Happy Monday everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend! We took a quick flight up to Penang for a few days and while our hotel wasn't the peaceful beach-y paradise we had in mind (too Club Med-ish for our liking) the important stuff outside/in the city didn't disappoint. We spent most of our time in the historic center of George Town - walking along the Clan Jetties and hanging out in one of the city's hot spots, China House - so we got a good taste of the island's unique and intriguing vibe.
You will read this everywhere but people are so friendly, the food is so great, and you will be amazed at the number of things you can opt to do. We unfortunately didn't make it to any temples or do any local artisanal shopping but we did have a great afternoon at the Tropical Fruit Farm way up in the hills. It was so nice to take a break from the bustle of the city and be surrounded by a lush environment, learn a bit about new-to-me fruits, and then indulge in an all-you-can-eat fruit tasting buffet. It was just the light lunch we needed as we wanted to save ourselves for grubbing on hawker food later that night. There was one problem with that plan though: we had a dinner voucher for our hotel's sushi restaurant and after reading about some of the menu offerings... well, we couldn't let it go to waste! It was a great meal but that meant that we couldn't go crazy when we finally made it to Gurney Drive Night Market. Still feeling full, I settled for the dessert Ais Kacang, aka the strangest combo of things you can imagine. The looks of it reminded me of the "dump" pitcher we had in my summer camp's cafeteria where every table would put their scrapings and pour remaining drinks into one giant bin. What's even more strange is that Ais Kacang works...at least it did for me - I really enjoyed it!
During our last afternoon we made a quick pit stop to a hyper local flea market because if you've been reading this blog for a while, then you know I simply can't stay away. Nothing exciting to report as it wasn't big on antiques as I was led to believe (mainly produce and old gadgets) but nevertheless we were glad to have checked it out. There was plenty more to eat and do in Penang but even so, I felt like being a visitor there made me more comfortable and excited about exploring KL the same way. Sometimes it's easier to be adventurous when you're far from home but I'm pretty sure I can keep up the pace with what we have down the street.
Did any of you explore your local hood or get away this weekend?
Oh, and in case you didn't hover over the images on this post - make sure you do! I tagged them with descriptions using ThingLink and even included a few on what I wore since this instagram shot got a good response (it's all about the dress and the clutch!). I might keep it up since I always wonder what people are wearing in their posts if I like what I see. What do you think?