During the ride from the airport to my guest house on the island of Penang, Malaysia, my taxi driver provided me with running commentary about the things to see and do on Penang.

“I highly recommend a walking tour of George Town, since it has the largest collection of pre-World War II buildings in all of SE Asia. The Snake Temple is also worth visiting, and you must go to Batu Ferringhi, not only for the beach but also for its amazing night market.”

Great for water sports, but the water and sand leave much to be desired

Dutifully, I took a local bus to the northeast tip of the island one sunny day when I had a hankering to catch some rays. From the moment I set foot on this long crescent beach I was disappointed. The sand was coarse and in some areas erosion had eaten away the beach right to the stoops of the cottages and restaurants that lined it, in some cases exposing heaps of fraying sandbags. Trash was scattered about liberally, and even the water seemed murky. The cloudy water might be forgiven, since it was monsoon season and runoff from the land has a way of muddying up waters along the shore, but the trash was bad enough that I couldn’t even bring myself to spread my beach towel. And as for getting into the water, well, the big red sign warning of the dangers of jellyfish put an end to that idea.

Jellyfish warning at Batu Ferringhi beach

Since I’d made the trip I decided to stick around for the night market. With several hours to kill before dark, I amused myself with a visit to the Fish Spa for a fish-nibbling pedicure, enjoyed some very economically priced body work on the beach from an amazing man who specialized in sports massage, and lolled in a local restaurant for a couple of hours, stuffing myself with Malaysia’s world-famous delicious, cheap food.

Night market at Batu Ferringhi beach stretches for more than a mile

By the time I emerged from the restaurant it was dark and time to shop. While I ate, the main road that fronts the beach had been transformed from a mile of concrete sidewalks in various stages of disrepair to a glittering outdoor covered market that stretched as far as I could see. Block after block, I wandered through stalls where vendors hawked everything from designer jeans to exquisite Vietnamese lacquerware. I spent several hours dickering with merchants for scarves and leather wallets, enjoying bantering over prices, and discovered that the best deals resulted when I walkED away. Inevitably, the merchants ran after me, relenting to my demands. A few hours later, as pedestrian traffic began to dwindle, vendors began breaking down their stalls until the following evening, when the whole process would repeat itself.

I’d agree with my friendly taxi driver that Batu Ferringhi is a not-to-be-missed experience, but skip the beach and just go to the night bazaar for some of the most amazing shopping in Penang, Malaysia.

Photo Credit: Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel of Cultural Travel with Hole In The Donut