When I planned this trip, I crammed a lot of stuff into the itinerary each day so that I could pick and choose what I wanted to do on any given day. The way I see it, I can always come back to do anything I missed at a later date, unless someone (or trip advisor) told me that activity was totally shit house, in which case I'd be glad I gave it a wide berth.
This morning I had the luxury of a sleep-in. After yesterday's full-on action packed itinerary, I needed a quieter day. Today I hit the triathlon shop in Penang Plaza, only to find it closed. Bugger. So i went to the Giant supermarket downstairs where I was able to buy razors and two pairs of cute socks for RM1 each ($0.34 AUD). Awesome! Then I walked back to New World Park for breakfast at Old Town White Coffee.
I returned to the hotel, dropped off my new socks and walked over to KOMTAR to catch a bus to Queensbay Mall. The sign at KOMTAR said RM3.40, the bus driver only wanted RM2 - after I put my money in the cash slot. Moral of the story? Always ask the bus driver and don't believe everything you read!
One hour later I was getting off the bus at the shopping paradise that is Queensbay Mall. They had a Borders bookstore which in Australia recently met its demise, so that was exciting. I bought myself a journal and some new pens and highlighters for less than half the price of what I'd pay in Mebourne. Double awesome.
After that exciting development, I had a look around the shops. I still cannot eat over how cheap shoes are here and how comfortable they are. I could have bought 10 or 20 pairs but seeing as how I'm with carry on bags only for a few more days, I fought temptation and won. After another lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters where I finally had some pasta, I caught a bus to Weld Quay.
For those of you not familiar with Penang, George Town is located on the island Pulau Pinang. From Weld Quay you can take a ferry to Butterworth on the mainland, Peninsular West Malaysia. From Pulau Pinang the ferries take passengers and vehicles to Butterworth. As a passenger, you can ride from George Town to Butterworth free of charge; on the way back it's just RM1.20 (about $0.40 AUD).
There's nothing to do at the ferry terminal in Butterworth, rather it is more of a connecting hub to both local and long-distance buses. If you want to catch a bus to Thailand, Singapore, KL or other Malaysian destinations, you can do so here. You can also take a taxi to the Butterworth train station for a long distance train.
I got off the ferry and decided to go somewhere. being the mainland, there had to be a Megamall somewhere! I noticed on the side of a bus that it went to the Megamall, then Sunway Carnival Mall, then to Tesco. I've never been to a Tesco, so decided to stick out the 1hr bus ride and check it out.
The bus driver was awesome, he took me to Tesco (end of the line) and gave me half an hour to check it out before he would leave. Tesco was great, would have loved a little more time but if I'd had it, I would have bought stuff I didn't need and then would be paying excess baggage!
My little Tesco expedition cost me a whole RM5.20 (about $1.80 AUD) and I got to see quite a lot of Butterworth on the bus ride. I love getting on buses and trains and riding them to the end of the line in any city, just to see where they go. It's a great way to get to know a city and experience life like a local.
On returning to Pulau Pinang I went back to the hotel and headed out for dinner at the bistro in New
World Park. I had a lovely three course meal including drinks for RM25 (about $8.50 AUD). After returning to my room to spend an hour packing my bags, I was really wired and couldn't sleep. I have lots of movies and books on my iPad, so I've watched the rest of Wayne's World 2.
Rest tomorrow - I'm off to Kuching, back to Borneo!
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