Blogs from George Town, Penang, Malaysia, Asia - page 11

Ah, the romance of the train. The clickety-clacking of the rails, being gently rocked side to side as you fall asleep like a newborn. The romance of waiters in white uniforms serving our wonderful meal on crisp linen tablecloths and sparkling china while we clink our wine glasses to the end of a perfect day. After a peaceful night’s sleep, going to the restaurant car for steaming cups of coffee and freshly-made croissants. That’s what we saw as our train passed the Singapore to Bangkok Orient Express going the other way. Now the reality of the 2nd-class sleeper. After leaving our beautiful apartment in Bangkok, we caught a cab. We had heard that the traffic could be miserable, so we didn’t want to take any chances. We got to the train station with two hours to ... read more

Apologies for having not written for a while but i've been very busy doing nothing i've still got a little bit of nothing to do before heading off to the beach for my last week of doing nothing. So after I left Chaing Mai I spent a couple of days in Bangkok before my flight to Singapore. I usually stay somewhere around the travellers ghetto of the Khan San road but decided to have a change and stayed Silom near two small lanes called Patpong 1 and 2. Its quite a well known area with a famous night market and a couple of strips of bars, resturant, and clubs. I saw a sign in a club window for a ping pong show so thought i'd have a look......BLOODY HELL.....table tennis wasn't like that at the olympics!! ... read more

The night train from Bangkok to Butterworth was on the Malaysian trains, which were not entirely as nice and a bit older, but still clean and the staff was friendlier. We got into Buttwerworth on time after passing through immigration at the border, which was painless, and took the ferry into Georgetown where we were to spend the night on non-rolling land. We booked a simple guesthouse room at Muntri House (Penang accomodation is quite expensive, which we didn't know when we decided to stop over there, so our room was just a box with a door and two beds, a fan and no ceiling (so no sound privacy per se), but it was clean and superfriendly and cheap so we were happy. Malaysia marked the beginning of our overeating, the food courts dotted all over ... read more

Went to the Botanical gardens. Most people went around in electric vehicles. Me? I walked and got incredibly sweaty. Nothing like our gardens at home and not so much to see. Enjoyed mostly the type of palms and the monkeys. Went on the bus again - which does take us around the houses. Had a white coffee but it is not possible to have without sugar - OK - but very sweet. Avoidng all the western possibilities as they will seem so fantastic when I get back. Wanted to show more/random pictures of Penang and some from the gardens and the trip to the top of Penang hill but cannot up load at the momnet. Where is helpdesk when I need it lol! The one thing about being on my own is that people just talk ... read more

A video from our Penang Circle the Island tour. From the hustle and bustle of Georgetown's waterfront to the countryside of Penang. Circle the island to see some of the most interesting sights. Visit the Thai Buddhist Temple, which houses the 4th largest Reclining Buddha in the world measuring 108 feet long. The Burmese Buddhist Temple sitting across the road spices up the already rich cultural diversity of Penang. Leisurely drive towards the northern tip of the island passing beautiful coves and bays of Batu Ferringhi. Nearby is the Craft Batik workshop, where the intricate and timeless art of printing the cloth with wax and dyes is demonstrated. Scents of clove and nutmeg follows as your driver pass through the hills. Stop at a local fruit & spice stall for a firsthand look at the fresh ... read more