I have been planning a trip to Penang where I would indulge in the local
fare (but no nasi kandar for me, thank you very much) and finally decided to go
last weekend. I decided I’d take the coach this time instead of flying. I did
consider taking the ETS train but the train going all the way to Butterworth is
not that frequent. I also had a meeting which I had to attend on Friday morning
which I remembered in time just before I purchased the ticket. As I didn’t
fancy taking the coach from either TBS or Jalan Duta, I decided to travel by
Plusliner from the old KTM building. I then booked a unit of TheOffice’s
penthouse.
I rushed out of the office and made my way to the old KTM building. The
coach was already waiting and I decided to seek refuge in the coach company’s
office before boarding the bus. The office was quite shabby from age, I was sad
to note. Still, it was not bad enough to convince me to travel to TBS or Jalan
Duta.
We left at 13:10 and the coach was very empty. A fellow traveller
informed that she and a few of her friends boarded the coach from Putrajaya
Sentral at 11:45 and thought the coach would depart KL at 12:30. So if you’re
from that area, this coach operator is an option for you.
We stopped at Petronas Simpang Pulai rest area two hours later to use the
facilities and resumed our journey about half an hour later. There was the
occasional crawl along some stretches of the highway, probably because it was
almost the weekend. We finally crossed the second bridge to Pinang Island
around 17:30 and oh my, it was a long crossing all right. We hit the evening
rush hour immediately upon exiting the bridge and crawled along until we
reached Terminal Sungai Nibong at 18:15, 45 minutes later than I expected and
hoped.
I waited a while until bus 304 came. I took the bus to Jelutong. The fare
was RM2.00 and I got down about 30 minutes later. I walked to Laksa Mamu stall
next to Hyundai showroom. I've read good reviews and decided to try it out.
Well, I finished my laksa in seven minutes and was disappointed. There
was no fish flesh at all and the taste was just average to me. I really don’t
know what the fuss is all about. I left and walked to Komtar. It took about 30
minutes before I reached the bus stop for the CAT bus across from Komtar. I was
not amused to see the CAT bus flew past by without stopping so I decided to
follow it and wait for the next one at the next bus stop. There was a strange
character at the next bus stop however, so I continued on to the next bus stop.
I asked two teenage boys and they confirmed the CAT bus stopped there so I sat
down to wait. Penang is so humid even at night!
The bus finally came and I boarded. It looked different but I thought it
was some advertisement. However, the bus soon took some route I was not
familiar with. I checked Google Maps and was surprised when I found the bus was
heading back to Komtar. I got up and went to the driver and he said the bus was
a different bus. Turned out there's another CAT bus in Georgetown. I checked
Rapid Penang website and found there were a few other CAT services. The CAT bus
which I usually took no longer stopped at the stop across from Komtar. The
driver then pointed out the stop for me and after thanking him, I took my bag
and got off.
I finally reached TheOffice’s accommodation at close to 22:00. It had
been such a long tiring day and after a quick shower, I hit the sack.
I woke up way too early on Saturday and took a walk around the rooftop
before changing and heading to the market at Jalan Kuala Kangsar. Once there, I
had vegetarian wan tan noodle soup with a glass of lukewarm barley. After my
simple breakfast, I browsed the market before walking to Lorong Macalister for
some chee cheong fun. It was then when I realised I was there just 12 hours
prior, walking from one bus stop to another. Strange how the place looked
unfriendly the evening before.
I decided to take the CAT bus back and went to wait near Chowrasta.
Back at the penthouse, I rested before taking a shower. I left at 11:15
and took the CAT bus to Chowrasta. I got down and walked to Jalan Burma and
waited for the other CAT bus. It was such a bright hot mid-morning. The bus came
after ten minutes and I got down at Hotel Royal. I had bought a coupon for
lunch buffet at the hotel earlier.
The buffet spread was limited and did not feature Penang laksa or prawn
noodles. The food was alright. I stayed about an hour before going up the
stairs to the link to Penang Plaza just next door. After a quick browse, I
returned to the hotel and waited for the CAT bus. I then rode the bus to
Komtar. The building has had an exterior facelift but didn't look like the
interior had any facelift. Some groceries and household were on offer and I
bought some crisps before going down to Popular bookstore where I bought five
books. Then I exited Komtar and walked in the afternoon heat to the putu mayam
stall. They were only setting the stall up so I continued on to Times Square to
seek some relief from the intense heat and humidity.
I returned to the putu mayam stall and after buying some, returned to
Komtar and waited for the CAT bus. I reached the penthouse at 16:20 and decided
to have a nap at 17:00. My dad would disapprove of sleeping after Asar but the
heat made me drowsy.
I woke up to a darkened bedroom and after blinking a few times and
checking the time, realised it was past 19:00 (!). I dragged myself out of bed
and went to Hameed Pata stall to buy some fried noodles. I queued for ‘only’ 30
minutes before I was served. I had a plate of noodles and asked for another
order to be packed. That would be my breakfast the following morning.
I returned to the penthouse and along the way, saw a Caucasian woman bent
over like she was crying with a man next to her comforting her. Two policemen
stood over them so I didn’t stop to ask. I turned on the TV but nothing
interesting was showing so I went back to the bedroom and read my book.
I woke up at least twice during the night. The first time, I thought I
had overslept and was starting to panic, thinking I’d miss the coach home. I
checked the time and was surprised to see it was only past 3 in the morning. I
woke again some time after 5 and decided not to sleep again or I'd really miss
my coach. I heard people talking and some music and went to investigate. Turned
out the noise came from the esplanade. Gosh! I don’t know why they needed to
play music that loudly!
I left at 08:15 and waited a bit to check out. Took the CAT bus to Komtar
and waited at least twenty minutes before bus 304 arrived. It took about 40
minutes before we reached Terminal Sungai Nibong. The coach came just before
10:00 and only then did I realise it was a double decker (didn’t realise it
when I bought the ticket and chose my seat). My seat was on the upper deck but
when the bus left, I went down to check and there were two empty seats next to
each other so I moved down.
We stopped at Petronas Simpang Pulai to use the facilities and arrived at
the old KTM station at 14:45. I reached home at 16:05 and immediately unpacked.
I was not well after the trip. Penang has always
felt hot to me but it felt even hotter and more humid this time. But I suppose
that’s the case with tropical islands and they remain the same throughout the
year. In any case, I don’t think my next visit will take place anytime soon.
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