Georgetown

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We left Cameron Highlands yesterday, although I think we both wouldn't have minded spending a few more days there. We thought we better move on so that we can get the Thai visas sorted - Georgetown is a good place to do this.

We got up early so that we could get the Super VIP bus which left at 8am - it's well worth it as James has all the leg room in the world and I can also sit up straight ( I normally have to sit at an angle cos James is so broad shouldered!). It took around 5 hours or so to get to Georgetown on Penang Island - the island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. When we reached the bus station, we realised we were quite a way from Georgetown so had to get a local bus. First impressions were that this island was much more densely populated than we thought it would be. We finally got to the streets where a lot of the hostels were and checked into one called 75 Traveller's Lodge...needless to say we were both feeling tired, I now had James' cold...so we had a rest and then went to an Indian place for a meal, and then a pub as we noticed the repeat of the Spurs vs Watford game was on!

Today, first port of call was the mall! Mainly due to the fact that the Tourist Information Centre was there. We wanted to find out about visas - the hostels will do them for us but we wanted to check the prices....looks like we will be doing the visas through the hostels as it is the easiest way to go.

We then went to the Penang Museum, which detailed the history of all the types of people living in Malaysia, along with artefacts from their homes and clothing. I found this quite interesting as they had stories behind the people exhibited, makes it feel much more real. We then went on to Fort Cornwallis. Due to the spice trade, the British were keen to have a port of trade in Asia - a guy called Francis Light managed to persuade the Sultan of that time to "lease" the city for a certain amount each year. Aware that the British may come under attack from locals, Francis ordered a fort to be built - it was originally made of stockwood but was then rebuilt using bricks in around 1780. There was not much to see here, the place where they kept the gun powder, the cannon gun, the walls and a gallery setting out some history - a little disappointing considering this cost RM3 each whereas the museum entry fee was only RM1.

We came back to the hostel and was just about to start playing cards in the cafe/lounge area when we bumped into another guy we have seen on our travel - this guy is German and he stayed at the same place as us in Melaka and Cameron Highlands! I suppose, if people decided a certain route, then it is inevitable that you will recognise people.

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Photos

Sweet Kittys
..we saw near the fort...

Temple
near our hostel