KhunThai, Teluk Kumbar

KhunThai

1052 Mukim 9 Pasir Belanda

Teluk Kumbar

11920 Bayan Lepas

Pulau Pinang

(+60)4 625 1155

Hours

1100 - midnight daily

Such a short and sweet name to remember. If you're a Thai cuisine fan in Penang, come over to KhunThai Authentic Thai Restaurant in Teluk Kumbar. It is about 20 minutes drive from Penang Airport. Use Waze or Google Map to help you. Once you're in the area, there is a signboard you can't miss. Ample parking available but careful not to hit/step on some of the dogs roaming nearby.

This restaurant has seaview option but if you come in small party, you may have to compromise about roof. The tables under the roof are big round ones while the smaller ones are outside. Of course, it is a non-issue if you come at non-peak hours. We got the whole big table for the two of us.

The staff were friendly and helpful. Be sure to ask them if you need clarification on things like price and portion size.

  I went there for lunch and there were about 3 or 4 other tables occupied but service took some time. It wasn't a really long wait mind you, but I can imagine they *might* get slow on busy days. 

Taste

Good and portion was generous

Price

Fair. RM67 for 2 pax

Ambiance

Thai hut-like feel. A bit dated but good enough to bring guests

If you want somewhere with aircond, try Siriwan

Thai Style Salted Egg Prawn (small) RM27

Kailan Oyster Sauce (small) RM10

We also tried their Green Curry Chicken, also small portion at RM21. It looks ugly, the chicken was cut in a way I don't favour (I'm fussy) and a little oily but it was also delicious. I love everything we ordered! Obviously I didn't eat the kailan but the kuah was tasty. And seriously their portion was generous. We thought 3 small dishes of lauks are just enough for the two of us. Boy, we had to skip dinner.

  Highly recommended especially on lazy weekends and if you don't mind a bit of waiting. The food was good and pretty worth it. While waiting, just go to the beach and have a swing or two.

Penang National Park, Teluk Bahang

Taman Negara Pulau Pinang

Jalan Hassan Abbas

Balik Pulau

Hours

0730 - 1800 daily

The Penang National Park is located in Teluk Bahang, about an hour drive from Penang International Airport. Public transport is available although if you're planning to trek, driving is the better option. Or at least a change of fresh clothes. 

  Entrance is free although visitors must register themselves at the office. Boat rides can be booked from kiosks around the park's entrance. I didn't book a boat because I had no idea if I'll even reach the beach I was heading to. So I had to wait for an available boat. Luckily, a group of 3 tourists had extra seats in the boat they booked. The ride I got from Kerachut Beach to main jetty was RM20 per person.

Camping is probably allowed if you inform the park office in advance. Visitors usually come to visit the Kerachut Beach (Pantai Kerachut) or Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung - this should translate as Mermaid Bay). On my first visit, I went to Kerachut Beach but I plan to return and visit the other spots. So this post will be updated if I ever get to visit the rest of the park.

This is probably Pasir Pandak. No trekking required

It wasn't too muddy when I visited but my shoes did get dirty. Do wear proper shoes if you're planning to trek because the path can be quite challenging in flip flops or sandals. Bring water and snack but please take home your trash.

Kerachut Beach

  On the map, getting to Kerachut Beach should take about 1 hour and 20 minutes. For me, it took over 2 hours. I haven't been exercising and I took so many breaks along the way. In the beginning, I even considered turning back but... I felt lazy. So I went on :-p 

Bukit Belah

There are plenty of gazebos like this along the way. So come early, take your time, and explore at your own pace.

Before reaching the beach, you'll cross a bridge over the meromictic lake. A meromictic lake is the kind of lake that has layers of water that do not intermix. In this case, the salt water from the sea and the water from rivers and rain.

  This is a huge deal because apparently there are less than 20 meromictic lakes in the world. Although ours is the seasonal kind of meromictic lake, as it only happens during the change of monsoon, it is precious because a slight change could mean losing this unique natural feature.  

  One may be forgiven to think that this is a plain nothing. I mean, where is the lake? Like I said, it is seasonal. This is what I understand. Sea current and wind will push sand to the river mouth forming a dike. There are also boulders there which help to form a natural dam.

