young men welding steel, hammering wood and repairing motorbikes.
The mixture of small business and shopping reflects the balance between tourists and the thriving population of a living city.
A few hundred metres down the main road the morning market is humming and you can buy everything from fresh fish to mangosteens.
It was mid-morning before I checked into my hotel and set out to find some breakfast – not that it‘s a worry in Penang.
On the first street corner, two hawker markets are in full swing offering 10 different cooking styles.
Each food stall is no bigger than a trishaw with enough room for a glass display to store the fresh ingredients and a small butane cooker to prepare a signature dish.
I tried the nasi lemak for breakfast, a traditional Malay choice, and came back for lunch to fill up on the char koay teow mee – hakka-style quick fry curry, tasty prawns and rice noodles.
Dining out in the evening offers even more choice.
If you want a snack instead of a meal then the lok lok stalls are perfect – dim sum-meets-fondue, as you dip skewered, tasty delights into boiling hot soups to quickly cook and eat on the spot. It‘s about 15 cents a bite. Penang locals don‘t usually have their food spicy, so be sure to ask for chilli if that is your preference.
The most popular market for locals out shopping in Penang is New Lane, a modest but diverse hawkers‘ market which opens after 6pm near the corner of Jalan Macalister.
Very few dishes here will cost you more than $1, and for another 50c you can cleanse the palette with a refreshing lime juice on ice.
Source: www.news.com (13 Agustus 2007)