Pedaling Around Penang (Part 1)

In the second quarter of 2016, I had some business to attend to in Penang for about 3 weeks. I took this opportunity to bring along my bicycle with me as I had never cycled in Penang before and had always wanted to try out their cycling lanes.

For those of you who don't know, Penang is located on the northwest coast of Malaysia and is a thriving tourist destination. Geographically speaking, the state consists of two parts, the island and the mainland half, both separated by the Strait of Malacca and connected by 2 bridges, the Penang Bridge (also know as the first Penang Bridge) as well as the relatively new Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge (a.k.a the second bridge), which has a length of 24 km (15 miles) and holds the title of the longest bridge in South East Asia which was previously held by the first bridge with it's length of 13.5 km (8.4 miles).

Over the years, the cycling community has grown steadily in Penang due to a growing interest in the sport as well as an alternate means of transport on the ever-congested island. The state government poured millions into the construction of the present cycling lane which connects Komtar at it's northern end to Queensbay Mall at it's southern end with extension works currently on-going. Following the soon-to-be-completed extension, cyclists will able to potentially go as far as the new bridge and Penangites in the southern parts of the island will be able to access the central and northern parts via the cycling lane.

As far as I know, this is the most ambitious endeavor yet in Malaysian history with regards to making cycling a practical and safe means of day to day commuting. However, my time in Penang wasn't spent completely restricted to the cycling lane alone as certain points of interest required pedal on regular roads. So, here is a rough guide to cycling in Penang as seen through my eyes as well as a few points of interest.

Starting from the northern most part of my adventure, the Teluk Bahang Dam is located in Teluk Bahang, less than a kilometer down the road from the Penang Butterfly Farm and a little further from the Penang Escape outdoor theme park. The dam was completed in 1999, has a height of 58.5 meters and a length of 685 meters. It is frequently used as a venue for international dragon boat races. Unfortunately none were going on at the time I visited.

Picture taken from Google Maps

A few kilometers down south from the dam in Batu Feringghi is the iconic Hard Rock Hotel of Penang. This wasn't my first time at the hotel but I only stopped to take a couple of pictures of the outside and never went in as there was no where to properly park my bicycle and I didn't want to risk leaving my bicycle unattended. The lobby and beach areas of the hotel are open to the public and there are parking spots allocated to the public so all are welcome.

Picture taken from the Hard Rock Hotel website

Picture taken from the Hard Rock Hotel website

Picture taken from Google Maps

As you continue your ride southbound from the Hard Rock Hotel, you'll come upon a small stretch of beach called Pantai Miami (Miami Beach). Now, from all the internet research I've done, the name for the beach was apparently coined from the fact that, for a great number of years, the beach went unnamed and was relatively unknown. So, to remedy this, the state government decided to spice up the beach and named it after the world-famous Miami Beach in Florida. Following the rename, a high-end gated community was developed across the road from the beach and was aptly named Miami Bay to further establish the name.

Picture taken from Google Maps

There were no water-sport businesses operating along the beach at the time I rode by unlike the other more popular beaches along Feringghi, however the quiet and tranquil nature of the beach itself is an attraction of its own, making it quite an ideal spot to stop by and snap a picture or two.

Just beside the stretch of beach is a cafe, the Miami Beachfront Cafe, that was still under construction in April of 2016 and I'm not sure if it's completed yet. Need to check it out the next time I go cycling in Penang.

Beautiful ocean view from just outside the under-construction cafe

The outside of the aforementioned cafe

The same cafe

As you head further south, after about 5 kilometers or so, you will eventually stumble upon a beautiful mosque on the left side of the road. Masjid Terapung (The Floating Mosque) supported by stilts, sits on the bay of Tanjung Bungah and was the first mosque in Malaysia to have been built in the sea. Ever since its conception, numerous other 'floating mosques' have sprouted up across the country, most noteable ones being in Terengganu, Perlis and Kota Kinabalu.

Picture taken from www.penang-traveltips.com

As you continue your journey eastwards along Jalan Tanjung Bungah (Tanjung Bungah Road), you'll find yourself on Jalan Tajung Tokong. Along this road, you will encounter a Tesco hypermarket on your left. Take a left turn at the most immediate junction after the Tesco and continue straight. Eventually, you will come across Straits Quay.

Picture taken from www.straits-quay.com

Marketed as Penang's first seafront retail marina, Straits Quay is a wonderful place to visit just to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of Penang traffic and just take in the sights and sounds of the sea. There is a boradwalk that stretches for about half a kilometer along the coast, reminiscent of the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong with the city skyscrapers in the background across the pond, just lacking a Bruce Lee statue or two.

Eventually, as you continue your journey down south along the coast line, you'll come across the northern end of Gurney Drive. It is a popular seafront promenade among both tourists and locals and named after Sir Henry Gurney, the then British High Commissioner of Malaya in 1952 following his assassination at the hands of the Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency.

A stroll down the sidewalk at night will treat one to the sound of waves crashing upon the seafront with a cooling sea breeze keeping you company. Gurney Drive hosts some of the more higher end condominiums on the island, various hotels as well as 2 very popular shopping malls, the Gurney Plaza mall and the Paragon mall. It is also famous for the collection of hawker stalls located at it's northern end, just next to the roundabout with the fountain.

The aforementioned hawker stalls.

There is currently land reclamation works underway along Gurney Drive to, in the future, construct what is currently being dubbed Gurney Wharf 'Park on the Sea' project by the state government. Gurney Wharf will potentially be a massive recreational waterfront front project with various food stalls, gardens and coastal groves akin to that of the Sydney Waterfront in Australia. The overall cost of the project will be borne by both the state government as well as the Eastern and Oriental Bhd group and is expected to be around RM 1billion (approximately $250 million). Vehicular and pedestrian activities will not be interrupted by ongoing construction, so no reason not to pay Gurney Drive a visit the next time you're in town.

The ever bustling traffic along Gurney Drive

And that's about it for part 1. This post has taken me quite awhile to write due to distractions, commitments as well as work on other posts. In fact, this has been a draft for close to 2 months now. Which is why I thought it would be best to publish this 'Penang ride' of mine in 3 parts instead of one long post. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!