After decades travelling the world, these days I’m content to just wander my own Malaysian backyard. And it’s a big one. I have to say that I’m a tad boring, always returning to the same favourite – Penang, my hometown. I just feel very comfortable there! I can speak in my native tongue, people “get” me, and I feel as if every molecule in my body is saying “I’m home!”

I grew up in Penang, but sadly only until my kindergarten years as my Dad had to work in Johor Baru (where I picked up my Mandarin. I’m the only one in my family that speaks it). Then it was on to Selangor. I’ve lived in Selangor far longer than I lived in Penang, but it just doesn’t feel as “home” as Penang.

Tomb Sweeping in Penang

Every year around April my parents and I travel to Penang to pay respects to our ancestors on “Cheng Beng” or “Tomb Sweeping Day”. That’s when Chinese families visit the graves of their ancestors to pay respects and tidy it up.

For my family, it’s almost a pilgrimage. We will travel from Selangor to Penang and join our relatives to pay respects to our ancestors in various temples around the island. We then buy and eat food–lots of it. I am my parents’ travel agent, chauffeur and fellow pilgrim.

I look forward to these trips every year. Not only is it a way for me to spend more time with my parents, but it’s also a chance to be in Penang for a few days. I think of Penang as Malaysia’s version of Hawaii, filled with beaches, jungles and old colonial buildings. Half of Penang is an island off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. We call the other half “the mainland”.

My parents and I were born on Penang island. Although my family has mostly lived elsewhere, we have always considered ourselves “Penangites”.

As we gaze upon the spirit tablets of our relatives and ancestors at various temples, my parents always remind me to be “proud of our roots”. Each year I nod, as if I’ve just heard it for the first time.

And I am proud! Like most Penangites, I’m fiercely proud of my state. As I said in a previous post, my family are Peranakans, descendants of one of the earlier waves of Chinese migrants that settled in then-Malaya. My family has been in Malaysia for almost six generations. I’m a little murky on how long both my paternal and maternal sides, both Peranakans, have been in Malaysia, but I reckon it’ll be around 150 years. (My parents say it’s been over 200 years.)

During that time, Peranakans have developed our unique culture: a mix of Malay and Chinese. Even our unique version of Hokkien (spoken only in the North) uses Malay-loaned words.

I remember both of my grandmothers walking around their kitchens in their nyonya kebayas, cooking delicious Nyonya cuisine. Alas, I never bothered to learn from them and have regretted it ever since!

So, despite the “grim” nature of the holiday, Cheng Beng is one that I look forward to every single year. A time to spend with my family (dead and alive) on the best island in the world and eat awesome food!

Mastodon log

Here are my Mastodon posts which I’ll repost here. (I practice the PESOS model of blogging – Publish Elsewhere, Syndicate (to your) Own Site. I do it by compiling social media posts into one blog post.)

Apr 02, 2023
After the stay at the seriously uncomfortable hotel, it is nice to finally check into a quality place! Here is the Airbnb I got near the beach 😁

Translation for the Hokkien I say at the end: “Very comfortable!”

Edit: Gurney Drive is what you call a “tourist trap”. Most of the restaurants that line up the drive are overpriced and most Penangites argue that the food isn’t good. I mean, I find it okay but what do I know right lol.

Getting an AirBnB is definitely a great option. The condo I stayed in is Sunrise Gurney.

Apr 04, 2023

So I can’t join #30DaysOfBiking as my trusty folding bike is back home in Selangor and I’m in Penang, but I’m happy to see these bikes at Gurney Drive. As a Malaysian however, I’d say you’d be pretty bonkers to bike down Gurney Dr though.
Use it to explore the inner roads instead, but you don’t get to see the sea. Not that you can see much of it these days at Gurney Drive 🙃

April 4, 2023
The best kind of room is the room where they upgrade you to the sea view 😍

This is a solid hotel, something I always go back to each time I am in Penang. Great service, quiet (rooms are relatively sound proofed), central location and recently renovated – Cititel Penang Hotel.

Well, if you cannot afford to stay at the venerable Eastern & Oriental you can at least look at it all day from your window 😁

April 5, 2023
A pleb walks the manicured gardens of the Eastern & Oriental…

I have tried many times to convince my parents to have a stay here, but they cannot compute spending more that RM200 to sleep in a place. That and, according to my dad: “For sure haunted one.”

My dad might be right 😆😅

April 5, 2023
Kek Lok Si temple at Air Itam, #Penang. I forgot how big it looked like from town.

A must-see in Penang, do be aware that of all the towns in Penang this is the place I feel like target practice for motorcyclists.

Try the Penang laksa here. Buy the Chinese biscuits. And try to survive the traffic.

Edit: I have ancestors buried up on the hill near the pagoda. But it’s too much of a climb for my parents, so we pay our respects at another temple in Georgetown.

It is only authentic #Penang curry mee when there is blood in the curry.

Yes, those red squares are congealed pig’s blood.

I swear it is yummy.

Also, we Chinese don’t waste nothing.

April 6, 2023
The cafe culture is alive and vibrant in #Georgetown. I love to wander its streets only to find a cafe tucked in a corner.

Tip – the best time to book a hotel anywhere in Malaysia is during the month of Ramadan.