Penang Views and News » Tourism

Celebrate festival of lights at the Deepavali Carnival

Foong — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:39:10 +0000

We went and check out the Deepavali Carnival at Little India (Penang Street, King Street) which started on Wednesday night. Last night was the launch by the CM so we went to Little India to check out the carnival. It is a hive of activities with stalls lining the streets and yes, great bargainable Indian costumes, costume jewelleries and food all over.

So, if you are planning to get a saree or a kurta or a punjabi suit, now is the best time as there are plenty of choices and you can really bargain for a good price. I’m not going to write much about it since the carnival is until Saturday night only so I’ll just post some pictures to show you what it’s all about. It is supposed to be held from the afternoon till midnight these few days.

Festival of Lights...Deepavali Carnival at Little India

Be careful walking along the narrow roads as cars try to squeeze past between those stalls

Multi-coloured Indian apparel aplenty

The Indian junkfood, my favourite kind!

Indian sweets / desserts to satisfy your sugar cravings

The Deepavali Carnival is sponsored by Digi of the yellow rubber suit man fame...but no yellow rubber suit man here.

Flowers and garlands

It was launched by the CM at around 8pm. Since it was drizzling when we were there, we did not really stay on to wait for CM to arrive. All in all, this is a great cultural event for tourists and locals alike. Most locals will take this opportunity to go shopping at Little India!

A note of caution: Be careful when walking along the roads as cars and bikes still pass by these narrow roads and yes, snatch thefts is still very much rampant.

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State government wasting ratepayers’ money

Foong — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:11:36 +0000

The DAP-PKR state government is practically jumping in joy over George Town being listed as Unesco’s World Heritage Site along with Melaka. It is like being handed a pot of gold because this listing could translate into tourism money in the near future.

So, in celebration of this wonderful news, the state government announced a RM150,000 three-day celebration next weekend (July 25, 26, 27). I think it is unnecessary to be spending so much to celebrate a listing. It is a total waste of funds.

I thought that the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is more prudent with state funds and although this 3-day event will be funded by the council, it is still a waste of money. Why must ratepayers’ money be frittered away in the name of ‘celebration’?

From what I’ve heard, the first day will be a celebration of the multi-religious facet of George Town along our very own Harmony Street (Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling / Pitt Street) where there is a mosque, a church, a Hindu temple and a Taoist temple along the stretch. Each place of worship will supposedly have some sort of celebratory event and they will light up their premises in a ‘celebratory’ mood.

The second day will highlight the cultural facet of George Town where all the kongsi in that area will feature cultural shows and demonstration and also light up their premises for a festive mood. The celebration will culminate in an open house event on the third day.

These are merely tentative plans for the three day event which I think is really a total waste of funds. Why celebrate for three days and why RM150,000? Where the heck does the money go to? Okay, so I heard they are spending around RM30,000 for lighting but as far as I remember, there are already existing lights there, so they only need to add a bit more but not much.

Even if the RM30,000 on lightings are justified what about the RM120,000? Where will this money be spent on? The open house event? Do we really need to do that? What purpose will this so-called celebration serve? It sure as hell won’t draw tourists from other countries to come here, especially at such short notice.

Isn’t it better to use the funds to upgrade and upkeep the infrastructure within George Town? Heck, it is even better to use the funds to train up more heritage tour guides, spruce up our trisha men, clean up the streets and prepare for the influx of tourists.

A celebration could be done simply if they know anything about planning. They could even stretch it all out over a few months by encouraging each cultural and religious organisation in the heritage enclave to organise their own events. The street performances by Anak anak Kota is a really good example of culture and arts.

There really is no need for a big scale celebration at all. This 3-day event will probably be forgotten the moment it is over and only litter on the roads left by revelers of the open house event will serve to remind people of it.

Indeed, there is much work for the state government to do now to fulfill the management plan of maintaining George Town in the heritage site listing without worrying about celebrating the listing.

