The Penang/Langkawi Weekend

Having missed out on flying anywhere the last long weekend, me and a friend decided the take Monday off and make our own long weekend so we could visit the two islands of Penang and Langkawi. The only problem was we underestimated the size of these islands, and the time it would take to fully explore them.

Langkawi first: It was completely not what I expected. I was expecting Langkawi to be something like Bali (or what I expect Bali to be). A commercialised town swarming with western tourists, and perfect white beaches. It was none of the above. The island was much larger than expected, with only a small amount occupied by touristy shops etc. There were quite a few westerners to be found but nowhere near as many as I had expected, and the beaches were underwhelming. We were even advised not to swim in some areas because of the risk of jellyfish.

The rest of the island was more interesting. Being driven through the centre of the island, I couldn’t help noticing the striking similarity between Langkawi and Sri Lanka. In Langkawi the roads are much better, and fewer people walk, but the landscape and buildings etc were remarkably similar.

To travel between Langkawi and Penang we hopped on the ferry, which is a choppy 2.5hr ride away. In hindsight, this was not the best idea. The ride was not a pleasant one. On the way about half the people on the boat threw up (luckily I was not one of them). 2.5hrs is too long to be on a boat. And to make it worse, it is quite expensive.

Now onto Penang: Penang is a very nice city. In fact, while I was there I kept feeling that I would enjoy myself more if I was based in Penang rather than Kuching. I thought Penang would be a small, relatively quiet island (similar to Kuching), but was surprised to find that it is more comparable to Singapore. It’s a large and busy city with lots to do. The city is famous for its food, and for good reason. It’s very different from the Kuching style though, much more spicy and far less sweet. I enjoyed the change – sampling some of the dishes at Gurney Drive.

Getting around is also quite easy thanks to the reliable bus service. The shopping in Penang also seems quite decent. The nightlife is fairly busy. Overall, the city has a lot going for it. However, the best beach in Penang, Batu Firinggi, proved to be slightly disappointing.

Unfortunately, we weren’t there long enough to fully appreciate the scenic/historical aspects of Penang (most of Georgetown is a world heritage site), but it seems the town, which is now a free trade zone and is set to become Malaysia’s first green city, would be a good place to live in the future.