Sisaket (TH) to Singapore – Ep 18

Malaysia – Butterworth / Penang

To make it short, the ride from Kaki Bukit to Butterworth was not a great one.
In total ~210 km, 180 km of them not really nice.

We started early in the morning to visit the Wang Kilian viewpoint and probably enjoy the sunrise.
From Kaki Buri to the viewpoint is a 6 km ride on curvy roads, quite nice.

For the viewpoint they charge 5 RM for foreigners, so 10 RM in total for both of us.
After a short walk up hill (or use the golf cart), the view is amazing. Especially when you have some clouds added to the sunrise.

There is a coffee shop at the viewpoint, it’s a delicious morning coffee with a view.
On our way down south we found some nice small farm roads. Green rice fields and mountains in the background. What a nice, peaceful and quiet scenery.

That was the better part of our trip. Soon we arrived in Kuala Perlis.
Kuala Perlis is a suburb of Kangar and the second-largest town in and the main port of Perlis in Malaysia. It is in extreme northwest Peninsular Malaysia, near the border with Thailand. The older part of town has houses and mosques built on stilts over mangrove swamps.

Along with its Kedahan counterpart, Kuala Kedah, you can travel by ferry to Langkawi, an interesting location for the shoppers as it is a duty free island.

Kuala Perlis is not great and in general not worth a visit. This city is dirty, full of rubbish and except the ferry, a museum and the Al Hussein Mosque there is nothing really interesting.

The ride along the coast was disappointing. No view of anything, the beach not nice or not existing and not clean. This is not really a tourist area.

Port d`Lepak, a fisherman’s village was THE one thing to point out.

Finally we gave up and rode on the coastal highway. A mess as well, lots of traffic and road construction.
So in the end back on the coastal road. The part to Butterworth was ok, as it was incredible hot we rode the last kilometers on the main highway.

In Butterworth we stay in an Praicon tower in an apartment with a view to George Town, Penang.

To visit George Town and Penang Island, we got up early and started early.

Unfortunately not only us who had the idea. It seems like people here start working early.

Riding in the dark on unknown roads in between hundreds of local motorcyclists and cars was challenging.
In the end we made it to George Town, the old part. And shocked a bit.
It’s an more or less old village surrounded by skyscrapers.
Ok, the architecture is nice but it seems like no one is interested in renovate something or make it looking pleasant.
The old town is full of jewelers, gold shops and restaurants. And different styles of religious buildings.

Fighting with red traffic lights in between residential buildings with 30 and more floors, we slowly made our way out of the town into the nature. Once you pass by Tanjung Bungah, it is getting way more quiet and the road up to the Telok Bahang Dam and further is really great, windy, good tarmac with almost no traffic.

In Bagan Ayer Tam the civilization hits you again. Say hello to Mr KFC and Mrs Starbucks!
Balik Pulau, a small town famous for the view on green rice fields we skipped.

Passing by the Penang Airport we took the E28 (Penang Second Bridge) back to the main land.

The ride on the bridge was the second highlight (after the mountain roads) of the day . Using the motorbike lane makes it very safe to cross.

One last look back…

Before the real heat started we arrived safely at the apartment.

Conclusion: Penang you should visit once in a life time. It’s interesting and diverse. But in the end it’s like a huge city with all advantages and disadvantages.
About the traffic and the look and feel, Penang and Butterworth can easily be compared with way larger cities or metropolis areas.

Find the trip details in the Links below.
Kaki Bukit to Butterworth
George Town and Penang loop

Stay tuned and enjoy yourself!!

#dustysocks