[Travel] 5D4N Penang Free and Easy Itinerary

Dear all,

Finally back to share with you all my itinerary for my Penang trip in May 2017. Felt so blessed to have traveled 4 times before the year even ends. Went to Desaru in January, Penang in May, Japan in July, Melbourne in August. This makes me tempted to go solo traveling after graduation!

Will share with you guys my itinerary for Japan, Osaka in my upcoming posts!(: Now let me share with you on my planning for the Penang trip. Do note that I'm not sponsored for any of the food/ places I'm sharing! Frankly, I feel Penang is a really affordable and nice place to visit for Singaporeans who have short leave/ vacation! I booked 5D4N accommodation after much deliberation but honestly 4D3N was sufficient as Penang is a pretty small island. I simply wanted to make my air ticket worth and spent more days since accommodation there is really cheap! Read on to find out on the details!

By plane or coach?
I honestly wanted to, as usual, go on a budget trip. So taking a coach was initially my plan. This trip almost didn't happen cos my mother did not want to 'live' in a coach for 10 hours (time taken for the coach to reach Penang from SG) although it cost only about $35-40 per pax, the reviews for the coach didn't convince my mother to take it (passengers complained about rude drivers who didn't bother to ensure everyone was onboard before departing the customs, bed bugs on the seats, uncomfortable and dirty buses, etc.) and the flights were so expensive when I was planning for the trip in April.

But, thank god, 1 week before our scheduled trip, Jetstar was on sale, and guess how much I paid for the round trip tickets? 100 per pax? NOPE, it was only $65!

Do note I didn't purchase check-in luggage (so I only had a 7kg handcarry- think that's sufficient unless you intend to bring back liquid products?) (TIP: Rmb to not pack in your toiletries like shampoo and shower gel unless it's packed in 100ml bottles- otherwise you'll have to say goodbye to them even before boarding the plane)

Although it was ~$30 more than taking the coach, taking into account the amount of time you save (from taking plane VS coach), it is actually extremely worth it!! The flight was only 1h 30min (but it took shorter than expected, we arrived in about 1h 15min)

But do note, the timing for the flight isn't the most ideal as we arrived in Penang at 9pm. This meant, 1 day has been 'wasted' and you basically just head to the hotel to sleep after arriving.

Accommodation
There is a wide variety of hotels you can choose from but Armenian Street Heritage Hotel attracted me due to their attractive price and decent location!

I paid ~$35-38 per night stay and overall the hotel was super worth the price paid! The only downside is that you should pray you don't get a room with the air conditioning installed in the room. Felt that was such a major architectural flaw. The room that we first got had a mini room to house the compressor, so when we turned on the air conditioning, the whole room sounded like an enclosed helipad.

The staff were really kind when we requested for a change in room and kindly explained to us that the only room available for the night as a replacement room is a Double bed room (which was 3/4 the size of the previous room) instead of a Twin room which we booked. But since we value a comfortable sleep on our first night, we agreed to sleep there for that night (but we eventually switched back to a twin room on the 2nd night onwards).

The room comes with an ensuite bathroom, which had all the toiletries you needed, a cupboard to hang your clothes, luggage stand. I was just hoping there would be bathroom slippers (cos we only brought one pair of slippers so we had to take turns just to walk around the room to do whatever we needed to do)

The location was convenient as it was just a 5-10 minute walk to Chulia Street (which had the amazing night life every tired Singaporeans need- with amazing lok lok and other food options too). There was also a busstop directly opposite the hotel (but we didn't take the bus at all as most places are walkable distance from the hotel).

Itinerary

Do refer to the itinerary I have below. I did not follow it 100%, as I altered it based on weather conditions (it was raining crazy on one of the days). Some of these places are recommended by my friend who is a Penangite.

