North Peninsular Tour Day 1 - Penang & Sungai Petani

Driving all the way to the north of the Peninsular Malaysia was furthest from my mind till eldest brother "thrilled" my kids as to what they could expect during and at the destinations in the northern region.

The promise for the trip arose when I had to attend to a December work engagement in Sungai Petani (Kedah) where itinerary for the journey had evolved way back in October with a "must" destination being Padang Besar.

Off we went from Kuala Lumpur at 7:30am and made a short stopover at the Sungei Buloh Rest Area for a quick breakfast and continuing with the journey designed for lunch in Penang to savour the great delicacies that the island has to offer.

Arrived in Penang mainland at 11:30am and made the journey crossing into island via the famed Penang Bridge before making a short tour round the Weld Quayside, Padang Kota Lama, Farquhar and into Jalan Burma with a purpose.

Keeping left at Jalan Burma, made a stop at Ah Guan stall for it's famous pancakes only to meet disappointment when the Uncle mentioned that he had to meet orders and won't be available till at least 4pm. His pancakes are most sought after and not too sure if that demands a classification as a Penang heritage!

Next stop along the Jalan Burma (opposite 1926 Heritage Hotel) is the Him Heang shop which is famous for its cookies of "Tau Sar Peah" and "Beh Teh Saw". Grab a couple of boxes and off we went in search for lunch at Fatty Loh Chicken Rice at Fettes Park.

The shop had now shifted to the shophouse facing the mainroad while the taste remained as good as ever. The tender chicken and aroma from the rice suffice to demand for more rice to fill up the stomachs of 6 travelers that had endured the long journey to Pearl of the Orient. (We were too hungry and forgot about the photos!)

Satisfied with lunch, time to move on again with next destination being Kek Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss) in Air Itam with it's new attraction of the 30.2m bronze Kuan Yin statue while the pavilion is 60.9metres tall supported by 16 granite pillars with ornate carvings which may be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest in the world.

Instead of driving up the hill, we went through the climb up through the steps and souvenir stalls lined up all the way up to the temple. After a heavy meal, never felt so good ascending the 100+ steps to the temple.

We were specifically looking to witness the beauty of the Goddes of Mercy statue till we arrived at the many assembly and prayer halls before spotting a signage that says elevator to Kuan Yin statue.

Using the elevator, we arrived at the hill top and the sight of the Goddess of Mercy Pavilion was mesmerizing where the consecration of the pavilion was conducted on Sunday, 6 December, 2009.

Ths skies had threatened to open up before we decide to make the journey down and move along to our
next destination which is the Snake Temple in Bayan Lepas which I last visited when I was a kid which could easily have been like 30+ years.

Built since 1850, the newly renovated Snake Temple will hold it's yearly prayer on the 5th day of Chinese New Year 30th Jan 2009 10.00pm. The "Fire Watching" is a traditional ceremony to predict the economy outlook of Penang.

It was built in 1850 to venerate a deified Buddhist monk named Chor Soo Kong. within the Snake Temple grounds are two wells called the two Dragon Pure Water Wells. Dug in the 1850's, these two wells were completed together with the original temple. According to legend, the two wells represent the eyes of a mystical dragon which descended from the heavens during the consecration of the temple.

Against popular belief that the Wagler's Pit Vipers are attracted by the joss stick and incense fumes, it could only irritate the snakes and were attracted by the deity Chor Soo Kong himself who had used the many herbs and jungle produce based on his medical knowledge.

I could remember vividly that there were more snakes when I visited last and due to development around the temple had resulted in a reduced number of snakes in the temple.

Fully aware of the traffic jam on Penang Bridge after office hours, we hit the road and off to Sungai Petani (SP) through the North-South Expressway (NSE) exiting at Sungai Petani South. We were in SP after an hour and checked-in to D'Vista Hotel, a new budget(not-so) hotel in town and discovered that the escalators were notin service.

We have to carry our luggage up 2 floors, however, the cozy rooms with contemporary fittings of dark brown made it look normal of hotel guest rooms. Beds are comfortable but the small bathrooms does not provide much space to move.

Breakfast buffet spread is just normal and not something for those who have a real good taste buds. Generally, the hotel would suit well for business and transient travellers while the location along Jalan Kampung Baru, is strategic for travelling within SP whilst easily accessible to the NSE and trunk road leading to Alor Setar.

SP, second largest town in Kedah, is also a food paradise as there are many restaurants which open for dinner while the Thai Tom Yams dominates. We chose "Wai Sek Kai" (Glutton's Corner) for dinner where the fried kuey teow at Chong Heng Cafe (next to Glutton's Corner) was one of the better fried kuay teow I've tasted.

We tried the fried buns stuffed with cha-siew and curry chicken(with potato). This is definitely a must for visitors to this town and I'm sure there would be lots morebest kept food secrets in this town left to be discovered by visitors.

 
There are many shopping centres inclduing ther recently opened Lagenda Village Mall as well as the 2 Tesco hypermarkets in Sungai Petani.

Being a family full of Liverpool supporters, we went in search of Anfield Burger after dinner. We managed to locate the shop only to find it closed. Not too sure if it is shut for good, an off day or due to the football team's mediocre current form.

It's a good night thereafter before a hectic following day!