Roadtrip Day 2 │ Raia Hotel • Sri Pumpong • Padang Besar

Today We Continued Our Road Trip!

We woke up at 8:30am and went down to the hotel’s coffee house half an hour later. As hotel buffets go, breakfast was okay — nothing fancy, but it filled us up.

After eating, we returned to the room to pack and even squeezed in a short nap. We checked out at 11:15am and began our drive to Alor Setar. The journey took about three hours, including a one hour delay due to a fatal accident near Sungai Petani. (You can watch the hyperlapse in our previous video.)

Checking In at Raia Hotel

We reached Raia Hotel & Convention Centre at 2:40pm and checked in right away. We booked a twin room for RM230.00 (≈ USD51/EUR48), fully claimable from my employer.

We dropped our bags in the room and headed out again to look for lunch.

Lunch at Restoran Sri Pumpong

A friend recommended Restoran Sri Pumpong, known as one of the best “mixed rice” spots in Alor Setar. It was only ten minutes away.

We arrived after the lunch rush, so the choices were limited, but we made do:

• I had fresh and dried squid in sambal
• Cat had fish curry
• Plus drinks

Total: RM21.00 (≈ USD5/EUR4).

Simple, tasty, and affordable — a good first meal in Alor Setar.

A Shopping Detour to Padang Besar

Feeling adventurous, we decided to drive one hour north to Padang Besar. We wandered through the arcades and bazaars inside Aarked Niaga Padang Besar and ended up with bags full of Siamese goodies:

• A dozen bar soaps
• A compact powder
• Siamese instant noodles
• Tom Yum paste
• A Nirvana T shirt for Brendan
• Various snacks and treats

After shopping, we stopped at Restoran Nurhasiah for drinks and decided to pack dinner from there as well.

Back to Alor Setar

We drove back to the hotel, making a quick detour to check the venue for my lecture tomorrow. Once we returned to the room, we spent the rest of the evening reorganising our luggage to fit all the Padang Besar goodies.

That wrapped up our day. Good night!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Flemington Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/ysGHwgfa7nsyZ1876
Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Alor Setar

- https://goo.gl/maps/BprWTkqAq7yXwG5b8
Restoran Sri Pumpong - https://goo.gl/maps/7NCMpWS6TNP59ipQ8
Arked Niaga Padang Besar - https://goo.gl/maps/zAPKvkHGBZcDLcrn8
Restoran Nurhasiah - https://goo.gl/maps/HwSf7XvYRetjbzBe8