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It is time for state government to show its mettle

Foong — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:06:12 +0000

Yes. The DAP-PKR state government has passed the 3-months mark. That is definitely enough time for them to get acquainted and used to the idea of being in power instead of merely being in the Opposition. It is definitely enough time for the reality of their position now to have sank it.

Also, these must have been enough time for them to GET OUT of their Opposition mentality and start acting like the state government. Sure, they are still the Opposition at federal level but here in Penang, they ARE the state government. They ARE in power.

So, isn’t it time that they STOP pointing fingers, STOP blaming others, STOP complaining and whining over what the previous state government did or what the federal government is doing to Penang now?

Okay, so, they have the right to whine and complain and stand up and announce loudly what the previous state government did. And yes, they have the right to point out how the federal government is marginalising Penang just because the BN was voted out of power.

However, WE all know we are being marginalised. We can read the newspapers and online news. We can see for ourselves what the BN government is doing. I don’t mind Penang Outer Ring Road being canceled postponed. I don’t mind that much about the monorail being postponed either BUT I do mind that the federal government IS NOT keeping its promises of implementing an integrated public transportation system in Penang which they had promised AGAIN and AGAIN before and during the general elections.

And now, SUDDENLY there is nothing. No monorail, fine. But no other alternative proposals for public transportation too? This prove that the BN government DO NOT keep to their promises. Buruk siku is what Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has been calling them. And I do agree.

But I digress.

Recently, I heard that the federal government has ‘postponed’ yet another project. This time, it is the RM40mil upgrading works for the Penang Hill funicular train. (YES, it is also ONE of those projects they PROMISED and never deliver) And the thing is, this upgrading works is really needed. URGENTLY. The cables are OLD and faulty. The service broke down numerous times due to this and now, they had to stop the service completely. Seems like the whole system needs to be upgraded as minor repairs are no longer able to keep the system working smoothly.

Yep. Here we are, George Town being listed as a Unesco’s World Heritage Site and one of our landmarks, Penang Hill, is now inaccessible to tourists. Unless, of course, they preferred to hike up. Although Penang Hill is not within the heritage zone, it is still a main tourist site. Tourists already in Penang would probably stop by there. Imagine, the tourists finding their way there after haggling with the cut-throat taxi drivers (that’s a whole another post) only to find that the funicular train service is temporarily stopped and they could not go up on the train.

Ya, ya, blame the federal government. But in the meantime, WHAT is the state government doing? I mean, other than blaming the federal government. Isn’t it time that they buck up and find a solution? Sure, sure, plead and urge and do whatever to push the federal government to hand over the RM40mil for the upgrading works.

While waiting for the federal government to even response, isn’t it time that the state government do something first? Don’t just point fingers.

Do something. Find a solution. It is really time that DAP-PKR start to govern the state. Preferably NOW.

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Is Penang ready now that it is listed as one of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites?

Foong — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:12:03 +0000

With the inexperienced tourism exco holding the helm, I would say the answer is definitely a resounding NO but I will try to give him the benefit of the doubt that perhaps he will be able to take up this challenge of a possible influx of tourists to Penang in future and also to live up to this prestigious listing.

Unesco has listed Penang and Melaka together as the ‘historic cities of the Straits of Malacca’ as below:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

This listing has been long awaited by the government and I have to say the previous tourism exco did quite a lot of stuff in preparation for this listing. But still, it is not enough. Check with the Penang Heritage Trust and they will tell you that the state and federal governments do not know anything about preservation and conservation of heritage and culture but of course they will not be so direct.

