Today I spent time in the northern part of the Island. The northern area is where a large number of expats/foreigners live. It is also where some of the higher end malls are located. I visited Gurney Paragon Mall & Gurney Plaza. Two large shopping centers near each other and walked the surrounding neighborhood.

The image below is from within the mall looking out at some condominiums.

The image below is of Gurney Paragon Mall

There are 8 stories in the mall and every kind of shop. The one below called Mr. D.I.Y caught my eye and it’s something like Home Depot in the U.S.

They sell a variety of items.

Razors seem fairly inexpensive.

Cooking gear.

I use gloves when cooking and these seem like a bargain.

Not sure why they sell a lot of winter gear here where it’s always hot but I guess people do travel.

These are the list of shops at Gurney Paragon Mall.

I did end up stopping by at a mobile phone shop and bought a sim card for my phone because my carrier from the U.S. was very spotty. It would work fine then stop working suddenly for no reason. I have 5 bars now with the service I got on the card.

Pre-paid sim card for mobile: 20 ringgit ($4.76), 50 gb data, unlimited local voice, text. Note: In Malaysia, you are REQUIRED to provide a passport for all sim card purchases.

I visited the malls today because the weather was expected to be heavy thunderstorms for the day so I opted to go check out the movie theaters here and watch a movie. I ended up seeing the Conjuring which should have been called the “Dozing” because I nearly dozed off a dozen times on how boring this movie during it’s 2 hour run time.

Ticket to movie: 16 ringgit ($3.81)

Popcorn and drink: 19 ringgit ($4.50)

Total $8.81

There is a grocery store at Gurney Plaza below are some of the items. To get the cost in dollars divide by 4.

I had lunch at the mall and it was a great deal. All the food below was $7 USD. It included an iced tea, chicken quarter, rice, bok choy salad, soup, egg-roll like, and a fruit-jelly bowl. I was unable to finish all the food.

As expected, it was raining heavily when I finished my mall tour. It took almost an hour to get back to the hotel in my Grab from the North side of the island to the southern part.

I will be changing hotels tomorrow to move further south in the island. More tomorrow!

Categories: Georgetown Penang
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An action packed day in Georgetown. I hit the major tourist sites today and I did it on my own without any tour guides. It seems like low season here and most of the sites are fairly empty so no need to pre-buy tickets to beat the crowds.

Penang Hill

My first stop was Penang Hill. I took a Grab from my hotel and then took the funicular up to the top.

There are great views from the top and there are many places to walk about so plan on at least 45 minutes to see most of it or longer if you want to explore more.

There is also a skywalk that provides a large field of view. Watch weather forecasts to make sure you don’t get rained on or fogged out.

There is a Hindu temple at the top as well.

And there is also a Mosque.

One of the views from the top.

I was fortunate to miss the rain. It seemed it rained before I got there and after I left.

Kek Lok Si Temple

Next stop was Kek Lok Si Temple and definitely worth a stop. It was only about 5 ringgit Grab ride from Penang Hill so if you’re doing one you should do the other on the same day.

This is the largest Buddha in Penang.

Size and scale photo.

There are also many stone animals throughout the base.

There is a beautiful temple on the grounds of the complex.

Intricate designs on this mosaic.

There is also a Pagoda on the campus and it’s fairly tall and imposing as well.

The grounds here have many colorful flower, far more than the Botanical Gardens!

Penang Botanical Gardens

The most challenging place to visit was the Penang Botanical Gardens. This site is in the vicinity of the other two so add to your outing if you have the energy to do three sites the same day. Note that it is hot and humid here so pace yourself and bring plenty of water, sunglasses, hat and maybe a sun umbrella.

The main road to the gardens is CLOSED so you’ll get dropped off about 500 yards from the main entrance and have to walk the rest of the way. There is construction at the site which is why the road is closed.

The gardens are impressive, it’s a very large area that would take hours to see all in one go so you may need to strategically pick key sites you want to visit or plan on several visits if you love gardens.

There are monkeys all over the place and while none were aggressive toward me while I was there, they can be a bit mischievous and steal certain items like sunglasses, hats or other items on your person.

During my visit, the clouds became darker and darker so I opted to call it a day and head back to the drop off point. I made it to my Grab car just in time to avoid pouring rain. Weather can be fickle here so be prepared or plan on getting wet.

Ironically, as soon as I got back to the hotel and took a shower, I hit the pool to soak and relax.

