Little Genting, Penang

Tourists to Penang will invariably chose to stay in George Town or the northern coast of the island from Batu Feringgi to Tanjung Bungah. During their stay, they may even do a day trip to the western part of the island where Balik Pulau is. Unfortunately the South of the island is rarely on the agenda, even though the International Airport is located here.

Although the south is routinely ignored, there are a few points of interest here which can easily be integrated into a round-the-island trip itinerary. One such interesting place is Bukit Genting or Little Genting (as some of the locals call it).

Bukit Genting is actually a hill located off the trunk road connecting Teluk Kumbar in the south of the island to Balik Pulau in the western flank of Penang. To get there is fairly simple, although it is not really sign-posted. Coming from the north head south towards the Penang International Airport at Bayan Lepas.

Upon reaching the intersection to the airport, ignore it and continue south-west along Jalan Bayan Lepas towards Teluk Kumbar. Once pass the small town, you will eventually come to an intersection. Turning left would take you the small fishing village of Gertak Sanggul. Instead forge on into Jalan Teluk Kumbar, which heads west and steadily climbs up the hills which make up the central spine that divides the east flank of the island from the west flank.

Eventually as you approach the crest of the ridge, you will spot an unattractive arch saying "Bukit Genting Hill Leisure Park and Restaurant". For some reason, although "bukit" already means "hill" in malay, the owner has chosen to repeat it twice in the name of his park and restaurant.

If you are concerned about the road up, you can chose to park here and summon the operators to come down and ferry you up. Don't know if they actually will do that, as we chose to drive up the narrow winding road up in our car. Yes, that's right, a normal car can make the journey up and you do not need a 4-WD.

The road going up is sealed all the way, but is narrow and windy. Perhaps if you are a novice driver you might be intimidated, but if you have been driving for a while, it should not be that difficult a drive.

The road is initially two-way as you drive through a durian plantation. Later on, the road splits, and it is one-way going up and one-way coming back down. 

Eventually you will reach the top where the "Leisure Park" is. A distinct air of neglect and permeates the surrounds and the Leisure Park has definitely seen better days. There are various under-whelming decorations which make up the "attractions" of the small park.

Welcome to Bukit Genting Hill.

A bullock cart and other animal statues.

Mock-up of a helicopter.

Fake rabbits amidst the shrubbery.

A sailing ship. Why you ask? I don't know too...

There are also various wooden pavilions perched on the hillside to take into the views. Apparently you can also rent chalets and stay here overnight if you chose to do so. 

There is also a Thai restaurant here and it must be said that although the food is perhaps not the best Thai food that can be found in Penang, the amazing views more than make up for it.

Before you adjourn to the restaurant, appreciate the vista towards Teluk Kumbar, Gertak Sanggul and the southern part of Penang.

The restaurant is open daily. Just watch out for the Giant Red Ants!

Whoa! What a view....

Stunning views of the western part of the island.

As far as the eye can see...

Markisa fruits hang overhead on the terrace. You can order the juice from the restaurant.

Betong island off the coast from the fishing village of the same name can be clearly seen.

Balik Pulau and the large green swathe of rice paddy fields.

An angry overcast sky adds to the visual spectacle.

While the food at the restaurant is just passable, and the leisure park is nothing special, what makes this place a must visit are the spectacular views. There are forested hills all around and views to both Teluk Kumbar and the south of the island as well as the even more spectacular view to the more rural western coast of Penang island and the town of Balik Pulau.

The views at sunset would be even more amazing!

Bukit Genting Leisure Park & Restaurant

Address: Jalan Teluk Kumbar, Balik Pulau, 10300 Penang, Malaysia. 
Telephone: +(604)-827 9801/5, +(6019)-465 7100

Opening Hours: 11.30am-10.30pm

View Bukit Genting Hill in a larger map

Teluk Tempoyak, Penang

Teluk Tempoyak is one of the last remaining Malay fishing villages located on the developed eastern coast of Penang island. For a long time it remained isolated from the rapid development taking place on the rest of eastern seaboard of the island. One reason for this was its geographic location. Located in a tiny bay hemmed in by hills on all sides, the only access to Teluk Tempoyak was through a windy road that crossed over the forested hills down to the idyllic fishing village below.

