Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Bangkok and beyond, travel talk on all other places in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
SPONSORS: Bang Saphan Guide
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

Nikon D5200.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by hhfarang »

That explains it... high quality SLR and knowledgeable photographer = excellent, sharp photos.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Stargeezer
Professional
Professional
Posts: 461
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:30 am
Location: Canada

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by Stargeezer »

A lot of great pictures! Your boys will be famous before 20 ha ha 555. Glad to see there is some beer for sale,
I will have to try a can o the strong Dutch beer someday.
The place looks pretty clean nice to see the effort.
Pluto is my favorite planet!, especially now that we all can see close up
pictures of it.
lomuamart
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 9732
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: hua hin

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by lomuamart »

It's been 5 odd years since I was in Georgetown and what struck me about your photos was the rundown look it had. Plaster peeling off buildings etc.
Now then, it didn't exactly look pristine all those years ago, so does buksida reckon that it's degenerated so much since you were there last?
One feature of the old colonial places were the covered pavements. Calcutta has them and I hear Hong Kong and Singapore as well.
A shame to lose them.
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

There were plenty of shiny new buildings, I just liked photographing the run down looking ones, they have more character.

The old town was very similar to years ago, just more cars, like everywhere. This shot I took in 1998 of the corner of Love Lane is now a 7-Eleven:
penang7.jpg
And this view from the top of the Komtar tower in 1998 looks totally different now as there are a lot more high-rise buildings:
penang2.jpg
It is shame is that they haven't made certain sections of the UNESCO World Heritage Zone such as Little India pedestrian only (as Hoi An in Vietnam is), today you have to battle with this lot:
DSC_0094.jpg
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

Batu Ferringhi comes alive at night when a kilometer long night market is setup. It is worth a look but primarily offers tourist priced t-shirts, bags, watches, sun glasses, trinkets and the usual tat that people buy when on holiday.
DSC_0239.jpg
DSC_0240.jpg
DSC_0243.jpg
DSC_0244.jpg
DSC_0245.jpg
DSC_0247.jpg
DSC_0248.jpg
DSC_0249.jpg
The following day we rode into Georgetown to book tickets for the ferry to Langkawi. Driving and riding in Malaysia is far more civilized, they have separate lanes on the highway for bikes, yes bikes are allowed to go on highways here. Other drivers actually give way, let you out now and then, and don’t pull out in front of you. Drivers here seem far more courteous than in Thailand; everyone obeys the road rules, no driving on the wrong side here or flashing you to get out of their way. The only problem is parking, there seems to be a prevalence of trumped up parking attendants that seek great pleasure in their menial jobs … probably because the Chinese will just leave their car wherever they please. We resorted to doing it local style and parking the bike on the pavement most of the time to avoid someone running out and demanding money for parking on ‘their’ strip of the road. Cops were a rare sight and we only saw one road-block where, as tourists, we were waved through – try doing that in Hua Hin!

We stopped in Penang’s second Georgetown which is the island’s business centre and technology park, needless to say there are rows of western coffee shops, restaurants, and swanky TGI Friday type bars charging a fortune for drinks and eats plus a 16% service charge. Just south of the airport is the snake temple, a place I had read about online and looked forward to visiting. I was a little disappointed to discover that it was simply an enclosure full of tiny aquariums housing lethargic reptiles, I didn’t expect Indiana Jones but something a little more natural would have been nice.
DSC_0252.jpg
DSC_0253.jpg
DSC_0254.jpg
DSC_0255.jpg
DSC_0265.jpg
DSC_0267.jpg
DSC_0269.jpg
DSC_0272.jpg
To follow: Riding around Penang
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

Some general shots from riding around the island:
DSC_0275.jpg
DSC_0278.jpg
DSC_0282.jpg
DSC_0284.jpg
DSC_0286.jpg
DSC_0288.jpg
DSC_0290.jpg
DSC_0292.jpg
Naturally when the kids saw this there was no getting out of it ...
DSC_0294.jpg
DSC_0296.jpg
DSC_0298.jpg
DSC_0299.jpg
Hua Hin?
DSC_0301.jpg
DSC_0302.jpg
To follow: Langkawi
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
oakdale160
Rock Star
Rock Star
Posts: 4657
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:51 pm

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by oakdale160 »

To rent a mo'bike, inpenang, what do you need, just passport and cash?
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

They also took a copy of my Thai drivers license.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

We’d exhausted our list of things to do on Penang and I’m not one for sitting on the beach, this one had more jetskis and touts than holidaymakers. I can only take a couple of hours lazing round the pool also - it was time to get on the road again.

