Penang is described as the 'Pearl of the Orient'. Like Melaka it's also a UNESCO World Heritage site so lots to do. I didn't arrive into Georgetown until the evening having spent the whole day travelling to get there. And with only 2 night's stay & an early morning departure, my time was limited. I went for a wander with Julia (German girl from the Cameron Highlands) and Peter, enjoying samosas & bhajis from the Indian market. 20p each and delicious! Of course I went back for another samosa! We walked around the streets, looking at the buildings & street art. Later we met Sabrina & Daniella for a drink in a cheap bar local bar with no tourists (discovered after Julia met a German guy who was working in Georgetown). A friendly camp Malaysian guy started randomly chatting to me, explaining he lives with a film director from LA & was going to Italy on holiday in a few weeks. He just wanted to chat! I managed to tear myself away & me & Sabrina went for some food. We sat with some locals at a street food van & I tried Nasi Lemak. Fish with coconut rice in a spicy sauce. I ate it but wasn't quite sure about it.... couldn't taste any coconut! That, a bottle of water & a samosa .... 65p! Seriously! Germany were playing in the World Cup that night at midnight but I went to bed whilst my German friend's headed to the pub.
Next day myself & Peter visited the Pinaon Time Tunnel learning about the history of Penang. Really interesting museum. At the end there were 3d paintings you could take your photo in. Quite amusing! The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets enjoying the street art & eating local food at any opportunity. Beef Rendang, Laksa, an ice ball! (see photo) and an Indian platter. Yummy! Pretty chilled out day which was good after travelling all day yesterday.
The following morning we were off to Langkawi on the ferry, which takes about 3 hours. Daniella had warned us that half of their boat had been sick so I didn't eat any breakfast & had a motion sickness tablet which I'd bought the previous day. Once on the boat, I fell asleep and slept most of the journey. Yes the tablets make you drowsy too! Result! Apparently a young girl was sick all over the floor but I missed it... thankfully! Got a taxi to Pantai Cenang & checked into my hostel. Had a wander around. Very touristy here, reminded me of a Spanish resort & the first place I've noticed lots of home comforts; a tea shop selling English breakfasts! Yes call me a snob but give me local food when I'm on holiday! Had a look in the duty free shops. I didn't realise that the island is duty free.... yes, cheap booze! I could now afford wine on my travelling budget! This was good and bad. I've hardly been drunk since I left home. Yes I know, hard to believe! So that night I met all the guys along with Talia (Canadian girl from my hostel), and 2 other guys from Daniella & Sabrina's hostel. I had a few glasses of red wine! We had dinner at a curry house & had drinks in a beach bar. The wind started blowing a gale & we knew the rain was on its way. Yes it's monsoon season. We managed to leave the bar at the right time but had to run for shelter in a restaurant. It was after midnight at this point. We had some funny chats & finally the rain stopped so we could walk back, avoiding the massive puddles on the street.
A lazy day followed. Spent time on the beach with the girls & caught up on washing, planning, emails etc. Then that night it was my last night with the guys I'd been with on and off the last couple of week's. We went for a cheap Indian, my last tandoori platter in Malaysia. Sad times. We then went for drinks, first at a bar outside a lovely jewellery shop, then later to a makeshift bar outside a convenience store. It was very random but the music was good and the cocktails were cheap... £1.80! And they were strong. I was really enjoying the night but I knew I had a long day travelling the next day so left around midnight. I later found out they'd all gone to another bar somewhere & didn't get to bed 'till 4/5am. So glad I left when I did!
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in Malaysia. It has so much to offer, the people are friendly & helpful, the food is delicious & varied, the weather was great. And they all speak really good English. Go if you get the chance! Oh and of course, I met some really lovely people here. Back on my own again boo hoo. But loads more to come. Next stop, Thailand!
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