The best way to explore Penang is on foot, so we decided to kick things off by walking to the historic Chinese enclave of Khoo Khongsi. This is an iconic courtyard surrounded by old clan houses and temples but it also contains an outdoor market (the bicycle equivalent of a car boot sale) where we saw people selling everything from home-made bracelets to old 1980′s TVs and antique mobile phones. Nearby, we passed Lebuh Armenian (Armenian Street), a local gathering spot for coffee-fans and artists, with mural-adorned shops selling Chinese antiques and warehouses flogging door frames and bookshelves. As dusk began to set in we wound our way from the Chinese district to Little India which smelled of spices and incense. The tempo of this district was slightly more frenetic than that of the tea-sipping Chinese enclave. Perhaps it was the time of day but the boom boxes were out and Little India was throbbing to the beats of Bhangra music emanating from pirate DVD stalls. The hawkers were also out thrashing at thick rods of bamboo and baking chapatis on the side of the road. Others loudly advertised their wares or lit more incense while fat tourists began to emerge from side streets at every turn being carried by straining rickshaw cyclists.

We journeyed through the heady incense mists back to our guest house for a quick outdoor shower amidst some energetic rooftop swooping swallows, before heading back out again to sample some of Penang’s famous street food. The local hawker stalls serve some of the best food in the city and each specialise in something different so it’s worth visiting a few. The grandmother of our B&B’s owner gave us a few recommendations which included Koey Teow soup and sweet pancakes, so we tracked down the stalls serving each and took a seat. Like most street food stall routines – you order your food from the stall, grab one of the plastic chairs and tables along the roadside and wait for the stall owner to track you down with your order. At the end you put your plastic dishes and chopsticks back in a big washing bucket where someone diligently turns them around for the next crowd. See here for more detail on the foodie delights of Penang.

Our visit to Penang was all too brief and if we hadn’t already booked a ferry to Langkawi for the following day we would definitely have stayed longer as there is a lot to explore here. We were up at dawn the next morning to catch our ferry but took a few moments to watch the swallows dart over the tiled rooftops which surrounded our outdoor bathroom. I never knew that washing from a makeshift, cold water sink could be so magical but Penang is full of surprises.

Koey Teow Soup

This is a relatively simple broth-based noodle soup to which strips of grilled meat, fish balls or dumplings are added to create a tasty, nutritious main course. We fought to find a spare plastic chair and table space – the pavements get incredibly congested at dinner time but the lady at the stall told us that someone would find us and bring us our order. Amazingly they did and were soon presented with a plastic bowl of delicious noodles, vegetables and an accompanying dumpling broth soup. All this cost about 50p and was absolutely delicious.

Sweet Crispy Pancakes

'Apong' by Charles Haynes on Flickr

These are made in a similar way to crêpes, but the batter has a thicker consistency and the end result is a crispy pancake that is typically dipped in honey, chocolate or coconut sprinkles. Absolutely the best way to finish off a hawker stall session and also usually priced at only a couple of ringgit each.

Clay Pot Dishes

More easily found in Chinatown, this is a local speciality whereby a bowl of rice and vegetables and/or meat are cooked with a barbeque sauce in a sizzling pot. Good for sharing when the daily budget gets a bit tighter.

Cendol

This is a surprisingly hard to find but quite tasty Malaysian dessert consisting of sweet red beans, sugar and jelly served on a bed of iced condense milk. Though most ice in Malaysia is of good quality, watch where the ice is coming from or it could cause you some unpleasantness in the days to come…