Penang Visitor Information
Penang lies closer to the equator and therefore has a hot tropical climate. The monsoon is the chief supplier of rains in the Malaysian peninsula and being an island, Penang enjoys the drift of the ocean surrounding it. The day temperature varies between 27°C-30°C whereas the night temperatures hover around 22°C-24°C. A gentle breeze is always the customary hallmark of Penang and therefore you do not feel too stifled and hot when outdoors during the summer.
The best time to visit Penang is between November and February when the rains have just wound up for the year. The weather is cool and is marked by a significant drop in temperatures too. The rainy months are between August and November. People prefer not to travel to Penang during the rainy season because of the fierceness of the monsoon across the Indian Ocean. Immediately after the monsoon, Penang gears up for the tourist traffic.
For the visitor, there is a good amount of visitor information, which should be kept in mind. Penang is said to be a cauldron of the human race. There are people coming in from different religions and communities. That is why you will find a number of temples and monasteries in and around Penang. There are Hindu settlers from India, Buddhists from the China – Tibetan corridor, Muslims from South East Asian countries and Christians spread all through the state. Likewise, a number of languages are also in use in the state. You will find a predominance of Tamil, English, Chinese and Hindi languages being spoken amongst the locals. People live within their own ancestral cultures and socio-economic bonds. Yet there is peace amongst the various races and communities.
If you want to move around Penang, you may hire a trishaw. However, if you are looking for a faster means of transport, go for a hired car. The unreliable public transport system in Penang is better avoided for moving around the state. When hiring a car, you can use the international brands that have set shop in Penang over the past few years. You may also decide to move around the place in a local car, but be very specific about the tariffs before taking one.
Penang is the food capital of Malaysia as is commonly believed. There are a number of food outlets in Penang than in the whole of Malaysia. The roadside food centres are famous for some good and tasty concoctions at amazing prices.
There is another piece of visitor information here. While shopping around Penang, you can actually get good bargains by simply haggling about the price. You can get some real good bargains during your shopping visits. In the roadside food courts, if the table has space for a few more seats that are going vacant, it is customary to ask the person sitting at the table for a seat. In spite of the variety of the cultures, when inside a temple or a church, silence is generally adhered to.
Be careful about the beach at Batu Ferringhi. The area around the beach is not hygienic and there are a number of sewage pipes opening up the beachfront. Food hawkers from the eateries on the beaches have also contributed generously in keeping the place virtually unusable. Recently the Government has woken up with a realistic action plan to save the locality around Batu Ferringhi.
Tipping in restaurants is a common practice in the up-market areas around Penang. The amount of the tip would depend upon the time you were at the restaurant.
When shopping around for electronic gadgets, always ask for a guarantee card to take care of the functioning of the product you have purchased. Do not buy anything whose seal is tampered with.