The next two days are expected to have rain here in Georgetown area so I may be doing indoor activities.

Categories: Georgetown Penang
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What an incredible day! It started with the fabulous breakfast buffet at the hotel (free for Titanium members). There are many food stations with plenty of options. I usually stick to my morning soups and noodles.

Indian food station.

After breakfast, I took a private car (courtesy of hotel) to old Georgtown center. There is a rich cultural history in the old city center and lots of artistic flair.

The image below shows giant burning incense. They can be found around some of the Buddhist temples.

There are many famous art works on walls throughout old Georgetown, some of them explain the area’s history.

After walking in the intense heat and humidity, I stopped for lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant. Food was good.

Then washed it all down with this blue concoction.

After walking around for a while, it was time for an hour long foot massage. The cost for an hour was 68 ringgit ($16). After that I did a 90 minute body massage which cost 130 ringgit ($31). The therapist was amazing and removed all the sore spots on my back.

Food Tour

After the massages, it was time for my 3 hour, 15 sampling. food tour around Georgetown. The tour focused on three major cuisines: Malaysian, Indian and Chinese dishes. There is a complete description of the tour foods down below so as to not clutter the blog with text and images.

Malaysian

Indian

Chinese

Food & Restaurants

Nyonya Palazzo

• 017-222 6178
• https://g.co/kgs/cgzoEQK
• Nyonya Palazzo : Kuih Talam, Pulut Tai Tai, Radish cake

Sri Ananda Bahwan

• 04-331 0781
• https://g.co/kgs/w9Lyg76
• Ananda Bahwan : Banana Leaf Rice & Paper tosai

Penang Famous Samosa (Michelin noted) – This is a street corner vendor stall.

 Tea Kadai

• 012-496 8938
• https://g.co/kgs/a7GFVkp
• *Masala Tea, Original pani puri&chochalate pani puri* 

Fruit : Guava & Jack fruit & Langsat & Longan

Gou Lou Hong Kee Chao Sar Hor Fun & Noodles

• 016-548 1248
• https://g.co/kgs/wCkfwsv
•  *Dry Char Hor Fun, Tai Lok Mee(Fatty noodle)*

Cintra Street (food stall at street corner)

• *Sesame ball (Coconut & Peanut) and Hum chim peng (Chinese donut)*

Sun Yoon Kee

• 016-401 3133
• https://g.co/kgs/NcyVqsG
• Roast pork stir fried with dark soya sauce, sourplum chicken

Chill Night Restaurant 

• Dessert :  Aiyu Jelly

Lebuh Kimberley 

More adventures tomorrow!

Categories: Georgetown Penang
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Just got in today to Georgetown Penang and the city is alive and the hotel fabulous. Normally I would wait till the end of the stay to write a review but with this amazing gem there is no need to wait. It’s a great hotel.

As Titanium member, I got upgraded to a Junior Suite and it’s a great suite with a great view.

Bathroom has a rain shower and tub with a view of the skyline.

The facilities are nice. The gym and pool are on the same floor and the pool has a great bar.

Platinum and Titanium members get access to the lounge which is self serve and features some snacks and drinks.

The lobby is impressive!

As a Titanium member I was invited to the special members only area at the pool with a spread of amazing food.

I dont know the names of this stuff but the flavors are amazing. The quiche like pastry has salmon in it. The noodles are tender and spicy. The round mini-cupcake is another amazing seafood dish. The beef cracker has a unique taste as well.

The staff have been excellent catering to my every need.

More tomorrow.

Categories: Georgetown Penang
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Started the day with a short walk to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned.

Then some shoppping at Terminal 21 for someone back home 😉

This was the most expensice thing I purchased on my visit. Its a magical sun screen for princesses.

After shopping it was time for another foot massage to recharge the limbs.

Then it was off to the worst chinese food I have ever eaten.

Got back to the hotel to meet my new friend Mr. Twiggles.

After some initial packing it was time to get some street food at my favorite open market.

I was skeptical that a 30 baht ($1 USD) pizza could be any good but I was wrong. Great pizza slice for $1.

Butter chicken and garlic naan, 220 baht ($7)

And to finish it all off with some cookies and ice cream 89 baht ($3).

A three course meal for $11 can’t be beat! Prices do seem a bit higher though than last time I was here.

The hotel gave me some vouchers for free drinks at the rooftop bar.

Heading out to a new city and country tomorrow.