Indeed crossing over those hills all those years ago in my younger days seemed like crossing over to a different world. Today the reality is different, as development has encroached all the way to Batu Maung just before the turnoff to Teluk Tempoyak with large anonymous housing estates and commercial developments all along the way. Even the hill has not been spared, with a major developer having cleared the forest up top for the "Southbay" gated community.

Fortunately the village down below is still stuck in time and for the moment still remains as it was and largely undamaged from rapacious developers. However where there was once just the sea, today the newly completed second Penang Bridge can be seen in the distance.

Fishing boats still lie in the bay. The Second Penang Bridge can be seen in the distance.

The wooden fisherman's jetty disappears into the horizon.

You can spend time wandering around the small village or even walk out onto the rickety wooden jetty to pass the time. But the real reason why people visit Teluk Tempoyak is to eat Ikan Bakar (malay styled grilled fish).

The Ikan Bakar shack. The reason why people visit Teluk Tempoyak.

You can't miss the Ikan Bakar place. Located right next to the wooden jetty, this is not the place for people looking for a five star dining experience. A simple open air structure with a corrugated blue metal roof, long tables arranged canteen style and plastic chairs is what you will get. There are other better looking seafood restaurants in Teluk Tempoyak but this unassuming shack is the one you must head to for the real grilled fish experience.

Inside there are only 3-4 stalls, and the one you must make a beeline for is Adnan bin Hassan's.

Adnan bin Hassan's famous stall.

Adnan bin Hassan's only specialises in seafood cooked one way - grilled. None of those other fancy-schmancy ways of cooking fish like steamed, fried, or drenched in various sauces. Adnan bin Hassan is the King of Grilling and does what he does best.

Various types of fish, prawns and crabs. Grilled Only.

Choose your seafood from the plastic containers displayed at the counter and get it weighed. The price are all displayed and are charged by the kilo. Either fish, prawns or crab. Nothing else. And remember there is no need to tell them how to cook it ... its only "bakar" (grilled) here.

You can also order Nasi Putih (white rice) to go with your seafood, or go for the Nasi Lemak (fragrant coconut milk infused rice) with sambal.

Choose your fish from the display, all fresh off the boat.

Being a working fishing village, you can be assured that the catch of the day is fresh, coming straight from the fisherman's boats. Unfortunately on the day of our visit, there was no crab available, so we settled on the prawns and chose a kerapu (garoupa) for the grilled fish.

Grilled Prawns

Eating the prawns grilled was a refreshing change from other local seafood restaurants, where the prawns are usually cooked drenched in sauces or done in other styles of cooking. The prawns were grilled to perfection and were not overly cooked.

As good as the prawns are, it pales in comparison to the star of the show, the grilled fish. Now I have eaten in many local seafood restaurants throughout the country, and even reviewed a couple of other ikan bakar places here on this blog. While I may give good reviews to other places, there is no doubt in my mind that Adnan bin Hassan's place has the best ikan bakar that I have ever eaten anywhere.

The ikan bakar comes with dipping sauces.

The grilled fish comes with a choice of dipping sauces - kicap (soya sauce) with bird's eye chillies and lime; or the sourish belacan sauce with chillies and onions.

Wrapped in banana leaves.

The fish is wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over a charcoal fire upon your order. This takes time but the wait is definitely worth it.

Unwrapped.

The secret to any good ikan bakar is the sambal sauce that it is grilled with. Adnan bin Hassan's homemade sambal in combination with the fragrant banana leaves is truly what makes the ikan bakar here outstanding.

The drink stall and the "other" stall.

Besides Adnan bin Hassan's stall, there are two stalls on the opposite end of the shack. One specialises in drinks and the "other" stall is where you can order other food to complement your ikan bakar meal.

Telur Dadar (malay style omelette) from the "other" stall.

Mixed vege from the "other" stall.

With the pace of development on the island, one must fear the fate of Teluk Tempoyak and expect it to follow the fate of other obliterated fishing villages on the island like Batu Uban and Tanjong Tokong.

