Penang is a beautiful small island, which is part of Malasiya, and I took this picture from the flight.
I went there recently to renew my visa for Indonesia. Its near to Medan, which takes about 55 minutes by flight. From Medan, we also can go by a speed boat which takes 5- 6 hours to reach Penang.
Some of the interesting things related to history is that once there was a choice between Singapore and Penang, where finally Singapore was selected for development. Chinese traders settled in this island earlier, and built most of the city. Once it used to be a major port for the ships which enter Malakka Strait.
The main city is George Town, a small but beautiful city. Just recently they have introduced a fantastic public bus service called 'Rapid Penang' exactly like Rapid KL in Kuala Lumpur. So local travel became very cosy there.
I stayed in Sunway Hotel George town, which is just Ok. The Indonesian embassy is very cooperative there, and they issue the visa with in 24 hours. Local transport is primarily by cabs, and the cycle Rickshaw (tri wheeler Bechak) is a rare sight now a days.
There is a small 'Indian Town' with lot of Tamil immigrants setting up businesses there. We get all indian items in those shops. Next to that there is china town, and it looks more loose businesses than organised one.
Tescos have opened an out let there, and they offer free ride from the city to their shop which is around 10 Km away. (I think they need to!). There are quite a few shopping malls around the city. The main centre is 'Komtar' place, a tall building which is the main attraction.
No comments:
Post a Comment