Gunung Baling Hiking - How To Go

It is crazy that I need to wake up at 4:30am.

We depart from Bukit Mertajam at 5am, and reach Gunung Baling at 6am. So estimate at least 1 hour from mainland to Baling and at least 1.5 hour from Penang Island.

The entire journey took us around 2 hours to peak.
First 30 minutes is a very muddy steep slope, go slow, follow your own pace, not your friends'. Beginner K.O. at this stage.
The next 30 minutes is less muddy but still steep with more tree roots and steps.

The last hours are all rocky and you need to use a lot of hand. There are quite a lot of hikers, so there is plenty of rest time at some of the difficult part while waiting others to pass thru.

For those who follow my blog before, you will know my stamina is really bad. :p
So you will know when I tell you it is OK, that is definitely an OK.

For stamina wise, it is totally OK (Just need to go slow on the first 30 minutes).
But the rocky place is dangerous and slippery which I do not recommend for kids less than 12 year-old.

We reach the peak at 8am, missed the sunrise. However, the view is still, SPECTACULAR. it is definitely worth waking up at 4:30am. I feel it even nicer than Lembing Hill.

If you are from Penang Island, go towards Alor Setar direction after edit from bridge. Go straight until you see the BKE Expressway exit (To Grik/Kulim Hi-Tech Park).
Follow the highway to Grik, drive straight and you will need to pay two RM1.60 toll. Please make sure you have a touch n' go card in hand. After you pass through 2 tolls, go straight until u see exit to Baling on your left.  Follow the sign to Baling. After you slightly pass through Baling Town, you will see a Chinese cave temple on your left, and after awhile you will see a small road on your left with signboard Pendakian Gunung Baling.

Location: 5°41'13.3" N 100°54'53.6" E


Things you might need:
Headlight (if hike early)
Long pants (avoid cratching on rocks)
Kampung Adidas is the best

Adam's Kitchen at Perda, Bukit Mertajam

Get to know Adam's Kitchen when browse through offpeak.my, the new discount website which offer pretty good deals.

On this hot Saturday, I said why not give it a try. Although it is at Bandar Perda, a place where you hardly see Chinese nowadays since Aeon Jusco moved out, no offence, but I really don't understand why most Chinese only hang out at Chinese dominant place. Probably most Chinese lived in the city their whole life. Most, but not all. I just so miss my kampung. :D

Adam's Kitchen located at the same row with Kapitan Bandar Perda, facing the inner road.

The ambient is comfortable in the afternoon. With air-conditioning and light music. The staff is friendly and always with smilly face, make us feel really welcome.

Here comes the food...

Grilled Chicken Chop RM16.90

The chicken is served with generous mashed potatoes and the meat is tender. The vegetable is washed clean.

Grilled Lamb Chop RM22.90

I must say... the Lamb Chop is awesome! The lamb is cooked to its perfect tenderness and without the lambshy smell that some people might afraid of. Probably the best cooked in Bukit Mertajam I ever tasted. The taste is a bit salty to my liking, but it is still perfect. Salad was served with mint sauce instead of the typical mayonnaise nor thousand island sauce. Totally feel the sincerity in their cooking. I cannot believe there's such a good cafe hidden in Perda!

Mojito RM8.90

The Mojito is equally good and refreshing!

I believe I will definitely come back again very soon!

Penang Travel Privilege Card - Discount Card

The Ministry of Tourism & Culture and Tourism Malaysia Penang has partnered with Penang Tourist Centre to launched the ‘Travel Privilege Card – Penang’ (formerly known as Museum Adventure Pass), which offer a great discount for Penang attractions and participating cafe and restaurant.

Card holder can also get additional 5% discount when booking hotels or homestay at staynest.com.

This Travel Privilege Card providing up to 20% discount at over 100 outlets. It can be purchase at RM20 and is transferable with validity for one year.

Price: RM20
Validity: 1 Year

Where to buy the Travel Privilege Card?
http://www.penangtouristcentre.com/distribution/ 

Sources:
http://www.what2seeonline.com/2016/03/travel-privilege-card-for-penang-attractions-cafes/
http://www.penangtouristcentre.com/

Bicycle Route From Queensbay to The Light, Penang

The route started off at the overhead bridge opposite E-Gate. The entrance is at a branch off from the motorcycle lane.

The path is beautiful, quiet but still feel safe from The Light to the Golden Triangle/Putra Place. But I do not see any lamp post on the track so do not come late or during dark time.

The path is smooth for riding and running.

A branch out can be found at The Light car entrance and ones have to cross the road to branch in again to the bicycle path

You can ride straight until it branch to the left to the Marine Police Quarters and there is another small left turn to continue the path. From here to the Queensbay Malay stall, the path is uneven and difficult to ride. I usually choose to ride straight on the vehicle path.

