The Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Here we are - at the lovliest hotel in Penang. Not the most expensive or elite but the lovliest. When we arrived the doormen took our bags while we were seated with the butler and given a cool refresher towel and welcoming drink! Check-in was organised while we relaxed and then went up to the room - or suite. Now this is more like it! A THREE ROOMED SUITE CONSISTING OF LOUNGE/DINING ROOM, KING SIZED BEDROOM AND A HUGE BATHROOM. Very sumptuous room, pure olde worlde luxury with a butler at our fingertips and she is university educated. They came in late in the afternoon to turn the sheets back too *sigh* so this is how the rich used to live here - oh maybe some of them still do.

Breakfast that comes with the Georgetown Suite is just as grande - no bacon but lamb cutlets, Japanese food (just like at the Gurney) as well as Indian and 'British'. Hot foods, cold foods and even dessert at breakfast! Fresh fruits which they even juice for you on the spot if you want and bottomless cups of fresh brewed coffee delivered to your table. MMMMMMMMMMMM. I settle for poached egg with smoked salmon and fruit salad with low fat yoghurt. Breakfast from 7:00am to 10:30am and a very very nice way to start the day

Gurney Spa

Well I finally made it to the Gurney Spa today. We're leaving The Gurney Hotel and moving to E&O this arvo so it was my last chance. I chose the Balinese massage with footscrub and massage and sauna - all up RM135 for 2 hours of pampering.

Best money I spent so far. The Spa Suite takes up the whole floor I think - after being led along passageways lines by bowls with floating flowers and oil burners and water features I arrived at my spa room and met Francesca from Sarawak/Sabah and she worked wonders for the next hour and a half. That was about AUD$45 - amazing. Never thought to take my camera but I don't think I'll forget the experience. People from Borneo must be very friendly because we were soon chatting like old friends and giggling like young girls. Really the time just went too quick but I sure got my moneys worth! The massage was supposed to be relaxing - and it was but it was also as intense as the Kahuna massage I had at Chalet Swiss Spa at Surf Beach. So it is goodbye to Gurney Resort & Spa and the special staff who made our stay so memorable there and HELLO Eastern & Oriental!

Bali Hai for Lunch then Gurney Mall again

We had a slow morning just making it to breakfast at 10:00AM before heading off to lunch later down the Gurney Drive stopping at Bali Hai. After breaking the language barrier we got lunch ordered but forgot to take a photo!

They had a huge wall of fish tanks with creatures in - some fish - some crustaceans and some alien looking! I got a small Carlsberg beer - about a midi for the equivalent of $2.30. Being as hot and steamy as it is it didn't really touch the sides but was just enough really.

Doesn't this look inviting ... it's actually the entrance to the nicest and cleanest toilet I've found outside of our hotel. As some of you seasoned travelers may already know, ladies have to squat in most Asian loos! This came as a real surprise to me when I first found it in a shopping centre and pondered long time whether I should stay or hold on! The hose (and lack of loo paper!) was particularly perplexing but suffice to say as a seasoned mum I had already taken far too many tissues from the previous eatery than we needed - until toilet time!

Here is the lovely clean Bali Hai loos (I used the disabled one with the pedestal of course!)

Penang Road & Butterfly Farm

Penang Road is a hot spot for little hawkers shops and local food. We spent a bit of time there checking things out - Matt got a pair of Ray Bans for 15 ringgits or AUD$5 so he was pretty chuffed. Manson took us to a place where you get a special dessert - a must on a hot day - and people were queuing around for called Chendul. It was being sold from two little carts on either side of a small lane with cars, vans and motorbikes squeezing through and crowds of people queueing and standing around eating thus stuff out of bowls. Manson described it as jelly with coconut milk I think but it's like like green vermacilli noodles. At the bottom of the bowl is red beans topped by these jelly noodles with crushed ice and fresh coconut milk mmmmmmmm very nice and cost a whopping RM1.60 - that's about 55 cents to feed the three of us.





