Love this video. You are a kind soul and you tried not to offend either side. You are also cautious about how you voiced your opinions, which let’s me know you are a gentle soul with a soft heart.
Last year I asked you which part of Penang you recommend. You directed me to Tanjung Bungah. After travelling all over KL and other cities...Tanjung Bungah is where i ended up. Such a pretty, quiet and comfortable place. Thanks for your tip
I last visited KL and Penang about 10 and 8 years ago respectively. I absolutely loved Penang. The buildings were beautiful, the cafes great and the food fantastic. And you can find all the trappings of modern life in Gurney Paragon. It's somewhere I'm thinking of retiring to (I hope the MM2 visa doesn't get too difficult to obtain).
Both are lovely places..hard to choose..but I'll pick KL because it's in the middle..easy and near to go to either southern or northern or even to eastern.. ❤️🇲🇾😊
I’ve been watching your videos even before coming to Malaysia from the U.S. I’m here with my daughter and husband in K.L but we are considering a relocation to Penang…. So needless to say this video was very helpful. We haven’t visited Penang yet but from what I’ve heard your takes are spot on. And yes if we move we’ll be missing the metro soooo much it solves the traffic issues of the city for us. Thanks again love the channel.
I'm a long term expat in Thailand (Thai partner, shared house, etc, yada yada yada) but Penang is by far my favorite city in the world. But they are really not that far from each other and since my visits to Malaysia are not as frequent as I'd like, I always try to spend some time in both cities when I come. Also, let's not forget Ipoh which is another gem very easily accessible by bus from Penang on the way to KL, so certainly don't miss it's great specialty foods and great culture !
For the audience : the federal gov approved penang's LRT from airport to tanjung bungah. Hopefully in the future the traffic issue will be reduced downtown.
Penang Island gonna have its first metro line from Airport to Tanjung Bungah under largest Govrnmnt Linked Companies (MRT Corp) as Transport Minister said. I think public transport in Penang Island is crucial to reduce traffics & boosting economic values (to attract foreign investors & stimulate tourism activities)
Thanks Taylor, Having lived in Penang many years ago and having spent time in K.L., your take is very much how I saw it then. However I thought K.L. might be a better option for work or business, and Penang overall more comfortable and livable.
I enjoyed your unscientific comparison! It was fun. I think I agree with Earl Grey and take the balcony in Penang! Although I would certainly like to visit KL as well. Stay well.
Great Video Andrew and thanks for the shoutout for Hudsons Deli very much appreciated...as you may have seen we have expanded our little shop...more seating ...Our Reuben Sandwich is still going Strong ...see you on your next trip back in Penang
Recently discovered your channel and I enjoy so much your videos! God bless you sir! My warm greetings, you are such a wonderful and sweet person! All the best to you!
As a Penangite, I'm conficted. On the one hand, I feel absolutely at home when I'm back in Penang. I feel like the land sings to my blood, almost. But I like the convenience of life in KL. It's in KL (or rather, Subang)that I get to live my car-free, simple life. I don't think I can do the same in Penang, and I'll forever be stuck in some traffic jam or another.
If by Subang u mean Subang Jaya, where I stay, it's a city all by itself some time ago, and not part of KL. At best it's a satellite town/city to KL. No doubt KL /PJ /Subang Jaya /Shah Alam(d capital City of Selangor state) /Klang hav now all joined together to become d KLANG VALLEY!!
Very good Andrew, interesting information. I will be with my family in Malaysia next August, I hope to enjoy that beautiful country. Keep going and very good luck.
Another difference (I think) is that Penang being an island has a slightly milder climate. I visited Malaysia in 2016 with an older friend who was thinking of retiring there for a while. However he could not cope with the heat, even in Penang. We found that Penang had some nice places to eat that were very reasonably priced and easy to find.
New subscriber here. Thank you for sharing your life on a previous video. I just watched the whole thing and it was so interesting.Because of your talent and background, I see now, how well your videos are presented and the content. Regards from Rob in NJ!
For retirees, elderly and those loves beach, Penang is the best. I am raised up in Penang but retired from work in KL. I moved back to Penang to enjoy the simple laid back life without traffic congestion and crowded streets.
Cameron Highlands would indeed be a good addition to your series and while at that, you may wish to also consider Fraser's Hill, the latter I find a bit more authentic to its old-world charm although sadly with some dilapidations
Quick question Taylor : for someone who wants to move to Malaysia, is it better to start living in Penang and then settle in KLCC or the other way, start by living in KLCC first and then settle in Penang ?
grab (similar to uber) is cheap in Penang, you can get an average of RM15 per trip unlike KL where it costs on average RM50 per trip excluding toll. If you only go out a few times a week grab is very affordable, you would not want to walk and wait for public transportation anymore.