Categories: Bangkok
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Just got in to Bangkok, Thailand this morning at 5 am. The wonderful hotel staff was kind enough to let me check in early and had my room ready by 9 am.

The first order of business after a 9 hour flight from Istanbul was to get a massage. There is no shortage of massage places near my hotel. There are at least one dozen and likely another dozen beyond that a few more meters away. The great thing about Thailand is that massages are fairly inexpensive and high quality if you get an experienced masseuse. At the time of this post the Bhat is trading at 32 to 1 USD so a 250 Baht massage will cost ~$8 USD.

I ended up getting two massages. A full body massage which did wonders for my back then a separate foot massage which is really more of a leg, ankle and foot massage. I plan on repeating tomorrow. The cost of 4 massages is still less than one massage back in the U.S.

I wish I could tell you that after the massage I didn’t fall asleep back in my hotel room but I did. The intent was to take a quick nap but I dozed off around noon and didn’t wake up till 4 p.m. I woke up hungry and had planned to go to an Indian restaurant but along the way, I found this night market and decided to check it out.

There are endless stalls offering all kinds of foods from pizza, Thai dishes, Indian dishes, fried foods, seafood and more.

The spicy stir-fried mama with basil and chilli caught my eye and the chef seemed very enthusiastic to cook up any order freshly so off we went.

I blurred out the faces but they were very happy and enthusiastic. Thailand has strict social media laws that protect individuals so I’ve opted to blur for everyone’s protection.

The dish below was very filling and cost 120 Bhat ($3.75). Noodles, shrimp, calamari, and veggies grilled to perfection.

And of course washing it all down with an order of french fries and chicken nuggets also 120 baht total.

The seafood stand below was very popular. You pick a stick with a variety of seafood and the grill master cooked it to perfection. I plan on eating here again tomorrow. This place has every type of food I like, it’s fast, cheap and good.

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow here and more about that journey tomorrow.

Categories: Bangkok
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The Protagonist

The protagonists in our Istanbul story are a father and son looking for intrigue and adventure as strangers in a foreign land. The travel weary characters in this story wanted the best hotel close to key sites, easy and cheap transportation and modest comfort and the DeCamondo Galata delivered on all three.

The DeCamondo Galata in a central location nestled between the Galata Tower (5 minute walk), Karakoy metro train (9 minute walk), Kamondo Stairs (1 minute walk) and quite a few rooftop restaurants. With easy access to the metro, the rest of the city is easily accessible without having to rely on taxis or Ubers in this very traffic congested city.

The Antagonist

All stories have an antagonist and this story is no different. The main antagonist of this hotel is street noise. The tight streets with endless traffic and occasional honking, loud music cars, street sweepers, garbage trucks and other similar noise makes sound the main villain.

If you stay here, I highly recommend you bring ear plugs for the noise and request a room on higher floors.

The image above is from my hotel room, a couple getting married below and a man banging on a large drum. There are many married couples getting photographed in this area especially around the Kamondo Stairs and the surrounding streets.

The Hero

The hero in our story was the rooftop restaurant featuring spectacular views of the Bosporus and surrounding city. For Marriott platinum or above members, breakfast is included and this restaurant knows how to shower their guest with high quality food. The standard spread includes veggies, fruits, breads, cheeses, and an array of honey, jam, butter dips.

View from the rooftop hotel. Note that breakfast if operated by Marriott hotel and dinner is operated by a private company and dinner can’t be charged to the hotel room so bring cash or card.

Anti-Hero

The anti-hero of this story are the steep, slippery, uneven cobbled streets and sidewalks that make this a disabled persons nightmare through and through. If you have any kind of mobility issues, carefully consider other options if possible. Most of Istanbul has steep hills and the infrastructure is not disabled friendly.

The image below doesn’t quite show the steep 35 degree angle of the slope of this road. If you are mobility challenged, be aware and plan accordingly. The sidewalks are often small, staired, and cars or motorcycles are parked over the sidewalk so you will need to walk on the cobblestone street to move about.

The Denouement (& Recommendation?)

Our story has a triumphant finale as the protagonists got restful sleep, fine dining and satisfied their hunger for adventure. We’d recommend and stay in this hotel again during a future visit to Istanbul.

To learn more about this hotel you can visit the hotel’s website here.

Categories: Istanbul
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Today was a short day as it’s the last day for my traveling companion as he moves on to a new country and I leave to another one tomorrow.

We spent the day at Galata Tower since there were no cruise ships at port and there were no lines for the tower.

