2 Days in George Town, Malaysia

After spending some time traveling through Thailand, I crossed the border into Malaysia. My first stop was George Town, a large city known for its street art and beautiful colonial architecture, where I spent two days exploring.

Day 0 – Arrival

To travel to Malaysia, I booked transportation from Thailand on the website 12Go. A private van drove a group of travelers across the Thai-Malaysia border and then dropped each of us off at our hotels in George Town. I checked into EZ Social Hostel and then ran into my first big travel issue of the trip when my U.S. bank cards wouldn’t work at any of the ATMs! Apparently my bank disallows Malaysian transactions, even though they didn’t warn me of this when I told them about my travel plans… thankfully my Australian cards worked fine. If you are traveling to Malaysia with a U.S. bank account, I would recommend bringing USD or another currency with you beforehand to exchange into Malaysian ringgit.

Once that issue was resolved, I went to a local food court for dinner with a group from my hostel. We learned that Malaysian cuisine is influenced by India, China, the Middle East, and several other countries; I had some Chinese noodles which were really good. After dinner we went to the nearby jetties to watch the sunset, and then we went back to the hostel’s rooftop where we spent the rest of the evening.

A side street near my hostel

Day 1 – Street Art & Little India

I had a late start to the morning and eventually headed to Rainforest Bakery for brunch. Afterwards, I braved the heat and wandered around the Old Town, admiring some tourist attractions and popular street art along the way. Some of my favorite murals were the Kung Fu Girl, The Boat Man, Boy on Chair, Children Playing Basketball, and Brother and Sister on Swing. I was feeling dehydrated after spending the afternoon outside, so I stopped at a 7-Eleven for a 100Plus electrolyte drink which was exactly what I needed. I then headed back to the hostel to get ready for the evening’s group walking tour.

Kung Fu Girl mural

The Boat Man

Boy on Chair

I had signed up for the tour through my hostel, and a couple of volunteers led a group of us to the Esplanade Walkway to watch the sunset. I enjoyed getting to know some fellow travelers, and it was a nice place to spend some time. Before long it was dark, and we headed to Little India to try Penang Famous Samosa, a Michelin-recommended samosa stand. I tried the chicken one which was delicious, especially for such a low price.

Penang Famous Samosa

After the tour, some of us went to an amazing falafel restaurant for dinner. We then went back to our hostel for more socializing on the rooftop. It was the night of the England-Switzerland Euro soccer game, so we had a fun night out watching the game downtown.

Day 2 – Armenia Street & Penang Hill

I had another late morning and then went for lunch at Danish Briyani House. I was skeptical because of the name, but the food was actually really good. Afterwards I headed to Armenia Street to admire more murals and some temples. I cooled down with a much-needed iced coffee and then headed to Penang Hill, a scenic viewpoint with panoramic views of the city.

Yap Kongsi Temple

Jimmy Choo street art (he was born in George Town!)

I took a Grab to the Hill and arrived in the late afternoon. Thankfully the lines to the funicular weren’t very long, and I made it to the top in time for sunset. It was surprisingly chilly, but the views of the city and surrounding water were beautiful. I had to wait over 30 minutes in line to the downward funicular which I wasn’t expecting, and I didn’t end up getting back to my hostel until after 8:30 PM. I was leaving early the next morning, so I packed my bags and got some rest before my next travel day. Overall I enjoyed visiting George Town, and it was a great introduction to Malaysian culture.

The beautiful Penang Hill

Penang Hill at sunset