Penang Experience | Skywalk Views, Ancient Temples & Street Food

A weekend in Penang with my friend Shum: a Saturday night in George Town with street food and the Rainbow Skywalk at The TOP, Komtar, then Kek Lok Si Temple the next day. Downtown George Town is vibrant on a Saturday night. Tons of people, lots of traffic, nowhere to park: all the elements for a really fun time.

Street food. A friend of Shum’s, Cody, pointed us to Presgrave Street Hawker Centre for oyster noodles and oyster omelets. You know me: I’m down for anything. Both were pretty good.

Komtar and The TOP. Komtar is named after Malaysia’s second prime minister. Construction started in 1975, and when it was finished it was the tallest building around, a symbol of Penang’s urban growth. Plenty of taller buildings have gone up since, but as Shum put it, it’s still the OG. At the top, you put on shoe covers and walk out onto the Rainbow Skywalk, a glass walkway over the edge. After the earthquake, I already didn’t like heights. That’s a strange thing to say for someone who’s jumped out of a plane, but buildings scare me more. Shum, meanwhile, was fearless. The views are fantastic, and we even caught fireworks going off below.

If you’re scared of heights, there are probably better uses of your time than the glass Skywalk. You can always just enjoy the views from the top deck.

Kek Lok Si Temple. The next day, we visited Kek Lok Si, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia, spread up the hillside at Air Itam. Part of the complex sits up the hill, so there’s an inclined lift to take you up, and the views from the top are worth it. There’s a lot to see: walls of Buddha statues, a laughing Buddha (my kind of guy), the Chinese zodiac animals and the Goddess of Mercy. It’s one of the nicer temples Shum has taken me to, and one of the biggest. You can make a donation and add your name.

China House. Shum said it was a requirement that I walk China House end to end. It’s famous for being so long and narrow, with nice artwork on the walls. A good vlogger would have filmed dinner, but I’m not a good vlogger. I can tell you the signature burger was actually pretty good. There was also a band playing music with enough country twang that I felt like I was in Nashville, not Penang.

Where to stay: learn from my mistake. On this trip I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Penang Straits City. The hotel was fine; the location was the mistake. I was chasing IHG qualifying nights at the time, so I ignored Shum’s advice to stay in George Town. I went back recently and filmed several hotels in George Town, and Shum was right: with so much to see and eat there, George Town is the right choice. Those reviews are coming soon on Crash Course Hotels.