Sitting with a nice cup of tea in the airy and welcoming reception and lounge of 28 Bahari Guest House in Georgetown Penang, Phanganist waits for owner and all round great guy Balan to finish up giving his guests some information for their day out.
His two wonderfully sweet children enjoy their lollipops in between laughter so we decide to ask Balan’s son how his day at school was whilst we wait;
‘I like soccer, soccer for India!’
Well that’s that then! Balan’s little girl however has been obsessed with our Jungle Experience t shirt for a couple of days now, this is because it has a lizard on it and in one of her favourite cartoons there is a lizard character with whom she associates herself with.
Balan then joins us to sit down for a chat about his guesthouse and life in Penang…
Thank you for having us Balan, so tell us the idea behind 28 Bahari…
When I was small I was eager to travel the world, it was my passion to see the world before I die so I myself am a traveller at heart.
The idea for the guest house came when I was travelling, there were all of these beautiful spots with guest houses. So when I came to have this plan of life I decided to set it up in my hometown of Penang, I love to meet and share my knowledge with people.
Why is Penang good for travellers?
Penang has lots of culture, Hindu, Chinese and Malaysian. It’s a blending of cultures with each other and you can see this during the festive seasons.
Not forgetting the food! It’s a food paradise with everything to taste. They call it ‘the pearl of the orient’, that’s the nickname for Penang.
The heritage makes it valuable to people and it brings the travellers. Anyone can have their own set up of a guest house but how do you obtain it? With your heart…
Where are the best places to go?
There are the main tourist attractions and the sacred places, most guests enjoy Pagoda Temple and Penang Hill.
Not forgetting the Hindu Temple and Hilltop Temple and there is also Batu Ferringhi Beach.
How do you want people to feel when they stay at 28 Bahari?
Free mind and enjoy it to the fullest! No obstacles or regression.
And do your children like being here?
Yes definitely, they share everything and love every moment. Most people love them too.
What are your hopes over the next year?
I think we will have more guests and this means I can share more knowledge with them which is a good thing.
What are your personal favourite foods here?
Char keoy teow which is actually known as pad thai and is a chinese dish, for indian it would be dosa biryani and also sikandar which is rice with lots of stuff mixed in.
And finally Balan, leave us with your life philosophy…
Live Happily.
Balan is originally from Penang so really can share with you a lot of useful information for your stay plus you may be lucky enough to meet his wife and of course the kids who provide a sweet entertainment. The term is true here when we say that they will become like family.
28 Bahiri is clean and quiet, you can party in one of Georgetown’s bars at night but come back to a comfortable peaceful bed.
The beds really are comfortable with soft linen and some of the best pillows we have slept on!
As well as a mixed dorm and a girls dorm there are also four private rooms for that extra bit of privacy (and a super nice balcony if you’re lucky!).
Of course there is air con and hot showers and everyone we met whilst there had the same feelings as us, Balan goes all out to make sure you have a great stay.
Thank you Balan and we will see you next time!
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