Module 28 Part 2

Selamat Datang to all my guest,

My name is Lim Gim Seng, you address me as Lim in short.
Selamat datang is a Malay word for welcome.

Not to worry about language, as Penang, English is widely spoken although you may experience that people speaks Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Malay or Indian in their daily communication.

Welcome to Penang,

Our airport which known as Penang International Airport is located at the South east region of the island. It was formerly known as Bayan Lepas International Airport, named after a nearby town. For yout information the name “Bayan” is actually a name of a bird, while “ lepas” means release or let off. There is a story of a man who accidentally let off his favourite pet which is the bird known as Bayan. So that is how the town gets it’s name.

Penang is a tropical island and we are now heading to check in to Golden Sands hotel which is located at Batu Feringghi which is on the other side of the island. The journey will be approxiamately 30 to 45 minutes depending on the traffic. However, before we check in to the hotel allow me to brief you concerning Penang. Penang is an island located in the Straits of Melaka and is separated from the Peninsular Malaysia via a channel.
On the mainland is known as Province Welessley which currently known now as Seberang Perai. Seberang Perai is also part of the Penang state. The main town there is Butterworth in which it uses to house the RAAF ( Royal Australian Air Force) .
Currently we are on the island and the main city is Georgetown, which is currently nominated as UNESCO world heritage site.
Basically Penang is famous of it diverse culture and very popularly known to Malaysian as a food paradise.
Visitors would love to enjoy the varieties of local delights and international cuisine. A good example is the traditional breakfast which is the nasi lemak, roti canai, koay teow soup ( tape noodle with soup) and while for some dessert, I would recommend our chendol which is green short noodle with brown sugar and coconut milk and many others. I’ll provide a list of the delicacies when you arrive at the hotel as well as the itinery for the day .
Penang had it’s very own rich heritage which consist of British colonial buildings as well as multi-racial , multi-religious place of worship.
The population in Penang consist of majority Chinese ethnicity, follow by Malay and Indians. We have also a small community of Eurasians –majority of them residing at Kelawai Road, which we will pass by on our route to the hotel.

There are certain rules that had to be observed when visiting certain places especially when visiting houses, in which taking off shoes is a custom practice here in Malaysia when entering a house especially Malay house. While in certain places, it considered rude to point with your forefinger. I’ll provide the full details and explain to you at the hotel lobby.

Along the way, we also pass by the Jalan Masjid Negeri, named after the State Mosque of Penang.
Along the way, I’ll explain the some of the places which is named to specifically to certain important people of the past.

Along the route which is after the State mosque we will be entering Scotland Road, here you will notice huge gigantic trees which is the baobab trees. It provides good shelter against the sun the trees are more than one century old.
Going along the road, we get a chance to see the Straits of Melaka and the beautiful scenery along the beach and exclusive condominium and apartments.
Many foreigners who wanted a lower and cheaper living choose to stay in Penang and opt for the Malaysian My Second Home, abbreviation MM2H.
The cost of living is cheaper, good infrastructure, diverse culture and strategic location.

Penang is good gateway to Langkawi ,under the state of Kedah to the north, Thailand with the nearest townships of Satun and Haadyai. To the south, we will have Taiping, Kuala Kangsar the Royal township for Perak Sultan and to west is Sumatera, Indonesia –closest city of Medan.