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Traveling can be expensive. Sometimes there is just no other choice but to travel and it may not be something that you want to spend a lot of money on. There are some ways that you can save money while traveling and still have a comfortable and enjoyable trip.

How To Save Money By Flying
If you have to travel remember that holidays are the best days to fly. Thanksgiving is a great day because hardly anyone will be flying that day. The day before and the day after a holiday are the worst days to travel. These are the busiest days of the year to be on a plane. Pack light when you are traveling. Extra baggage could cost you time and money and you can save by packing a little less and you will save a lot more.

Personally, I use Air Asia for cheap air fair. You can check out the deal here if you want to go other states in Malaysia.

Take A Train Instead Of Flying
Trains are a great way to travel because they are usually less expensive than a plane. They are also less crowded. When you decide to take a train you will save money that can be used for other things on your vacation.

Here is the link to KTM or known as Keretapi Tanah Melayu.

Bring Your Own Snacks
When you are traveling either alone or with your family, bring your own snacks. This will save you time and money when you get hungry. Sometimes with the hustle of traveling we forget to get ourselves something to eat. This may cause an all of sudden sick feeling for you. By having some snacks on hand you will save yourself the trouble of feeling sick. This will also save you money. Snacks on coach flights and sections are not free and can be expensive in some cases.

Driving In A Car
When you are driving to your destination, there are some things that you can do to save yourself money. Remember to not drive too fast. Driving fast can cause your car to use more fuel. It may also get you a speeding ticket, which will cost you a lot of extra money in the end. It is better to stay at a steady and safe speed while you are driving. Also bring your own food. Make up some sandwiches and bring along some sodas and water. This will save you money and time by not having to stop for food.

Another good piece of advice when traveling by car is to take turns driving with someone. Make sure that you have another safe driver for times when you need a break. You can sleep while someone else drives for a while and then switch back and forth when a rest is needed. This will save you the expense of paying for a room and get you to your destination sooner.

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I came across this dessert at the Penang TESCO food court which I found to be pretty nice. I think this will be a typical kids’ best friend. Kids just love sweet and cold desserts. It’s mainly consist of shaved ice and some sweet syrup. There’s some nata de coco at the bottom of the ice. The dessert is covered with peach halves. I think this is something nice to have as a replacement of your typical drink after your lunch/dinner.

So, you guys can give this a try the next time you go shopping at Penang TESCO

Locally known as ‘Pan Mee’ or ‘Thit Pan Mee’. The dish is wide available in most of the food courts or hawker centers around Penang. This is one of the very few dishes of local food in Penang that you can find served on a hot plate.

The noodles used here is ‘Yee Mee’. I recalled once when I took a Japanese friend around and introduced this dish to her, she told me that the ‘Yee Mee’ is known as ‘Eh Hu Mien’ in Japanese which is very similar to ‘Yee Fu Min’ in Cantonese.

Well, anyway, the Yee Mee is usually deep fried to crisp prior to cooking. The noodles will then be cooked together with a special sauce on a hot plate. After a while, additional sauce and also some chiken, mushrooms and crab sticks will be added to the hot plate. When the hot plate gets really hot, you can see that the sauce looks like hot volcano lava with bursting bubbles all over the hot plate :p

You have the option of adding an egg into the dish if you like to. Once ready, the dish will be garnished with some fresh vegetables and served. A point to note is that the dish is a little spicy due to the dried chillies used in the sauce.

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If you are in Penang for holidays, Bukit Tambun is one of the place that you should not miss especially when you are a fan of delicious seafood.

Located over on the mainland Butterworth along the North-South Highway, Bukit Tambun is a very popular place in Penang which is famous for its seafood. “Cheap And Fresh Seafood”, those are the words that got into my mind when it comes to Bukit Tambun.

One can choose from a varieties of shells and clamps, prawns, fishes, crabs, lobsters and the list goes on. And the restaurants here offers a varities of tastes and serving methods like deep fry, stir fry, steam and so on. One only needs to ask the recommendations from restaurant owners and they will be happy to recommend to you what is nice. After that, all you need to do it to wait for the dishes to be served and enjoy.

So, if you are into seafood, do put Bukit Tambun in your place-to-go list to try on the fresh seafood they have available in Bukit Tambun, Penang.

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Besides getting some tips on how to save your money & also deciding on where to go, there are also couple of things you need to do prior starting your trip.

Deciding what to pack
When you are thinking about what you are going to pack for your travel plans, there are some things that you should keep in mind. Think about where you are going first. Are you going somewhere that is warm and sunny or is the location cold and snowy. You want to make sure that you pack clothes that are suitable for the weather conditions.

Also think about how long you are going to be there. You will want to make sure that you pack enough clothes for everyday that you are there. Chances of you washing clothes while on vacation are probably pretty slim.

Make arrangements for home
If you are planning to travel out of town for a certain amount of time, you may want to have someone check on your home and take care of a few things for you while you are away. If you have pets you want to make sure that someone comes and feeds them and checks in on them for you. You may need someone to water your flowers or even get your mail for you while you are away.