Take the left turn to the Marine Police Quarters. Notice there is another left turn after this.

Vehicle path if you did not branch out left after Marine Police quarter

After the Jetty to Jerejak, right beside Putra Marine Resort there is a left turn to continue to Queensbay Mall. The path continue behind Baystar Condominium. From this part, there are lesser people and recommend better to come with group of people.

And then we reach Queensbay mall. The path end at the last roundabout at the end of the branch out to Coastal Road/FIZ. Total about 8km and took around 1 hour or less one way.

Overall is a pleasant experience and thanks to Penang government provide such a good place for exercise. Hopefully the route can be extended to Georgetown and Bayan Lepas soon and equip with solar lights. Go Penang!

Penang Book Fair 2015 - The Big Bad Wolf

The Big Bad Wolf is coming to town!
From 13th March to 23rd March 2015 at Times Square Penang~ Don't missed it!

Location :
Penang Times Square,
Jalan Dato Keramat, 10150 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang

Time:
10.00a.m to 10.00p.m

5% additional discounts for Hong Leong Credit card holders!

Source:
http://www.bigsale.com.my/promotions/35379/the-big-bad-wolf-books-sale-penang--penang-times-square.aspx

Spade's Burger at i-avenue, Penang

We went to Spade's Burger at i-Avenue during lunch hour to try out this newly opened burger shop. It was not crowded but it took roughly 15 minutes to reach our serving.

Looking up on the menu, the price ranging around RM10-20. To make it a set, add RM5 to have french fries and bottomless drink. I was trying to keep fit and do not want any fries, but I was told I need to pay RM4 to buy the drink... Oklah, make it a set then (weird...I cannot have anything that is not bottomless?).

The special about the menu is that, they serve non-meat burger! I think this is a great news for vegetarian, although I am not sure whether their non-meat burger have any garlic or not for pure vegan. I haven't get the chance to eat their portobello mushroom burger, but with portobello plus the picture from other blogger, I think this non-meat burger looks really promising~

Come back to what I have ordered - Jack's Chick (C1), the basic chicken burger with cheese and special sauce. The sauce is indeed special, with a flavoury and sourly taste,  not typical thousand island, mayonnaise nor teriyaki taste.

The chicken meat is well done and tender. However, still lose to my beloved New York Pizza's burger at Sungai Dua, this burger is lack of juiciness and fattiness~ LOL~ The meat is more lean and less fat and might be preferable by health conscious people though.

The french fries portion is generous and the drinks come with a choice of various machine pressed soft-drink and Heaven & Earth Lemon Tea. The price is a bit high although bottomless drink is a plus. Overall, still a good experience and if I do come back, I will try their mushroom burger.

Self-order Counter

More Menu Here: (Click to Enlarge)

Spade's Burger
Address: 1-1-22, Ideal Avenue, Medan Kampung Relau
Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun: 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
N 5 19.959 E 100 17.582
(Same row with PC Depot & 100 Yen Shop)

Occupy Beach Street, Penang Sunday Market

Many have know about our Car-Free-Day every Sunday on Beach Street.
However, do you know that the Occupy Beach Street initiatives have turned the area into a beautiful Sunday Market! A mixture of cultural activity,  live music performance, physical activities like cycling and jogging, finger food stall, art & craft stall... this place has transformed into a eco-community area for both penangites and tourists!

Let's keep the place clean while we having fun~

Location: Lebuh Pantai, Lebuh Bishop, Lebuh Gereja & Gat Lebuh Gereja
Date: Every Sunday
Time: 7:00AM – 1:00PM

Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/occupybeachstreet
http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/index.php/Festivals/occupy-beach-street

Penang Green Activity 2014 - Barter Your Ex 3.0

In conjunction with Penang International Green Carnival 2014 and Earth Day celebration which lies on 22 April, Penang Green Council is organizing the upcoming event - Earth Day Barter Trade, co-organized by Occupy Beach Street (OBS).

It serves as a good platform for the participants to exchange the second-hand items such as household utensils, toys, books, kitchen utensils, decorative items and etc. As long as the items are in fairly good condition, they can be traded. This activity does not involve cash transactions.

The main aim is for participants (registered) to bring in their used item and exchange it with others regardless of its value. We hope that with this program, the items can be reused or be treasured and the public can be aware about the Zero Waste practices.

I hope you all can join the fun!


Date: 20th April 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 8.00 am – 12.00 pm
Venue: Beach Street, Penang

Sources: http://www.pgc.com.my/index.php/earth-day-celebration-2014

Pulau Aman Mee Udang & Mantis Prawns

Mee Udang and the Mantis Prawns are like the whole point of going Pulau Aman to many people.

