Penang Trip - Day 3

We took our breakfast at the Hotel before we start our journey today. I thought the breakfast menu would be different but it's still the same option like the day before. Well... at least it's enough to provide us with all the energy necessary to roam around Penang far beyond noon.


We waited for nearly an hour for the bus to Bayan Lepas. Looks like Rapid Penang bus service is only efficient in some area of Penang but not all. It ended up that the waiting time was actually longer than the traveling time to Snake Temple.

Snake Temple @ Bayan Lepas

The Snake Temple in Sungai Kluang, Bayan Lepas is the only temple of its kind in Malaysia. It was originally named the "Temple of the Azure Cloud" in honor of the beauty of Penang's sky.

The temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit vipers. The vipers are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the snakes have also been de-venomed but still have their fangs intact. Local devotees believe that the temple's snake has come there on its own accord.

However, the snake population in the temple is declining because of rapid development that is disturbing the snake natural habitat. To overcome this, devotees start to donate snakes to the temple thrice yearly.

We were a bit disappointed when we arrived. There were only a few snakes in the Temple. The Temple might gradually become snake-less one day.

We finished exploring the whole Temple in 15 minutes. Knowing that we would need to wait very long for the bus, i called my brother to fetch us to a nearby shopping mall, in which we think it would be easier to get a bus to George Town.

Queensbay Mall @ Bayan Lepas

My brother had to drive 2 trips in order to send us all to Queensbay Mall as there were 5 of us.

Queensbay Mall is the largest and most modern shopping mall in Penang. The Mall is minutes away from the Penang Bridge and the heart of a prime waterfront development.

At last, we can take pictures with Penang Bridge as our background. However, the Penang Bridge seemed less visible from the photo.

I didn't join my friends at the Mall but followed my brother to have a look at his rented condominium instead.

Although my brother has been working in Penang for almost 2 years, this is the first time i went to his house. It's a nice condominium overlooking Queensbay Mall and Penang Bridge. A pleasantly cool and comfortable place.

I saw something very interesting from the condo's balcony...

Yes! The house is ON the road. So, the road with 2 lane will become 1 lane (as the house occupied 1 lane) and subsequently become 2 lane again... So absurd!


Sri Nibong Cafe @ Bayan Baru

Later my brother brought me to have some snack near his condominium. It's a Chinese restaurant called Sri Nibong Cafe at Taman Sri Nibong, Sungai Nibong which offers western breakfast toasted bread.

It was highly recommended by my brother (whom can be very picky when it comes to food). There are 17 types of toasted bread with different filling. The price varies as it depends on the type of filling chosen.

My brother and i ordered 1 original Toasted Bread with Egg (RM2.00) and 1 Toasted Bread with Egg and Taiwan Sausage. It was huge and plentiful. The taste? Super duper delicious! It was flavourful probably due to the large amount of the butter used. The bread was fluffy and flavourful!


Canton-i @ Queensbay Mall

Later we went to Queensbay Mall again. We decided to have our lunch at Canton-i Restaurant since both of us never dine in this restaurant before.

I ordered their signature dish - Hong Kong Wanton Noodles (kon lou version), which came with a bowl of soup (RM13.80).

The noodles were springy and comes in quite a big portion. I loved the BIG prawn wantons (dumplings stuffed with pork-prawn paste). You can taste the freshness of prawns in every bite. The Siew Yuk was perfect. The skin was crispy and the meat was tasteful.

As for drinks, i ordered the Flowering Red Amaranth (RM5.00). A beautiful tea with a mild flower taste. The flowers and herbs used to make this drink is so beautiful, more so when one view it via a see-through glass.


It's an expensive lunch but my brother paid for the bill. Both of us savour in satisfaction. Canton-i Restaurant has indeed done a great job in bringing Hong Kong cuisine heaven to Malaysia.

After the lunch, i bid farewell to my brother and headed back to George Town by bus. Waited for the bus for quite some time. I guess the bus service in Bayan Lepas is not that convenient.



Penang Road Famous TeoChew Chendul @ Keng Kwee Street

I reunited with my friends in front of the Penang Road Famous TeoChew Chendul.


I saw this living statue at Penang Road. I saw him at Gurney Drive the day before. Living statue is not commonly sighted in Malaysia. Hence, it managed to draw a lot of crowd.

Penang Road Famous TeoChew Chendul is said to be the best Chendul in Penang and it has operated for more than 50 years.

There are 2 Chendul stalls at the same place which are located opposite to each other. One can recognize the Penang Road Famous TeoChew Chendul stall by the Phua Chu Kang photo. Note of advice: Follow the crowd. One may need to queue, just like us.

However, i just found out that they actually had branches at Giant Food Court in USJ Subang Jaya, Selangor and Melawati, KL.

All of us ordered the normal Chendul (RM1.70). The shaved ice is fine, with palm sugar and green jelly-like rice flour strips. Personally, i don't think there's anything special. It's just normal Chendul to me. However, the Chendul surely refresh and cool us down after a hot day.

Koay Ciap @ Kimberley Street

This stall offers noodles with duck innards. It was already fullhouse when we were there. Luckily we managed to get a table at a neighbouring stall. I don't eat duck but the rest of my friends did. They said the Koay Ciap was superb! Amazingly, it didn't leave an unpleasant smell that most duck dishes would exhibit.

Koay Teow T'ng @ Kimberley Street

This stall offers noodles with herbal chicken. The Koay Teow T'ng was delicious! The well-cooked chicken were soft and flavourful. It was aromatic, with heavy herbal taste in every bite.

C Kua T'ng @ Kimberley Street

This stall offers great Penang desserts. Can't remember the name of the dessert that i ordered. It consists of 4 ingredients in a bowl. Goes very well with the smashed ice. Cooling!

We ordered a few dishes from all the stalls nearby. All of them taste delicious.

See... even fly was "attracted" to my Penang's dessert.

The smells and tastes of hawker food on the narrow streets of George Town sure is tempting. Gathering around and eating at the sidewalk reminds me of the fact that good food can also be cheap sometimes.

Local Snacks @ Penang Road

We came across this old market opposite the Police Headquarter while we were on our way back to the Hotel.

There are many stalls which sell similar things, so we can ask around and bargain before we buy. Most of the things here are nicely packed, so its easy to bring along. We can see Pepper Biscuits, Lau Hau (Dou Kou - the fruit or drink) and Tau Sar Pneah just to name a few.

The famous Him Heang claims that they don't distribute their products to any retailers' outlet and their products are only available at their business premises at Burmah Road. However, some hawkers are selling Him Heang products here.

I bought 1 box of Him Heang Qing Tang Bing. I heard that it's their version of Lou Poh Beng. Qing Tang Bing consists of a light pastry with pure white sugar filling inside. Personally, i think it taste mild. Not my cup of tea, i guess.

After buying some tasty Penang souvenirs, we continued our way back to the Hotel. All of us had a fruitful day today. Looking forward to Day 4 in Penang.

[Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here are based entirely on personal taste buds, view and preference and may vary from others.]