I think for me, KL is place to visit, shopping, and shopping. It depends on each individual inclination. For Penang, is good place for relaxation and yeah of course food. Makes new friends, connection. Traveling around the island and there is seberang perai which parts of Penang in the mainland. Thanks for your nice sharing.
Great video, and we agree with your assessment (and Earl Grey's assessment). We think both KL and Penang are great, but have a slight preference for Penang. Our apartment in Penang had a nice breeze when we opened the windows so we didn't need air conditioning during the day. In KL we needed AC almost 24/7. So we prefer the weather in Penang over KL, but maybe this is just because we happened to have a breezy location in Penang, not sure if that's typical of the entire island. Do you notice much of a difference in the weather between where you lived in Penang and where you live in Ampang? And we love the food in Penang. But yeah, we agree with all of the points you awarded to each city throughout the video. We look forward to seeing how your sister enjoys Malaysia in your newest videos.
Hi Andrew, Thank You for the KL and Penang comparison since you have lived in both places. Also thank you for mentioning healthcare @7:00 . That is very important ! Interesting that Penang is more ethnic Chinese versus ethnic Malay in KL. Might be more comfortable in Penang for those who can also speak some Mandarin to connect with the locals !
Penang is Hokkien chinese and peranakan chinese mixed malay for generations but ckassified as chinese You will see tamil looking chinese in penang and very malay looking chinese in penang, all speak Hokkien Ipoh and KL, i discovered on my previous trips have more cantonese speaking chinese.
@@teatree6228 Hi, well my wife speaks native cantonese and mandarin as well. We would be interested in the Cantonese areas ( I guess the Chinatown area in KL ? ). Thanks
@@wanderingsoul2909the top Cantonese area will be in Ipoh. Ironically, Chinatown not so much a Chinese place, as it flooded with foreign labour operating the business.
Great video! We can’t wait to see your videos in The Cameron Highlands and Penang! We didn’t have our car when we were in KL, so we are pretty nervous about driving there after watching this 🤣
@@andrewtaylor4558 we found the traffic in Penang to be very stressful, it took a long time to get short distances! We will probably park our car next time we are in KL and just use the public transport.
Penang is a good place for foods, fruits (durian, although other states also have but the origin is from Penang), heritage buildings to venture, the streets is ease to access by padestrian not like KL, the footstep is heavy when walking in the streets may due to their hectic life.
1:29 I normally don't recommend Genting Highland which I think is too commercialized.. would strongly recommend Cameron Highlands(esp Sg Palas BOH tea plantation, Mossy Forest) and Fraser Hill (aka Malaysia's Little England).
I rather get to know the locals more than hang around with expats If i wanted to cluster with expats, i would just stay in Australia. Penang food is great! KL hokian mee is great Penang is safer and less violent robberies as in KL
This is cool ! I love this comparison.. I would choose KL all the way...because I was born in KL and the city have many great skycrapers, green parks and malls... if you love to have some sort of San Francisco version of Asia, then you may live in Penang... it got hills, high terrain, ocean, iconic bridges, historic dowtown and active semiconductor industry that resemble the silicon valley... man I love both places...😊
@@teatree6228 hmm well KL is quite clean actually...I don't know which area is dirty.. maybe you should see cities like Oakland, Philadelphia and Detroit... it's unbelievable
@@afrivox no worries haha... I could see that cleanliness here is much better than big cities in CA... there are homeless too but there is no encampment allowed...many of them are placed in a homeless shelter throughout the city although you can see some of them sleeping on the street... ..
Penang is good for retirement and has a laid-back vibe. Many places e.g the beach, CBD, fruit farm are within reach. KL is a financial hub and a cosmopolitan city for seeking employment and doing big business. The nearest beach for KL is PD (Port Dickson) that is about 2 - 3 hours drive from KL. PD is famous for its weekend beach which is in the state of Negeri Sembilan. KL is also a good place to retire if you like the city vibe.
@@afrivox Penang, for short term holiday and for foodie. Tanjung Bunga beach within the island. Short trip to Langkawi island. Short trip to East Coast Peninsular for Redang Island, Kapas Island, Perhentian Island, Tenggol Island, Tioman Island. electric train ride to Ipoh town for food. electric train ride to Melaka for historical site, electric train ride to KL. Short bus trip to Singapore. Short flight to Thailand Phuket, Krabi, Ko Samui, Ko Phi Phi, Bangkok. Two hours flight to East Malaysia, Sabah, trekking to Mount Kinabalu and Boheydulang island, scuba dive in Mabul island, Sipadan island and Sarawak, cave trekking in Mount Mulu and Niah Park. A month, plenty sites to visit around the region.
thanks so much i love you videos! Do you have any suggestions for families to settle? can you do a video on suggestions for families, where is the better life, obviously need bigger houses or appartments.
