I hadn't stayed in Georgetown last time I was in Penang, and I can barely remember my time here, although I recall that it did involve a lot of eating.
 
As Penang is famous for its street hawkers, this visit was bound to follow suit, and we were soon trying the many dishes on offer.
 
The tourist office issues a very handy leaflet, which provides the details of food places serving all of the local specialities as well as a short synopsis of what to expect. These days I'm a little braver with giving most things a try. However I do turn my nose up at molluscs and the less common body parts that, in my view, are not something I would serve up at a dinner party at home.
 
Consequently I found myself playing guinea pig to Assam Laksa (a fishy soup), Curry Mee and one or two other dishes that are probably not going to be repeated on this trip.
 
The Curry Mee would probably be a different experience if I had known what went in it and could select the accompaniments. However, the suggested stall for this was not there on the two occasions that we looked for it, so I eventually settled for a bowl at a stall nearby. 
 
The guy serving wasn't very helpful and it was difficult to determine from him what went in it, so I eventually accepted the shrimp version, which was very tasty but just overloaded with what I believe was jellied pigs blood. Thankfully I could leave this at the side without destroying the overall experience! 
 
By the end of the week I had tried enough to determine that my favourite dishes were Wan Ton Mee (noodles with roast pork and dumplings) and Roti Canai (an Indian bread), the latter tending to be for breakfast and only served until about 11am.
For me, the food around little India won the contest between the mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian. Especially in terms of sweets and snacks which became a staple from day 1.
 
Walking through the streets of Little India was also the most interesting, and the closest I have seen to the streets of Delhi. My first thought was how much cleaner it is than India, but otherwise you could almost believe you were there instead. The main street is filled with shops selling flowers, bangles, saris, and restaurants that are popular with locals. There are a number of video stalls plastered with posters of the many Bollywood films starring the same familiar actors. Sometimes these are also blaring out music. A combination of all of this and the spicy aroma that circulates around you, just seeps into your senses making you want to start shaking your hips like a belly dancer with you arms in the air, and move along to the beat. It comes alive even more in the early evening.
 
Disappointingly this same atmosphere isn't replicated around the rest of town, but the Chinese community is a good area to wander for a little more peace and quiet. There's a lot here that was used in the filming if Anna and the King (link to film locations). There is also a huge amount of street art around the town which provides some insight into the variety of history here, just following the trail is a great way to see everything on foot - pick up a street art leaflet from the tourist office for the map to help you find the key pieces.
 
If you are short on time and/or want to get from the main sights of Georgetown to the central bus station, there's a free bus service (CAT) from the jetty with regular stops along the way. Most buses around the island pass through the Komtar mall and are very cheap, particularly with a weekly pass (30 ringitts) that covers the whole island. Make sure you have small coins as they don't give change. We headed out round the island on a motor bike (and got wet in the rain) which I would also recommend (in good weather though), but the traffic around Georgetown can be frustrating. To the North West and the famous Ferringhi night market, the roads are clear and the beaches are pretty nice too. You can get to Ferringhi on a bus for just a couple of ringitts or a taxi if you want to splash out a bit more.
 
Don't miss in Georgetown: Sri Mariamman temple; Khoo Klongsi clan house; Toy museum (if you're short on time there's a smaller one in town near khoo klongsi clan house); Chew jetty; Kuan Yin Teng temple (goddess of mercy).
 
A few more if time: Teochew temple; Yap Klongsi temple; Fort Cornwallis and walk along waterfront there.
 
Other than food and sights, Penang is popular for shopping, with new malls having appeared since my last visit. Not my thing but we did spend some time in them continuing our earphone splitter search. Here are a few: Ferringhi tourist street market (everyday from 8pm); Farlim night market (Wednesday, there are others around the island in different days); Red garden night market for food from around the world; Penang Road emporium - £ shop; Penang street market - last Sunday of the month, selling locals crafts that are a bit different eg origami earrings; Gurney Plaza - airconditioned luxury with plenty of shops, nearby is the famous hawker food stalls (nighttime).
 
This island is a mix of experiences with tourism being just a small part of it. There is a fast growing expat community here and a large number of corporates providing them and the locals, jobs... A good place to live maybe?! I think the continuing development here may get out of hand if it continues at the rate it has done. When I was here in 2006, Gurney Road did not suffer from the traffic situation that exists there now, but the deep monsoon drains that remain everywhere are still a sign that there is more to come.
 
A final tip
 
My aunt (in Malaysia) recently advised me not to take curry spices into Singapore, and although we are not going there just yet, the warnings in relation to UAE were enough to put me off purchasing any of the many spices available here... Read more about it here. Instead we stocked up on Indian snacks ;).