Galata Tower

Inside the tower is this model of Istanbul.

There are interesting things to see from the tower. Not sure what exactly is going on on the rooftop of the building below?

Spectacular views.

Interesting photo ops!

The route down is to take some stairs in some very tight corridors but each landing has some artifacts from long ago.

We had lunch at a Persian restaurant and the food was good and affordable.

Finished the day with desert. The three flavors of homemade ice cream from left to right are blueberry, peach and milk. Why are they all the same color? Who knows, but the best one is the milk. Available at Salon Galata.

SCAMS

Our trip in Istanbul has been fabulous except for the three scams encountered by the travel team. Istanbul is well known for endless scams and you should be aware that even the tourist destination are in on the action by over charging or padding the costs of tours, tickets and events.

The best way we found to avoid the scams is to PRE-BUY your tickets with reputable firms. I would highly recommend that you pre-book all the excursions or tours through GetYourGuide.com or Viator.com. I would highly encourage you to do this especially for Turkey.

I booked all my tours through GetYourGuide and I didn’t have a single problem. My traveling companion thought he could save a few bucks but ended up getting scammed.

If you think you’ll be saving money by going with some dude off the street, you will likely end up overpaying or be outright scammed.

The other thing to do BEFORE you travel to any destination is to review your destination in Reddit, YouTube or other online resources with emphasis on “scams in country x” and educate yourself. I also always check the UK Travel Advisory website for any notices. No, you don’t need to be British to use the site!

This website has a list of some common scams but it’s not all inclusive of issues you may face.

Tags: galata tower,scams in istanbul
Categories: Istanbul
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Today’s adventures consist of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern. Lots of rich history, culture and art at each site.

Blue Mosque

Our guide gave us a deep dive into the history of the Blue Mosque. You can read about some of it here.

The chain in the entrance below is designed to get people to bow and show reverence as you enter the mosque.

There are attire requirements in order to enter. Women must wear head scarves and no sleeveless shirts or shorts/skirts allowed.

The interior is amazing with multiple layers of domes, stained glass panes, and giant columns supporting the structure.

The columns are referred to as the ‘elephant’s legs’ and are made of marble.

Blue Mosque courtyard (image below).

Hagia Sophia

Walking distance from the Blue Mosque is Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia mosque also has a rich history dating back to Greek times when it was originally built as a temple to honor the Greek gods. It subsequently became a church then a mosque.

According to our guide, the Statue of Liberty would fit inside this structure which is remarkable considering it was built centuries ago!

The intricate mosaics are made up of thousands of pieces.

Basilica Cistern

The last stop was the Basilica Cistern. From Wikipedia: This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately 138 metres (453 ft) by 65 metres (213 ft) – about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area – capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water.

Medusa was discovered after restoring the cistern in 1985/87.

It was an amazing day! Best time to go is in the morning as the afternoon sun was a bit too much.

P.S. – There are cats everywhere. They are revered by the people in Turkey and cats are found on mosque grounds, trains, motorcycles, sidewalks, and any other place a cat can lounge around.

Tags: basilica cistern,blue mosque,hagia sophia
Categories: Istanbul
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I started the day with a trip to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The entrance below looks like something out of Harry Potter and Diagon Alley. Once you enter, you are bombarded with a huge complex with endless shops featuring gold, rugs, lamps, teas, shoes and many other items.

It’s easy to get lost in here and spend hours upon hours if you have the patience and money to shop. It is worth nothing that you HAVE to bargain for any goods here. I was in need of a cane and the price started at 3000 Lira and got negotiated down to 1000 Lira. Yeah, I still likely overpaid for it but at least I overpaid 2/3 less! It’s actually a nice hand carved cane with simple but nice decorations on it.

After the Bazaar, I headed to turn in my laundry for cleaning so that and lunch in between took up most of the day. The evening we spent on a cruise up and down the Bosporus. The guide on this 2 hour cruise gave us a rich history of the culture, events and landscape around the area.

The mosque on the top of the hill is relatively new however it is constructed to appear like the other older ones.

Sailing up then down the channel. The cruise serves fruits, nuts, teas, and pastries throughout the journey.

Rumelihisari fortress (image below).

The King’s Palace (image below). Only the king is allowed to use the tower in the image.

It’s called a sunset cruise for a reason!

Nice silhouette as the sun sets.

More tomorrow!

Categories: Istanbul
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