Not givin' a dang in Penang!

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I'm laying on the concrete at the bus station, watching the clouds roll over the hills. My Malaysian friend, Roy, is on his way to pick us up. It's warm but the breeze keeps the heat at bay. Back in the tropics, the trees look greener, the flowers more vibrant. I see a "Welcome to Penang" sign. Alright, now bring on the food!

I was told in Penang you must eat eat eat! So away I chomped! Indian, Chinese, and Malay cuisines all melt together on this island of fusion. The spice combinations will leave your taste buds bewildered and tantalized. If you're feeling adventurous go for the century-old eggs, and the baby octopi. Malay people are very proud of their eclectic food choices and rave about how no where in the world cooks like them. I think everyone likes to claim this, but in a way I understand the concept a little more here in Malaysia. My friend Roy is awesome. He's originally from Penang and took us all over the island to try his favorite eats. Penang food hasn't been my favorite style of food, but it certainly has been the most unique and has piqued my curiosity immensely.

Rant on Penang food (Roy, if you read this don't be angry)

It's bizarre. The flavors are all like recipes gone slightly astray... The spice combinations are a little jarring. The art of cooking and the balance of adding ingredients together to create new flavors can have three outcomes: 1. Fabulous 2. Horrible 3. Mediocre. Malay food (for me) is the latter. Each adventurous food I try here isn't terrible, but isn't exactly amazing either. Maybe it's an acquired taste? Maybe it's because I'm spoiled from just being in Europe? Maybe it's one of those things that locals just grow up loving because their palate has been conditioned to love it? That being said, in a way I'm kind of, well... loving it! Weird, right? I'm not so much loving it in the sense that it's scrum-diddly-umptious, but in the sense that it's just so foreign to my tongue. As true travelers I think we love being out of our elements and we find particular pleasure while indulging in things that we haven't before. Thanks for getting me out of my element, Roy! You are fantastic!

Night festivities

The "Library."

I think most people have played the game "Truth or Dare." Most of us in our youth and/or in college. The other night this game began quite the chain of events at this modest little bar on the island called The Library. I've played some R-rated versions of the game before, but we kept it pretty PG-13 this time. After having to do a "sexy" dance in the doorway for 20 seconds, I then dared Roy to sit in every empty chair in the bar. So he awkwardly went to each table and sat down with the different groups of people. Some were a little confused, others seemed to have an idea we were playing a game. Our other friend had to walk around the bar with an open umbrella, and another one had to pretend to meditate on the stage for a minute. Nearly everyone in the bar seemed to be onlooking at the dares we were partaking in and were even applauding after some of them. We even got strangers to join in on the game.

They were playing music in the bar, and we got them to turn it up and take requests, and then moved some tables aside and made our own little dance floor. We put on "Gamnam Style" and busted out the actual dance moves. Imagine me, my friends, and a couple random Malay guys doing this dance in this place. The staff at The Library said it was the most lively atmosphere they'd seen at the bar, ever.

Snooker

So I played snooker one night. What a fun word to say, snooker! Anyway, I'd never heard of it until coming to Malaysia. It's apparently more of a British game? It looks like a pool table but the table is larger and the balls, smaller. The rules were a bit different too. It was fun despite the fact that Roy annihilated me in the game. Beginner's luck didn't grace me with its presence this time around.

Temple Talk

"Buppharam Temple"

This small Buddhist temple in Penang is quaint and possesses a beauty and charm inside that the other more tourist-visited temples didn't have. There's a small bronze statue of Buddha that, by legend told, is suppose to tell your fortune. The rules are as follows:

1. Clear your mind.

2. Ask for your wish and try to lift the Buddha statue.

3. If you can't lift it your wish WON'T come true.

4. If you can lift it the first time and not a second time your wish WILL come true.

I took my try and surprisingly I was able to lift it after my two friends were unsuccessful. And then the second time I was unable to. So now my wish will apparently come true. I tend to try rationalizing experiences like these but I won't bother you with that because sometimes it's simply fun to play into the fantastical aspect of things such as this. Do I believe Buddha or the statue answered my question? No, I'm not of that faith. But I remain open-minded and enjoy learning of ways and customs of other religions. In a way it's like wishing on a shooting star or throwing pennies in a well. This for me was a spiritual and cultural version of that. Want to know what I wished for? As you should know, we can't reveal our wishes to others or else they undoubtedly won't come true now will they?

"Kek Lok Si"

A temple, pagoda, and a statue. It's a triple threat! This place sits on the hill with an uninterupted view of Georgetown and behind it a lush tropical backdrop. The colors were explosive: flowers, ribbons, tiles, statues, all gleaming and aesthetic. The grounds are truly worth a visit. I saw many temples in China and this place in Penang truly stood out. A special place. The views, greenery, and large-scale architecture send this spot to the top of my favorite temples list. There were various colored ribbons with different wishes on them inside the temple. Some said wealth, success, or health. The idea is to pick a ribbon, donate one Ringit, and place the ribbon on this "tree of wishes." The two I chose were, "safe travels," and "world peace." A little cliche I know, but I totally buy into that hippie crap and I don't give a dang!

Some jarring things I wasn't expecting

I've seen the packs of cigarettes in certain countries with the diseased organs and decaying teeth pictures on the box. However, Malaysia took it to a more extreme level. Two boxes I saw really bothered me:

1. "Cigarettes can cause miscarriages," along with a picture to go along with the statement. Horrifying.

2. "Cigarettes can cause premature births," also with a grim photo to accompany it.

Roy told me the photos were fake computer generated images, but in my opinion they were very convincing. I'm not going to post the pictures I took of the cigarette packs due to the graphic nature. If you're curious, Google it.

Most of the radio stations here play top 40 English music so it was nice to have an array of tunes to jam to. A chart-topper from a couple years ago, "Born this way," by Lady Gaga came on, and as we were listening to it I noticed they had edited out an entire verse. The missing lyric was, "No matter gay, straight or bi, or in a transgendered life, I'm on the right track baby I was born to survive." it's particularly ironic because the song is about expressing equality. So the fact that it was edited to segregate certain groups shows true bigotry at it's finest.

Next on the map

I'm currently on a bus to the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It's a fairly smooth ride. And it would almost be enjoyable if the person in front of me didn't have an uncontrollable flagelence. Or maybe he just doesn't give a dang either!

...until next time, kids!

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Photos

Kek Lok Sī
View from inside the temple facing the backdrop.

Mmmmmm... Food?
Century-old eggs, prawn cakes, pork roll, and baby octopus.

Wishing Statue
... Will it come true???

"Wishing Tree"
Me placing my "safe travels" and "world peace" ribbons up.

Key Lok Si
Entrance to pagoda

Key Lok Sī (view of city)
View of Georgetown

Chilling by the sea.
Having a tea and not givin' a dang by the sea.

Snooker
I was terrible!

Comments

[Alicia]

scrum-diddly-umptious? lol
Good blogging, friend!

[Journey of Echoes]

:-)
Thanks, pal. ;-)