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Published: August 15th 2011
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Batu Feringghi is a popular summer vacation destination for Australians, Chinese and Malaysians. The locals live just behind the line of hotels lining the beach at the base of a jungle. I stayed at Annie’s Homestay in the neighborhood of locals just a short walk past a public park, which was filled with the same soccer players every evening at dusk. Annie and her family are the kind of people who always remember everyone’s name and will invite you to have drinks with them or go on a trek to the beach as if you’ve been friends for years. Annie mapped out an itinerary for me complete with bus stops and suggested stop overs. When I wanted to stay in to read my book she encouraged me to go out, like a Spanish mom. Before I had a chance to experience the public transportation I met a photographer and his wife/assistant at Annie’s to discuss ideas for a photo shoot. This couple was so amazed by my travels around the world that they decided to adopt me as well. They took me on a tour of Georgetown and shared their knowledge of Penang history. Georgetown is not what I expected
to see in Asia. Through the window of the back seat I could see old British mansions and buildings in very close proximity to brand new apartment buildings and skyscrapers. It reminded me of the way Californians buy an old house on a lot and build their dream house in the yard. The amount of gentrification that is going on in Georgetown, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is extreme. If I come back in the near future I’m pretty sure it will look completely different. After a city tour I got dropped off by my photographer and his wife at the Penang Hill funicular Bukit Bendera. The ride was quite long even though the train was moving super fast. I had to equalize my ears like a was diving on the way up. From the coast of Penang you can easily see the mainland and from the top of Penang Hill you can easily see the landscape of the mainland. The day I was up there another tropical storm was passing through so half of the sky was sunny and clear and the other half dark with occasional lightning. A line of photographers sat waiting for a lightning
bolt to get a shot of the landscape. Near the Penang Hill is the Kek Lok Si Temple (take bus 204). I conveniently met a Singaporean Indian on the bus who happened to be Hindu. We walked through the massive city of colorful Chinese arches, statues and rooftops while he explained to me what I was looking at, what beliefs were behind what I was looking at and how these beliefs differed between different groups of Hindus. The temple was so beautiful I hardly spoke except to ask occasional questions. Most of the time I didn’t even have to ask my question aloud because it was written all over my face. On the way back to the bus stop we stopped at one of the many food vendors so I could take pictures of the interesting treats being sold. My new friend told me the names of each item and what was inside. Unfortunately I don’t remember a single one. None of them sounded inciting, more of a savory style than sweet, he explained. LIke minced onions inside a pastry or mashed coconut inside a green gelatinous rice pouch. I tried them anyway. No comment.
Around 6pm on the
quiet road side of Batu Feringghi the inconspicuous cement sidewalk experiences a mass immigration of metal display cases and tarps, pushed by Indians and Chinese from every direction. As the vendors pull their merchandise out of large thick plastic bags that they will again re-pack and the end of every night market indefinitely, the street grows a narrow tunnel along the left side. The tunnel opens into the Long Beach food court, covered by a more permanent tarp with televisions playing soccer games from around the world. The transformation takes all of 15 minutes. All food and drink cravings can be met here at a great price, accept maybe Mexican food. I ate the most delicious Indian food that I will surely dream about. Over three nights I conquered as many items on the vegetarian menu as I possibly could. The scene is mostly tourists flowing in from the neighboring hotels now hidden by the night market tunnel.
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