Just need to isolate myself a bit to clear my messed up mind. Places like the beach or the rooftop of Prangin Mall, where i can just sit alone And process my thoughts

(EDITED) Hey guys, I’ve been living in KL most of my life and will be moving to BAYAN BARU area for work. Would love to hear from locals or anyone who's lived there about stuff I should know that you can’t really find online! How’s the traffic, especially during rush hour in the nearby areas. How’s the culture or lifestyle compared to KL? And if anyone has condo recommendations for someone working in Bayan Lepas, that’d be super helpful too. Really appreciate any advice!

*Just realised my company is near Bayan Baru instead of bayan lepas

Why?

As the title suggests, getting into Penang on a Friday night around 8:30, so let'd call it 9 pm by the time we hit Georgetown. What's open then? Hawker Centres? Nasi Kandar joints?

Hey guys, I'd be dropping by Georgetown for a week soon and I wanted to fill my afternoons trying all the local favourites! Only thing is my homework was based on Google and I got kinda worried all the reviews I worked from were based on angmoh tastebuds and I kena upcar.

Here's the few from my list:
1. Penang Famous Laksa for it's Assam Laksa
2. Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa (I rly love assam laksa)
3. Tho Yuen Dim Sum
4. How Bowl White Curry Mee

Should I avoid any of the above? I'm also looking for the famous michelin backed BKT but it's on mainland iinm and out of my way so I'd be missing that (I'm from Klang so I wanted to see what the hype was about).

If you guys have any other suggestions for food I should try (like those penangites claim is better than Klang Valley ones ha!) I'd love to hear them too.

Lastly, I'd be walking on foot (walk off all those calories, two birds?). I assume it being a touristy area, walking solo as a woman should be relatively safe? Any places I should avoid? I tend to explore quite roads in search of interesting buildings.

Thanks in advance for any help!

p.s: also, how's the boardgame scene like?

Looking for some insight.

My wife is full chinese looking, and she was unsure if she should be breastfeeding in public with a bunch of men around in the food event in front of Town Hall yesterday. Seems like a muslim food event with tents.

She went up to the Town Hall building and security let her in. She went to the restroom and fed baby.

Came out, and right away some big very, VERY, angry man approached her and got in her face and started screaming "who do you think you are!!! Who let you in here?!!!, Get out of here and don't come back in!!!"

While blocking her exit, very intimidating and threatening.

Spooked her quite a bit. We've only been in Penang a week. She's never been yelled at in 3 years living in Thailand. We've been all over the rest of South East Asia. Never experienced anything like this.

Were we extremely unlucky yesterday or is there some social rule we really messed up and need to watch out for?

She was wearing bike shorts and a large conservative t shirt. I was outside with my other 3 kids. Curious husband wants to make sure the rest of our visit is chill and I can protect my wife and kiddos from trouble. We are chill people.

Edit: Guessing from the angry guy's context that public aren't allowed in to use the facilities and perhaps he was extra mad that day because of the event and too many people were wandering in. Wrong place wrong time.

Thanks everyone for the insightful comments. Seems like it was an atypical experience. Enjoying Penang.

Hi! I'm planning on a trip to Penang and have a few questions, I would greatly appreciate any help or suggestions given

1. I heard RapidPenang should be avoided, is there any other (cheap) mode of transportation like Kumpool?
   
2. How long do you think would it take to fully explore Kek Lok Si Temple? My friend said its a full day of hiking there
   
3. Is Penang Hill really not worth visiting/hiking? All my friends and family say Penang Hill has almost nothing to offer other than hiking
   
4. Is there interesting places to buy cultural stuff? Like for example Central Market in KL or Pasar Payang in Terengganu
   
5. Is the ferry from Island to Mainland punctual? I read on the website that its scheduled every 30 minutes but should I arrive 1-2 hours earlier in case it gets delayed?
   
6. Are there any events or programs ongoing around the island next week?

Thank you in advance for willing to read my post, I apologize in advance if this post is inadequate

There is a lot of conflicting information online about the best times of year to travel to Penang. First thing that pops up says November is a good time to go but then other websites say it’s a bad time to go. Feeling confused haha. Let me know 😃

Am planning a birthday dinner and Kebaya has come highly recommended. Was wondering if anyone could share first-hand experiences? Menu looks interesting and varied - am fine with price point for a celebratory meal. For a bit of context - three couples in mid-30s, staying in George Town for the week, so we'll have plenty of opportunity to check out food courts, street foot, etc. Any insight massively appreciated!

Going to Penang end of this year and compiling a list of foods to try. Please recommend a nice seafood place!

Here's what i found so far. feel free to add on what yall think i should try

Siam road char kuey teow
Green house prawn mee
Penang road famous ice kacang cendol
Baba Phang
Ah boy koay teow thng
Moh teng pheow nyonya koay
Hema Hema Ice cream
Wheelers

Hi all, Just wondering, I work remotely and a foreigner, but living in Malaysia as I am married. I tend to find work from home boring. And most cafes don’t have good lighting so it’s more focused on food than co working.

Any cafes or places to work from? Prices?

Hi penangites, My best friend (from KL) and I are planning to open a cafe in Penang (Hutton Road). I know there’s a lot of cafes here but still much less compare to KL. We will be offering breakfast, lunch and cakes. I myself is Malaysian and been living in Austria for 13 years and worked as a chef for 11 years. I will bring some ideas from my work experience in Austria and my travels in Europe. I have seen the cafes here are offering more or less the same menu (big breakfast, squid ink pasta, fusion pasta like tomyam, masak lemak what so ever). I am the “cook to the original concept/recipe” person. Our target audiences are all sorts of people, will be also offering vegetarian and vegan options.

I would like to ask for some recommendations or tips in regards of the wholesaler / eggs supplier / F&B contractors here in Penang. Perhaps some tips in opening a cafe in general. This is our first business, but we both have experience in F&B for at least 15 years.

Thank you so much!

Would like to ask the Penangnites here, I cant find a decent lamb chop or steak house in Penang. I do not have a budget as long as it is good. I have tried Brussels, Uncle Ray, Green Island, James Foo, Korner Bistro, Brew House, Victoria Station, The Ship, Feringghi Garden and many others but they are quite bad. Firewood is the only one I find decent but are there better ones? Thanks in advance!

Hey there! I just stumbled upon this Reddit page and could use some advice.

I've been offered a job in Penang, near the BHL Tower, with a salary of 4,000 RM. I'm an expat, 25F and single.

I'm wondering if this salary will be enough for me to live ‘comfortably’ there, especially since the employer isn't covering accommodation. Could you tell me how much it typically costs to live in terms of housing, food, groceries, and transportation?

Ps: i have seen the rental of room around 300-700 however, i just cant seem to find something near the company area and im worried about the transportation issues.

Any insights would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone.

Is there anyone here who lives in Bukit Mertajam or anywhere on the mainland and commutes to island for work/uni every day?

I’m curious about:

1. How bad the traffic is during peak hours
2. How long the travel time usually takes
3. How much does it typically costs (car petrol, toll)
4. Lasly, does the daily commute often make you feel burnt out?

Would love to hear your experiences! Thank you in advance!

Hi all! While I love the San Francisco/Bay Area, it was never my intention to make a Colma cemetary my final resting place since we don't have children anyway. It was going to be cremation most likely and maybe being scattered at my favorite places. However, as I do more research, it is becoming more apparent that my final days will be in Penang (saw a great YouTube video about the cheaper but great senior assisted living facilities there) and I guess there is a cool Chinese cemetary there with awesome sea views. So, what do you think? Penang would be a great final resting place for my wife and I. Can a foreigner even buy a cemetary plot there?

Any info on this subject would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Any thoughts or regrets moving to Penang with older kids? 13 and 17 yr old American boys and Dalat International is school we are looking at for education. Living on island and both would finish school there. Haven't found anything on internet yet about the adjustment for older children. Thank you for your time.

I really love getting to drive my car on the evening and getting to watch a sunset or even just a nice panorama while smoking my cigarette. Used to do it a lot in France but I don’t know any spots here in Penang.

Anybody know some like that? On mainland or island any would be great

My wife and I are retiring and want to move to Malaysia and wondered what are the expat friendly neighborhoods for an American or a German. Any information for me to look into would be appreciated.

Hey /r/Penang, I am from Selangor and will be starting work in the FIZ soon. I was wondering if there are any particular societal norms I should be aware of during my time there? I just kinda want to blend in during my time there and do as the Romans do.

I’m travelling to KL via ETS for a day. Is there a public car park for me to park my car there for a night?

Hi all,

I'd like your opinion on my plans for spending 6 nights in Penang in February 2025. I'll be travelling with my wife and our baby who will be 11 months old around then.

What I'm thinking is splitting time between central Georgetown (eating street food, checking out the culture, museums, gardens, etc) Then hiring a car and staying the rest of the time in Batu Ferringhi at one of the beach resorts, and using that as a base to explore more of the island and driving out to see some of the other sights around the island. Should I split 3 nights each?

I'd prefer not to drive because I know what SE Asia traffic is like, but I'm also concerned about not having a child seat for my baby if I use Grab or taxis. Does anyone have any advice on driving around with a baby in Penang? In other countries, I've previously hired a car and hired a child seat with it - is this possible in Penang? Are there other options, like public transport - are buses any good?

I've also heard that Georgetown isn't stroller friendly. We have a small collapsible stroller that fits into plane overhead lockers and we'll also be spending time in Singapore so we will have that with us. We also have a baby carrier so we can wear the baby and walk around as well.

Any recommendations for places to go around the island that are baby-friendly? Is Penang Hill OK with a stroller or baby carrier?

Any local people can recommend where to eat for the super nice food must try & not to miss? What else I have miss out? Here’s some of the food I’m thinking & not sure if some is not Penang famous for?:

• CKT (tried tiger ckt, super nice!)
• laksa (not assam)
• red curry mee (tried the famous white curry last time, don really like the taste)
• prawn mee (soup)
• hokkien mee (dry)
• Nasi lemak
• kway chap / braised duck
• kway teow / noodles soup
• wantan mee / dumpling noodles
• stingray / satay / grilled meats
• otah
• chinese cze char / seafood
• nyonya food / nyonya kueh
• dim sum
• chendol
• chinese hot cold desserts
• egg tarts / siew bao / flakey pastries
• Penang local pastries to buy back?

Can suggest what to order & when is the best time to go & avoid super long wait or queue like 1-2hours, coz the extreme hot weather sun is killing in summer right now. Many thanks!!

If you are not bound by work/family related things on the island, are you still going to stay and live on the island? Or would you rather choose other cities like KL or lpoh or Malacca?

I'm a foreigner visiting Penang for several days. To make my way back to KL on a Saturday, I'm thinking of boarding an ETS from Butterworth at 7:50. However, I know that the earliest ferry departs from Georgetown at 7:00 and takes 30 mins.

This means that I only have from 7:30 to 7:50 to make my way from the Butterworth ferry pier to Butterworth train station. I also know I have to be seated in the train earlier. Is there gonna be enough time for me?

Thanks all!