KUALA LUMPUR AND PENANG 2011

I went to KL  and Penang in 2011-2012...it was my first official Christmas away from home. I knew I wanted to go east but decided against the typical, expected trip to Thailand. Thailand is on my list and I will get there eventually. KL seemed exciting and mixed in with a resort stay, a perfect mix of city and beach.I got to KL just in time for Christmas. Always interesting to see how other cultures show their Christmas spirit especially if it's not their main holiday. And Christmas in a tropical location adds another interesting element. The first hotel wasn't anything special...comfortable and reasonably priced but the rooms were in need of an update. The hotel name is Royale Bitang and here's my review on TripAdvisor:https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298570-d305280-Reviews-The_Royale_Bintang_Kuala_Lumpur-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html

There was LOTS of shopping to be had in KL from the upscale (way out of my price league) to the fun markets. And well, the best part of KL was the eats! A mix of many Asian cultures from Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese and all reasonably priced.

On my way back from Penang I stayed a few nights at a considerable more upscale hotel: Traders Hotel, which is in walking distance of the Petronas Towers...review here:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298570-d608399-Reviews-Traders_Hotel_Kuala_Lumpur-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html

In between the bookends of KL, I flew to the island of Penang and stayed at the Batu Ferringhi...review here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g635527-d308096-Reviews-Bayview_Beach_Resort-Batu_Ferringhi_Penang_Island_Penang.html.  Nice resort along the coast of Penang. Lots of great things to do nearby or on day trips. My favorite thing to do was at night: take a 30 min walk from the resort to the center of town for the night market and the open air food court. Was that great fun! The food court was loads of fun. Pick a table and note your number then walk around the perimeter to all the food stalls...an amazing array of choices. Give the vendor your table number and soon your tasty treats will arrive. With a cold beer, I could just sit for a few hours and enjoy people watching. Walking back to the resort meant going through the night market which is set up along the sidewalk. Haggling is a must but mostly low key and not annoying. I'm not great at haggling and don't enjoy it.

The only disappointment on the trip was a day trip to snorkel. The boat was unpleasant and crowded and the area for snorkeling was murky with lots of dead coral and very few fish were seen.

Highlights of the trip:
*coffee plantation
*botanical garden set in the lush hills of Penang
*lots of Buddhist temples
*Hindu caves

Some photos:
The beach along the resort. 

A big rock! 

DELICIOUS! 
HELLO KITTY!





FOOD COURT





WE SHOULD ALL BE SO RELAXED

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