Perang Penang — Day 6

The final day of Perang Penang: one last round with Kak Oja, an unexpected Singapore connection, ikan bakar, the airport, and then home.

Checking Out

We checked out of the apartment, bringing our stay in Penang to an end.

Kak Oja, my cousin, fetched us and took us for one final round before our flight home.

We still had a few hours left.

And Penang apparently wasn’t quite finished with us yet.

Kampung Syed

Our first significant stop was the old Muslim cemetery at Kampung Syed, around the Lorong Burma and Burmah Road area.

Kak Oja brought us there.

Among the graves, one particular marker caught my attention: Habib Ariffin bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Habshi.

The inscription identified him as ABANG KEPADA HABIB NUH SINGAPURA — elder brother of Habib Noh of Singapore.

Being from Singapore, that immediately caught my attention.

That one grave sent me down a rabbit hole. The Penang connection turned out to be much deeper than I realised, and the surviving historical sources don’t always agree with one another either.

I have put the research, family connections and conflicting accounts into a separate piece: The Penang Roots of Habib Noh — A Visit to Kampung Syed.

Restoran Nasi Campur Awet Muda

Then it was time for brunch at Restoran Nasi Campur Awet Muda.

What a name. 😂

And what a spread.

There were all sorts of lauk laid out, but most importantly for me — I finally got my ikan bakar.

Alhamdulillah.

Got my ikan bakar before leaving Penang.

USM Mosque

1345 hrs. After brunch, we stopped at the USM mosque, where I performed my obligatory jamak prayers before continuing our final round.

USM had featured earlier in our Penang journey. Now it was one of our final stops.

One Last Look Across the Water

1420 hrs. We stopped by Queens Waterfront for one last look across the water at the first Penang Bridge.

Last Food Stops

Before going to the airport, Kak Oja continued taking care of us.

We stopped at food stalls to buy ikan pari and ayam bakar.

We also made a quick stop at another branch of Makan Pagi by Fizzy Cafe — this one on Jalan Bayan Lepas in Kampung Masjid, nearer Penang International Airport.

Yes, Makan Pagi again after the George Town branch the night before. Pfft.

Thank You, Kak Oja

Before heading in, a proper thank you to Kak Oja, my cousin, who had been such a gracious host during our time in Penang.

She drove us around, brought us to makan places, and on our final day continued looking after us right to the end — bringing us around to buy food and kuih before sending us to the airport.

Alhamdulillah.

May Allah bless Kak Oja and her family, reward them for their kindness, grant them good health and rezeki, and protect them always. Aameen.

Penang International Airport

1530 hrs. The bags had been checked in, and we were resting at Penang Street Food in Penang International Airport.

We bought traditional Malay kuih to bring home for my BIL and SIL, who were kindly fetching us when we arrived back in Singapore.

My BIL had texted early that morning asking about the flight. I had originally asked my son Amirul to fetch us, but my BIL’s larger car was better suited to accommodate the luggage.

While waiting at Penang Street Food, I ordered a teh.

And it was superb here as well.

Penang had been treating me very well with its teh on this trip. 😂

Boarded

1631 hrs. Boarded. Now waiting for take-off.

I couldn’t wait to get home and see my other two children again.

There were things waiting to be resolved at home too, and after this break it was straight into the next lap — back to work, First Aid on Friday, and then the final block of my AFC C course.

InsyaAllah, all of that comes to an end this September.

For now, one thing at a time.

May Allah guide me, make everything easy, and assist me through what is ahead.

Aameen.

Home

1820 hrs. We landed about 30 minutes early.

Alhamdulillah.

My BIL and SIL came to fetch us, and then it was finally home.

Waiting for us at home was my daughter’s lemak ayam chilli padi, with telur dadar, keropok and belacan.

But makan could wait for a little while.

We prayed Maghrib first.

My son had waited for us so that we could pray together.

And somehow that felt like the right way to end this journey.

Six days away.

Penang, family, makan, old places, new discoveries, the hike, Mum, our cousins — and then home again to the children who had been waiting for us.

Alhamdulillah.

Syukur for all the blessings.

Perang Penang conquered?

Maybe not.

Penang probably conquered us instead.

Pfft.

Alhamdulillah. Perang Penang — khalaṣna.