Visit Teluk Tempoyak while it still exists! 

Adnan bin Hassan, Ikan Bakar Teluk Tempoyak

Address:   Medan Selera Teluk Tempoyak, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang.
Telephone: +6019 413 2572 
Opening Hours: 6pm - 11pm. (Closed on Mondays).

Penang Hill, Penang

Penang Hill is the highest point on the island of Penang and offers spectacular views of George Town, the eastern coast of the island and the mainland across the channel.

Originally established by the British as a colonial hill station during the time of their rule in Penang, it allowed them to escape and retreat up to the cooler climes away from the chaos, heat and humidity of George Town.

The Hill was first opened up in 1788 by the creation of a horse trail up from the Waterfall Gardens (the present day Botanical Gardens). The way up was by the "doolie" system, where the colonial masters were carried up on special sedan chairs.

Eventually in 1901, the construction of a funicular railway was initiated in order to ease access to the peak. Although completed in 1905, this first railway was largely useless as it could not be used due to technical problems.

A second railway was commissioned in 1909 and finally completed in 1923. The funicular railway was officially opened by Sir L.N.Guillemard on 1st January 1924. The railway is today still the primary way for people to go up and down the hill. It starts from the Lower Station located at Air Itam and goes up all the way to the Upper Station non-stop. 

Although the funicular railway today is non-stop, along the way it does pass by other stations such as the Middle, Claremont, Moniot, Viaduct, Lower Tunnel and Upper Tunnel stations, which are largely no longer in use.

The only other way to get up the hill (other than hiking) is the "jeep track" that runs 5.1km from the Botanical Gardens up to the top. It is actually a tarred road, however it is only open to residents of the Hill. The "jeep track" itself is popular amongst hikers as a way up or down the Hill.

Penang Hill itself actually comprises of several hills including Strawberry Hill, Fern Hill, Halliburton Hill, Flagstaff Hill, Government Hill, Tiger Hill,and Western Hill. The highest point of this range is at Western Hill, with an elevation of 833m (2,723ft )above sea level. Flagstaff Hill, the most developed of the hills, has also become the malay name for Penang Hill i.e. Bukit Bendera.

Getting to the funicular railway Lower Station at Air Itam can be accomplished by either taking a taxi from George Town or by taking the RapidPenang bus 204 which terminates at the lower station.

The Lower Station is still housed in the original 1923 building although it has been modernised and extended. From the station you can see the railway line climbing straight up the hill behind the station.

To go up, you will need to buy tickets. There can be quite a queue, especially if it is the weekend or public holidays. To avoid this, and the crowds, it is probably better to visit during the weekdays.

Tickets are RM30 for an adult (to-and-fro), although if you have a Malaysian identity card you can get a heavily discounted price of RM8.

The funicular railway has been recently upgraded in 2010, and are modern, sleek inclined air-conditioned trains that whizz up the Hill in super-fast time. In no time at all, you will arrive at the Upper Station.

George Town and the landmark KOMTAR building sticking out like a sore thumb. Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam lie across the channel.

The reward at the top is the spectacular view of the city of George Town below. On a clear day you can see the two bridges that link the island to the mainland, the town of Butterworth across the channel, as well as the two peaks of Bukit Mertajam in Seberang Perai ("Province Wellesley") and Gunung Jerai in neighbouring Kedah state.

After enjoying the view of the eastern coast of Penang, the next thing to do is to have a drink or a bite to eat at David Brown's on Strawberry Hill. Apparently the hill was where Francis Light, the "founder" of Penang, levelled the slope in order to plant strawberries, hence the name. 

Today there are no strawberries, but instead David Brown's Restaurant and Sky Terrace take pride of place on the hill.

The Sky Terrace.

The Sky Terrace located on the lower slope of Strawberry Hill has great views of the city while you relax with your choice of drink in hand.

David Brown's Restaurant.

Further up the hill is the restaurant proper, where you have lunch, afternoon tea or dinner amidst pleasant gardens. This colonial themed restaurant serves British fare plus a smattering of local Penang favourites.

