151st to 157th: Penang pulak

Belum reda keriangan trip KT, blog updates yang ada 4 siri pun baru habis, lemak dari makan di KT pun tak habis bakar lagi, aku dah kena bersiap sedia untuk ke Penang. It was another long weekend with Friday being replacement to King's birthday on Saturday.

Rabu tu mood shopping aku yang tak taper down lagi since KB trip dulu continued with aku shop a pair of slip-in shoes dan a 3-day backpack untuk trip ke Penang. Beg tu kena beli sebab kalau nak bawak yang 2-day backpack tu takut tak muat pulak barang-barang. Pastu takkan nak bawak campers' backpack, macam tak sesuai je nak naik flight, duk hotel mewah, bukannya nak buat outdoor activities pun. Then, takkan aku nak bawak 7-day trolley bag aku, over lah pulak kan?

Khamis tu, aku dah rasa seronok jugaklah nak ke luar daerah JB yang maha bosan ni. Malam tu dinner, aku makan maggi in cup yang aku bawak balik dari KT. Aku tak sure siapa punya yang tertinggal di homestay tu, so aku bawak balik. Tengah malam tu, perut aku memulas-mulas, rasa maggi tu di tekak, nak terkeluar balik, atas bawah. Badan rasa tak sedap, rasa macam nak demam.

Aku teringat waktu business trip di Taipei tahun 2006 dulu, aku naik je shuttle bus dari airport ke hotel, kepala aku berpusing-pusing, nak terkeluar jugak atas bawah. Bila sampai kat hotel, belum sempat check-in lagi aku dah rushed to the toilet, muntah cukup segala pakej. Sampaikan somebody from the hotel checked for me in the toilet and helped me to my room. Aku tak sure siapa check-in kan untuk aku, sampai bilik je, aku terus tidur. The next day, aku ok je.

So, based from the experience, I know that I've to forge whatever inside my stomach out that night, sleep and hoping I'll be ok the next morning. Malam tu, ada dekat 2 jam, 5 kali ulang alik masuk toilet. Lepas dah rasa macam dah lega perut aku, minum 100 Plus, tidur. And the next morning, tadaaaa... ok dah and I was ready to fly to Penang.

Flight JB-KL yang originally scheduled at 9.20am was brought earlier to 8.20am, in the end still delay by 20 minutes. Aku tak faham Air Asia ni punya delay, takkan first flight out pun boleh delay. Dan of course lah the rest of the flights that day akan delay punya. Sampai di LCCT, aku ada lebih kurang 3 hours before flight KL-JB. Aku lepak kat Starbucks je, a time well spent. Went to departure hall early only to find out the flight is delayed, again.

Aku sampai di Penang lebih kurang jam 3.15pm, settledkan kereta sewa aku (dapat upgrade from Saga to MyVi!), then off me go touring Penang. Mulanya nak pekena Nasi Kandar Hameediyah, tapi Jumaat tutup pulak. So, aku ingat nak pergi area Padang Kota je lah sebab aku pun tak lunch lagi. Tah macam mana, aku panik sikit jalan Penang waktu tu dengan tak syoknya sebab kena drive while traveling, I lost my way.

In the end, aku rasa better head to Batu Ferringhi dan check-in je lah. Aku terikut jalan Balik Pulau which the last time aku lalu waktu LTdL tahun 2000 dulu. Mulanya aku menyumpah jugak lah dengan jalan jauh, berbukit, jalan tengah construction. But in the end, it was a blessing in disguise, banyak gilaaaaaaaa durian time aku lalu tu. Eventhough I knew durian Balik Pulau is one of the most famous durian, I've never had it before. So, I made a stop in one of the stalls, makan sebijik durian "Isi tembaga", bak kata tokey tu.


Tak boleh makan banyak time tu sebab perut kosong, so aku decided to tapau, for my family who'll be arriving in Sg Petani the next day, only after been guaranteed by the tokey that he'll pack and wrap nicely so that it won't smell. Yelah, terang-terang kereta sewa tu dah mentioned, "no durian allowed", pastu tau lah most hotels ada "no durian" policy jugak kan? Dapatlah aku tapau dalam 4 bekas plastik, tu 5 biji durian semua sekali rasanya.

Lepas checked-in di Hydro Hotel, Miami Beach in Batu Ferringhi, rehat jap di hotel, enjoying the very nice sea view, time sunset pulak tu. Bilik hotel pun dapat free upgrade jugak dari superior ke deluxe, I loike...


Dah dekat jam 8pm aku pun turun, perut dah lapar, plannya nak jalan-jalan di night market. Tapi, bila sampai kat lobby je, aku tengok hujan punyalah lebatnya. Lepak kejap di lobby, ada live performance seawal jam 8am lagi.

