Advertisement
Published: January 26th 2014
Our trip through Malaysia continues. We had another 4 hour bus ride to the island of Penang. Much of the landscape along the way was mountainous with lots of palm trees and limestone. We rode over a 3 or 4 km bridge connecting Penang to the mainland.
While in Penang we stayed in the district of Georgetown which is an older area with lots of history and character. Narrow streets, flee markets, cafes, hotels, hostels, travel agencies and food carts. Just what we enjoy! The island was first inhabited in the early 1800's and the original fort still stands. Many of the buildings retain the architecture of the time as yo will see in some of the photos. Today the population is 1.3 million and is inhabited by Chinese, Indians and Malays.
We hit the jackpot with our hotel in Georgetown. "The Chelia Heritage Hotel" It was absolutely beautiful. All done in white and almost like a castle with high ceilings, spacious rooms and fancy carvings. And all for $39 a night. I guess it pays to book ahead as the going rate was much higher. The currency in Malaysia is the ringgit which equalls 3 US dollars.
The great things about Gerogetown is that all the sites are within walking distance. We enjoyed strolling around and seeing old buildings, monuments, mansions, promenades, temples and mosques. We found a great restaurant where we sat along the street and enjoyed traditional Malaysian Curry Chicken, while people watching! There are lots of backpackers here from all countries and it's interesting watching them go by as well as the local people going about their business.
The next morning we were up early and went up a tram 720 m to the top of Penang Hill where we had a view of the island. It was quite the inclined ride up! It was very tropical at the top reminding me of a rain forest. Next we headed to a popular beach on the other side of the island. It was quite nice but murky compared to the Caribbean. We did have a lovely lunch on the beach and headed back. Later in the day we enjoyed walking around the streets where there was always something going on. Warren even found a pair of sandals for $5. We wandered through "Little India" with lots of Indian attire shops, Indian music and tasty
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Doesn't look that appetizing but is it sure good!! Warren had it two days in a row.foods. We sampled samosas, spring rolls and sweet potato balls along the way.
As mentioned before there is an obvious Muslim influence in Malaysia. On Friday there was Muslim chanting all over the city over loud speakers blaring from the mosques. Friday is the day that the men pray. Also, we couldn't believe the ladies in full black burkas on the beach. Some even went in the water covered from head to toe. Boy they sure are faithful to their religion. Just doesn't seem fair to the women!
Next stop, the island of Langkowi. Thanks for reading.
Mallory and Warren
Advertisement
Tot: 0.127s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 56; dbt: 0.0723s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Pat Atkinson
non-member comment
Wonderful Blog!
Hope you and Warren are having a fabulous time. Keep the commentary and pictures coming so we can feel like we're part of your adventure.