By James

Known as the foodie capital of Malaysia, it was only a matter of time until we ended up in Georgetown, Penang, and as there was a direct ferry from Langkawi to Penang, our fate was sealed! Almost three hours later and we arrived at Georgetown’s Jetty and after a quick walk with our heavy rucksacks, checked ourselves into our lovely hostel – The Frame

A hipster’s delight- unpainted plaster, large filament lightbulbs and wooden floorboards- The Frame Guesthouse was an ideal place right on the edge of George Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in which to base ourselves for our Penang stopover.

(Although there was a CD of panpipe covers playing incecently for three days. If I ever hear ‘Your Heart will Go On’ on panpipes again, I may scream…)

After we arrived we headed out to explore Little India. The smells of curry mixed with the sounds of classic Bollywood tunes as we wandered around this vibrant area whilst the sun set. We made our way through the main streets to the Esplanade by the shore, where we witnessed the beginning of the 8^th annual Japanese Cultural Parade. Whilst the parade itself wasn’t anything to write home about, the speeches beforehand were touching in their sincere wishes for cultural understanding and gratitude for the aid given by the people of Penang to the survivors of the Japanese Tsunami of 2011.

After that, we headed back into Little India for a delicious Indian meal at Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant. On the way back to the hostel we stocked up on sugary Indian sweets -delicious, although now we may well have diabetes…

On Sunday we headed down to the Clan Jetties on the shore, the traditional bases for the secretive clan societies that ran Penang throughout most of the 18^th and 19^th centuries (in a rather brutal fashion, see the Penang Riots of 1867). Now it would appear the march of 21^st Century commercialism has taken its toll and the main walkway has been colonised by tourist tat and t-shirt shops. However, just off from the main drag, it was possible to glimpse the traditional houses in which families were still living.

 

 

‘Urgh, I’m, like, so over you tourists and your cameras…’

After lunch (two delicious bowls of Char Kuay Teow noodles and amazingly crunchy fried chicken…all for a grand total of £4.44), we wound our way back through the streets via all the major Street Art spots of George Town.

 

 

The Owl Shop, for all your owl-based needs

After a break at the hostel to cool down (with the temperature staying above the 30-degree mark whilst the sun is up) we went to dinner at Teksen Chinese restaurant. James was tempted by the street stalls on the way, but the snaking line down the street attested to the fantastic food we ended up having when we went inside. The best salt and pepper squid we have tasted, amazing pork, succulent aubergine and strange drinks- the best meal at a Chinese restaurant that we have ever had, by a long way. (Yep, as predicted, most of the passion in this blog is about food!)

Yesterday (Monday the 13th), we headed West to the Kek Lok Si temple at the base of Penang Hill. When we arrived we wound our way through half-constructed alleyways, past shops selling gaudy souvenirs in dollars to the main temple. I would love to say that our first Buddhist temple on this trip filled us with awe and serenity, but this just wasn’t the case.

This temple is an utterly bizarre place. Although it was constructed in 1905, it feels like the architects took a trip to Disney Land and thought ‘hey, that’s a tasteful place; let’s do this with our temple!’. From the shop built inside a pagoda, to the sprawling boutique at the bottom of an entirely superfluous lift selling strange gifts (a Rasta skeleton shredding on a guitar!), this place was totally devoid of spirituality. There was even a carp pond with fake ducks! That’s not to say we didn’t get some enjoyment out of visiting such an odd place though.

This lady’s face says it all

This guy is pretty unimpressed too

The fact that I uttered the words ‘no not that one, the Buddha on top of the gift shop’ let’s you know the kind of place it was. By the time we saw this absurd paddock of plaster reindeer/lizards waiting patiently in their crate paddock for next Christmas, our bemusement was complete.

 

So we headed back into town and visited some genuine places of worship, which were lovely.

 

One of the things I (James) admire about Malaysian society, is the way the three major ethnicities- Muslim Malay, Taoist Chinese and Hindu Indian – are integrated into the whole. The Taoist Goddess of Mercy temple is in view of a wonderfully brightly painted Hindu temple, which is in view of a very peaceful Mosque, which in turn is in view of a Church. They celebrate one another’s festivals, eat one another’s cuisine and live beside one another peacefully. Although I’m sure there are issues in their society, this multiculturalism could teach the West a thing or two – especially at this time of division and misunderstanding.

Anyway.

Yesterday evening we went out for some delicious Night Market food and by the time this is posted will be 10 hours into our epic 14 hour journey to the South Eastern coast to stay on the tropical paradise that is Tioman Island. We will update you all the next time we find decent internet.

All our love,

-The Backpack Duo x