Penang - and Northern Malaysia

Over the weekend I made my first trip to Penang with family in 5 years. I've always liked Penang not just for its food which is just on another planet in terms of flavour but also by the fact that it has a more relaxed and historic feel about it and lacks the stress and buzz of Kuala Lumpur. It also is a bit like Wellington albeit with more cars and construction work. And there's a long bridge linking Penang - an island - to mainland Malaysia - it used to be the longest bridge in Asia although a new bridge to the island further south will take that mantle when completed around 2014.

You can see the new bridge in the background

And it's not too far from KL anyway courtesy of Malaysia's excellent and impressive nationwide motorway network where most drivers drive at autobahn speeds even if the speed limit is 110km/hr for much of the way. It's a 3.5 hour drive from KL to Penang and there are quite a few interesting towns along the way.

One town I've always liked is Bidor which is halfway between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. It's a sleepy little town although it does have a KFC. But thankfully we're not after the Colonel's fried chicken but rather this cafe's famous wan-tan mee (below).

Anyway, as I said before, Penang is famous for its food. This is one of the better hawker places in Penang - it's located in Island Glades. 

Assam laksa, Penang style, the way it should be done

But as I said there's more to Penang than just food. There's plenty of history in what was once a British Straits Settlement along with Melaka and Singapore. One of the most famous sights in Penang is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion - or the Blue Mansion to most foreigners. In fact, if you pulled out a copy of the Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang guidebook from 2010, you'll recognise the background. 

Finally on Sunday, we had a look at my mum's ancestral home in the sleepy little town of Bukit Tambun back on the mainland. It has been abandoned for years but is rather dilapidated now - shame really as it does have some very nice murals and decorations on the facade.

I'll leave you with a hawker centre we stopped by in Ipoh for dinner.