Road Trip - Day 1

Despite the fact that we were all supposed to be undergoing ‘internship’, for some reason we all seemed to take it easy and even took time to plan for a holiday. So we planned to embark on a Road Trip. Initially, the people supposedly to go for this trip were Shawn, Kantha, Wan San, Apple, Mimi and Crystal. But once again, somebody decided to ‘take the plane’ instead. So as we had 1 place left, Shiao Teng managed to join us.

26^th May 2008, 6.30am Monday morning, transport had arrived at Shawn’s house before beginning our journey. By the time everything was sorted out like appointing Shawn as the ‘Financial Controller’ we left around 6.45am (first thing in the morning already had to feel like a loan shark…haih).

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight 7887 departing from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. Estimated time of arrival to Penang is eleven hundred hours and we will make a short transit at Ipoh town. The weather looks calm and fine. We hope that you will have a pleasant journey and thank you for ‘flying’ with Toyota”.

The drive north-bound to was not too bad as it was a weekday but there quite a lot of road works going on which at one point or another gave us a few scares and surprises (for the ones who were still awake at least). There were some hard breaking and even…workers throwing cones in front of you…while you’re driving past! But nonetheless, we reached Ipoh town in approximately 2 hours. In Ipoh, we made our way to one of the coffee shops to have breakfast. So what’s famous here? None other than their Kai See Hor Fun. The bowls of noodles we had were really nice with soft and smooth kuay teow, fat and crunchy bean sprouts and wonderfully flavoured chicken and prawn broth garnished with chives. Not only were they delicious but cheap too. Kantha and Wan San had Wan Tan Mee but they commented that KL makes better noodles. Having finished our ‘petit dejeuner’, we wasted no time and headed straight for Penang.

It took us about another 2 hours to reach the Penang Bridge and thank goodness for Smart Tag otherwise we would have been caught up in the queue along with everybody else. I think I’ve made this comment more than once on the trip. We are like some ‘super-saavy’ travelers who need no maps no matter where we’re going. Conclusion – we think we know where we’re going but…in the end still need to ask for directions. What a joy-ride. Anyway, we had to make our way to Sri Sayang Hotel and Condominiums which is situated on the north-east side of the island directly opposite the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort.

When we got there, we were in for a little predicament. We booked a condo online the day before and hoped that our request had been processed. Upon arrival we were told that our reservation was not conformed and that the hotel was fully booked. Reason…SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!! With the bad news, we left the lobby and decided to search for another place to stay. As we were about to exit the parking lot, as if he was a drug dealer, the security guard discreetly gave Kantha a piece of paper with some numbers on it. For a moment it all seemed a little fishy. But the truth was that some people had condos for rent and he was the middle man. So, we rang the land-lord and in 20 mins we had a place to stay. Lucky us and thank you Mr…drug dealer?? By the time we went up to our rooms and rested for a little while, our stomachs were telling us what to do next. As we had no clue where to go, we just headed to Gurney Drive to see what was there. As they say, Peneng is another Foodies Galore of Malaysia. It was quite late for lunch but we managed to find somewhere to eat. We had some Char Kuay Teow and Lobak. Let’s just say we weren’t ‘wowed’ by the Penang food. I guess the best of Penang are already all in KL.

Just before dusk, we went to the beach along the Rasa Sayang Resort. The sea was not exactly what you call clear and the sand was very rough. Quite disappointing actually when you’ve been to better beaches like those in Langkawi. It started to drizzle and we went back to the pool at our hotel for just a little while. Fast forward, after everyone showered and got ready, we went to Gurney Drive again to have dinner. By this time, the corner of this road transforms into a night food court with a wide variety of stalls to choose from. We decided to order and share. Of course we had to have some Asam Laksa. We also ordered dishes like rojak, oyster omelet, grilled fish and grilled cuttlefish as well as chee choeng fun. Penang food is usually accompanied with prawn paste of ‘har koh’. We weren’t ‘wowed’ by the food here either.

The night was still young, so we went back to our hotel after walking around Gurney Plaza for a little bit. Oh…just to let you all know that to get in and out from our hotel to the city takes a 15 minute winding drive. So…here’s a question. What can’t a holiday trip do without? Due to the cost factor, we opted for the ‘not-so-premium’ stuff. Some drinks, cards and money. Simple way to end the night ain’t it guys?

7 Months

Man!! It took approximately 7 months for this blog to be updated. But you guys who are reading this would understand that a lot....and I mean A LOT has happened in the past months that explains the reason this blog hasn't been updated since. Anyway, marche-marche cherecher manger finally gets it's update. Despite the name of the blog, I would like to think that the primary subject of the blog has changed. Instead of a foodie blog, it is more of an account of our holidays...which I am sad to say may not happen again . But not to worry, life has to take it's course and I will try to feed this blog whenever I can. Cheers.