  This dike/dam will eventually break naturally when the season is over. The lake water will then flow into the open sea, leaving the slightly muddy or savannah-like "plain nothingness" we see for the rest of the year.

Interesting kan?!

The Turtle Conservation & Information Centre is located at the other end of the beach. Go past the office, public washroom and camping ground. The route was pretty sandy so I changed into flip-flops. Sand can get quite hot so going barefoot may not be a good idea.

Hours

1000 - 1630

Free entrance

If you're already familiar with turtle conservation efforts, the centre can't offer much for you. But it is a good start for young kids. During my visit, there were a couple of adult (injured) turtles and some hatchlings in the containers.

White sandy beach

I spent some time reading my book right on the beach, under the shade. It was windy and I was feeling sleepy. We ate the bread we brought, checked out the turtle centre and when it got too hot, headed to the jetty to wait for a boat. No swimming because there were jellyfish as big as a dinner plate.

Look out for updates in this post :)

Restoran Siriwan, Bayan Lepas

Siriwan Thai Seafood Restaurant

1-1- 31 & 32 Krystal Point 2

Jalan Tun Dr. Awang

11900 Bayan Lepas

Pulau Pinang

Hours

1130 - 2200 daily

If you're looking for a decent place to bring your guest in Penang, try Siriwan Thai Seafood Restaurant in Krystal Point, Bayan Lepas. Or maybe you're staying in the Krystal Point hotel, make sure you try this place. It's a bit expensive but like I always said, when the food is delicious, expensive becomes worth it!

Tom Kha Gai- recommended!

My favourite, aside from the butter prawn is their tom kha gai. It's creamy version of tom yam. So sedap omg.

Butter Prawn - recommended!

Kangkung Belacan

Tap Tim Krob

Taste

DELICIOUS!

Price

Fair because so sedap. RM80.20 for 2 pax

We had rice, iced lemon tea and longan in addition to those in pics above

Ambiance

Air-conditioned, traditional wooden Thai building design

It is not your typical hyped-up Penang food but if you ever feel like having something Thai in Penang, remember Siriwan Thai Seafood in Bayan Lepas!

Kek Lok Si All Lighted Up

Kek Lok Si

Tingkat Lembah Ria 1

11500 Ayer Itam

Pulau Pinang

I'm sure many of you already visited Kek Lok Si temple. It is after all one of the must-visit attraction in Penang the tourist island. But did you know that once a year during certain weeks around Chinese New Year, the whole place will be lighted up and visitors will flock there to take photos?

  Just Google 'Kek Lok Si Display of Lights' to find out the next date and plan your visit! I visited on a weekend (I think) and while there were many people, it wasn't packed. You can still take photos (and pray) without someone else shoving you.

  Go in the early evening so you will have time to explore the ground before sunset. The Guanyin statue is located on the hill above the pagoda, you can get there using the cable car for a minimal fee. I didn't have enough time to visit the hillside.

There is a charge of RM2 (I think) imposed to access the area with bell and 10,000 Buddhas pagoda. Make sure you climb up the pagoda and check out the scenery. I was there for sunset and it was breathtaking! My acrophobia acted out a bit while walking around the outer corridor on the top floor >.<" 

  But the view was serious cantik, I went live on IG: @whitelambchop to share with my followers

Getting here is probably easiest using public bus. You can drive but be prepared to brave some traffic congestion.

Marlons+Co.

Marlons+Co.

51 Jalan Raja Uda

Pusat Perniagaan Raja Uda

12300 Butterworth

Penang

(+604) 313 7317

Hours

0900 - 0000 daily

To end our roadtrip, Dr. D took us here for cakes. I was pretty tired after the long day; so after choosing my drinks, I let the guys decide on desserts.

Marlons+Co. offers not only interesting cakes and pastries, but also a small variety of main dishes and snacks. However, do note that they serve pork. Some of their cakes may contain alcohol, feel free to ask the friendly crew.

My chocolate blended <3<3<3<3

Blueberry Cheesecake with Rosemary- a bit weird but quite nice <3<3<3

Cronut! Pretty good <3<3<3

Taste - Average but they get points for innovation

Price - Average. Typical cafe

Ambiance - Industrial-style, with container wall etc. Not too cozy but the staff are friendly.