Yes I will be back to Penang Road when we move to the Eastern & Oriental for Tuesday night as it's just handy to there.




Off to the Butterfly Farm - driving past Batu Ferringhi again to the end of the world - that's what they call that part of Penang cos you can't drive any further along there but have to head inland. Not far from turning we arrived at the Butterfly Farm. This is a real treat - cost RM20 for adults and was just lovely with butterflies fluttering everywhere, resting on plants and food traps like pineapple slices and flowers. I could have stayed there all day - except for the heat! but there was such a peacefulness there with a koi pond and lovely walks. A couple of the staff engaged us - one trying to get a huge butterfly off his hand to ours and another challenging us to find the insect in a sparse shrub (we found it!). It was a green leaf shaped stick insect - same colour as the rest of the bush.

Retail Chapter II - Old Penang & Burmese Temple

We packed it all in today. Starting with the boys giving me a surprise birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday to me!

After a nice yum cha lunch including pork rolls and other unusual tidbits we headed off to more shopping where we found some great Brands shops at Gurney Plaza then on to Dharmikarama Burmese Temple

The temple was a really nice peaceful place and shady - since it was over 38deg.C today and humidity about 90% any respite was good. Luckily we had Manson to accompany us as he was ready for beggars and told us what to do. One hairless old smoking woman kept calling 'boy'to Matt and called me Áunty'- he said to just smile and say no and that was good advice.

I saw a souvenir I liked but the hawker wanted RM20 (have to keep reminding myself ringits are not dollars - well not Aussie dollars anyway!) That was on the way in - on the way out as we were heading back to the car the guy chased us and offered to sell it for RM12 = AUD$4.00



You pay for parking everywhere here, even at the side of the roads where there are no meters. As soon as you stop your car a guy appears in a flouro vest with a bum bag and receipt book - you estimate how long you will park and he charges you accordingly. If by chance you stay over - he will be waiting to charge you more. I rather like this system as it's fair - you get what you pay for and if for some reason you go over you just pay the rest not some ridiculous fine like you would in Canberra or elsewhere.

Penang Retail chapter 1

Off shopping after a generous buffet breakfast Malay style. Started at QueensBay Mall, went to some other mall where I'll go back to tomorrow to pick up my Malaysian mob phone which will take 2 sims and work in OZ. Quiet night in with Subway for tea - thanks Matt and bed for my by 8:00PM - knackered!

Had a sticky beak at the Rasa Sayang Resort for next visit. I originally wanted to stay there but delays in booking and consequent rising charges put paid to that. Pity as it’s just beautiful and so quiet – just what I need. The desk was nice enough to show me a room although they were fully booked – June/July/August being their peak time in Asia. It was magnificent of course but at peak rates costs approx AUD$300 a night and really that is great value still. We then went on to Hard Rock for a look and drinkies. It is a small Hard Rock Cafe` shop and the hotel too stark and noisy for us - lotsa families with littlies there - oops I'm going grumpy ol' lady lol.

Yeah this had to be the hottest day here for a while - even the locals were feeling it.

Off to a good start

The flights over were good - everything they say about Singapore Airlines is true as they were top notch. Night before we left got a txt from Qantas saying our Canberra flight was cancelled so was all a flutter till we got that sorted. Worked out well as we got a jet instead of the Dash8.

Silk air out of Singapore was also good. Exchanged money at S'pore airport with no fee as I got S'pore dollars out of the ATM then handed them over for the Ringits. $240 = RM$540. Pretty Happy with that.

Since I left the camera cable in Canberra (doh) I won't get to post pics here until I get access to Matt's or Mansons'.

Dinner on Manson at the famous Coffee House (didn't notice any coffee :-) Six or more dishes and drinks for about AUD$25. It's that hot they have misters going in the outside eateries. Haven't been to the night hawkers yet as been too knackered!