Hawker Food at Gurney Drive Penang

Gurney Drive Penang is famous for hawker food, 'open air' style. Many locals and Penangites tell me this is not the place to go if you wish to sample genuine and delicious Penang food. I ended up at this place because earlier on my family and I had been enjoying ourselves basking in the beauty of the sunset along the promenade.  By sundown, the place was be very congested which would make it very difficult to find a parking space. The hawker center is just a walk away from where we parked our car.

Sunset Stroll at Gurney Drive Penang

1.

Gurney Drive is a seafront promenade located in Georgetown, the capital of Penang state, Malaysia. This stretech is a very popular tourist destination famous for its variety of hawker food and shopping centres.

2. When the sun begins to set, this is when activity starts. Some come for a healthy jog or stroll while others walk their dogs here. Friends meet up for a chat and couples come here hand-in-hand to enjoy the romantic sunset views.

3.

Gurney Drive was previously known as the New Coast Road. It was completed in 1936 along what was then known as the North Beach, and renamed in 1952 after Sir Henry Gurney, High Commissioner of Malaya from 1950-1951.

4.

The lights in the distance is the Gurney Drive hawker centre. The beaches along Gurney Drive are rocky and no longer suitable for leisurely swims or beach games due constant coastal erosion over the years. In recent years, a land reclamation project at nearby Tanjung Tokong has reversed the erosion and resulted in a gradual build up of silt and mud off Gurney Drive.

5.

Mangrove saplings have sprouted in the mud, which is now frequented by egrets and other birds as well as mudskippers. There are suggestions that this area be reclaimed for a recreational park or allowed to develop into a mangrove forest.

Source: Wikipedia

6.

Would you like to see this area here to be developed into a mangrove forest and recreational park?

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This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #69. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.

Paradise Sandy Beach Resort Penang - A Night Stay

This is our leisurely drive along Tanjung Bungah as we were heading for Paradise Sandy Beach Resort. Usually, whenever we visited Penang, we'd like to stay at the more popular beach resorts along Batu Feringghi. IMO, I think the most beautiful beach is located along the Batu Feringghi stretch. This time we decided to try Tanjung Bungah which is nearer to Georgetown.

Tanjung Bungah is a former fishing village. A stretch of the beach was hit by a devastating tsunami on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) 2004. Currently, it is a good choice for budget travellers. There are 4 hotels here, all 3-star, namely Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, Flamingo, Copthorne Orchid and Tanjung Bungah Hotel.

Paradise Sandy Beach Resort is situated at 527, Jalan Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia. A very tall building with swaying palm trees. Not bad. We book this budget hotel via http://www.agoda.com/. We find that it is cheaper to book online than to call in directly to their hotel reservations department. We also checked on the travellers reviews and compared the rates before we made the decision to stay the first night at Paradise Sandy Beach Resort and the second night at Copthorne Orchid.
 
“Paradise Sandy Beach Resort Penang - A Night Stay”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on January 11th, 2011.

We selected the Deluxe Paradise Suite rooms which were quite spacious and cosy. Each suite is about 70 sq metres and there are 2 separate balconies for us to enjoy the sea view. The bedroom is separated from the outer area which consisted of a lounge, dinning and kitchenette area. The bathroom is spacious and has a bath tub which is not bad considering that this is a 3 star hotel. For broadband internet access in the room, we need to pay an additional RM 10.00 for the cable.

This is the view of the sea from the bedroom balcony.

This is the view from the balcony at the lounge area. We should be able to see the sunrise from the balconies but it was rainy and cloudy weather during our visit. We could go to the beach or the swimming pool but we were too tired. We spent the late afternoon resting and relaxing.



Another view of the surrounding Tanjung Bungah residential area from the balcony.

The package included simple breakfast, the choices are the usual mix of continental, american and local breakfast fare.

Overall, the stay was okay and the food, accommodation and service was up to my expectation of a budget hotel.

This is my entry for That's My World Tuesday, Season 3 Episode 14. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

This is also my entry for Watery Wednesday #122, the link is here. 

Rob and Mandy of Barcelona Daily Photo is hosting the Food for Thoughts meme every Thursdays, do join them here.

A Drive Along Tanjung Bungah Penang

Upon arrival to Penang Island, we first visited Kek Lok Si Temple at Air Itam. After lunch at the Kek Lok Si Vegetarian Restaurant, it was time to check in to our hotel, The Paradise Sandy Beach Resort in Tanjung Bungah (Cape of Flowers). Along the way we pass by this area. The skies are bright and sunny now.

I looks like there is a lot of development going on in Penang Island. There seem to be more skyscrappers here than in Klang city and they look brand new. Traffic was quite heavy but there were no massive jams. I have visited Penang Island during public holidays and weekends in the past, and the traffic jams were terrible. A trip meant for relaxation had become very stressful then.

 It is great to travel offpeak, i.e. Dec 8-10. It was just before The Flower Festival and Dragon Boat Races would started on Dec 11th. Every year, there is also the Pesta Festival and Year End Celebrations which attract a lot of visitors to this island.

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Kek Lok Si Vegetarian Restaurant Penang

Just as we were finished with our sightseeing at the hill top of Kek Lok Si Temple, it started to rain. So we headed back to the same place where we had parked our car at the hillside entrance in front of this souvenir shop.

As we were already very hungry and had no more strength to search for food in an unfamiliar place, we decided to try out the Vegetarian Restaurant at the lower ground level of Kek Lok Si Temple. Well, you won't miss this restaurant as signages are prominently display at the steps leading down to the lower ground below. People who need to use the washroom will also pass by this restaurant.

Looking at the menu, the prices seemed quite reasonable, so we went in to have our lunch. Besides, it is good to go vegetarian once in a while. It is stated that rice and tea is Free, i.e. included in the package. There was also no service charge.

How often do you take a vegetarian meal?

“Kek Lok Si Vegetarian Restaurant Penang”, a copyrighted post, was written for Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog by Autumn Belle @ http://mymalaysiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ on January 6th, 2011.

We selected the selected the 3 dishes and 1 soup for RM 35.00.  We were really hungry then, so we had already walloped the first serving of vegetables when I took out my camera to capture this picture.  The dishes were simple but it tasted good.

The Maneki Neko cat is purchased from the sovenir shop at the Incline Lift Station, not a free gift from this restaurant.

Further down from the Vegetarian Restaurant, there is a Liberation Pond aka Sacred Turtle Pond.  Turtles are symbols of longevity, protection and wisdom. Some cultures, e.g. Chinese, Buddhist, Taoists, believe that releasing captured turtles and tortoises is a good deed or good karma. Here, at the Liberation Pond, you can also do a good deed by buying some water spinach (kangkong) and feeding it to the turtles here.

This is my entry for That's My World Tuesday. To view what others have in their world, please visit here.

Wow, Today is 1-1-11, Happy New Year 2011!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

The picture above was taken at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The structure is reflected on the water surface below. Can you identify where is the cut-off line?

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #67. To participate or view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please visit here.