Penang - Buildings Definately Are Taller Than Coconut Trees!!

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From Langkawi we headed south to the next main island of Penang. We'd had a brilliant time on the beach at Langkawi so we planned to spend a couple of days having a look around Georgetown, the capital of the island.

Langkawi has a rule that no buildings are allowed to be built higher than a coconut tree which means that there isn't anything higher than a two storey building - Penang on the other hand is completely different. As we approched the shore on the ferry we were amazed to see dozens of skyscrapers pertruding from the ground which was really strange to see. The two islands are roughly the same size but the difference between them is that Penang was inhabited first and was a major port for European traders back in the days of exploring the world in boats for the first time.

The accommodation that we found ourselves this time was a tiny little guesthouse above a bakery! The room was tiny and the bed was one of the most uncomfortable beds we've slept on so far but the fact that the room was 3 pounds and we were woken up by the smell of baking bread every morning it was more than acceptable!

It was good to get out of the sun for a few days so we took the opportunity to have a look around the large shopping mall in the town as well as exploring Chinatown and Little India (which actually wasn't that little!). We also visited Fort Cornwallis which established by a man whose son later went on to found Adelaide in Australia. This was a good site where they detailed a lot about the comings and goings of the Europeans to and from India and China back in the 1700's.

That was all that we magaed to fit in while we were in Penang. A quick stop before we head down to Kuala Lumpur and give our credit cards a bashing!

Craig & Nik x

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