Penang - Solo Walk Tour - What I Had

Walking around Georgetown is something that everyone should do at least once in their lives because you will never know what you will discover and learn out of this adventure. I knew the existence of many kongsi around Penang but through the chat I had with the Mr Cheah at the Cheah Kongsi (click here for the tale) I found out a lot about the lifestyles of the Chinese immigrants back in the olden days.

Eng Loh Cafeteria

The good thing about exploring a city alone is that you can just take your own sweet time exploring the place and absorbing the cultural richness of the city. There is no sense of rush and you can walk in your own pace. I began the day very early, around 7am, and started walking from Weld Quay. Only when I'm hungry then did I stopped at a kopitiam along a junction of a road. I had never been here to this Eng Loh kopitiam before but since it was quite crowded, I entered with good faith. 

There are a good variety of foods to be found in the kopitiam. If you are looking for simple and light breakfast, there are toasts and economic noodles. Other than that, there are curry mee and roti and many other stalls which I did not really remember selling what before I already had my mind set on what to eat right after I entered the shop. 

I had a cup of hot coffee and a peanut butter and strawberry jam toast with a plate of economic noodle. It was like I was back in my childhood, having toast and coffee for breakfast. Yes, I started drinking coffee when I was young. I just love coffee.

Milk coffee in a retro looking cup - RM 1.20

Peanut butter and strawberry jam toast - RM 2.00

Economic noodle - RM 1.30

Like I said, it was definitely simple meal yet oh-so-nice. I especially like the crunchiness of the toast while it was still hot and the not-so-milky taste of the coffee, which is something that I like. I don't really fancy my coffee to be too milky. Other than my peanut butter and strawberry jam toast, there are a wide selection which I will go and try again soon.

The kopitiam is located somewhere near office area, hence, there were quite a number of them having their breakfasts before starting works. I don't really sure where this place located, just somewhere along Church Street, I think. After breakfast, I explored further, passing by St. George Church and The Church of the Assumption. There are many British influenced buildings around that side of the road.

The wet market near Upper Penang Road

This walk tour has given me a glimpse of backpacking lifestyle, holding a DSLR while carrying a bag, walking while snapping at sceneries. In fact, I think I do look like a foreigner/tourist for whenever there's people wanting to talk to me, the first language they used is English. There were a bunch of ladies asking me if I were a tourist since I was alone. Each of the four ladies came from different countries but they explored the island together. I think they met at the guest house that they stayed at.

Kopi Cine

The building that houses Kopi Cine

For lunch, I went to the Kopi Cine at the Stewart Lane. A very secluded place and very hard to find. The environment of the place is truly amazing and I love the vibe of the cafe emitted. It has a reading room beside the cafe and also guest house as well I think. I'm not too sure about the guest house part.

The desserts available

Technically, it's not really lunch since I only ordered a brownie and macchiato and it was just around 10 or 11am. The brownie was nice and crunchy, with a good dose of walnuts inside it. As for the coffee, actually, I had no idea what kind of coffee it is. I thought it was some kind of nut-flavoured coffee. But instead, it was espresso with milk as I just found out. Not really my kind of coffee, I guess.

Macchiato - RM 8.00

Brownie - RM 6.00

The interior of the cafe is nice and classy. Like I said, this cafe is definitely a high end place to be, great for relaxation and some alone time. You can find quite a number of paintings in it too.

Books that can be borrowed for reading

Decorations

After that, I continued with my journey.

Traditional method of making joss stick

Kapitan Keling mosque

When the heat has become too much, make a stop at the Keng Kwee Street and have a bowl of cendol to cool down your temperature. I know it did mine.

Teo Chew style cendol - RM 1.90

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

Nothing beats the fun from exploring the beauty of Georgetown on feet. You get to see things that you are bound to miss out when driving. If the heat is a concern to you, bring along a cap or an umbrella or stop at a cafe or kopitiam once in a while to have a cooling drink. And if you do plan to walk long and far, make sure you wear comfortable shoes and drink more water.