Well, the Penang state government really has to buck up now and they really seriously need to look at these issues RIGHT NOW:

Enforceable guidelines on heritage and cultural conservation in George Town as in making sure that all renovations / rehabilitation of old buildings are according to heritage guidelines and not as the owners like
Rejection of building plans for projects involving buildings over 5 storeys in inner George Town because it is detrimental to the heritage buildings around it
Stern actions against the 508 pre-war house owners who had abandoned the buildings and left it all to rot
Having in place a long term plan of conservation of the cultural heritage of inner George Town that is practical and ENFORCED.
Protection laws to ensure that the cultural and historical values of inner George Town are not destroyed with too many modern developments. The reason it is listed is because of HERITAGE not because of some shiny new buildings.
Having in place an efficient and effective tourism system (which is really lacking now) in preparation for an influx of tourists due to the listing.
Cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness!

I do hope the Penang state government knows that not to blow this listing and waste the international exposure!

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Take a cruise to see UFOs in Penang

Foong — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:11:20 +0000

If you want to take a closer look at the murky, rubbish filled sea waters surrounding Penang island, you will have to spend at least RM175 to do so on a recently introduced Blue Whale Cruise.

Ok, so the sea water surrounding Penang aren’t exactly rubbish-filled but you sure as hell will find loads of UFOs (unidentified floating objects) if you look down from the boat. Anyways, if you don’t mind spending good money to cruise around Penang island, here are some details about the cruise:

Blue Whale Cruises:
- Run by British skipper and wife, Stephen & Eileen Burton with a local partner, Steven Tan.
- The boat is a 47ft Chriss Craft Boat with 2 diesel engines, fully air conditioned with toilet and galley.
- Can fit up to 20 people but only insured for 16 people on board, also have safety rafts, safety rings, life jacket, first aid box, etc.

Daily Tours:
1. Sunday – Around the island – inclusive of a BBQ lunch – 10am – 6pm
2. Monday – Turtle Beach – inclusive of a BBQ lunch – 10am – 3pm
3. Tuesday – Sunset Cruise – inclusive of set dinner – 6pm – 9.30pm
4. Wednesday – open for private bookings
5. Thursday – Turtle Beach – inclusive of a BBQ lunch – 10am – 3pm
6. Friday – Sunset Cruise – finger food (coffee, tea or my fingers anyone?) – 6pm – 9.30pm
7. Saturday – open for private bookings

While onboard, you will get free flow of soft drinks and water too.

The boat will depart from Tanjung City Marina and is best only for couples or people with children who does not want to tag along.

Seems like they couldn’t get the insurance to cover children below 13 so no children allowed. If you want to bring your sullen, angst-filled teenager, you can but I doubt that by this age, your teenager would even want to be seen in public with their parents. Just saying.

The damage to your pocket will be extensive though. It is RM175 nett per person but for the set dinner sunset cruise it is RM250 per person. The All Day round the island cruise is RM300 per person!!

I don’t know, maybe it’s only meant for foreign tourists who earn in USDs and Pounds because I sure as heck will not spend RM175 to RM300 to cruise around Penang! And no, although the boat is named Blue Whale, there are no whales for you to watch here and nope, you won’t get to see dolphins too since most of these have left for better seas.

Penangites will know that they could get to Muka Head by paying a fisherman to bring them in his motorboat at RM70 for a return trip. Yep, and it is not even per person! You can even bring your own food, home cooked or store bought, whatever you choose and have a great picnic at the beach.

Oh well, if you really want to spend that kind of money on the cruises, you can check it out at www.bluewhatecruises.com.

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Penang World Music Festival Rocks

Foong — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:14:48 +0000

Due to the wonderfully hot, humid and rain-less weather, which is perfect for an outdoor concert, we went to the Penang World Music Festival at the Quarry Park next to the Botanic Gardens last night.

Mono Blanco from Mexico

Beneath the dark starry skies, surrounded by greenery and the barely discernible sounds of insects and some night animals, the setting was indeed perfect for the wonderful musical experience that was the Penang World Music Festival.

Okay, enough of the advertorial, if I write more, I may have to charge PTAC for this free advertisement..heheheh…

Jokes aside, I love the concert! However, the music is the type that only certain people could appreciate, that is, people who doesn’t mind paying RM50 each to sit on grass / sit on the ground / endure mosquito bites, be prepared for the capricious weather which may produce downpours, and on top of that, listen to music that is hard to categorize.