Day 1

6pm                       Arrive at Changi Airport for dinner

7.30pm                 Flight 3K677

9pm                       Arrival at Penang - Take Uber (RM15) (About 30 minute drive)

                               Check-in hotel (Armenian Street Heritage Hotel)

10.30pm                Explore and head to Chulia Street Night Hawker                

Day 2

7am                       Rise and Shine

7.30am                 Breakfast: Roti Canai @ Transfer Road (Business hours: 6am-2pm)

9am                       Lebuh Kimberly Duck Meat Koay Teow Th’ng (RM5) (Go early, lunch time) and       Kimberley Street Char Koay Kak (opens 7 - 11am)

10am                     Penang Wonderfood museum (RM20 per pax using discount coupon)

12pm                     Lunch at Joo Hooi Café (has all different food, outside has popular chendol)

1pm                       Explore all murals (use the map provided from airport)

3pm                       Prangin Mall, 1^st Avenue Mall, Komtar Mall, Gama Supermarket and                          departmental store (behind Komtar mall)

5pm                       888 Hokkien Mee (Lebuh Presgrave)

Day 3

6am                       Rise and Shine

6.30am                  Head to Penang Hill (Via bus 201 from Komtar or Uber)

11am                     Try Air Itam Assam Laksa (at foot of Kek Lok Si) and Lim Sisters Curry Mee            (opens until 1pm only)

12pm                     Head to Kek Lok Si Temple thereafter

1pm                       Travel back to George Town

2pm                       Ah Leng Char Kuay Teow (Dato Keramat) (8.30am to 2.30pm)

 3pm                      Head to Cecil Street Market and Hawker Centre (Behind Komtar) (Must try Duck    Kuay Teow Theng)

4pm                       Pinang Peranakan Museum (Church Street)

5pm                       Lebuh Macallum Pasar Malam

Day 4

7am                         Take pictures at Clan Jetties (Chew Jetty)

9am                         Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion (blue house)

                                Kimberly Street Duck Koay Chap (opens 6 – 11pm)

                                Tua Pui Curry Mee (Kimberley Street) (9am – 5.30pm) Closed on Wednesdays

 Ban Heang Bakery

 Ming Xiang Tai egg tarts (To buy back!)

 Reclining Buddha Wat Chaiyamangalaram and Dharmmikarama Burmese                             Temple

 Gurney Plaza

 Gurney Drive Hawker Centre for dinner

Day 5

8am                        Wake up

                                Final moments in Penang

                                Chowrasta Market

                                Try the famous Char Kway Teow (directly opposite hotel)

7pm                        Leave for Airport

7.45pm                   Need to reach airport

9.45pm                   Flight 3K678

11.10pm                 Arrival @ Changi Airport             

I'll upload some photos in my next post! So do keep a lookout!!(: Oh yes, if any of you is wondering, I did not purchase SIM card or Wifi. It was honestly a bit of a torture as we are all so reliant on internet these days. I still managed to get around Penang without much trouble (except when I had to book an Uber back to the hotel - had to search for Mcdonald's in the malls in order to book one)

Regards,

Rachel

[Travel] Must Knows about Traveling in Singapore by Public Transport (Bus and MRT)

Hi all readers,

Rachel here. Sorry for the long break! Decided to create a post for tourists paying a visit to Singapore. Singapore is a very small and clean country, and definitely, the public transport system is the most efficient and affordable way to travel around the country(:

The MRT stands for Mass Rapid Transit. It is commonly mistaken as Mass Rapid Transport or Mass Rapid Train, but basically in Singapore if you're looking for an MRT station, just call it "MRT". People might just find you weird if you ask "Where's the Mass Rapid Transit Station" as almost none of the locals uses that term (at least none that I know of).

To take the MRT, you have to purchase either a one-time temporary card which is called a Standard Card and is made of paper (which can be purchased at the add-value metal looking machines), or a typical Ez-link (pronounced as "Easy-link") card that locals uses, or you could also purchase the Singapore Tourist Pass.

Ok, so which one should you purchase?

IF you think you wouldnt travel that much on Singapore's public transport system, you can purchase the Standard Card. The deposit for the card is only 10cents which was recently reduced from the usual $1! That means if you want to travel from Bugis to Orchard by MRT for example, and if the fare is $1, you just need to pay $1.10 for your one trip there!(:

How do you go about purchasing the Standard Card?
The typical General Ticketing Machines (grey metal ticketing machines). Do note that the Add-value machines (purple machines) do not issue this card

Ok, next. If you want to keep the Singapore Ez- link card for memento purposes, I would recommend you to buy the card that the locals use as well. However, it is definitely more costly. If you purchase it from Transitlink Ticketing Offices, Concession Card Replacement Offices (which is quite unlikely you will pass by any of the 6 offices they have in Singapore) and the Passenger Service Counters, it costs $12. However,that doesnt mean it has a stored value of $12. The $12 includes a $5 card cost fee, which means there's a $7 stored value in the card which is used to tap in and out of the MRT stations and buses.

