Batu Maung is the site of the island-end of the future Second Penang Bridge. It is a small fishing village on the southeast tip of Penang Island. I grew up in Batu Maung, albeit a very different Batu Maung from what it is today. I remember it as a small village where my father used to take me to to buy fish directly from the fishermen as their boats arrived at shore. Our house is on a hill where I suffered a lot of mosquito bites when I was growing up.
Within Batu Maung are several small villages including the Batu Maung village (called Pekan), Kampung Seronok, Kampung Binjai, Permatang Damar Laut, Teluk Tempoyak and Jalan Baru.
Today Batu Maung is very different from what I remember it. The site where my house was located is now a big housing estate. Double-storey link houses fill the land that was once holding just our house and a huge compound. More development is expected to take place in Batu Maung, now that the Second Penang Bridge will be built here.
Once a sleepy village, Batu Maung has in the past 5 years seen rapid development, with some light industries and housing estates. The oldest housing estate in Batu Maung is Taman Iping. Other more recent housing projects in Batu Maung include Sunway Tunasjaya and Taman Sunway Mutiara. The biggest property development here is called Southbay, a billion-ringgit project on a 23 hectare site on the southeast point of Penang Island that includes a gated community.
Plankway pier at Batu Maung, Penang.
Batu Maung is where the deep sea fishing port is located. It is not surprising therefore that Batu Maung is famous for seafood. In the sixties and early seventies, there was a famous seafood restaurant here called Ocean Inn. Ocean Inn as a Penang version of Har Par Villa, with its cement statues of Chinese mythology.
By the eighties and nineties, Ocean Inn has been replaced by newer seafood establishments. There was one called "Beginning of the World", which used to be located in the middle of the sea, and accessible by a plankway. It has since moved inland to the Batu Maung village centre, near the crossroads.
Batu Maung is also famous for having a temple dedicated to Admiral Cheng Ho (Zhenghe). The Sam Poh Footprint Temple, which initially was just an altar built over a rock right at the shoreline, has since been developed into a proper temple. It enshrines what appears to be a giant footprint - the footprint of Sam Poh, the local name given to Cheng Ho.
In the hills above Batu Maung are war relics from the Second World War. These were built by the British who had expected the Japanese to invade from the sea, and had stationed the arms southwards. As it happened, the Japanese invaded from the north, ande the artileries were unused. Today the war relics are now part of the Penang War Museum.
The Malaysian Fisheries Research Institute occupies a piece of land in Batu Maung. This is where the Penang Aquarium is located. It showcases a small collection of marine life. Next door to it is the WorldFish Centre, a Unesco-funded research institute which operates in Batu Maung after moving from the Philippines in 2000.
A great part of Batu Maung consisted of mangrove swamp. In the recent decade, the mangrove had been cleared - to the chagrin of environmentalists, as it caused a loss of habitat for the wildlife such as the birds and monkeys. The land was reclaimed to form Phase 4 of the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone.
As Batu Maung is located at the southernmost end of the Bayan Lepas Expressway, it has become a choice site for property development. Several new housing estates have sprouted here. Development of Batu Maung is expected to further accelerate now that it has been identified as the end-point of the second bridge to link Penang island to Batu Kawan on the mainland.
Getting there
Rapid Penang Bus 302, 305 and 307 go to Batu Maung.
Amenities
Schools in Batu Maung include Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Wen Khai, Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Batu Maung and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Batu Maung. The nearest market is the Batu Maung Market next to Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Wen Khai. The nearest shopping mall is Queensbay Mall. At time of writing (Sept 2009), there isn't a petrol station in Batu Maung. The nearest petrol station is in Bayan Lepas and Bayan Baru. The nearest hospital is Hospital Pantai Mutiara in Bayan Baru.
Traffic
Traffic in Batu Maung is usually quite moderate. However, a factor to consider is that, despite the recent property development, Batu Maung is relatively remote, and going from there to anywhere at all in Penang will consume at least 20 minutes or more.
Stretching your budget in Penang
If you are a prudent traveller, you can spend less than $20 per day in Penang, including your accommodation! Here's some useful tips for budget travellers to Penang, to help you manage your budget and have a great time.
Penang Tour Guides
If you're on a shoestring budget, you can explore Penang using the travel articles in Penang Travel Tips. You may print them out for your own personal non-commercial use. However, nothing compares to having a professional tour guide to show you around. If you need a tour guide, contact me and I'll arrange one for you, according to your schedule and interest. If I happen to be free, I would gladly show you around too. Just write to me at:
Finding Budget Accommodation in Penang
If you're coming to Penang on a budget, you'd be pleased to know that there's quite a number of places in George Town as well as in Batu Ferringhi that offers good clean accommodation without costing you an arm and a let. If I am allowed to be biased, I would recommend Hotel Mingood, which happens to belong to a friend of mine. If it is occupied, there are plenty of other places that cost less than US$12.00 per night. Here are some suggestions:
Hutton Lodge, from US$8.25
Baba Guesthouse, from US$7.57
E.T. Budget Guesthouse, from US$6.05
YMCA Penang, from US$6.53
Ali's Ferringhi Guest House, from US$9.63
Despite the best intentions to provide you information that is as accurate as possible, do be aware that prices may have changed and exchange rates fluctuated since I wrote this. So please personally and carefully screen through the available accommodation before making your booking, to avoid any disappointments.
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