Teada from Ireland

Now, we come to the bands that played on Friday. We missed the first one, Dya Singh, but listened to Teada from Ireland, Dendang Anak from Terengganu, Mono Blanco from Mexico and Afenginn from Denmark. We wanted to stay for the last one, Salem Tradition from Reunion Island but it was too late and my toddler was already nodding off, although he enjoyed it more than both of us!

The music was all instrumental, with minimal or no singing, and most have dance-able beats. It is hard to describe the music because it is more like a blend of classical, ethnic, new age, a li’l bit of rock and roll, jazz and techno. That’s why I say it is hard to categorize.

Dendang Anak from Terengganu

It is mostly ethnic music, for example, Teada plays Irish music but jazz it up with faster rhythms and beats. Or the Mono Blanco belts out La Bamba to a different beat. However, to all you rock / rap/ heavy metal / oldies lovers out there, I doubt that you’d enjoy this much though. But if you want to experience an all new type of musical experience, this concert is a great place to start!

Afenginn from Denmark

I attended last year’s festival and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed with the music as it is really my kind of music. But, yes there is always a but, I preferred the bands from last year more. At least, last year, they have really exotic bands, you know, like really orang asli type of bands using all sorts of different traditional musical instruments. This year, the bands are mostly modern-type bands.

Fun factor rating: 8 /10

Musical experience rating: 8 /10

Variety rating: 5 /10

Value-for-money: 5/10 ( RM50 each is too costly so if you go for three nights it is RM150! They should have maintained the price at RM40)

Will I attend next year’s concert? Perhaps. I will have to look at the list of bands first.

And if they increase the ticket price to RM60 each, forget it!!! The concert may be good but not blardy worth RM60 per person so that some fat lau ee can go traipsing around the world!

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Penang World Music Festival

Foong — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:23:25 +0000

To all those music fans out there, remember to mark this weekend free to attend the second Penang World Music Festival at the Penang Botanic Gardens.

Date: May 2 – 4

Time: 7pm – midnight

Who: Performers from all over the world

What: Amazingly good ethnic and instrumental music!

Last year’s World Music Festival was really great despite the downpour throughout the three days…I was soaked through but I enjoyed every single minute of it! The Botanic Gardens is a great place to hold this nature-inspired concert so if you missed the last one, don’t miss this one!

I know, some people are darn pissed off with the Penang Tourism Action Council for ignoring the state government and some even wants to boycott this event due to that. Well, considering PTAC is only acting on instructions from Miss Syok Sendiri Minister, then I guess, it isn’t really their fault.

Besides, the event is going to be great fun! If I can get away this weekend, I will definitely be there!

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The stupid minister opens her mouth again and syok sendiri

Admin — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:07:00 +0000

So, the minister Azalina Othman was in town and gave some really strange, if not stupid, announcements….

Looks like she has appointed the person who screwed up tourism in the state in the past to be the chairman of Penang Tourism Action Council. Now, I am sure, all of you know Mdm Kee Phaik Cheen?

That woman is known to make long, long trips overseas in the pretext of promoting Penang and come back with expensive, designer items for herself. Ahhh…we all know who benefited the most from her trips, it was definitely NOT Penang!

So, now she is back. I guess, PTAC is in very good hands and will be organising more trips overseas huh?

Then the new tourism minister started babbling about getting rid of syok sendiri programmes in the country.

Wah, minister, we know you always do things syok sendiri but why lah you start potong stim for others who want to syok sendiri?

She seemed to think that certain tourism events are merely ’syok sendiri’ so the ministry will no longer support nor organise such events.

“We are only interested in major events which bring in foreign tourists and benefit the whole industry.” she reportedly said.

