The fresh, sea-laden air of Penang welcomed us the moment we stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac of Penang International Airport.
"Everyone can fly with AirAsia~~"Within an hour, Liew, Ernest, Cikgu Haryati and I were chartered off by several unknown individuals (gasp) right into the heart of Penang, where our lodgings lay waiting.
Sad to say, any hope of staying at one of the lavish, 5-star hotels that lined the shores of Batu Feringgi were snuffed out immediately.
No, seriously, two options; hotel or hostel-turned-hotel? I bet you'd all jump at the earlier option. The mention of hostel itself brings to mind filthy toilets and bad cafeteria food. XD
Surprisingly so, the hostel themselves weren't as bad as I thought it would be. In terms of the facilities and amenities there, it was decent and hospitable.
Me and Liew were bunking together in Room BB 03 which was much to my chagrin, the DAMN furthest room in Block B from the reception.
Sure, it's no 5-star hotel but hey, I was going to be living in it for the next 6 days. Might as well get used to it. Overall, I had no complaints about the room itself only several, small issues with the water kettle and the condition of the toilet.
But the friendly hostel staff were kind enough to offer us free towels and soap to make up for those shortcomings. (which we ungratefully used as the door-mat)
The condition of the toilets before I was done with it
First stop for the day, Queensbay Mall! Arguably the longest shopping mall in Malaysia nia. Ironically, it was Ryner's suggestion and his life's aspiration that we hit the mall on the first night but we went off without him. Call us evil, but that's how we roll in the 'hood!
Queensbay Mall!!!
After much hassle over taxi fares, rain and trying to fit the collosal Ambrose into the taxi, we arrived at our much-awaited shopping mall! Sorry for the louya picture but no time want to take picture of the whole mall bor.
The sheer size or length of the mall were further complemented by the fact that its location overlooked the beautiful seas of Penang Island where the beaches were just opposite the mall, akin to that of Gurney Drive.
Being the avid bookworms that we were, we stopped by Borders for a good half hour where I valiantly searched for the ever-evasive mangas and graphic novels. What? Never seen a comic book enthusiast before?
In short, it took us an estimated 20 minutes to get from the South Wing to the North Wing if you take into account the pace that we moved at. We undermined the term 'slow' and made a tortoise proud at the same time.
Much walking about later, Jeremy decided upon a restaurant where we could have a wholesome supper!
Thank.Goodness.It's.Friday. TGIF. But it was Sunday then, and that's beside the point.
From left to right: Jeremy, Ernest, Me, Ambrose and LiewWith no parental control over the outflow of one's pocket money and a bulging wallet to boot accompanied by a ravenous appetite for all things delicious, yours truly ordered the RM 30 spaghetti -add fancy Italian term here-
Spaghetti Bonanza~~~~Hoo boy, did I really get my money's worth. A single plate of that was more than enough to fill my stomach to its brim. Boy, that was the best supper I had ever tasted in all my life!
The master layout of the Queensbay residential area By 9, the mall was closing and we headed back to our lodgings, yearning for a good night's sleep and some time of peace and quiet.
Meanwhile, a certain classmate was waiting eagerly for his piano competition result while I wailed in agony over the hole in my wallet; a result from the RM 100+ splurging in one, single night.
Till then, expect part 2 to be up soon. I'll be blogging about the various delegates from the different Southeast Asian countries.
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