As it was near the lunch time, we decided to go straight to the restaurant rather than our hotel room. We had our lunch at the Kapitan Restaurant for the 2nd time in this trip. We simply cannot forget and resist the deliciousness of its Chicken Biryani. We also had other foods from the restaurant's menu such as the Lamb Biryani, Cheese Naan and Tandoori Chicken. All these other foods were equally superb!
That day was Friday, so we had to prepare ourselves for the Friday Prayer that will be held later in the afternoon. We got back to our room, took a shower and changed our clothes. My mum didnt join the 3 of us as only Muslim men are obligated to attend the Friday Prayer.
Our hotel is located within a walking distance to not only 1, but 2 historical mosques. The first one is the Kapitan Keling Mosque that we visited earlier in the morning.
And the second one is this Acheen Street Malay Mosque where we chose to perform our Friday Prayer.
Also known as "Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh", this mosque was founded in 1808 by a wealthy Achehnese spice trader, Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid who was also a member of Acheh royal family of Arab descent. Just like the Kapitan Keling Mosque, tourists of different faiths are welcome to visit this mosque everyday at selected times. Both mosques will be closed for non-Muslim visitors during the Friday Prayer though.
The mosque as seen from the other side of entrance. Its design is inspired from Moorish and Chinese-style of architecture.
The mosque's minaret.
Entering the main prayer hall of the mosque. It is very small compared to many other modern-day mosques.
Inside the Acheen Street Mosque. Unlike church, a mosque is not equipped with chairs and all worshipers have to seat on the floor. Chairs will only be provided to those who are unfit to seat on the floor such as the disabled, sick and elderly people.
Some worshipers performing the optional Sunnah Prayer while waiting for the summon to start. The Friday Prayer took place after the religious summon ended where I had to put my phone into the silent mode and joined the rest of the worshipers to pray.
After the Friday prayer was over, many worshipers started to leave the mosque and it quickly filled by a group of non-Muslim tourists who had patiently waiting outside for the whole time we were praying. Before we left the mosque, I made a quick visit alone to an ancient tomb in the small cemetery located within the mosque's compound.
It is the tomb of Tengku Syed Hussain Al-Aidid, the founder of this Acheen Street Malay Mosque. The ancient tomb is surrounded by a wooden enclosure which has some Arabic calligraphy on it.
Visitors can get a better view of the tomb through an open window in 1 side of the wooden enclosure.
The cemetery is also served as the burial ground for some of Tengku Syed Hussain's family members.
I met with my father and nephew at the main entrance of the mosque and we walked back to our hotel. An hour later, we were already in the hotel's lobby waiting for Mr. Ali to arrive. We booked him for the whole evening on that day. As requested, he drove us to the "Counter Hall Road" now known as "Jalan P. Ramlee" or P. Ramlee Street where this attraction is located:
The P. Ramlee's Birth House.
Born as Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh, P. Ramlee was a legendary Malaysian artist who started his acting career in 1948 and rose to fame in the 1950s. According to the National Archives of Malaysia, the late P. Ramlee was born in this traditional Malay house which was built in 1926 by his father and uncle. Many years after his death, the house was converted into a museum gallery. The P. Ramlee's Birth House is 1 of 2 memorials dedicated for him in Malaysia (with the other 1 is the P. Ramlee Memorial Library in KL) and it is 1 of the few attractions in Penang with a free admission. Despite underwent some renovation, the house still preserved most of its original forms and elements including the interiors.
Visitors are required to take-off their shoes before entering this classic house which 100% made up of wood.
A very humble living room.
Almost every corner of this house is filled with P Ramlee's and his family's personal items.
Into his bedroom.
His bed.
A portrait of young P. Ramlee
The kitchen area with full of traditional cooking utensils.
P. Ramlee's vintage bicycle.
Located next to the traditional house is this more modern-looking building belongs to the Penang's Ministry of Tourism & Culture.
And there is also a gallery dedicated for the late P. Ramlee inside this building where more of his personal items and history information are displayed.
During his lifetime, P. Ramlee was married for 3 times. His last marriage was to a sensational singer, actress and fashion icon, Saloma.
Some film posters of movies that he starred.
His Violin. As an artist, P. Ramlee was not only talented in singing and acting, but he was also a great composer, script-writer, film maker and director too.
After a visit to P. Ramlee's Birth House, we got back into taxi and asked Mr Ali to drive us to Balik Pulau, an agriculture town located in the Southwest of the island. Our mission was to find some Durians there as Balik Pulau has a wide reputation in producing good quality Durians. But after circling the Balik Pulau town for quite some time, we couldnt see any stalls that sell the King of Fruits. Perhaps, we came at the wrong time and season. We finally gave up and requested for Mr Ali to bring us straight to the restaurant for our dinner.
We chose to dine in Pen Mutiara Restaurant as recommended by 1 of our family members. Located in Batu Maung area and not far from the airport, this restaurant serves a wide array of local Malaysian, Thai and Chinese cuisines with the Penang Fish Head Curry as its main specialty. The restaurant is attached to a hotel which is owned and managed by the same group of company.
The restaurant's dining area is so spacious and fully air-conditioned.
We had some seafoods such as this deep-fried flour-coated Squids.
And the real highlight, Penang Fish Head Curry.
Close-up look to the Penang Fish Head Curry.
That evening, we experienced a heavy traffic during our return ride which caused us more than an hour to arrive in our hotel. We spent the rest of the evening by watching TV and relaxing in our room.