Our third destination for the SuperStar Libra Cruise is to Penang (Day 4)
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| Picture Courtesy of Penang Port |
The SuperStar Libra reach the Penang Island at 8am and the ship was berthed at Penang Port (Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal). Strategically located next to the Penang town, there are so many things you can see and do which is within walking distance or you can call a car sharing apps like Grab and Uber to send you to some of the other attraction Penang has to offer; like Penang Hill, Snake Temple or the Batu Ferringhi Beach.
But if you are on a budget, you can see also see part of Penang without spending a dime; seriously. You just take a short walk to the Feri Terminal Bus Station where you can board the Penang CAT FREE Shuttle Bus.
The Hop OnFree Central Area Transit (CAT) ply the route between Weld Quay Jetty and Komtar on a 15-minute intervals from 6 am-12 midnight. See the above map for reference of its point.
Exploring the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage City has never been this convenient with the 19 CAT stops in between all the famous heritage landmarks of Penang! You can climb onboard the CAT bus and explore all the wonderful heritage sites of Penang. You can take a tour of the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis, Penang War Memorial, City Hall, Penang Supreme Court Building, Cathedral of the Assumption, Penang State Museum, Goddess of Mercy Temple, The Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Church Street Pier, Mahamariamman Temple, Khoo Kongsi, Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion, Francis Light's grave and many more heritage sites!
Since i have been to Penang many times over, site seeing is not in my list this round. Before boarding the Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus, we decided to pay a visit to the popular tourist attraction of Chew Jetty. The Chew Jetty is just a minute walks from the Feri Terminal Bus Station.
One of the unique features about Chew Jetty is the entire village is built on stilts above the sea; so you won't be surprised to see the sea below your feet when the tide is up.
At this village, you can see some of the houses have been converted to commercial outlet; selling from souvenirs item to food and etc.
One of the popular food here at Chew Jetty; is the Big Bowl Noodle.
Since i have been to Penang many times over, site seeing is not in my list this round. Before boarding the Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus, we decided to pay a visit to the popular tourist attraction of Chew Jetty. The Chew Jetty is just a minute walks from the Feri Terminal Bus Station.
One of the unique features about Chew Jetty is the entire village is built on stilts above the sea; so you won't be surprised to see the sea below your feet when the tide is up.
At this village, you can see some of the houses have been converted to commercial outlet; selling from souvenirs item to food and etc.
One of the popular food here at Chew Jetty; is the Big Bowl Noodle.
Our first stop of the FREE CAT Shuttle is at Komtar. For anyone going to Penang, you can;t missed out on tasting some of the popular Penang street food. This round I will taste out a few famous fare; starting with the famed Char Kway Teow, the signature Nasi Kandar and the famous Penang Cendol.
For this trip, since I am moving around the Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus route, I decided to taste out some of these famous eateries within walking distance of each of these stop along the route. My first pit stop is at Lorong Selamat (less than a 10-minute walk from the Komtar bus stop) which is famed for the Penang style Char Kway Teow. For direction, view the map below.
Laden with fried pork lard, it makes the noodle with an extra punch. Here the Char Kway Teow is cooked with Chinese Sausage, Cockles and Prawns. Other Penang favourite dishes that are served at this coffee shop includes the Loh Bak, Sotong Kang Kong, Fried Oyster and more.
After the meal, we decided to stroll around the Komtar area where there is an attraction called The TOP @Komtar. There is much attraction here that you can do like the Rainbow Sky-Walk, 7D Discovery Motion Theatre and more.
After the short visit at Komtar, I decided to quench my thirst with a cendol drink from the Penang Road Famous Cendol. It is just a short walk from Komtar. For direction, view the map below.
This place is packed and there is a queue lining by the cart with a lot of tourist for this famed cendol, but don;t be fooled as there are a number of shops carrying the same name; so it is best to see our photo for the right one.
Price RM2.90. You can also try out the other Penang food at this coffee-shop Assam Laksa, Fried Oyster, Popiah and Char Kway Teow too.
As I was walking to my next food destination; I pass by the Pasar Chow Rasta. You can easily buy a few of the popular Penang snack from here.
This market is also very popular for its preserved fruits.
Since I am doing a walking tour and would like to taste out another famous Penang dish, I decided to try the Line Clear Nasi Kandar as it is within walking distance from the Penang Komtar and also have a bus stop for the Penang CAT Free Shuttle bus service to take me back to the port. For direction, view the map below.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar is one of the earliest Nasi Kandar vendors in Penang. Again, don't be fooled by the signboard as there is 2 shop with the same name. The original one is in the lane beside the shop; you should not missed it as there is a queue lining there.
You can choose your favourite dishes like fried chicken, beef, squid, prawns and the famed fish head curry.
As I am on my own, calling a fish head is too much for one person, so I decided for an order of squid, beef and vegetables with a combination of curry sauces (RM17.10). This mixture is what makes the Nasi Kandar unique; as the multitude of flavours from each of the curries is intertwined with each other.
For those that love cafe hopping; can try out this 2 popular cafe; the first of which is the Awesome Canteen which has a rustic charming interior of the olden days shop house which is in 1950's era; which serves cakes, coffee and cafe food.
or you can walk across the street to the China House - Penang Longest Cafe.
serving artisan coffee and an array of cakes and dessert that makes a sweet tooth drool.
Why this is Penang Longest Cafe: You can take a walk of more than 2 minutes from front to end. In between there are many seating areas for you to spend time in each which its unique charm. This is my last pit-stop as it was time to head back to the ship.
Link to our other post for the Cruise Holiday
Map to Lorong Selamat Char Kway Teow
Maps to Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol
Location map to Line Clear Nasi Kandar
