Malaysia Road Trip - Penang and beyond
It is fair to say that part two of the road trip did not proceed as well as part one. This took us to the island of Penang and to its incredibly busy and dusty old capital Georgetown.
First of all a word about the accommodation. It was excellent. We stayed in two locations. The first, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is what can best be described as a grand home constructed for a former merchant whose name it bears. It was a quality and classy place to stay and the staff were warm and helpful.
The second place was the Mango Tree Place. Different from Cheong Fatt Tze but no less enjoyable. These are individual converted houses on the edge of town where the whole street makes up the hotel. Individual and collective together. It works wonderfully. Not cheap but worth the money.
Elsewhere Penang was a little disappointing but this might be in part to myself contracting food poisoning from what at the time was a splendid curry in Little India.
It made the what could have been a fun trip by funicular railway to the top of Penang Hill (see separate post) a little hairy as one was concerned about finding a toilet or restroom before venturing to see the sights. Still the option of improvement beckoned with a journey to the East side of the Malay peninsular.
The journey east was initially dramatic. Climbing over mountain passes there were enthralling vistas to enjoy.
The passage though could come to a grinding halt. Large heavy vehicles carrying huge quantities of timber crawl at only a few kilometers an hour.
It is disturbing to see the rain forest being reduced to this. I understand the economics but the ecology seems compromised.
Once over the mountain passes the road takes you to the east coast and the province of Terengganu. This is quite different from the other areas of Malaysia. Here you find a dusty, drier part of the country starved of rain forest replaced instead by acres of palm olive plantations.
Terengganu is unremarkable. Every community hugs the roadside and resembles the one before. There is precious little by way of individuality.
However it was from a small port known as Shahbandar Jetty in Kuala Terengganu a boat departs for the beautiful island of Pulau Redang. In common with many islands in the South China sea, this is owned an operated by a tour company as an all-inclusive resort. It is not normally something I care for but as all-inclusives go, Redang scored very well.
There are opportunities to snorkel, get into the jungle and enjoy pristine coral beaches.
For a place to roll back and relax, this is not at all bad.
Laguna Redang
TripAdvisor - Pulau Redang
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
First of all a word about the accommodation. It was excellent. We stayed in two locations. The first, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is what can best be described as a grand home constructed for a former merchant whose name it bears. It was a quality and classy place to stay and the staff were warm and helpful.
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| Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion |
The second place was the Mango Tree Place. Different from Cheong Fatt Tze but no less enjoyable. These are individual converted houses on the edge of town where the whole street makes up the hotel. Individual and collective together. It works wonderfully. Not cheap but worth the money.
Elsewhere Penang was a little disappointing but this might be in part to myself contracting food poisoning from what at the time was a splendid curry in Little India.
It made the what could have been a fun trip by funicular railway to the top of Penang Hill (see separate post) a little hairy as one was concerned about finding a toilet or restroom before venturing to see the sights. Still the option of improvement beckoned with a journey to the East side of the Malay peninsular.
The passage though could come to a grinding halt. Large heavy vehicles carrying huge quantities of timber crawl at only a few kilometers an hour.
It is disturbing to see the rain forest being reduced to this. I understand the economics but the ecology seems compromised.
Once over the mountain passes the road takes you to the east coast and the province of Terengganu. This is quite different from the other areas of Malaysia. Here you find a dusty, drier part of the country starved of rain forest replaced instead by acres of palm olive plantations.Terengganu is unremarkable. Every community hugs the roadside and resembles the one before. There is precious little by way of individuality.
However it was from a small port known as Shahbandar Jetty in Kuala Terengganu a boat departs for the beautiful island of Pulau Redang. In common with many islands in the South China sea, this is owned an operated by a tour company as an all-inclusive resort. It is not normally something I care for but as all-inclusives go, Redang scored very well.There are opportunities to snorkel, get into the jungle and enjoy pristine coral beaches.
For a place to roll back and relax, this is not at all bad.
Laguna Redang
TripAdvisor - Pulau RedangCheong Fatt Tze Mansion
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