flight tix: $104

expenses: $75 for 4 days 3 nights

going to penang is like stepping back in time to 1970s Singapore (not that i am privy to any part of the seventies). there are the glitzier malls for sure (signs of development and change) but for the most part, Penang retains its old world charm. Restaurants are tucked away in unassuming shophouses crammed in narrow back aleys. eating hawker food is a much more authentic affair with the makeshift tables and chairs and one man stores. for the most part, i spent my days in penang loafing about in my tshirt and shorts (it does seem as though penang’s laidback lifestyle agrees with me fully). the hawkers douse their dishes with teh more than requisite amount orf oil, salt and coconut milk, and it is almost too sinful to eat all this three meals a day, including breakfast. but penang is food heaven, and you can’t deny that extra dosage gies the food the extra kick. next to penang’s food, singapore’s hawker food just seems to be a watered down mcCoy.