Day 21: Kuala Lumpur to Panang, Malaysia (Thursday, June 1st, 2023)

I woke up early today for my flight to Panang. I woke up at 5:15, to get 6:00 of sleep and still leave the hostel by 5:45. I got ready and packed all of my things, then went to check out. The checkout was easy. But when I went to get a grab to KL Sentral, it gave me an error saying that cash payment is not accepted this early for safety. So I asked the hostel front desk guy if he could call me a taxi, and he said he didn't have any taxi phone numbers. "How?! You're a hostel" I thought. So I went to download GoJek (another rideshare app) but that wanted to text my US # to authenticate me as well. Which I have an international sim now, so I don't have access to my US # still. I then figured I'd call bank of America, just like I did yesterday, to authenticate my credit card on the grab app. But I ran out of international minutes and it auto hung up. So I checked my phone for alternative methods. 

It said that I could take the train now - which it wasn't showing last night. Although I wouldn't arrive until 7:15, which was slightly later than I wanted. But at this point, it was better than nothing. So I left the hostel and headed to the train station. The train came early, so I'm glad I was there early! But then I also had to transfer again due to the construction. Which made me worried that I would miss the connection to the airport line. But I made it. 

I got to the airport around 7:15, which was cutting it closer than I would have liked. But it is what it is. I can't do anything about it, I'm here now. But then, I was worried I would miss check in. There was a decent line and check in closed 60min before the flight, or at 7:30. Thankfully it moved fast and I made it. I got through security swiftly and was on my way to my gate. I wanted to grab breakfast on the way, but there wasn't many options. I passed a burger king and thought "I don't want American fast food" - so kept going. Next, was a Dunkin, and I had the same thought. Finally, I passed a Zeus Coffee, but they didn't have any breakfast items, so I kept going. I reached a convenience mart and bought a water and a coffee, so at least I'd have water on the plane. I asked the clerk if there were any more shops past him, since I was nearing the end of the terminal, and he said no. So I hussled back to Zeus Coffee and grabbed a sandwich for breakfast. Not my favorite, but better than nothing. Now, I was wishing I had just stopped at BK.

I made it to my gate and waited to board. Around 8:20, I thought maybe I was in the wrong place because nothing was happening. The gates are ticket controlled, but there was an upstairs too. I asked a nice couple next to me. They were on the same flight and said that I was in the right waiting area, but it must be delayed. Finally, we got a delay announcement that the flight would depart at 9:30 instead. I wish I could have slept in more and gotten a proper breakfast rather than rushing around all morning, but oh well. 

The plane finally boarded and then had to wait a while more to get refueled. I slept the entire flight, so I assume everything went smoothly. We landed around 11:00 and then I went to find my bus. 

At the bus stop, I knew I needed either the 401 or 401E. I waited and the 401E came and left without stopping, just drove straight by. So I waited some more, and finally caught the 401. 

It was 1:15 to my hostel up in Georgetown, the main town on the island of Penang. Once I arrived, it was about 2:00. I checked in, showered, changed, and regrouped. I needed to drop off my laundry, eat lunch, and then wanted to explore the town. 

The first laundry place I found was 7RM/kg, but she wouldn't have it done until 11:00 the next day and I needed it done today, I was already wearing my bathing suit. (Which is common for me on laundry day). So I continued on. Around the corner, another shop said that she could have it done by 6:00 and would even drop it off if it was done earlier. 

I dropped it off and went on my way. Since I was on the other side of town from where the street food market was that I was heading to for lunch, I mixed up my plans. The hostel had recommended getting chundol - which is a Malaysian dessert. There was a famous stand not too far from where I was. On my way, I passed a dim sum place, which sounded like a great snack. It was almost 3:00 by now, so a big lunch felt unnecessary, but I was hungry. So I got a chicken dimsum and vegetable bao bun. 

I walked around the small shopping center that the dim sum place was in. I expected it to be souvenir shops, but it was actually all women's clothing geared towards head dresses and long sleeved shirts and pants. Since I wasn't their primary customer, no one heckled me, which was a refreshing change of place to be able to walk around undisturbed. 

I continued on towards the chundrol stand. Once I arrived, it was obvious due to the large line that was formed. 

I didn't exactly know what I was in line to eat, but I wanted to experience the local cuisine. I had also heard that Penang is famous for it's food. It turns out to be coconut milk, shaved ice, some sort of green noodle, and red kidney beans. Very odd combination if you ask me. It wasn't bad, but I also don't think I would get it again. 

After the chundol, I decided to walk towards the jetty. Which is a main area on the water. On my way, I noticed some street art, and decided to do a little street art tour. I used Google maps to find various art locations as I made my way towards the jetty. 

There was even a whole section of cat art... 

Once I arrived at the jetty, I saw a few more pieces of street art. 

After the jetty, I made my way back to pickup my laundry by 6:00. I quickly walked back to the laundry mat - and picked up some soap and shampoo along the way. But once I arrived, it was closed. Which meant that my laundry was (hopefully) back at the hostel. 

I made my way back to the hostel, stopping at one more street art along the way. 

Once I was back, I found my clothes on my bed. Unfortunately though, they were ever so slightly damp still. So I hung them upstairs to dry. If I had known the hostel had a drying rack, it would have been cheaper to just wash them myself and hang them up to dry. But this was also convenient to not have to do it myself and be able to explore Penang instead. 

I was back around 6:30, and not quite hungry enough to eat dinner. So I decided to do a workout while I had the time and it was slightly cooler out now (although it was still hot and humid). I did 30min of abs followed by 20min of yoga and a 10min meditation. 

By now, I was ready for dinner. One of my dormmates told me about some street food just down the street. Sort of like a night market. Since I was tired and didn't want to venture far or go out tonight, that was perfect for me. 

I found a stand that was bustling with people and looked unique, but also clean and sanitary. It was a hot pot street food stand! I had never done this before and was so excited to try. I picked four things (back choy, mushrooms, tofu, and pork balls) and dipped them in the boiling water for 1min. I saw an elderly gentleman join in, and he was doing his one at a time. Pick one, boil it, sauce it, eat it. That seemed like the thing to do. So after I had the first four, that's what I did with one or two at a time after. I chose corn, fish, okra, etc. It was a fun and delicious way to eat dinner. 

Afterwards, I still wanted something else. Like a different taste in my mouth. I found a juice stand and got a cold mango juice sounded delicious to walk around with. Once I was done with my juice, I headed back to my hostel for the night. I showered, chatted with my dormmates, and did some research for the next day. Tomorrow, I would be heading to Penang National Park to hike and Batu Ferringay Beach. I went to sleep around 10:30, which was slightly later than I wanted to - 10:00 is my goal - but it wasn't too far off either. I needed to know when and where I was heading in the morning.