Memoirs of a Travelling Foodie: Penang: land of (the glorious) roti canai

Where do I even start with you Penang? Honestly, I underestimated this little island. I was half expecting a shanty little deserted town, that had not much going on other than fishing and... well, that's it (I did negative research before going here, so forgive my ignorance). Anywhoo, Penang is an absolute MUST if you are a food worshiper like myself and are in the area. This island has A TON of diversity and deep culture it is UNREAL. We were lucky enough to stay for 5 days & they were jam packed with activities, chill times & the consumption of the savory offerings of the island. We stayed at two lovely hostels during our stay (with Chinese New Years, it was impossible to stay in one hostel our entire stay + w our size) Ryokan & Red Inn Court. I must admit that Red Inn Court did a better job at helping us with places to go, had a better breakfast selection (best yet actually) and was in a fantastic spot, kitty corner to Little India. A sample of what we did in Penang included spending a beach day at Batu Ferringhi (but BEWARE: locals are not afraid to take pictures of ladies who want to enjoy some sun bathing), challenging day hike in the Penang National Park to a secluded beach (absolutely breathtaking, both conceptually and physically), witnessing the illuminated Kek Lok Se Temple for Chinese New Years, took a cooking class at the Tropical Spice Garden (but more on that later... let's just say that deserves its own separate post), explored chinatown&little india and ate at a variety of hawker centres/stalls for some classic dishes; roti canai, chee cheong fun, mee goreng and cendol, to name a few. I must admit my absolute FAVORITE thing in Penang slash on this entire trip was hands down the cooking class. I am dedicating an entire post to those magical 5 odd hours though teehee. Anyways, that was Penang & I will say this: if you are travelling through South East Asia, I strongly recommend a stop at this underestimated city. It is a backpackers HAVEN (did I mention everything is DIRT CHEAP HERE?!?! Less than $1CAD for a meal, no joke) and is flowing with incredible cultures and interesting people that are always ready to help. Here are some photographics I took (barely) and those stolen from some lovely people I had the pleasure to travel with!