Penang and Georgetown
My trip to Penang was not as easy as I thought. I met 2 German girls in the car, 19 years old. We were on the same ferry and it was nice chatting with them although I shrugged a bit when they said "old people" and "already 40 years old"... ;-)
Arrived at Kuala Perlis bus station, I was told the next bus would leave in 4 hours and I could only book it online. Someone recommended the train but from what I had looked up there was no train that day. I ended up being in the same bus as the girls, going south to Alor Setar.
In Alor Setar, I had to wait 90 minutes. It was already 2 pm and I was hungry but there was not much choice. The next bus to Butterworth was less comfy but it only took one hour. From the bus stop I had to cross the whole building to get to the ferry terminal which was quite frustrating with my backpack being in its protection bag that only has a handle and a shoulder belt but still is very heavy. When I finally made it to the vessel, 2 Chinese looking young guys rose from a bench so I could sit. Very nice ;-)
The ferry only took 20 minutes and was very cheap. Again a very long way through the terminal and after a Grab ride, I arrived at my hotel. My room is not super clean but the most luxurious one on my trip: fridge, safety box, a/c and warm water. The service wasn't great however. They charge 6% extra but only mention it in the email not on the app.
I spent 2 days exploring Georgetown which was a bit disappointing. After having heard and read how awesome the town is, my expections were quite high. The streetart was fantastic and it was fun looking for it but the old
buildings, temples, church and mosque on one street next to each other did not impress me that much. It was less crowded than I thought except of Chinese in groups being really annoying.
I followed a recommendation from my guidebook, went to a bakery and enjoyed cheese cake twice :-)
Today, I checked out as I have to change rooms and took a public bus to Penang Hill. A long queue to get a ticket and then 2 hrs to wait (time to update my blog ;-) Going here on a Sunday was not the best choice. It is crowded again....
Penang Hill, Sonntag während der Schulferien wohl nicht die beste Idee 🙈 Lange Schlange vor dem "Ticket Kaunter", dann 2 Std. warten, noch mal 45 Minuten bis ich in der Seilbahn war.... Drängeln, schieben, plärrende Kinder, .... ich hab nicht gezählt wie oft der Typ hinter mir mich angerempelt oder mir hinten auf die Flipflops getreten ist 🙄 Zurück habe ich für die Fast Lane upgegradet, das ging dann halbwegs. Nie wieder fahre ich in Malaysia Hügel hoch 😉
