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| What's inside? |
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Planning to visit Penang, the sparkling 'Pearl of the Orient'? This guidebook, with its well-drawn maps and handy travel tips, will help you find places to visit, hotels, guesthouses, transportation, restaurants and the best shopping haunts around.
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| Help save the Malayan Tapir! |
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| Fund collecting in progress... |
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| The Malayan or Asian Tapir is a large mammal with a short, flexible snout that is listed by the IUCN Red List as an endangered species. This animal, which has rather poor eyesight, but excellent hearing and sense of smell, was once found throughout the tropical lowland rainforests of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam. However, its numbers have decreased in recent years, as they are being threatened by human activities such as: deforestation, flooding caused by the damming of rivers for hydroelectric projects, hunting for sport and illegal trade. These peaceful creatures prefer to lead solitary lives and are exclusively vegetarian. They spend a lot of their time foraging through the forest for the tender shoots and leaves of more than 115 species of plants. |
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| What's an a4trip guidebook? |
| An a4trip guidebook is a travel guide that'll provide you with the information you'll need to plan your trip and to find your way around. Our guidebooks are downloadable in PDF format, and are designed to be so compact, you can take it with you everywhere you go. |
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| How can I pay for a guidebook? |
| We accept credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express (USA only) and Discover (USA only) via PayPal. Your transaction will appear as 'PAYPAL*A4TRIP' on your credit card statement. |
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| Help! Why can't I download the guidebook? |
| Don't worry, just get in touch with us and we'll deliver the guidebook right to your inbox. |
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| Just how often do you update your guidebooks? |
| We try to update our guidebooks at least once a month. |
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| Just Contact Us, we'd love to hear from you. |
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| Penang - Beacon of World Heritage and Culture |
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| by Arief Abdullah Tan, editorial services provider |
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The buildings looked the same, the scenes familiar, and our favourite food stalls were still situated where it was from our last visit here a year ago. Yet, there was something different as we walked along the breezy Esplanade on the harbour area of Penang's capital George Town this time around. Perhaps it was a sense of pride knowing that we were leaving our footprints on one of earth's few exclusive World Heritage Sites.
Penang - Pulau Pinang in the Malay language - which derives its name from the betel nut palm (pokok pinang) is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is situated on the north-western coast of the Peninsula and the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis.
As we continued our casual saunter through the capital, it is easy to understand why it was bestowed the prominent recognition. Penang - fondly known as Malaysia's 'Pearl of the Orient' - is truly an 'open museum' with its rich heritage depicted behind the stories of each building, each community and each culture present.
Abundance of 19th and early 20th century buildings and pre-war shophouses line the historic city as visitors admire multitude places of worship, bustling marketplaces and bazaars, and lively street lives filled with retail shops, trishaw peddlers and endless array of fares, including antiques, leather goods, clothes, luggage, cosmetics, and souvenir items.
Although the national language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay), English is widely spoken in business and commerce. Many other Asian dialects are spoken including Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Teow Chew, Cantonese and Tamil.
The hive of retail and trade activities centres on Beach Street, Light Street, Pitt Street and Chulia. Just around the corner from Beach Street lies the Colonial Quarter, where Fort Cornwallis, Esplanade, City Hall, Court-house, St. George's Church, Convent Light Street, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, the Protestant Cemetery, and other historical buildings are situated. A short distance away are what is described as the historic port settlements or 'ethnic enclaves' - the Little India commercial area, Kapitan Keling mosque, Goddess of Mercy Temple, Mahamariamman Temple, Armenian Street, Acheen Street, Khoo Kongsi, King Street, Weld Quay and other attractions.
Penang with its magnificent beaches and exotic sights and sounds has long been known as one of Southeast Asia's most enchanting destinations. Each year, thousands of sun and sea connoisseurs flock to the coastline of Tanjung Bungah, the rustic charms of Teluk Bahang, and the resort strip of Batu Ferringhi, which offer all the scenic delights of tropical island paradise.
For those that find the tranquillity of historical romance overwhelming or detest the husky smell of sun tan lotion, Penang's sequence of colourful festivals and enthusiastic cultural celebrations throughout the year including the Bangsawan, Boria, flag processions, Chingay Parade, Nine Emperor Gods Festival, Hungry Ghosts Festival, and Thaipusam celebrations will surely bring you back to life.
In between festivals, do take on the funicular train up to the ever-popular Penang Hill, a series of hills which rise above the island with the peak at 821 metres above sea level, which makes it a refreshing escape from the tropical heat below.
Other popular stops are the delightful Penang Bird Park, the mysterious Snake Temple, the Kek Lok Si temple, Fort Cornwallis, the site of Light's first landing, Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, Ayer Hitam Dam, Aquarium of the Fisheries Research Institute, Bukit Jambul Orchid and Hibiscus Garden, Botanical Gardens, and the Penang National Park, the world's smallest national park.
After a tired day in the sun, the perfect way to relax is to turn to some shopping therapy. There is always plenty of shopping bargains to be found within George Town such as Lebuh Campbell, Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling, Chulia Stree, Bishop Street and Penang Road.
It is inevitable that when Penang is mentioned, the subject of food will crop up. Above all else, Penang earns its recognition as a culinary paradise offering both a stimulating and exotic mix of delicious cuisine to choose from. While there are scores of fine dining and Western-style food and beverage outlets to satisfy the stern segment, it is the hawker or street fare, including Nyonya, Chinese, vegetarian, Indian, Malay, Western, seafood and desserts, that gives fame to the island state.
With so much to taste, countless places to visit, and seemingly endless things to experience, it certainly deserves its latest accolade as a World Heritage Site. Thus, the next time you walk on the celebrated paths of Penang, see if you can feel the difference.
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