Hey folks,
Not too long since my last post but Penang has been so interesting and full of experiences that I had to log some of it now while it is still fresh in my mind. Tonight is my third night here, and I am taking it easy and doing some reading, something I'm latching onto again now that I'm on my own. But my first night in the city was quite interesting and crazier than expected.
It started out with a great meal of fried rice and fried frogs at the local food mall. I spent fifteen minutes trying to decide what to eat because there were about twenty places to choose from, all affordable and seemingly pretty tasty. Eventually, curiosity for something abnormal and new won out and I tried some frog. It really didn't taste too different from fried chicken, except the texture of the meat was more similar to fish as it came off in flakes. Still worth the experience! After stuffing my face, I headed to the area where the bars were concentrated, all offering happy hour specials which were decently affordable considering the taxes Malaysia imposes due to their disapproval of alcohol. While I was enjoying a margarita, a group of about thirty Aussies shouted for me to come join them and feeling a little bit lonely, I took their offer and went and sat down with the rowdy bunch. It turned out they are all in the army and are doing some of their jungle training in Butterworth, a nearby city with an air force base. Several of them were completely nuts but they were quite fun to hang out with and they were buying me drinks and food so I stuck around and went to a few bars with them. After a few hours, I snuck away when they became a little too belligerent and headed back to my hostel.
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| Khoo Kongsi clanhouse, the grandest in all of Malaysia |
On Wednesday, I started my day early and had a full day of walking around Georgetown set as my task at hand. I started things off with a visit to the nearby pier, where I found it a bit of a strange sight to see the crystal clear blue waters considering how much of a mainland city Georgetown seems to be. In only twelve hours, I had almost forgotten I was actually on an island! Next, I headed over to Fort Cornwallis, the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort was intended as a defense against the pirates, Kedah, and the French because of the Napoleonic Wars, however, it has never actually been engaged in any battles. It is also home to a large cannon called the Sri Rambei Cannon which traded hands between the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Portugal before the British finally placed it in Penang where it currently resides. My next stop was the famous clanhouse, Khoo Kongsi, the grandest in all of Malaysia. In 1894, the clanhouse burned down, allegedly struck by lightning, however, the Chinese believed that it was due to its resemblance to the Emperor's palace, which provoked the gods. It was rebuilt ten years later and still seems pretty magnificent to me in its present form, the architecture fairly intricate and heavily ornamented. After a brief nap at my hostel, I headed back out for a late-afternoon meal in the area of Little India, a several-block region in the heart of Georgetown where you can hear Indian music blaring from the video stores and you can waft scented candles and the frying of samosas. I found an amazing restaurant where I chowed down on butter chicken, garlic naan, samosas, pakora, and about five different dips with a rich variety of spices, all for under five dollars of course. After walking around for an hour or so, I retired for the evening, exhausted from the heat and activity of the day.
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| Kuan Yin bronze statue at Kek Lok Si Temple |
Today, I left Georgetown to explore another area of Penang, Air Itam. On the way, I got off the bus near the local stadium and found a hidden flea market my hostel had warned me about where I picked up some electronic accessories I was in need of. The flea market was really like any other, although at this one there were plenty of vendors selling a strange assortment of iced tea drinks. After the market, I headed for my actual destination, the awe-inspiring Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest temple in Malaysia. Penang seems to be all about having the biggest and best when it comes to historical sites! But this temple surely couldn't have been surpassed, as I could see it as soon as I got off the bus before I climbed the hill for twenty-five minutes to reach it. The sheer amount of time and effort that must have gone into constructing such a massive temple is hard to imagine and they still add on additional buildings to this day with the limited funds they receive from people buying souvenirs and using the cable car to reach the highest point. At the highest point is one of the biggest statues I have ever seen, named Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The statue stands 30 metres high and is made of solid bronze. After wandering around the temple for an hour or so, completely famished from the steep hills and blistering heat, I returned to the lower part of Air Itam and had a bowl of fish head soup, an interesting lunch to say the least. The plan for the afternoon was to visit a place called Penang Hill, known for its cooler temperatures and its botanical garden, but unfortunately the bus that is supposed to go there wasn't running and so I had a relaxing afternoon instead. For dinner, I continued my experimentation with new foods and went to an Indian soup stall where I ordered beef tongue and stomach soup, which was absolutely delicious! I will continue to keep trying weird foods every chance I get!
Next stop is the Cameron Highlands tomorrow, where I will be staying in a quiet little inn known for their strawberry tea and scones. The area is supposed to be reminiscient of the rolling hills of Ireland and I'm looking forward to some hiking in the hills and the cooler weather (it's a full 10 degrees colder!).
Ciao for now,
Max
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