David Brown’s Restaurant and Tea Terraces
 
Address: Strawberry Hill, Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-828 8337
Fax: +604-826 6337

Opens: 9am to 9pm daily

Coming down from Strawberry Hill, you come to the "town" centre with a small police station, clinic and post office. At the town square or "Dataran Bukit Bendera" are a few kiosks selling peanuts, henna tattoos or even posing with snakes. A old train from the original funicular railway stands in the centre of the square.

A revamped food court called "The Cliff Cafe" sits to one side of the square with "The Owl Museum" located on top. The Owl Museum is an owl-themed art and handicraft collection from all over the world.

Walking past the town centre, you will come to Halliburton Hill, where Bellevue bungalow built by William Halliburton, the first Sheriff of Prince of Wales Island (the old name of Penang) stands. Today the Bellevue is the only hotel on Penang Hill, and has its own Aviary and Ginger Gardens which is open to the public to visit.

Unfortunately the Gardens are unkempt and in need of freshening up. Also the sight of all the birds cooped up in cages may not be what many would like to see.

Other than the Aviary Gardens, the Hotel also has a restaurant with a panoramic view. Bellevue has only 12 rooms with prices starting from RM300.

Bellevue Hotel

Address: Bukit Bendera, 11300, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +604-829 9500/600
Fax: +604-829 2052

Heading back towards the town centre, steps lead up Gun Hill. At the top of the steps is an old cannon. A children's playground seems somewhat out of place up here. Beyond the playground is a Hindu Temple called the Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan Temple. The temple was founded in the 1800's and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Murugan. The current building is in the southern Indian dravidian style.

Up more steps from the playground is a small mosque to cater for the local community.

Beyond the mosque is the Gate House, beyond which is Bel Retiro on Flagstaff Hill. Bel Retiro was the official residence for the Governor of Penang, and was first built in 1789. Unfortunately the public today cannot go beyond the Gate House as Bel Retiro still remains as government property.

View of Air Itam, the Penang Bridge and Pulau Jerejak.

Penang Hill remains one of the islands main tourist draws. While there is not a lot to do once you get up there, the ride up the funicular railway is an attraction in itself, and on a clear day, the views from the top of the hill alone are worth the price of the ticket.

Ikan Bakar Bellamy, Kuala Lumpur

"Ikan bakar" or "grilled fish" is a staple Indo-Malay food, traditionally found in fishing villages along the coast in the region.

Typically fish or other kinds of seafood, are marinated in a mixture of spices blended into a paste; then grilled over a charcoal fire on a banana leaf then eaten sometimes with "sambal belacan" (prawn paste) or "kicap manis" (sweet soy) dipping sauce.

In Jalan Bellamy (Bellamy Road) behind the old Istana (Palace) of the "Yang Di-Pertuan Agung" (the King of Malaysia) is a row of open air roadside "gerai" (stalls) selling Malay rice and dishes. These Jalan Bellamy stalls specialise in "ikan bakar" and are popular amongst local Malays especially the lunch-time office crowd.

There are three gerais; the first Gerai is called Gerai Seri Menanti, the second is Gerai Che Yah Seri Melaka and the third is the food bloggers favourite Gerai No.3 "Kedai Kak Jat".

Gerai No.2 and Gerai No.3

At the end of the lane is a fourth Gerai, Gerai Mak Alang.

Instead of barbecuing the seafood over a charcoal grill, here the seafood is wrapped in banana leaf and cooked over large hot plates.

Cooked over hot plates, so not really "grilled".

Various kinds of fish are available including pari ("stingray"), siakap, terubok and keli.

Choose your fish from the hot plates, there are various kinds of fish available according to your fancy. Or choose the large squid, prawns or cockles ("kerang bakar").

The Gerai's also sell "nasi campur" or malay rice with side dishes. No need to stand on ceremony, just go to the table where all the side dishes are displayed, take a plate and dish out the rice on to your plate as well as a few of the side dishes.

Try and find a table to sit (if you can find one available!). Someone will come around to take your order for drinks, and calculate the bill by looking at what you ordered.

Ikan Pari (Stingray)

Sotong (Squid)

The Gerai's are usually open during lunch time and closed by 3pm. Get here early or you will have to wait for a table.