To me, it is an unforgettable brand new experience, yet I hope it won’t be happened again... What happened? Curious right? :p

After we get off from the boat, we head straight to the Restaurant Terapung (Floating Restaurant), no chance to get lost by following the crowd. When approaching the restaurant, you will see a dock where people queuing for fresh fishes and prawns. If you are not going alone, get some of you queue at the dock, and others can walk further in to queue for the restaurant’s table. Of course you only need to do that if there are a lot of people (avoid public & school holiday).  They are 2 different merchant, so you have to buy your own freshie, bring it to the restaurant and ask them to cook for you.

I was the one queuing at the dock, and I just wanted to get some mantis prawns. Like most of the famous food in Penang, the person-in-charge is kind of arrogant. The person kept saying, "No more mantis prawns for today." I was really curious and I see the people still queuing, and no movement. After 15 minutes standing there, I finally understand. There are fishing boat sending in supply like every 5 minutes, many of them bring in normal prawns, tiger prawns, fishes and crabs. Mantis prawns? Not much. Maybe because of the timing which is 1pm that time, or demand > supply.

However, people still show low interest on other fishes and prawns, even the big mantis prawns, as it is more expensive. So we just so willing to wait despite the uncertainty.

The Big Mantis Prawns costs RM120 for 4, I bet can just buy one though. Small Mantis Prawns costs RM50 per kg.

Finally, it is my turns, they got me 800g (7 mantis prawns) for RM40, without even asking me how much I want. Boat came, mantis prawns came, throw all in the plastic bag, weight it, hand it to you, take it or leave it. If you don’t want, the next person surely more than happy to take it. So I paid, bring my still jumping mantis prawns, walk towards the restaurant, where my friend still queuing. While waiting, V took a picture with it bravely.

On the other hand, I busy marketing off half of my mantis prawns as we not going to finish all 7 mantis prawns. It just took me open my mouth and in less than 5 mins, they are sold to a person behind the queue.

Finally, V grabs us a table. Despite the restaurant is really really dirty, we had the freshest mantis prawns I ever had. Without any sauce or spice, only cooked by steaming the mantis prawns, you taste its sweetness and freshness (while V actually felt it 'jilak').

We also ordered the Mee Kuah Udang and fried rice, which are really nothing worth mentioning. Wonder how it became so famous. One of the blogger who mentioned the fried rice is better than the mee udang, I really couldn't agree at all. The prawns in mee udang and fried rice are very fresh though. You don’t need to get prawns from the dock unless you need extras. Mee udang and fried rice cost RM5-RM6 respectively.

The meal was completed by a lime juice (malay: limau ais). Totally refreshing on a too much seafood meal in hot afternoon (better ask them to lesser the sugar though).

We have a short walk on the trail and village after mail, check out my another post.

Just a short afternoon, but a long day for me. Looking at too much killing with my bare eyes. 

Check out my other posts:

How To Go Pulau Aman?
Boat Fees & Schedule
Pulau Aman Village

Pulau Aman Fishing Village

Signboard after exit the Jetty on Pulau Aman. Separate as left and right side of the island.

 We have a short walk on the trail on left after exit from the Restaurant Terapung (Floating Restaurant). The trail don’t have any sign but we hope the trail would be round island, however, after walking 15 mins, it still shows no sign at all, so we finally decided to turn back.

Scenery on the trail

Walking back and V explores to the right of the island which houses numbers of village families. It looks like the Mabul Island village that we went last year, original and close to the nature.

At very end of the right side of the island, there is a very beautiful bay that have not been discovered by many (before I wrote it here of course).

There are few people fishing there. We watched them caught a stingray (malay: ikan pari), and cut its tail. Then they put it in a very small container.

After 5 mins, it gives birth to a baby stingray. The fishing guy said, whenever they caught a stingray, it will gives birth a baby, which they don’t know why. What else... that is survival behavior, knowing that they will be killed soon.

They put the baby stingray back to the sea.  

I don’t like fishing. Don’t like the feeling that we kill the animal with our own hands, or watching it to die. If we have to catch our own food some days, I think I have to be vegetarian...

The trip is a fresh experience for me, watching how people live at the other side of Penang.

Check out my other posts:
How To Go Pulau Aman?
Boat Fees & Schedule
Pulau Aman Famous Seafood: Floating Restaurant (Restaurant Terapung)


Something to Learn:
"Rays have been known to store sperm and not give birth until they decide the timing is right".^[1]
"Stingrays give birth to fully developed, live young, not egg cases like skates do. When they are near term, even the slightest stress - like dangling from a hook or bird’s mouth - can cause them to release their young.  ^[2]

Pulau Aman Boat Schedule & Price

How to Go Pulau Aman Jetty? Check-out HERE.