Ah, so. And who is the expert to know which programme bring in tourists and which does not?
Don’t tell it’s the minister who blew millions on a facility to ‘train’ Malaysian footballers in UK?

Oh right. That incident was a mistake and this time she has supposedly wised up by:

1.Cutting off the tourism action councils of five states from the state government

2. Announce new chairmen, who may or may not be good, for the councils

3. Announce no support for any tourism events except those sanctioned by her…err..the ministry with a ’syok sendiri’ rating as the judging factor.

So, how do you see the tourism industry in Penang in future? Well, looks like the state’s soon to be formed Penang Tourism Council will have to work doubly hard to promote tourism events, syok sendiri or otherwise, and raise their own funds. The dyke has spoken in no uncertain terms that there will not be any support from the federal.

Meanwhile, PTAC will probably become what it used to do before Teng Chang Yeow took over in 2004 and turned it around a bit. It will now serve as nothing but a front for Kee to travel worldwide to shop…err…promote Penang. As for funding channeled through PTAC, the state can probably say goodbye to all that and they are better off raising their own funds.

The fat lady has sung and she ain’t parting with her money till ’she is certain that it is spent properly’ – meaning masuk someone’s pockets lar….

Hmmm….is it me or do I sense a foreboding looming in the horizon especially for the tourism industry in Penang? Sigh, poor tourism exco Danny Law, he has some interesting times ahead of him.

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Yummy local treats!

Admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:08:00 +0000

We took a trip to Nibong Tebal recently and of course stopped by to get one of my favourite local treats at one of the famous local..err…’manufacturers’.

The shop isn’t easy to find as it is located along a narrow lorong off the sleepy town of Jawi and about 5 mins drive from the well-known Cheang Kee Restaurant of crab porridge fame. We did stop by at Cheang Kee for lunch, though and needless to say the food were still just as good and still affordable!

The crab porridge still lived up to its reputation and the other dishes we ordered, such as mantis prawn fried with dried chilli, boiled octopus, tang hoon char poey leng (vegetable with glass noodle), prawns and steamed fish were all very good. Sorry lar no pictures, we were so eager to dig in that by the time I remembered, it was too late.

Anyway back to the local treats I was talking about…it is Teochew snacks, Ak Am and Kacang Tumbuk and an array of local ‘cookies’ including Tau Sar Pneah, Tambun Pneah, Beh Teh Soh and Heong Pneah.

I have always loved Ak Am but not the generic, lousy kind found in supermarkets. I like it fresh, crunchy and importantly fragrant. And this shop makes one of the best Ak Am I have ever tasted! Ak Am is actually just loads of sugar, sesame and grounded peanuts but hey, aren’t all sweet treats? I love the texture of Ak Am as it is both soft and crunchy due to the layer of caramel-like sugar outside and the crunchy kacang tumbuk in its core.

We did not buy the Tau Sar Pneah or Tambun Pneah but the Beh Teh Soh and Heong Pneah are absolutely heavenly! The Beh Teh Soh are biscuits with white sugar inside and theirs are so good because the skin is crunchy and the sugar inside, soft and non-sticky. Heong Pneah are almost the same except that brown sugar was used.

Now, I normally don’t eat Heong Pneah due to its tendency to stick to your teeth and gums…but theirs are really good because it isn’t in the least sticky at all!

Rows of Ak Am before it was packed

The first step of the whole process: family members sorting out peanuts

A packet of Ak Am is only RM8.50

So, the next time you happen to go to Nibong Tebal for whatever reason, I will strongly recommend dropping by at this shop to get their yummy treats. I am sure their Tau Sar Pneah and Tambun Pneah are just as good!

Here are the information on the shop:

Chop Cheng Guan
80 & 81 Jalan Pengkalan Rawa
04-5931391

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Tourism industry being sabotaged?

Admin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Well, it seems like the new state government’s one month anniversary is celebrated by an apparent sabotage by those we often identified as sore losers.