Bila hujan dah perlahan sikit, aku start kereta, menuju ke area night market tu lah. Tapi hujan turun lebat balik, aku pun teh tarik je lah di one of the mamaks there. Dan sampai ke jam 10pm hujan masih lebat. Takde rezeki nak berpasar malam, malam tu. Dalam hujan lebat tu, aku meredah pergi HRC tengok live band. Memang best band yang perform malam tu, crowd pun best very sporting. Aku lepak sampai jam 2am.

Then, it's dinner time, aku pun bergerak menuju ke area Masjid Kapitan Keling, nak cari nasi kandar Beratoq, depa kata. Dapppp.... dan jam 2.30am pun orang dok beratoq lagi kat situ!


The next day, lepas breakfast, aku ronda-ronda Miami Beach, then gi cari internet cafe sebab nak check-in flight aku the next day, gi HR Shop tengok any souvenirs to buy, which semuanya aku tak berselera sebab ada tulis 'Penang', kan? Apa barang??? when you can get HR merchandise at least from 'Bali' or even 'London'? Snap gak gambar sikit-sikit...


About 12.30pm after checking out, my brother informed that the family was still in Sg. Perak rest area. And me thinking... still have time for another dose of nasi kandar, this time in Hameediyah, Campbell Street. Aku pun headed for Georgetown, mencari-cari jugak Campbell Street. Aku ni buta jugak lah jalan Penang ni. Then, aku terpassed by satu Hamidiyah, tiga kali aku pusing situ nak cari parking, only to find out that it's in McAlister Road, not Campbell Street. Huh! Nasib tak tertipu.

Akhirnya sampai juga aku di Campbell Street. Kebetulan hari tu hari cuti, kedai banyak tutup, so ample parking by the road side. Memang dapppppppp woooooo NK Hameediyah ni... ni lah rupa kedai dan nasi kandar nya.


So, verdict for nasi kandar Beratoq dan Hameediyah = best! meletop! Both are worth trying, sedap in different ways. And, it's not fair to compare NK Vanggeh in Ipoh sebab itu pun sedap in different way.

Lepas melantak nasi kandar, aku just jalan ke Pasar Chowrasta, nak tengok buah pala dan jeruk. Aku singgah di satu kedai ni, dia tulis dia pakai gula pasir. Pastu ada free gift pulak. Dan nampak jeruk-jeruk di kedai tu bersih je rupanya. Dan memang sedap pun jeruk kat kedai ni, aku ada tapau jeruk anggur bawak balik JB. Tak sakit tekak bila makan, tak macam jeruk anggur beli kat KB dulu.


Mulanya aku nak beli sikit untuk mak aku, dan kakak serta kakak ipar aku je. Tapi aku terfikir, kalau beli banyak, boleh jugak mak aku jamu time buat kerja kawen next week. So, aku ended up in buah pala and jeruk shopping spree, terbang jugak lah dekat RM100. Dapat free gift, sebotol minyak buah pala. Aku pun tak tau apa kegunaan minyak buah pala ni. Inilah hasil tangkapan aku di Pasar Chowrasta tu.


Then, aku terus gerak ke Sg Petani where my family was staying in a homestay in Laguna Merbuk. Sampai je di homestay tu, they were busy preparing for the akad nikah ceremony after Asar. I was telling them bout my nasi kandar experience and everybody was drooling and planned to go to Penang after the akad ceremony. They liked the durian I tapau-ed and mom had the same idea with me of serving buah pala/jeruk during kerja kawen.

After asar, we headed to one mosque in Sg Lalang area for the akad nikah of my brother. Alhamdulillah, all went smoothly and he's now a married 'boy', ekekekeke.... Lepas a small reception di rumah pengantin perempuan, kitorang pun balik semula ke homestay, still with plan to go to Penang for nasi kandar. Lepas Isyak, sorang-sorang designated driver 'tumbang' kepenatan. I was asleep as early as 8.40pm, dekat atas carpet, sebelah tempat diorang buat gubahan pengantin je. Penat sangat kah? Atau kenyang sangat?

The next morning, masih ada cadangan-cadangan liar nak breakfast nasi kandar di Penang, sebelum majlis bersanding tengahari tu. Tapi, logistically it's not recommended to go to Penang that morning, kitorang decided to have breakfast at the nearby Nashmir je, but still ada yang makan nasi kandar. Kemaruk tul! LOL!

At around 1pm, bergerak je rumah pengantin perempuan, bersanding sikit-sikit, then makan and I had to rush to Penang airport by 1.45pm to catch my 4.20pm flight. Sampai Penang airport with ample time to return the car, window shop sesikit, and boarding. By 6.15pm dah sampai di rumah di JB. *bosan*

This week, another short working-week and traveling week as I'll be going back to Ipoh on Wednesday night. Another weekend out of the maha-boring-JB!