Day 158 – Penang, Malaysia

July 14th, 2019

Today we took the ferry from Langkawi south to the island state of Penang.  We stayed in the capital city of George Town which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical significance.  George Town was the first British Settlement in SE Asia.  Nowadays it is known for its food, colonial architecture and street art.  It has been recognized as a top culinary destination by CNN, Lonely Planet, and Time magazine.  In 2012 as part of a local festival, artist Ernest Zacharevic did a series of wall murals and since then the street art scene has flourished.  This has increased tourism greatly and his famous Children on a Bicycle is one of the most photographed spots in the city.

I have been loving our beach life on the islands and wasn’t super excited to be back in a big city.  However, I had read over and over, and heard from other travelers and locals that we must stop in Penang.  It was in-route to our final destination in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), so I booked a couple nights here and I am glad I did!  After checking into our hotel, we set out to explore the streets of downtown.  It was so fun roaming around, trying different food and stumbling on all the remarkable street art.  I really loved it and think it might have been one of the most fun city activities I have done. There are also many temples, mosques and six different jetties that are Chinese settlements separated by families or clans.  Historically, these were nothing more than a wood yard made up of planks and firewood.  As the waterfront was developed, settlements grew that were named and dominated by certain clans.  These clans often had bitter fights and disputes over work on the docks.  Six different clans still remain and have residents that live in houses on stilts above the water at these jetties. They have become popular tourist stops and are now filled with gift shops, ice cream stands etc.  Some are more touristy than others, but it is very interesting to me that people still reside here.  I read that to this day these residents do not have to pay taxes because they are technically living over the water and not on land.  I am sure the people who live there have very interesting stories in their family history. 

George Town would have been a great place to take a walking tour as it has so much history.  Unfortunately, walking tours were not available the days we were there, so I did my best to be our own guide looking up and reading things. I took about a billion pictures and won’t bore you with ALL of them, but I was extremely fascinated by the art.  In one eye this city is old and incredibly run down.  In another eye people have made it interesting and beautiful by taking the rough edges and shining new light on them. 

We seem to be lucky and be in cities for random light festivals.

This display on the George Town Esplanade had the slogan ‘a festival for everyone’ which I thought was great.  They had multiple sections with different displays and performances including fire dancers, ballet, music, light shows, and of course food. 

Starbucks had a beverage food truck there which was the first I had seen.  I was disappointed with Starbucks because so far they are the only chain where their prices are not proportional to the location.  They were in Argentina and I remember being so excited when I could get a drink for around $2. Everywhere else I have seen their drinks are still around $5 which is what they are at home.  I think it is ridiculous. The other American chains we have seen in the bigger cities have prices that are much lower compared to what they would normally be at home in US dollars. 

Anyway, it was cool walking around the festival and afterwards we made our way to the Red Garden Food Paradise which is filled with hawker stalls (basically a big food court).  This place was put on the map by a visit from Anthony Bourdain where he had an oyster pancake. 

There was a stage with live music.  A guy was playing some old jazz standards with a Pacific Islander twist which I thought was really cool.  An elderly Asian woman wearing flip flops with socks came and stood right in front of our table and danced to Love Potion #9.  She continued to dance to every other song, it was awesome.

We continued to roam and found lots of streets filled with people at cute little bars and cafes.  This town really has a ton of culture and great atmosphere. 

I’m usually not too big on sweets and would normally go for another gyoza or french-fry before dessert but there are many bakeries that fill the air with sweet, smelling cakes and treats.  I decided we should stop at the China House which is known for its huge assortment of homemade cakes, tasty cocktails, and nice ambience. 

Brendan said he didn’t want anything, and left me to decide on a treat, and I chose salted caramel cheesecake.   It was totally delicious, and he ended up having some bites after all.  He also must have been inspired by all the city’s artwork as he got in-touch with his own inner artist, and took advantage of the coloring crayons and drawing paper table cloth.  He said he only knew how to draw one thing and went to work on creating quite the piece – any guesses what it might have been?

When I couldn’t walk in flip flops anymore we went back to our hotel in the ‘Little India’ neighborhood which is actually very central to everything.  If we ever go to India we should feel right at home after all the ‘Little India’s’ we have stayed in.