Penang Malaysia

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So we've been in Malaysia about a week now, started off in George Town and have in the last couple of days moved over to Batu Farrenghi on the other side of the island.



George Town is like a city, we stayed in quite a nice hotel with a revolving restaurant at the top that provides quite a good view over everything. There is a tower here called the Kompta, we went up to the 60th floor there which provides even better views but its a building that seems to have had its day, very dated interior seemed to be in much need of repair. I felt most sorry for the lift attendant and old guy who's job it is to make the lift go up and down 60 floors all day long, it wouldn't be so bad if it was a glass elevator but its not, it hasn't even got a mirror its dark and gloomy with four slightly flaking blue walls, and no music.

We got a train up to the top of Penang Hill, we had done something very similar in Hong Kong, this was not quite as high but is much bigger at the top. It is constantly cooler up there and that is why the Brits who were over there back in the colonial days built houses and things up there because it is more bearable.

We went to a cafe for a drink when up there, we're sitting at a table on a kind of decked terrace with an ivory type plant overhead. I see a sign on the post behind James that says something along the lines of "Beware of the hanging snakes". The waiter see's me squinting against the sun trying to read this sign and nods his head directing me to look up, I do so to see a reasonable sized snake directly above our heads, he then proceeds to point out several more all around us. I asked if they were venomous he said yes but don't worry, they're very lazy they just sit there for weeks at a time but we put the signs up saying beware because occasionally they fall down.

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Photos

Penang Hill
At the top of Penang Hill looking down over George Town

Drinking Partner
This is the little fella that sat right above my head at the cafe.

Train
These are the slanted trains that take people up and down the steep hillside.

In Disguise
The hat is actually covering up the New Kids on the Block style haircut that I had just received from a local hairdresser.

George Town
The tower in the background is the Kompta

View From the Kompta
You can see our hotel there on the right hand side with the revolving restaurant at the top.

Hire Car
Not quite what we were after. We were hoping for something with air con really.

Batu Farrenghi
I took this on the same morning you guys had all that snow. Ben sent me a picture of the snow which I showed to the woman in the internet cafe, her response was "oh my goodness, everyone will die!" I said, not quite, a couple of people might not make it into work but I don't think there will be any fatalities.

View
This is from our appartment 14 floors up

James in pool
Just after I threw him off of the balcony, he lay face downlike that for a good five minutes before sinking.

If only I'd known!
So there's me stuck with a pocket full of live fish for the rest of the day.

And in the round window today...
We have Rob visiting some kind of temple.. I feel a bit ignorant when I write things like that maybe I should try harder to find out what these thing actually are.

Breaking the law!
I thought sod it and freed them anyway.

Big Pagoda
Much bigger than the one at Willen but not sure which one I like more