First the tourism minister decided to cancel all the MoUs with the five Opposition states and then cut all ties between tourism action councils and the states which I wrote about here.

Then recently, seems like the Penang Tourism Action Council or PTAC is following ’silent’ orders to clearly sabotage the state government. Never mind that it affects the tourism industry and ultimately the people. What’s important to them, it seems, is to put the state government in a bad light.

How did they do this?

Simple.

By not cooperating with the state exco.

By not providing the correct information to the state exco.

By not even bothering to inform the state exco anything about upcoming tourism events in the state.

Sure, they don’t have to report to the state exco now, but hey, the events are being held in Penang so isn’t it common courtesy to at least inform the state government?

Also, it seems that they have not received any black and white directive from the tourism ministry to stop reporting to the state governments. Technically, they still need to report to the state government until they get the formal directive. But then of course, we knowla how great our Malaysian system is. Spoken directives, some more through the media, is sometimes sufficient. Then when something go wrong, they blame the media for misquoting them!

So, recently, through the mysterious workings of certain parties, there was quite a stir over a minor issue which escalated to a huge word war. It was damn ugly and not in the least good for the one-month-old state administration. Not a very good mua guik / moon yut (Hokkien /Cantonese for full-moon) present hey?

It is quite an interesting story. First, they (PTAC) send out a press invitation to all the media for some tourism event to be held at 7am to welcome about 3,000 tourists arriving on a luxury cruise liner which is berthing in Penang for the first time.

Naturally, all the media assumed the tourism exco or even a representative will be present, as is the norm.

Ah, then this is where it gets interesting. The invite never got out to the tourism exco (Danny Law) or his representative. There was a separate invite from the cruise liner to Danny for another event onboard the ship at 10am so he had already asked a representative (Jagdeep) to go on his behalf as he was outstation at that time.

Now, some of the media who went to the 7am function were puzzled as to why no representatives from the state government were there. They waited and waited and still, no sign of anyone except for the tourists.

So, they became pissed, thinking ‘what an arrogant lousy state government, didn’t even bother to send a representative to welcome these tourists when they are the ones who organise this welcome ceremony’

Well, most of them waited to attend the 10am function and since Jagdeep was there, they quickly forgot about the 7am function. BUT two other papers and no, strangely, it is not The Star or Utusan, didn’t wait for the 10am function and had straightaway assumed the worst.

The two Chinese vernacular papers wrote scathing articles about the whole thing. One article even have the headline ‘Are they sleeping?’. It was not good for the new state government. So, Danny called them up and clarified that he was not invited to the 7am function but the 10am function in which Jagdeep went.

Now, the issue would have been settled there and then but sad to say, due to human error and probably his lawyerly streak, Jagdeep called a press conference to give the two papers a piece of his mind and demanded for a correction. Needless to say, it all ended badly with the reporters shouting at him and him (stupidly) using the ‘I do not want to resort to the courts for this issue’.

To cut a long story short, the Chinese papers reporters became even more pissed with that statement and wrote even more scathing articles about how the new state government does not support freedom of speech.

Poor Danny was scrambling around apologising and trying to put things right again but we all know, reporters aren’t easily appeased. You see, this whole debacle may seem like some petty fights between an assemblyman and some reporters but if you look closely and think, what is the cause of it?

Yep, the main cause was the media being invited for an event while the assemblymen wasn’t and the media was misled into thinking at least one assemblyman would be present at the event. This showed an obvious sabotage attempt using the media who readily play up to the expectations of the saboteur. The end result with bad blood between some reporters and the assemblyman must have been a bonus !

My guess is this is only the first step. More will probably come. Just think. The Penang World Music Festival is coming up in a month but the state government wasn’t privy to anything about the event because PTAC decided not to share it. If the event flops, they will readily blame it on the government administration.

Yep, methinks there is some ongoing sabotage and I can only hope LGE or Danny wise up to it and think of something to combat this!

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