Malaysia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget

Travel Reference

In-Depth Information

Thai Food 97A Tan Jetty Weld Quay. A short walk along

Tan Jetty is this hidden place that attracts plenty of custom

for its great Thai dishes (mains from RM20). Daily

11am-2.30pm & 5-10pm; closed 1st & 3rd Tues of the

month.

Woodlands 60 Lebuh Penang. This simple vegetarian

restaurant fills up rapidly at mealtimes, attracting plenty

of custom for its “tongue tickling dishes”, as the menu

clearly states. Try the chenna batura , large bread served

with chickpea stew (RM4.40), or the appam (available Fri-

Sun only; RM1.20), a bowl-shaped salty bread with curried

vegetables and coconut milk. Daily 8.30am-10pm.

Pharmacy There are several pharmacies along Jln

Penang, as well as in the KOMTAR complex.

Police station The tourist police is at Lebuh Dickens,

just off Jln Penang ( T 04 899 3222).

Post o ce The GPO is on Lebuh Downing (Mon-Fri

8.30am-5.30pm, Sat 8.30am-1pm).

Batu Ferringhi

BATU FERRINGHI , a 45-minute bus ride

west of Georgetown on bus #101, is a

spread-out one-street village largely

populated by flash resorts, but with a

decent enough beach and several

guesthouses. he road runs more or

less straight along the coast for 3km,

with all the hotels and restaurants lined

up side by side.

Nearby is the peaceful Tropical Spice

Garden (daily 9am-6pm; RM15), with

a range of spices growing among five

hundred species of tropical flora and

fauna. A few kilometres west is a batik

factory (daily 9am-5.30pm; free),

where you can watch Malaysian-style

batik being made and buy the finished

product. One kilometre further up the

road is the Butterfly Farm (daily

9am-6pm; last entry at 5pm; RM27),

which boasts over a hundred species of

tropical butterflies, with up to 7000

fluttering around at any one time.

here are also resident reptiles and

amphibians, and there are daily talks

and entertaining shows on the life of

butterflies and other insects.

6

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

Most of Georgetown's bars are comfortable places to hang

out, but when the fleet arrives, a good many turn into rowdy

meat markets, so choose carefully. Usual opening hours are

6pm-2am. Upper Jln Penang is lined with buzzing night

venues. The cover charge for clubs is around RM25.

B@92 92 Lebuh Gereja. This laidback bar serves great

food, nibbles and drinks - the owners make you feel right

at home and are keen to share stories over an ice-cold

beer or two. Daily 12.30am-1am.

The Canteen @ China House 153 & 155 Lebuh Pantai.

Enjoy a cocktail (RM22) or two at this artsy bar and

performance venue hosting great live music bands,

from jazz to folk, on Fri, Sat & Sun at 9.30pm. Daily 6pm-

midnight, Fri & Sat until 1am.

Reggae Club 483 Lebuh Chulia. This reggae venue

decked out in bright Rastafarian colours and Bob Marley

memorabilia attracts plenty of backpackers from nearby

hostels who come here to sway to reggae beats with a

chilled beer in hand. Daily 6pm-3am.

Slippery Senoritas 2 Jln Penang. It may sound like a

sleazy strip club, but it's actually one of Georgetown's most

popular venues, attracting young Penangites from the

island over for the salsa club within, as well as live music

and house and R&B tracks that keep the dance floor

packed until the wee hours. On weekends, entry is RM25

before midnight, RM35 thereafter. Daily 5pm-3am.

TRAVEL TO THAILAND

There are regular minibus services to

Thailand, including Bangkok (3 daily;

18hr), Hat Yai (4 daily; 4hr), Krabi (3 daily;

8hr), Koh Lanta (daily; 8hr), Koh Phi Phi

(daily; 11hr), Koh Li Pe (daily; 11hr),

Koh Samui (3 daily; 12hr), Kho Phangan

(3 daily; 16hr), Koh Tao (3 daily; 18hr),

Phuket (2 daily; 13hr), Surathani (3 daily;

9hr) and Trang (3 daily; 6hr). There's likely

to be a change of vehicle in Hat Yai while

you go through the immigration

procedures, sometimes with a fair amount

of waiting around, but booking it all as

one trip from Penang does at least save

you the hassle of having to organize the

different legs of the journey yourself.