Discovering Penang Island

Something about the Silkair Service

I requested wheelchair assistance when I went to Singapore with my family last December 29. My knee wound stitches were still fresh and I was in constant pain. As the plane was taking off, I requested that I keep my leg elevated, as it was painful if kept down. The staff allowed my request. 

As I was also suffering from what turned out to be a nasty & prolonged cough, the caring flight attendants constantly attended to me. When we were about to land in Changi, stewardess Isabelle Tang (just two years with Silkair) gave me a box of tissue to take with me and she hurriedly gathered a bunch of blankets to put under my leg. Ms. Tang indeed epitomizes the quintessential flight attendant! (Thank you again, Isabelle!)

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore flight is just about 40 minutes. I expected no service for such a short flight. Yet, the flight attendants managed to serve drinks – despite the turbulence – and gathered the used glasses on record time. No fuss, just fast and efficient service!

Now on to Penang Island

With the withdrawal of Malaysian Airlines’ service from Cebu (just Manila-KL), Silkair now becomes the exclusive carrier serving travelers in Southern Philippines and Malaysia with its Cebu-Davao-Singapore-Penang (or Kuala Lumpur) route.

This was the route we took (Cebu-Singapore-Penang) last week for the media fam trip, courtesy of Silkair. Tourism Malaysia has an ongoing Visit Penang 2010/2012 campaign, promoting the island in the northwest, just off the coast of Mainland Penang, which is mostly factories and mass housing. Connected to the mainland by 13 & a half km. Penang Bridge – formerly the longest in Southeast Asia, Penang island is not only known for the beautiful beaches and its variety of resorts. It is also known for its rich history (The state’s capital city of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which one can tour leisurely on a “trishaw” or what we know as tricycle.), delicious hawker’s food and a peaceful cultural diversity (of Malay, mostly Hookien Chinese and Indian).

We had no time for the ubiquitous beaches but we stayed in three hotels while we were there, the highlight of which was Hard Rock Hotel. It is a family style resort hotel offering lots of fun for children of all ages, from a wet & wild area in the swimming pool, to a spacious playroom with lots of stuff to entertain the young folks.

This flying bat-shaped island is named by New York Times as “the culinary capital of Malaysia” where tourists visit just to eat. So eat we did for the most part of our stay! On our first night (the connecting flight from Singapore is late afternoon), we headed for the 24-hour restaurant across the hotel that offers hawker’s food. One caution: taste buds must be attuned to chili-spicy concoctions.

After dinner on our second night, we walked through the night market stalls along the sidewalks leading back to Hard Rock Hotel. All kinds of merchandise were waiting for the bargain hunter: watches, bags, sandals, hats, pens, jewelry (some semi-precious), neckties and scarves, t-shirts and blouses. There were some island handicrafts in wood and fiberglass.

Penang (“pinang,” Malay term for betel nut) has many betel nut trees. But it is now known as the producer of the best durian in Malaysia. In the west of Penang island, the king of durian is grown – the red prawn variety, so called because of its pinkish flesh. It is the most expensive and highly seasonal. Other agricultural products include nutmeg and clove, wild lychee, jackfruit, mangosteen and rambutan.

While we were crossing Penang Bridge on to the mainland, on our way to Kuala Lumpur by coach, I made a mental note to bring my grandchildren to enjoy this laidback historical island with the multi-cultural tapestry in food, people and way of life. The best way to teach children what global community really means – diversity enriching life. (FREEMAN)