Penang, "Pearl of the Orient"

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We had planned to fly to the Philippines from Indonesia but it's cheaper to fly there from Saigon. So we instead flew to Kuala Lumpur again in Malaysia and went north to the island of Penang. This island was leased to the English in the late 18th century and you can't throw a stick in Georgetown without hitting a historical building.

We visited a mansion built by an uber wealthy Chinese guy who had come to Penang penniless. He had 8 mansions built for his 8 wives in various cities throughout China and here. In his will he left everything to his passle of children including the youngest who was only 2 when he died at 74. Jeez! His will did not allow any of his properties to be sold until all of his children died. Strange! To make sure that they didn't sell this particular mansion he had it built in a Chinese style instead of the European style that was popular at the time. That way nobody would want to buy it.

But he didn't want people to think he was out of touch with the latest and greatest. So he had lamps, tiles and iron work from Scotland installed as well as beautiful art deco stained glass put in the more than 200 windows. He consulted feng shui specialists and they told him not to build the house parallel to the road but maybe 20 degrees off of parallel. And how stupid is this... everyone else on the street built their houses off parallel too. It looks really strange to see all these cockeyed houses running down the street.

The food in Penang is excellent. There are local specialties of Chinese, Indian and Malay food. We especially loved the Indian food here. Yummy curries, naan bread, and the best veggie food you've ever tasted.

We took a ferry from Penang to another island called Langkawi which is a big tourist draw for Malaysians. They have duty free alcohol there. Yay! Not a lot to see there but nice beaches and some pointy granite spires in places.

My mom complained that there are hardly any pics of me posted so I managed to get one on here. Hi Mom!

Next we'll go to Thailand and travel through the south to Cambodia and then Vietnam, flying from Saigon to Manila.

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Photos

Penang City Hall
Yeppers, it looks pretty old. Will spare you more of the same as it's dull as a bowling ball to see other people's pics of old buildings.

Penang Clock Tower
A rich Straits Chinese guy had this constructed in honor of Queen Victoria's 50th year of reign but it wasn't completed until after she died. Oopsies!

Little India
Great food here!

Langkawi harbor
Pretty spot with the peaks in the background.

Spice garden swing
We walked around this spice garden and learned some interesting stuff. For example, if a pregnant woman eats hibiscus with papaya seeds it will induce abortion. And in China they make black shoe polish from hibiscus which seems odd as hibiscus is also used as a food coloring in jelly and desserts. I'm thinking the desserts would turn out pink, not black. Anyway, this swing took you out over the garden at least 10 feet below with a view of the ocean in the background which was rather fun. Toby managed to lose one of his thongs over the edge. Doh!

Comments

[Larry Green]

Hi guys
Just wanted to say hi... Kristin and I read all your posts... it's just SOME OF US have to work and don't have a lot of time to reply ;-) Keep posting, have fun, and be safe.

[Todd]

Old buildings in other people's pictures
You wrote: "Yeppers, it looks pretty old. Will spare you more of the same as it's dull as a bowling ball to see other people's pics of old buildings." au contraire...I'm a real geek for old colonial architecture. I love to hear the history of these buildings in aching detail. But I do realize that I'm the geek here and won't ask you to inflict stories as dull as bowling balls on your general audience. Suffice it to say, the Penang City Hall is a beauty of a building. When you get there, be sure to check out the Hanoi Opera House. If you share my love of these old buildings at all, you'll love that one. Happy Trails, y'all.