Penang is considered an island of rich Chinese heritage consisting of an array of temples, museums and plenty of reserve forests. Apart from this, there are also a number of beautiful beaches that make a trip to this place quite more than a worthwhile. The locals here call Penang as the unofficial food capital and this is precisely why the tourism plays a very huge role in the economy of this city. From the water’s edge at the clan jetties to the brilliant sheen of the mansions, Penang is impressive.

I was visiting Penang from Melaka and I chose to do so by bus. I booked my bus tickets from this web site https://www.redbus.my/buses/penang-bus-tickets like I usually do and had my tickets on my phone within a couple of minutes. As per the website there are more than 4 Operators flying on the route between Melaka and Penang which are Trans Nasional, Intercity Coach, Sepat Express and Mayangsari Express. The duration of the journey is about 6 hours. However, I would recommend you to book your seats on an afternoon bus or later in the night. The first bus leaves Melaka at 9:00 am and the last bus at 11:00 pm. There are more than 9 buses between 9:00 and 11:00 pm. Mayangsari Express, Trans Nasional and Sepat Express are the Executive coach operators on this route whereas Intercity Coach is the only luxury coach Operator. The cost of tickets on the executive coaches’ start upwards of MYR30 and the one on the luxury Bus starts upwards of MYR50. Me being a luxury seeker I booked my tickets with intercity coach for the 9:00 am bus. However, since 9:00 am due to the peak hour it took me about 7 hours to reach Penang. I had a comfortable journey and was quite happy with the experience. On reaching Penang, I followed the list of places that I had planned to visit.

Batu Ferringhi: This place is considered to be one of Penang’s most popular destinations and also the second most popular destination after George Town. It has a long stretch of soft and white sandy beaches along a winding road named as Jalan Batu. The place has a host of accommodations and eating out options. The night market here is considered to be quite legendary while its waters are known to be the most popular places where you can indulge in a list of water sports activities like wind surfing, para saving and jet skiing.

Bukit Forest Park: It is a small but a well developed recreational park spread across 8 hectares of low land forest located in Nibong Tepal. With flowing rivers and plush vegetation, it is known to provide everyone with a welcome respite from the regular hustle and bustle of the city. There are range of activities that you can indulge yourself in like a wet land board walk or visiting the bat caves and experiencing the unique mangrove life forms.