MALAYSIA, PULAU PINANG - April 2001 Arrived at the airport at noon and bicycled around the island in a clockwise direction: - Sam Poh Footprint. Cute Chinese shrine by the sea. Comes with a viewpoint. No entrance fee, a bit boring. - Mountainroad to Balik Pulau passes several small waterfalls that run down from the mountains. - Several km before Balik Pulau, a road branches off to what I marked PANTA2 on my GPS. It's a clean white sand beach along an installation of the watercompany PBA. Someone ran a waterpipe down from the mountains to a little underpass, so you can have a swim in the sea and a freshwater shower after. Follow my GPS trail and you won't get lost. Worth it. - Balik Pulau Town has a good variety of food. - Road to Batu Feringghi a moderate mountain road, often with treecover. Many small waterfalls along the way. - I stop for the night in Teluk Bahang. Economical accommodation options in Teluk Bahang: >Rama GH (GPS: RAMAGH): Managed by cool (freaky ?) Indian lady. House looks like it belongs to "Pipi Langstrumpf" but nevertheless, seems to receive some maintenance. Dorm RM8 / night. Bring your own bedsheet, maybe your own mattress. Don't forget mosquito coils or your mosquito net. There is I'net. The place is a few meters from the roundabout, towards the sea / police, on the right side. >Across the road from RAMA GH is another GH. Haven't checked it, just saw it. Been told it was comparable to RAMA. >Fisherman Village GH (GPS: FISHER): RM18, shared bathroom >Chalet Sportfishing (SPORTF): RM50 per chalet. Said to be very comfy, looks like it from outside, hain't been inside. It's towards the "End Of The World" Restaurant. >Some Indian guys told me there'd be 2 places by "Madame Lo". Found none of them and what was supposedly her shop was closed (well, t'was 9:00pm in the low season). Seafood available at many restaurants, prices vary. The mosquitos at RAMA GH enjoy me a lot that night. I leave early next morning. - Road to Batu Ferringhi is easy with a few hills. I pass a strip of budget accommodation: >BABA Guesthouse (GPS: BABAGH): RM35 (fan) >There are several other GHs of the same category. Traveler services offered (e-mail, bus to Bangkok, tours, ....) >Holiday Inn is on both sides of the mainroad. It's more of a landmark (GPS: HOLIDA) than an accommodation option. - Further on to Georgetown, I pass the Penang Swimming Club (left side). You have to be a member, to get in. Call it another landmark (GPS: BATH) - From Georgetown, a road leads up the to Kek Lok Si. Continue a few meters further up the mountain and turn left, you will reach a newly-built statue atop a newly built tempel complex (see attached photo). It's just above Kek Lok Si and views from up there are nice. Can be accessed by car (GPS: STATUE). - If not turning off for the statue, you reach Air Itam. First there's a viewpoint to the right (A-ITAM), then there's the dam (DAM2). - A bitumen road through shady forest encircles the reservoir. - The descent from the the dam disinfects the wheels by heating the rims. Can get new brake shoes at waypoint BIKE1. Georgetown: Parking a bicycle at Komtar is 20 cents. The tower of Komtar costs RM5 entrance fee, they tell you that once the elevator shot you up to the 58th floor. You buy the ticket at a table between the elevator and the viewing platform. Up there's souvenir shops and a modest restaurant. When you show the entrance ticket, you can get a RM2 discount on high-priced drinks (not on souvenirs). Better drink on ground level. Budget-accommodation options in Georgetown: > Hotel Noble (GPS: NOBLE): 36 Lorong Pasar, 04-2612372, fan double RM18 (attached bathroom) > Ai Goh GH (GPS: AI-GOH): Dorm RM10 > There are a lot more places to stay, often just a narrow stair leads up to the 2nd floor where the reception can be found. Above-mentioned places are "proper" ones. Food is pretty nice all over Georgetown. Try the stalls that set up in the evening in the area of the ferry agencies (GPS: PROMEN). Shopping is nice as well. If you need hard-to-find spareparts, chances are you're lucky. I personally feel that Bangkok can't touch Penang. Eventually, I head out of Georgetown and cross to the mainland using the Penang Bridge. - Crossing Pinang Bridge by bicycle is a no-fun & risk-only activity. If you feel you have to do it, do it only once. I saw no signs that bicycles would be prohibited from using the bridge, but there's little space. Many motorists feel that a bicycle doesn't belong there, they do nasty things to annoy you. - It's a long loop past unexciting industrial areas which eventually brings me to Butterworth. Motorcycles have a seperate lane (and a separate toll gate) for boarding the ferry. This works for bicycles as well. All very smooth. I have an early flight next morning and an Indian travel agent tells me, it would be best to overnight near the airport. I was told there'd be several budget accommodation places in the area of the airport. Well, I went there the same evening and all I found was Seri Malaysia Hotel (GPS: SERIMA), RM100 for a double with aircon and TV, about 4km from the airport. With 10% discount, it was still pretty much out of my budget but I eventually stayed there. I had an early flight and didn't want a sleepless night in the park or somebody's home. Unluckily, I got tricked at the hotel. Next morning, the receptionist managed to distract sleepy me so I forgot to take the RM60 deposit back. I bet, he wasn't doing it the first time. I will contact Tourism Malaysia abt it. Penang bottom line: South, West and Center nice for cycling plus cute beaches and waterfalls. East, Georgetown and North has a lot of industry, traffic, noisy motorcycles, no fun. Good roads and good food found everywhere. Reminds of Singapore.