In Part 1 we learned that getting around the cities in Malaysia on foot is an adventure unto itself. In this follow up post, let's focus on other, safer ways to get around.
In Kuala Lumpur the public transit system is excellent. There are buses of course, but also the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), the LRT (Light Rail Transit), the KL Monorail, the KTM Commuter Trains, and the KLIA Express airport trains. Confused yet?
Here in Penang, where we're currently staying, there's no metro system. But the buses are pretty good and there's even a free bus that does a continuous loop through the main parts of Georgetown. It's like those Hop On, Hop Off bus tours except it's free! I believe it was implemented to help tourists get to the main places they might want to see, but locals take advantage of it as well.
It's called the Central Area Transit bus (CAT for short) and it runs every day from very early until very late. Check out the photo below for the route map, and to practice your Malay.
Of course, we decided to give it a whirl and luckily, at the stop we boarded a whole lot of people got off, so we grabbed the front row seats.
I must say, it was a bit cramped cozy. But Gerry didn't mind.
But backing up just a bit, in order to get from KL to Penang, we took the train that links various cities along the west coast of mainland Malaysia, then crossed on the ferry to Penang Island. We booked our train tickets in advance online and the whole process was really smooth.
Getting on the actual train was a bit of an adventure, as signage in the terminal wasn't great. But after making a few inquiries and following the crowds, we arrived at the boarding area. Our seats were pre-assigned so once the train arrived we quickly settled in for the 3.5 hour journey.
Arriving at the city of Butterworth on mainland Penang, we then had to figure out how to get to the passenger ferry that connects to Georgetown on Penang Island. Again, signage could be improved here!
It seemed we would go upstairs, only to go down a long corridor and then go back downstairs. Round and round, doubling back, up and down, and finally we exited the terminal building and had no idea which direction to go to get to the ferry.
Fortunately, a woman who had obviously taken this trip a few times before took us under her wing and we hustled along with her to the ticketing area. After a bit more confusion - everyone was lined up at the one ticket kiosk that didn't seem to be working, until an employee said we could just scan our debit or credit card at the turnstile to buy a ticket - we sprinted the last few metres as best we could with luggage in tow, and just made it onto the boat with a minute or two to spare. We even found two seats together, whew!
I was a bit worried that the crossing would be rough, as the sea was choppy, but it was smooth sailing all the way and only took about 10 minutes to arrive at Georgetown. There are also two very long toll bridges that connect Penang Island to the mainland, but since we were staying in Georgetown it made more sense to take the ferry.
From the ferry terminal it was a short hop via a Grab ride (see below) to our hotel, and here we are!
The bus system seems quite good here in Penang, and we've taken the buses a couple of times. We do prefer to walk when we can, the better to get to know the city and perhaps spot some more murals. But sometimes it's just too hot, or the distance is a bit too far and we'd rather just get where we're going quickly.
At these times, it's Grab to the rescue. I'm sure I've mentioned Grab in one or two previous posts. It's just like Uber, but cheaper. Because we're in Malaysia.
And it's incredibly convenient. I just pull out my phone, open the app, enter our destination and confirm our pickup location, then tap to select our ride (with prices displayed so no surprises) and within seconds we have a driver on the way. Usually we wait no longer than a minute or two for our air conditioned private ride to pull up.
The best part is that the driver knows exactly where we're going because they're using the same app and they knew our location and destination before accepting our ride request. So we get in, say hello, and we're on our way. When we arrive at our destination, we thank the driver, hop out and that's it.
Our credit card is charged automatically for the price we were quoted in advance. There's no haggling over price, no worries about being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous taxi driver, and no stressing about whether we have enough cash for a tip. If we were happy with the service, which we usually are, we just add a tip via the app anytime after the ride.
If you're ever traveling in Southeast Asia, we highly recommend downloading the Grab app before you go. That, and packing a good dose of patience for those transitions through train stations!
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