Wats and Whatnots

Dear Marmite

I am in Penang so I am away from mainland Malaysia - just. I arrived very, very early on a very efficient overnight bus to Butterworth and then caught the ferry over. I say efficient as I must have have been fast asleep when the driver said Butterworth - I really didn't expect to sleep so well, if at all.

There was a gap of time between arriving and the first ferry and no seats in the bus station - really - there were no seats at all. I sat in the cafe pondering all the things I daren't have - chrysanthemum tea, Kopi, bandung - all of them come laced with preseratives. A local couple who had just arrived from Klang came and struck up a conversation and they turned out to be my guiding angels. Not only did they treat me to a 100+, they put me on the ferry and sorted out a taxi at the other end.

The first taxi driver had no idea where Gurney Drive was, he dithered and blustered to boot. In my mind this is not a trait that will lead to fortune but then he was nearing 90. While he was still huffing and puffing my guiding angels found a grab and came along for the ride before going to their hotel. The driver was so nice as well... Would I have come across such lovely people if Ihad not been travelling alone? Food for thought.

So having dumped everything in my hotel which incidentally is on a main thoroughfare - I made for the central area which was still asleep. Over 20,000 steps later - you wouldn't have liked that bit, Marms - I got back to my hotel to clean up, sort myself out and rest.. Penang seems particularly hot - even by Singapore standards.

Since my last visit, which was yonks ago, Penang has changed so much. While it is incredibly pretty in the central area with trees, well-painted shop houses and colonial office buildings, just a street or two away, it is pretty run down. Like Singapore, there is construction of highrise and land reclaimation everywhere you look- at least it is more pleasing to the eye than the stuff being built in other parts of Malaysia which is a big plus.

Penang and Singapore share a very similar colonial past, the British, assimilated immigration areas and its Malay history but they are different in so far as Penang looks in many parts like a curly old sandwich - once loved - but now no one wants to have it anything to do with it.

Today is another day so it is the hop-on-hop-off for me.. for starters.. BTW I take loads of pictures with my trusty old D90 so these will be uploaded much later.. I am an old fashioned photographer.

More later.. love you..