The three hour ferry to Langkawi cost 225 RM (2,250 baht) for the four of us, it was minus 12 degrees and uneventful. Local holidays meant that 90% of the accommodation on the island was booked up and we either had to stump up 5k per night plus plus or stay in the town. The bustling little town of Kuah won and we found ourselves a little box hotel with probably the smallest bathroom in Asia - on the up side it was surrounded by duty free shops.
1979586_1453832348185918_161008337_n.jpg
1979586_1453832348185918_161008337_n.jpg (27.39 KiB) Viewed 501 times
You only get to find out how much your government is shafting you with taxes when you arrive on a duty free island such as Langkawi. Import beer (Tiger, Bud, Carlsberg) from 20 baht a tin, Aussie Shiraz from 200 baht per bottle, Black Label litre bottles for 750 baht and single malt litres for under 900 baht – this place is a pisshead’s heaven. It also has a fair bit for chocoholics with department stores full of the stuff.
1377246_1453597711542715_430210667_n.jpg
1377246_1453597711542715_430210667_n.jpg (40.85 KiB) Viewed 501 times
It is the only place I have ever been where it costs less to hire a car than a couple of scooters – everything was jacked up for some holiday or other. On four (small) wheels this time we headed across the island to Cenang Beach, the main tourist spot where the big star resorts, Italian restaurants, scantily clad sunburnt westerners, and yet more duty free shops can be found. On the way we stopped at a little local beach to chow down on Laksa, one of Malaysia’s national dishes which looks like it came out of a canal!
DSC_0303.jpg
DSC_0304.jpg
DSC_0306.jpg
DSC_0308.jpg
1619547_1453301458239007_1595962634_n.jpg
1619547_1453301458239007_1595962634_n.jpg (46.28 KiB) Viewed 501 times
Cenang beach could have been Phuket so we ventured north to a crocodile farm which had some impressive specimens and shows. Langkawi is a relatively small island so getting around it doesn’t take long, with the price of gas being 2RM/20 baht per litre it doesn’t cost much either – unless you take a taxi.
DSC_0313.jpg
DSC_0316.jpg
DSC_0322.jpg
DSC_0327.jpg
DSC_0331.jpg
DSC_0339.jpg
DSC_0342.jpg
DSC_0343.jpg
DSC_0350.jpg
DSC_0353.jpg
DSC_0361.jpg
DSC_0365.jpg
DSC_0367.jpg
To follow: Langkawi Cable Car
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
Bamboo Grove
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5274
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2003 12:59 pm
Location: Macau, China

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by Bamboo Grove »

with probably the smallest bathroom in Asia
Have you ever tried any of the rooms in the guesthouses of Chungking Mansions in Kowloon, Hong Kong?
User avatar
Big Boy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 45057
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 7:36 pm
Location: Bon Kai

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by Big Boy »

:laugh: If they're any smaller, I'd need a bucket :oops:
Championship Plymouth Argyle 0 - 1 Preston NE :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Points 41; Position 18
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22534
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by buksida »

Today was a little clearer so we headed to the cable car, the island’s premier attraction. Being at the top of the ‘to do’ list meant that everyone else was also there and a two hour queue was necessary to get on the ‘Skycab’. Unfortunately the ‘Skybridge’ was closed for maintenance but I could still get a few shots of it from the ascending cable car. This was one of the better tourist attractions we visited and the views from the top were stunning as was the engineering on this, the steepest cable car in the world.
DSC_0382.jpg
DSC_0386.jpg
DSC_0387.jpg
DSC_0388.jpg
DSC_0391.jpg
DSC_0392.jpg
DSC_0395.jpg
DSC_0398.jpg
DSC_0399.jpg
DSC_0403.jpg
DSC_0408.jpg
To follow: More of the skycab and bridge
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Gérard
Professional
Professional
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:36 pm
Location: Prachuap City

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by Gérard »

I have thought of visiting Langkawi for a while, your report pictures are convincing, Thanks !
Frank La Rue
Guru
Guru
Posts: 576
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 4:24 pm
Location: Norway/ Bangkok

Re: Photo trip report: Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia

Post by Frank La Rue »

Thanks for an enjoyble trip report - I visited Penang in 1998 with my then SIngapore wife and son. Your pics make me relive the visit which was pleasant enough - we actually got the leg S'pore - Penang - S'pore with BA for free as part of our tickets Heathrow - S'pore - Heathrow, as it was concidered travel within APAC region. Never understood that fully but who was I to challenge a free ride on a brand new Boeing 777?
Would like to hear some details about the train ride - comfort and eating, the idea of traveling BKK - S'pore or vice versa for the sake of the ride is lingering in the back of my mind.
I know there is an upmarket train service offering this, but when I checked it out on the net it is omething like 1900 USD per person, a bit pricey.
One Day I'm gona die. I can live with that.
Post Reply