However, do note that you can purchase it from the 7-eleven stores, however, it costs only $10 as there is only a stored value of $5. I would recommend to purchase from the 7-eleven stored if you intend to travel less than 4 times on the public transport but would like to keep a nice Ez-link card for use the next time you come back to Singapore.

Lastly, the Singapore Tourist Pass is a very useful option provided by the Singapore Tourism Board for tourists to travel to the places of interest in Singapore. They are passes that entitles you to unlimited travel on the public transports. They have 3 options: 1-day pass, 2-day pass and 3-day pass which costs $20, $26 and $30 respectively. In those amounts I've mentioned, there is a refundable rental deposit of $10, if you return the card within 5 days after purchase(:

The design on the Singapore Tourist Pass is quite pretty and worth keeping if you're willing to spend $10 on it, although I don't think you can reuse the card the next time you're back in Singapore.

Now, on to the BUSES!!!

I think most tourists will hardly ever take the public buses as they mostly come from neighbourhoods and MRT stations. And major landmarks and Places of Interest in Singapore are accessible via MRT. But basically the travel system in Singapore is all about paying by distance. The further you travel, the more you pay. Buses in Singapore are run by 2 major companies, SMRT and SBS.

You might be thinking, wow Singapore's public transport is rather expensive. However, do note that locals have special fare types for different age groups. The Senior Citizens have special Concession passes issued by the government and their fares are much cheaper than the adult fares. A typical bus ride for 3 stops is about $0.79 but for senior citizens it costs only $0.56, and the maximum fare for senior citizens during the off-peak hours (up to 6pm and after the morning rush period) is $0.90 (for train and bus services).

Oh yes, if you transfer between buses and trains, you're entitled to a rebate (exact amount I'm not sure) but definitely a plus point for you to save money while traveling. I think it doesnt apply to the Standard Cards but the typical Ez-link has such privileges.

Misc Must-knows in Singapore buses and trains:
- The corner seats in trains marked with the stickers "Priority Seat" are used to be called "Reserved Seat" basically for those who needs the seat more like the Elderly, young children, pregnant women, injured people, etc. If you happen to sit on it, it's totally fine even if you do not fall in that category of "needy" people. But if an elderly actually approaches you, its ok, just give up your seat to him/her. It's quite common actually.

- In buses, the priority seats are the seats in yellow (which are usually at the front of the bus). Same as in the trains, give up to others who need it more than you do(: Don't be too stressed about sitting on these seats.

- The older trains (white coloured ones with orange seats in certain cabins) have much smaller seats than the usual trains, so it gets a bit squeezy on that train especially if you're bigger in size than the typical Asian (like me, unfortunately). I usually would just wait for the next train if traveling a long distance.

- Eating and drinking is PROHIBITED IN TRAINS!! I have seen so many tourists eating snacks and drinking water on the train. Do note that it is NOT ALLOWED in Singapore, even plain water!

- Drinking plain water on the buses are fine, but no eating!

- If you want to check out the arrival timings of buses at the busstops you can download bus apps, "Iris" or "SG Buses". I prefer SG buses, as it indicates how packed the bus is, and whether there are seats available on the bus.

- There are different lines in our train transport system. The major ones are the East-West line (Green), North-South line (Red), Circle Line (Yellow) and North-East line (Purple).

- As tourists you will most likely be taking the Red and yellow lines most often as it brings you to Orchard, Haw Par Villa, Botanics Garden, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, etc.

- If you're interested, the different coloured lines on the MRT, are run by the two different companies, SMRT and SBS too! The Circle Line, Purple Line and LRTs are driver-less! (No driver operates the train, which is why I suggest that you enter the cabin from the train head on the Circle Line and North-East line to enjoy a nice ride while seeing the train travel maneuver its way through the dark tunnels)

- On escalators, ALWAYS keep to the LEFT if you're not climbing up or down the escalators. The right side are for people in a rush, to catch trains, reach home in time for their favourite dramas, etc.



LASTLY, enjoy your trip in SINGAPORE!!