PENANG
The island of Penang is dominated by its jungle covered peaks. The Penang Bridge connects the island to the mainland and at 13.5 km long, it is the longest in all of Southeast Asia.
We started out by stayed in UNESCO heritage zone of Georgetown, at “Moon Tree 47” hotel and then on the outskirts of georgetown so that we could have a place with a pool for the kids, the “1926 Heritage Hotel” had a pool and fitted our budget, but thats about it was nothing to right home about and we wouldn’t stay there again..
Georgetown is a must for any traveler traveling to Penang, it is an incredible city that is a melting pot of Southeast Asia, famous for its colonial architecture and its street food .
We walked through this beautiful city and felt like we were changing countries on every corner… Little India with its spice odors, its stalls of fabrics, in Chinatown with its beautiful colonial merchant houses, its street kitchen in the evening, its Chinese temples passing by the various buildings evoking the English colonization of this island.
It offers a glimpse of all the religions of Malaysia: Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Christian monuments coexist in all the districts of the city … yes yes it is possible!
The architectural heritage of the old town is excellent (some scenes from the film Indochine have been filmed in this urban setting) and the girls had fun discovering the streets street art and we all burst out to pose in front These originalities.
We also visited the famous Chinese house “Pinang Peranakan Mansion”, as well as the museum “Upside Down” which is very fun to do with children.
The best way to visit the City and northern coast is by Hop-on hop-off tourist bus
The botanical garden is also a fun time to do as a family, and it’s free. there a various walks through gardens containing different tree flower and plant species and a fair bit of wildlife including monkeys (caution some are aggressive), turtles, fish and lots of butterflies … it is very clean and very easy to access with ramps for push chairs and wheelchairs.
Penang hill The name Penang Hill covers a number of hills, with the highest point at Western Hill which is 833 metres (2,733 ft) above sea level. The hill stands out prominently from the lowlands as a hilly and forested area. It was used as a retreat during the British colonial period, and is now a popular tourist destination in Penang. The top of the hill is accessible via the Penang Hill Railway from its base station at Air Itam. consider buying a fast track ticket if you dont want to que for 30 to 40 minutes, its double the price but worth the money if your traveling with hot and tired children..
L’île de Penang est dominée par des sommets. Le pont de Penang relie l’île au continent, avec ses 13,5 km de long, c’est le plus long de toute l’Asie du Sud-Est.
Nous avons d’abord séjourné dans le fameux quartier de Georgetown, à l’hotel « Moon tree 47 » puis à sa périphérie à l’hotel « 1926 Heritage Hotel ».
Georgetown est une escale obligée pour tout voyageur qui se rend à Penang, c’est une ville incroyable qui offre un concentré d’Asie du Sud-Est (figure au patrimoine de l’UNESCO), très célèbre pour son architecture et surtout sa gastronomie.
Nous nous sommes promenés dans cette belle ville et avons eu l’impression de changer de pays à chaque coin de rue. De little India avec ses odeurs d’épices, ses échoppes de tissus, à Chinatown avec ses belles maisons marchandes coloniales, sa cuisine de rue le soir venu, ses temples chinois en passant par les différents édifices rappelant la colonisation anglaise.
Elle offre vraiment un aperçu de toutes les religions de Malaisie: monuments bouddhistes, muslims, hindous et chrétiens coexistent dans tous les quartiers de la ville… oui oui c’est possible!
Le patrimoine architectural de la vieille ville est excellent (certaines scènes du film Indochine ont été tournées dans ce décor urbain) et les filles se sont amusées à découvrir au fil des rues les « street art » et on s’est tous éclatés à poser devant ces originalités.
Nous y avons aussi visité la célèbre maison chinoise « Pinang Peranakan Mansion », ainsi que le musée “Upside Down » qui est très amusant à faire avec les enfants.
Le jardin botanique est aussi un moment sympa à faire en famille, et c’est gratuit. On y voit des singes (attention certains sont agressifs), des tortues, des poissons… Il est très propre et très facile d’accès, même en fauteuil roulant.
A trip up Penang Hill (timelapse)