Batu Ferringhi lies at the heart of Penang's tourist belt. From the mid 70's to the early 90's, the Batu Ferringhi stretch saw massive construction as hotels line the shore one after another. In their wake are highrise condominiums offering splendid views of the sea overlooking the mainland. On a clear day, you can see Kedah Peak, also known as Gunung Jerai.
The beach at Batu Ferringhi.
I shot the above photograph for AsiaExplorers and Penang Travel Tips on a late morning in about February, which is a month that has good clear skies. The word Ferringhi, often variously spelled as Ferringhi and Ferringhi is said to originate as the Malay term for a person of Portuguese descent, but eventually come to embrace all foreigners, particularly Westerners. This word however, is not particular to the Malay language. There is a strong possibility that it is derived from Arabic, as the word feringgi is used as far afield as Ethiopia to mean a Western foreigner. The word further mutates to "farang", the Thai term for a Western foreigner. The name Batu Ferringhi would therefore mean the rocky promontory where the Western foreigner landed - a name that is uncannily appropriate to this day.
Like much of the northern coast of Penang, the shore has beautiful white sand littered with huge boulders. The sea water, however, is not clean enough for swimming, and is likely to be infested with jellyfish.
View of a quiet stretch of Batu Ferringhi.
The sea crashing onto land at Batu Ferringhi.
Batu Ferringhi sunset.
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About the Author: AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. We take reasonable care to check and verify the accuracy of the content. However, we disclaim any responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the advice provided directly or indirectly by AsiaExplorers and the comments on its pages. All the photographs in AsiaExplorers are available for publication. Please contact AsiaExplorers at the following email address for your enquiries:
