Georgetown and around Penang - Thaipusam festival!

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1/2-15: Got up early and took the ferry to Penang, 3 hours very bumpy ride but it was over fast.
We arrived and walked to our guesthouse Cintra Siam which is in a very old colonial building that looks really cool inside and filled with old antique furniture. 60 RM per night (shared bathroom)
Went out for lunch, ended up at subway - we will make up for it at dinner. Then we went for a walk around the city, loads of cool houses and areas! Found a guesthouse where we could get rooms for 35 RM because it wasn't completely ready for customers yet - moving tomorrow!
After that we went to a cat cafe but it wasn't that good, almost ended paying twice because the cashier was confused and the cats didn't have enough room (or peace) to roam around.
Went for an evening walk, found some nice Indian food. Also found the nightlife area and bar called Slippery Señoritas, such a let down - found out it was only tapas and salsa dancing.

2/2-15: Got up and changed Guest House, then some nice bagels for breakfast.
After that we walked around town trying to find the Indian Festival, instead we found lots of graffiti and an old Chinese part of the city standing on pillars in the harbour.
Later we found out the festival had moved further north so we took a bus there and found it. Felt a bit underdressed, everyone was wearing super colourful clothes. Found a guy dancing with some weird long xmas looking hat on and people were throwing flowers and money on him.
Then some girls danced around with sticks dressed in pink and purple dresses. Later they started smashing coconuts on the streets before a parade came through with a big ox wagon were people gave offerings for the gods.
Through the whole thing we had a crazy young Malay boy from a village talking to us, we think he had ADHD but at least he could tell us some of the background of the festival although were not sure how much was true.
Went back and showered, before having nice Indian food for dinner and then walking around a bit. Tomorrow the festival is moving on to the waterfall temple in the mountain so we have to get early up to see it.

3/2-15: Got up at 4:30 to get to the Thaipusam festival early. Went to the temple where we were supposed to meet up with an Indian dude but the temple was closed and we found out nothing would happen there so we got a cab and went to the Waterfall Temple.
Here the fun started. So many people everywhere, most of them carrying silver pots with milk all the way up to the temple. We started seeing a few with some small spears in their mouths but not a lot. Everyone wearing so many colors and the music playing everywhere. When we got to the temple at the top of all the stairs everything was very well organized.
They had lines you had to wait in according to what you were sacrificing. Most of them had milked that was poored into big jugs and then pumped up to the god statuette in the middle where monks poored it over. Everyone was chanting and praying inside the temple. Now we saw more and more people with spears in their mouths and bigger ones.
Outside we met a woman and she told us we could see the people getting pierced further down the street.
Then we took a break at the bottom at the smaller temple and now we started seeing young men with pierced backs that had ropes tied to the piercings and someone was walking behind pulling the ropes with all their weight. Some also had bells attached on their entire front and then they stopped in front of the temple to dance, chant and pray meanwhile someone was "hanging" in their back piercings.
We saw more and more people with spears as we started walking down but couldn't find the place where they were done. Luckily we met the same woman again and she showed us, we wouldn't have looked their ourselves, it was behind some of the stands with free food, it was a dump where they prepared everything and left the milk cartons and other garbage behind.
Here we all of the sudden saw a man getting pierced through the mouth, they just did it themselves in the middle of the garbage. No blood but he did look like he was about to cry so when they say it is not painfull I think they are lying, his eyes were all red and his two kids were watching with big eyes super intreagued.
We had also seen two younger boys 14-16 years old with spears and a hughe stand with a picture of the god, they had to dance around there and already looked uncomfortable and tired and they had to go all the way up to the temple. Poor guys.
After this we went home, had breakfast with mom who had stayed behind and then caught a taxi up to the Taman Negara nationalpark and took a boat to monkey beach, very nice little hide away with loads of monkeys that we fed. After that we hiked back on what was supposed to be a trail but turned out to be pure jungle most the way , it was really beautiful and we even saw a komodo lizzard on the way.
After this we got home late so after dinner and a shower we were more than ready for bed.

4/2-15: Got up, had breakfast and chilled. Went on a rickshaw tour of the city, our guy was apparantly angry with the whole world - he waas swearing and spitting all the way and arguing with everyone he met, including the guy who was driving my mom and dad so they ended up going seperate ways at one point.
Poor thin old men working so hard in the baking sun - we paid them well - a bit more than normal, hopefully that changed his mood for the day.
Then we walked down to the harbour and chilled in the shade with the seabreaze coming in.
Then after a shower, we packed and went to the bus. This one was waaay more comfy, big seats that leaned all the way back.
Arrived in KL at night, they mixed up the rooms at travelhub and gave us one where someone was already sleeping (their system was down).
Got a new one for all four of us, 160 RM. Aircon, TV and everything - not that we will need it.

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