The Penang Verdict

We had an amazing time in Penang and I can confirm with absolute conviction that it is a great place to vist and/or live. There is much I could say, so let me break it down:

The Positives:

• People – they are all so lovely and respectful. Most of the people we encountered work long hours for what we would consider very little pay, but they were constantly smiling and happy!
• Food – incredible! From the hawker centres to the more expensive restaurants, it was all so delicious. Some standouts for us were the best Korean Fried Chicken we’ve ever had; a knock-your-socks-off Chicken Butter Tikka; and Thai Pineapple Rice.
• Grab Rides – it wasn’t always easy to walk from place to place, but catching a Grab was simple, very cheap and we didn’t have to wait long.
• International Snacks – not really important, but I couldn’t resist mentioning this. Some of the supermarkets stock food from all around the world and I was delighted to discover they even stocked New Zealand’s Griffins biscuits!

The Negatives:

• Traffic – we were warned traffic is terrible in Penang and that is 100% true; plus, it’s a little scary when you realise lanes are optional and the road-rules we adhere to seem to be considered optional. That being said, it works – the locals are unfazed by other cars pushing in; everyone kind of does their own thing on the road; and we didn’t witness any accidents or road rage.
• It’s so hot! – this could be a positive or a negative depending on how you feel about heat and humidity. But it did make doing anything outside in the middle of the day unbearable… it’s just as well there is a very large, air-conditioned shopping mall in easy reach.

So would we live there? Yes, we would, and we were absolutely certain Penang is where we were going to move. But we did a deep-dive into the finer details and… the visas are expensive and require property to be bought, as well as a sizable deposit.

Therefore, we figured we should widen our research and see where else in South East Asia we could potentially move to, that still offers a lot of our Western comforts alongside lower cost of living.

Our new frontrunner is the Philippines – there is no requirement to purchase property and a significantly smaller deposit is needed.

So the next place to explore is Cebu.