Flawed-Democratic Federation of Malaysia
Tune Hotel +60379625888 enquiry@tunehotels.com
Clean and adequate standard double room for only MYR 20.- or US$ 5.50 per night - a steal! Young and enthusiastic staff.
Click below for an interactive road map of the Tune Hotel in Penang's Georgetown, which we would recommend, and for directions:Matt: Taking a Rapid KL bus U81 from Kuala Lumpur's Pasar Seni Bus Station to Subang, about 25 km west-southwest of downtown Kuala Lumpur, and hereafter flying from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport with Firefly (“Your Community Airline”) in a rather new and clean turboprop ATR 72-500 to Penang’s Bayan Lepas International Airport for only MYR 35.- or US$ 10.-, all inclusive and one way.
Matt: Watching a colourful and brightly lit float-and-candlelight procession in Georgetown, the bustling state capital of Penang (affectionately known as the “Pearl of the Orient”) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Buddha Day aka Vesak Day (promisingly pronounced "we-suck day") when Buddhist devotees of various shades and ranks, a potpourri of Asian cultures and races, celebrate Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death by carrying lotus-shaped candles, blue-yellow-red-white-orange Buddhist flags, luminous lanterns, fragrant flowers and smelly incense sticks, and by chanting monotone Buddhist prayers.
"Yes I am, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a Jew."
Matt: Visiting the Kek Lok Si Temple +6048283317 at Air Itam, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, and climbing the seven-tier, 30-m high tower of its Ban Po Thar aka Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda which consists of (i) Burmese designs on top, (ii) Chinese at the bottom and (iii) Thai in between.
Matt: Exploring the many ornate kongsi (Malaysian Chinese clan houses, mostly Hokkien), recovering between each visit in one of the excellent-value eateries in Georgetown, hailed as the food capital of Malaysia, and tracking down Penang’s Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage in its unique cuisine (e.g. from yong tau foo [bean curd and veggies stuffed with fish paste] via assam laksa [fish soup spiked with tamarind paste and a mint garnish, served with thick, white rice noodles] to chee cheong fun [broad, paper-thin rice noodles that are steamed and rolled around a filling of prawns, served with a chilli dip sauce]) which is additionally spiced up by the cooking of a multitude of immigrants to Penang (e.g. Europeans, Armenians, Jews, Arabs, Japanese, Ceylonese, Javanese, Burmese, Siamese, Achinese, Buginese), and eventually trying to arrange and organise my overwhelming impression of bustling Penang from the 60th-floor observation deck (entry: MYR 15.- or US$ 4.-) of the 232-m tall Komtar building in downtown Georgetown.
Matt: Flying with Firefly (“Your Community Airline”) in a reliable turboprop ATR 72-500 from Penang’s Bayan Lepas International Airport back to Kuala Lumpur's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at Subang for only MYR 35.- or US$ 10.-, one way and all inclusive, and catching a KL Metrobus 9 from the airport back to Kuala Lumpur Sentral.
Click below for more blog posts about Penang
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2009 Map Konni & Matt
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2009 Map Konni & Matt
Visit the Konni & Matt online albums and order high res travel photos
Konni & Matt Travel Photos
