Penang

Day 15-17, July 31-August 2, 2008 (No Malaria)

Hey Everybody,

I am just finishing off my stay here in Penang and on my way to Kuala Lumpur, the capitol of Malaysia, tomorrow.

Penang is a small island on the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia. Penang has a pretty rich history. In the 18th and 19th centuries it, along with Singapore and Malacca (I’ll be there in a few days), was one of the hubs of trade for the British Empire in this part of the world. It was actually owned by the British East India Company. Remember, this was time when the lines were blurred between corporations, private armies, and states (maybe they still are in a lot of places). So, under British rule, this island was basically a big corporate office used to make money for the shareholders.

The recent history of Penang, in my opinion, is not that rich. Today, it is really only a tourist destination. Compared to some of the other places that I’ve been, Penang doesn’t seem to have an identity other than tourism. It has been perfect for the relaxation that I was looking forward to after the craziness that was Borneo, which is why it is such a big draw, but I am ready to move on. If I wasn’t paying close attention, I would have thought I was in Disney World or Ft. Lauderdale.

I stayed in town called Batu Feringghi which is famous for its beaches. My hotel, the D’ Feringghi, was nice with a Bali theme. The area is actually quite interesting as it has a totally different character during the day and night. By day, it is a sleepy beach town. By night, it is a hopping night-life area with a night bazaar stretching the length of the beach.

By Day…


By Night…OK, I know it's hard to see but it's a lot busier...


Batu Feringghi is not the cleanest place I have ever been to. Below is picture of what I have affectionately dubbed the “poo-river” that runs directly into the ocean near my hotel. It smells as good as it looks. I have had to cross a bridge over this several times a day. I will not miss poo-river.

Despite sounding like it is a terrible place, I have really enjoyed myself. On the first day, I took a tip from a tourist and walked a few miles down the beach until I found a clean, private beach which was the perfect place to take a nap and read a book. I’ll include a picture.

On day 2, I hired a driver to take me around the island’s east side, the more populated side, and see some the tourist sights. The one that I enjoyed the most was the Snake Temple which has live pit-vipers that have taken residence in the temple. The Buddhists that run the temple believe them good luck and don’t remove them. Why would they, I guess? Now their temple, one of many, is one of the biggest draws on the island.

I also went to the Botanical Gardens where they have monkeys that run free. As we were on our way, I told the driver I was looking forward to seeing the monkeys because we don’t have any back home. She was floored, couldn’t imagine a place where monkeys don’t roam free, and I realized that monkeys here are like squirrels back home…they’re everywhere, sometimes nuisances, and while people will try not to hit them with the car, the guilt will quickly fade if they do. Of course, I got the “No Feed Monkey” speech from my driver and also from a park ranger immediately upon entering the Gardens. I must really look like someone who is hell-bent on feeding a monkey. I’ll include a picture of the “No Feed Monkey” sign and also some other park rules. If anyone has a clue what the rule is as depicted by the turtle, I’m open to guesses…please, I can’t figure it out…

I can't tell you how badly I wanted these three to cooperate and cover their ears, eyes and mouth in order. I almost got a "speak no evil"from the one on the right.

After I got back to my hotel, I went to the local beach and made some new friends. I sat near some girls from England and we ended up talking for a while and then went to dinner. They invited me to come to the “Full-Moon Party” in Thailand next month. I’ll be there so…so why the hell not? I think that it would be an injustice if I was half-way around the world, got invited to go to the biggest party in Thailand, and didn’t accept the invitation…right?

I have to say a little more about the beach. Apparently, Penang is a huge tourist destination for rich Saudis. All of the Saudi women wear burkas every moment they are outside. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a Saudi woman on the beach trying to swim in a burka. You really haven’t lived until you have seen the same woman hop on a jet-ski and drive away. I very much try to appreciate other cultures and not judge them by my standards. I try to see things from the perspective of others and realize that we all come from different ideals and backgrounds. However, I don’t think I’ll ever really understand this culture. Making a woman wear a multilayer thick black dress that covers her entire head on the beach when it is 100 degrees outside seems like torture to me. I’ll include a few pictures but I’ll apologize about the quality. I was trying to be discreet as to not offend any overzealous Saudi husbands.

Also, on the beach, they had a few parasailing services that were using the beach for takeoff and landings. I’ve seen parasailing many places and never seen the beach used for takeoffs and landings. Let’s just say that the Malays have not perfected the art of the beach landing. One woman ended up in a tree (and is lucky to be alive to be perfectly honest), a kid landed right on top of another kid almost killing the one on the ground and then a guy almost took out another whole group of people. I got a picture of this and have to say, it was hilarious. Picking a safe spot on the beach was like playing Russian Roulette. I even had to move at one point so I wasn’t used as a landing pad. My one regret is I didn’t get to see a flying burka.

Today, I rented a scooter to explore the less inhabited, west side, of the island. It was nice getting out and exploring and I only got lost a few times. I only drove on the wrong side of the road once. The west side of the island is mostly fruit plantations and mountains so it was quiet and relaxing. I found some pretty cool beaches and stumbled across some rowing races which were fun to watch, albeit at a distance. Only afterward did I learn that this is a famous and highly anticipated local event called the Dragon-Boat Races which are held annually.

Goodbye, Penang, I’ll probably never see you again…