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Published: July 21st 2011
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The bus journey had felt reasonable quick but by the time we got to Georgetown it was 8pm. Before settling on Crystal Guesthouse we looked around some really grotty and overprices hotels, accommodation here seems to be very different to Thailand – half the standard for double the price!
We nipped out for some takeaway food and came across the ‘old Trafford burger’ stand and of course had to get one as it was just so random. It was pretty tasty too!
As usual when we arrive somewhere at night without a reservation we immediately decide we hate it! Five steps feel like 25 when you’re lugging a heavy backpack around dingy, prostitute filled streets looking for a place to stay that won’t give you a disease.
But of course everything looks different in the morning and as we walked down the street into ‘little India’ we were reminded of the sights and smells we left behind 10 weeks ago. And the food here is amazing.
After our little India experience we caught the free shuttle bus to KOMTAR and took a look around all the modern shops, treating ourselves to a Starbucks. In the evening we
went to the cinema to see the new Harry Potter – premium seats just £2.90 per person!
On Sunday we decided to stop being lazy and actually see some sights. First a temple, then Penang State Museum. We stopped to look at St Georges Church and the Cathedral of the Assumption but weren’t able to go in either. After another Little India lunch we took a cyclo to Fort Cornwallis and the Queen Victoria clock tower. That evening we ate at the street stalls opposite our Chinatown guesthouse – the noodles were fantastic! Penang has some of the best food we’ve tasted in the last 4 months, deep fried sausage, crispy pork wontons and spring rolls.
On Monday morning we had a lie inn again and went to the Hindu temple in little India where Angelo started talked to the Tamil holy man who then decided he should pray for Debbie. After some brunch we paid a quick visit to the Kapitan Keling Mosque then hopped on a bus to seethe botanical gardens which we weren’t overly impressed with, but we did see a few monkeys!
Next stop was Kek Lok Si, a massive Buddhist temple which
was interesting, then on to Penang Hill. A short bus ride took us to the bottom where we boarded a train-like thing up to the top. The view from here is pretty spectacular and looks over the whole of Georgetown. We sat in a (rather pricey) restaurant garden and waited until the sun came down and the city’s lights came on. It was worth the wait. We made sure we got the front window seats for the train ride back down the hill which was rather fun, a bit like a rollercoaster.
We made a final visit to Little India on Tuesday (our favourite part of Georgetown) for an Indian brunch before our minivan came to pick us up at 11.30am to drive us up to the Cameron Highlands.
Deb & Ang
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