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Published: February 1st 2007
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Our Hostel
A combination of a museum and hostel, which was rebuilt by a Kuala Lumpur Architect. We arrived in Panang on a night bus... wow what a journey.. now let me tell you what a journey this was... the bus was a 16 seater, standard A/C but here is the real good part, it had 35 degree reclining seats, a LCD TV for every chair and every chair had massage programes on it! Therefore you can watch a movie in english!!! the speakers were built into the seat, recline and have a massage all at the same time.. WOW the best bus journey i have ever had!! It puts the english and even the european bus companies to shame!!!
The ride up to Panang was 9 hours, everyone told us it will be 12hrs but it was 9. We had to get off and on a few times, 1st going thru singapore immigration and then again thru maylasian immigration.. that was a lot of hassel especially since we did not know or realise they were so close together, the bus driver had switched off the lights and just as you are settling back in we were literally kicked off the bus! i had taken some sleeping tablets after watching the 'Fantastic Four", thinking we have another
Cintra Street
Chinese Tea Shop moving along our hostel street. 9 hours to go but was soon awaken to be kicked off the bus once more but in the main bus terminal on Panang Island. We had already arrived at our next destination.
We grabbed our bag packs, hailed a taxi and got to our home for the next four days which is 100 Cintra Street. This place was recommended in the lonely planet and we recommend it also. Its great, has loads of character and the people who run it, Jonny, he is an amazing guy. He will introduce you to anyone that is english expecting you to know one another.. as if England is a small place??? 100 Cintra street also has a museum on the top floor, double rooms and a few dorm beds on the middle floor and the ground floor is a cafe... we were lucky enough to have a tour around the museum as it is not open yet. The owners are still refurbishing it and collecting...
Jonny introduced us to Caroline and Neil and then walked away.... we looked at one other, exchanged pleasantries and went our seperate ways. We bumped into each other again in the hostle and talked a
Ali the Pascha
The most luxurious bus we have ever been on! bit more, these people have been travelling for 6 months and have another 9 months ahead of them, now thats a journey... wish we were doing the same. What followed where 2 exciting days on Motor Scooters around the Island with the two of them.
Well about Panang, I was told it is a place simliar to India. I have never been to India but I can imagine it to be like this, the streets are not very clean, the main city, George Town is bustling noisy in parts, the roads are manic, it does not seem like there are any rules to drive by but it all seems to work.
On our second day, having explored a little our selves, we gained our bearings and set out further afield, so we hired a motorbike... thats the best thing you can do to discover the island. We rode around a little and then headed towards the snake temple, legend has it, that it is a sanctury for snakes and snakes will come and go as they please, im not talking about little grass snakes, these are vipers, cobras, pythons and other highly poisionus and dangerous snakes!!! the snake
temple is well worth visiting, i held a python, wow it is heavy, it is over 4 meters long!!!!!
Now I want a say too 😊.
Beside the gadget bus, motorbike and huge snakes there were also historic and other cultural experiences that have taken our breath away.
Due to the fact that Penang is an island incorporating three major religions - Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism it offers a spiritual lifestyle and architecture on every street corner, including the biggest Buddhist temple in whole Malaysia, Ganeshas wishing you prosperity on colourful shrines and impressive mosques with golden minorettes shining in the sun welcoming from a long distance. It is said that in Penang all religious festivals and connected cultural traditions are practiced in a lot more depth and commitment than other countries, where the religions have been 'imported' from by workers, slaves and immigrants through spice trade and kautschuk farming.
Thus you will find a Hindu festival 'Thaipusam' that is not practiced in India anymore. I understand why after hearing the contents.... supposedly the worshippers get in trance and put hooks, nails and other sorts of horrible things through their skin- grrrrh. We just about missed the
parade but have seen colourful and loud preparations taking place on the streets, colouring orchids on the pavements, dressing up in beautiful saris and ofcourse giving out and preparing food, which we indulged in a lot.
We also visited an islamic museum and a floating mosque on stilts revealing that muslims in Malaysia do not seperate in sunni and shihat (is that the right spelling?), there is only one religion. Also that boys are circumcised at the age of 9-11, not at birth and that even girls are circumised but were not sure that is still practised today. Don't know how that works, don't really want to find out either.
All in all Penang made us open our eyes to religions, cultural mixtures and the diversity of people.
Besides that the beauty of the jungle stuck in my mind as the beaches were also effected by the tsunami leaving building sites to this day. Not to say, that we did not use the beaches and Holiday Inns private facilities 😊 to create a big sunburn on our feet and backs. The first sun burn after an amazing rainy 3 years in England! The beaches and off season also lead
Kok Lek Si Temple
Us at the biggest temple in Malaysia us to go jet skiing and Ali flying in the sky. Unbelievable experience!
The jungle, however is kept untouched with only one major road crossing the outskirts of the island. There we went on the highest hill - Penang hill with 841m presenting a beautiful view across the island as well as main land, cheeky monkeys trying to get their bit from tourists foods and Hollywood when descending with the funiculeur during darkness. Also we visited a fruit farm, tasting 11 different varieties of fruit, with even Ali trying all of them and seeing huge spiders on the way back, hope they weren't poisonous. As we saw the spiders, one of them grabbed a butterfly and starting to cocoon it, we think it had a little taste, didnt like it and then litterly threw it away, luckly the spider flew away... nature hey.....
This whole Asian experience made it very difficult to part and to come back to Singapore starting our planned journey to Australia. Back to civilisation I guess. I can't wait to go diving though!!!!
Tschuess! Good Bye! Namaste! Masalam!....
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Béa
non-member comment
waou!!!
I finally found your blogg! You can't actualy imagine how happy I am for both of you. You really deserve to get out of here and experience ADVENTURE!!!! I think of you a lot. Take care and do the most of this amazing travel!