Ferry Price:
Adult: RM6 (Return)
Children: RM4  (Return)
One-way: RM 4

Schedule:
(Weekdays)
From Pulau Aman:
8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
From Batu Musang:
9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm

(Weekend & Public Holiday)
Non-stop boat supply

Duration: The journey takes only 10 mins in speed boat while around 15-20 mins in slow boat.

Speed Boat

Slow Boat

Check out my other posts:
How To Go Pulau Aman?
Pulau Aman Fishing Village
Pulau Aman Famous Seafood: Floating Restaurant (Restaurant Terapung)

Pulau Aman - How to Get There

Pulau Aman is one of the nearest tourist island in Penang other than Pulau Jerejak.

I finally get the chance to visit Pulau Aman after almost 4 years in North when my old friend from Batu Pahat visit me during the school holiday.

We started off from Bukit Mertajam, using the north-south highway from Juru Toll, drive for about 15 minutes and exit at Bukit Tambun toll. After exit the toll, turn right following the brown colour signboard pointing Pulau Aman Jetty. Drive for another  500 metres, you will need to make a left turn, stay with the signboard. The left turn will lead you to the Batu Kawan stadium, the biggest stadium in Penang state, in the middle of nowhere, resides on the left-hand-side of the road. Keep driving straight and you will notice the signboard started showing Jetty Cassia.

Before I came, I did some homework and people mentioned there are 2 jetties, Jetty Bukit Tambun and Jetty Batu Musang, where the Jetty Batu Musang is the correct jetty to Pulau Aman now. It make me worry if I was on the right track. But end up, hell the Jetty Batu Musang, none of the signboard mentioned its name. Just follow the Jetty Cassia guys (well at least for these few months until they change again), the Jetty Batu Musang name will only be seen right at the jetty.

It’s nothing complicated because you don’t have much choices on the route, just stay on the road, despite you will see deserted place with bushes and swam, you will reach the jetty eventually. It took us about 40 minutes or less from Bukit Mertajam to the jetty, smooth traffic.

Sorry that I don’t have information on the public transport to jetty.

The ferry/boat fees and schedule can be found HERE. 

GPS Coordinate:
N 5 15.914 E 100 24.44


Check out my other posts:
Boat Fees & Schedule
Pulau Aman Fishing Village
Pulau Aman Famous Seafood: Floating Restaurant (Restaurant Terapung)

The Mugshot Cafe, Georgetown Chulia

It's been awhile since my last post, busy looking for my second property but after a 3 months struggling, I still got nothing. On the other hand, my daily full-time job didn't give me a break either. What a hard time...

I have been spending much of my time in island after work for dinner to avoid the jam at penang bridge. On a nothing-special-day, after searching nothing on mudah.my,  I was thinking what should we eat tonight. I have a secret loving feel towards Chulia Street area, most probably because it gives me a feeling that as I am traveling myself.

I came across The Mugshot Cafe in one of the blog I surfed. It is located right besides Rainforest Bakery on Lebuh Chulia. The interior design of the cafe have a same feel as Rainforest Bakery, and they have a open entrance in the shop which link two shops together, obviously belong to a same owner.

What's so special about this cafe? They sell bagel! Something I never had and never seen in Penang.
What's bagel? Check it out yourselves. :p

I was afraid they will run out of bagel at night as out of the blogs I read, they all came here in day time. However, we reached there around 7pm and were lucky enough that day.

The bagel is crunchy at the outside, chewy in the inside. It's really satisfying. I will consider that as a very good experience having my first bagel.

Beef & Rocket Bagel

Bacon & Egg Bagel

We had a kiwi & honey yogurt and wild berries tea as dessert & beverage. The yogurt portion is generous and the tea giving a refreshing fragrant, totally complete our meal that night.

One thing that need emphasize is they are partially self-service. You need to place order and collect your beverage from the counter. Bagel will be delivered. It doesn't bother me much as the attitude of the staff is pretty good, but perhaps some sign showing "self-service" will be much better.

The price is reasonable ranging between RM5-12 for beverage and RM10 for both bagel and muffin.
p/s: photo taken by phone, poor resolution.... :s

The Mugshot Cafe
Address: 302, Chulia Street, Georgetown, Penang

Contact Number: 012-405 6276

GPS Coordinate: N 5 25.099    E 100 20.193

The Mugshot Cafe Facebook


In case you like to know what is bagel~
"A bagel (also spelled beigel) is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. Bagels are often topped with seeds baked on the outer crust, with the traditional ones being poppy or sesame seeds. Some also may have salt sprinkled on their surface, and there are also a number of different dough types such as whole-grain or rye." - Wikipedia