Love your channel even though I've never been or probably will never visit Malaysia, you've made it sound like a really interesting place to live. Watching this video and others you've made, you seems like your heart is in Penang. My question is, how come you moved to KL in the first place , do you plan to stay in KL or move back to Penang?
Interesting comparison. I've always wanted to live in a waterfront location and be able to spend a lot of time in the morning and evening on my balcony overlooking the ocean/sea, and go for long walks. I think I would choose to live in Penang and visit KL every couple of months. Do you think you'd ever move back to Penang?
I think each of these two are great destinations. Two years ago, we considered moving from KL to Penang, as I can work from anywhere. But oce we really looked into it, house viewing and driving around with the idea how it would be to really live there, we decided not to do it. KL is just simply way more comfortable in terms of amenities (western food, supermarkets), infrastructure, quality of housing, location (KL being in the center of the country) and 'luxury'. Visiting Penang every now and then from KL to me is the best option, as opposed to visiting KL from Penang. But... to each his or her own.
We are thinking of doing the same. Settle in KL and visit other cities from there. We have about 6 weeks in Malaysia. Torn between Penang and KL but leaning more towards KL and we have a 3 year old and think there are more kids/family activities and parks in KL than Penang. Havent made our mind yet but have 1 month or so to decide 😅
My take is that KL would be the better holiday destination and Penang would be the better place to stay or settle. As always, great content! Much love to Earl Grey!!!
I love Sarawak too, people are friendlier and more inclusive, the food are delicious and fresh. Traffic could be bad sometimes but its because the roads arent as developed and many as in Semenanjung..
KL - - IPOH - - PENANG. these 3 places are great for expats. but I prefer IPOH for laid back life. nice food from the Malay, Mamak, Chinese, Indian, western too with reasonable price. Beaches at Pangkor Island, we have Lost world of Tambun and the Banjaran Hotspring Treat in Ipoh, . Probably not a massive traffic congestion except at peak hours in town area. simple life style. 🤗
Of course KL because KL is developed city. In any part of the world, city living is expensive and mostly unaffordable. KL is for those who enjoy vibrant city life. Penang is good for traveling but not an efficient city to get everything done cheaply
Cyberjaya is more like a town for college students and IT workers.. also full of foreigners (not expats) from middle east and south Asia.. for me I feel like theres a lack of charm and culture there. Food prices are exorbitant and not that nice. I've lived there for about 6 years during my student days.
I think you just moved to KL from Penang? I am an Asian foreigner working in the states. I plan to retire in KL because I came from a big city. I prefer to the city vibe
We are so enjoying your videos. I do wonder after today’s video, why you are living in KL instead of Penang. Seems like you like Penang so much more. That’s me just wondering.
Good Evening Andrew, I would like to know what good places to relax on my vacation this Dec. 2023. Any Islands you recommend for Swimming, See under water fish, Water sports and good view or Island hotels. Will be with my family and friends for a week enjoy and relaxing. I am, Brandon from San Diego, California. Please advise. Thank you, We LOVE your video!!!
Are there any above water fish? Anyway if you are planning to come in December, you better stick to the west coast of Malaysia as most of the resorts on the east coast islands will be closed during monsoon, here you can visit Pangkor (yollwatersports and snorkeling)- Batu Feringhi, Penang (water sports) also the teluk bahang national park - Langkawi (Pulau Payar for diving) Or Maybe to Borneo - The Islands off Kota Kinabalu and also Semporna (kapalai, pom pom, Sipadan)
I would love to move there as I love SE Asia, but at 76 and married, with minor medical issues, I don’t think so. My question is, if you like Panang lifestyle more, why are you living there? I’m on SS so I don’t know if you still collect moving overseas. Great video to understand EX Pats.
I may misunderstand, but Cameron Highlands is not exactly 45 minutes away from KL? It is more like 3.5 hours, if not too much traffic. I guess you mean to say the mountain range towards Genting Highlands is at a mere 45 minutes to 1 hour from KL. And as far as traffic, I remember being stuck in George Town Penang traffic for hours as well, just like in KL. And when touring around Penang island, you better take your time, as it is predominantly 2 lanes all around the island and that takes a lot of time, when being stuck behind slow driving cars or trucks.