Penang, Travel Tips, What To Pack, Travel Planning, Home Arrangement

Well, don’t ask me why this is called Singapore Beehoon … I’m still trying to find out myself. My guess is that this is probably originated from Singapore a loooooooooooong time ago or probably it’s fried based on Singaporean style. Whatever it is, it’s the taste and feels that matter. Hahahahaha !!!

For a typical dish of Fried Singapore Beehoon, it consist of mainly bee hoon or vermicelli. The beehoon will be stir fried with black sauce and some soya sauce which give the bee hoon its taste and also colour. The beehoon is usually fried together with some beans sprout.

The dish will normally garnished with char siew (barbecued pork), prawns and also come cabbage. Singapore Beehoon is not so commonly available everywhere in Penang. Anyway, you should be in luck to encounter at least a stall that sell this dish with the many hawker centers / food courts around Penang. Happy hunting !!!

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Making your own travel plans can be fun and at the same time confusing and frustrating. There is so much to do and you have to make sure that you making the right decision for you and your family to get the best value for your dollar. There are a few things that you can do when travel planning to make your chore seem a little less unpleasant.

Save your MONEY
When planning to travel sometimes we decide months in advance to start saving money to make the expense of the trip a little more affordable when the time comes to pay for everything. This is a great idea for family vacations. Everyone who wants to go can chip in a little at a time. This will get everyone involved in the planning of the trip.

Decide where you will be going and how to get there
The first thing that you need to do for your travel plans is decide where you are going. This will depend on why you are traveling. If you are planning a family vacation, then you may decide to go somewhere that the whole family will enjoy. This maybe a fun spot like Disneyland or maybe a tropical getaway for two.

The next step is to figure out how you will be traveling. This could mean that you want to fly, or take a train, or maybe you are going to drive. Considering how many people are going and where you are going should make this. Make sure that you go with a choice that allows everyone to be comfortable and that it is a route that you can afford.

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Lor Bak or literally translated as Meat with Gravy is another favourite dish among local Penangites. Available at most of the hawker centers / food courts around Penang, Lor Bak is usually taken as a snack along with other dishes. It’s also loved by kids as it’s not spicy and it’s served with a Lor or gravy which is sweet and easily likeable by them.

The content of Lor Bak is usually not fixed. Each stall that sells Lor Bak will have their own varieties and choices. The usual choice that will be available at most stalls will be things like lor bak which is seasoned pork wrapped in a soft piece of soya wrap, prawn crackers or better known as haer piah and fried tofu. For the rest of the selections available, it depends on what the stall operator offers.

When one were to order Lor Bak, you can choose from the varieties available at the stall. It’s not necessary to choose everything but you can also do so if you want to try everything. Customers are usually charged based on what they have chosen. Prior to serving, all the items selected will be deep fried by the stall operator. The selected items are usually fried till they are crispy.

Once the dish is ready, it will be served together with a small bowl of lor or gravy and also a small bowl of chilli sauce. For those who do not like spicy food, then you can enjoy the dish having the meat dipped into the lor. For those who like spicy food, the chilli sauce is there fill up your crave

So, when you are having a holiday in Penang, remember to order this dish as a snack along with other dishes. This will add varieties to your dishes and also keep the kids occupied if you have them along.

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Movie goers in Penang will be delighted to know that they are getting 8 new screens at the new Penang Queensbay Mall. Leading exhibitor Golden Screen Cinema Sdn Bhd (GSC) is kicking off the new year with a new 8-screens multiplex at the new Penang Queensbay Mall. It’s scheduled to open before Chinese New Year 2007.

The proposed 1,512 seater GSC Queensbay is also designed to cater to the needs of physically-challenged patrons.

Movie fans from mainland Butterworth will also find this a good piece of news as the new multiplex is within the vicinity of the Penang Bridge. The new multiplex will be located on the 3rd floor, south court of Queensbay Mall.

Prior to the launch of the multiplex, GSC Queensbay will be offering FREE movie screenings to the public for five consecutive days. Watch out for more details of the launch activities in the local dailies or log on to www.gsc.com.my.

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The all time authentic local Penang dish is definitely Laksa. Penang Laksa is a sour, fish-based soup dish. It’s made up of specially prepared white Laksa noodles, shredded mackerel, finely sliced vegetables like cucumber, chillies, onions, pineapple, lettuce, mint leaves and ginger buds.

The most important ingredient of Penang Laksa is the soup. The soup is prepared using finely shredded mackerel and asam (tamarind). The shredded mackerel will give the Laksa it’s sweet taste and the assam will do it’s part in the Laksa’s sourness. Together, they give the dish a sweet & sourish taste which is simply unique and out of this world.

Laksa is usually served with the ingredients stated above together with a sweet prawn paste known as ‘hae ko’. Personally, I like Laksa with extra pineapple and prawn paste.

There is another variety of Laksa called Lemak Laksa which the soup is prepared with rich coconut milk. It’s also known as nyonya laksa. The dish is heavily influenced by Thai laksa till a point one can even claim that they are both the same thing.

Laksa can be found all over Penang in most hawker centers / food courts. Be sure to try out this classic Penang dish when you are in Penang. You’ll sure to love it.

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