We’re finishing up four days in Penang, and we’ve had a great time. This is supposed to be a highlight of Malaysia with a great mishmash of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cultures, and it’s all here. And of course you put all that together with and you’re likely to get some great food, which we’ve certainly enjoyed.
To our surprise, they are still celebrating Chinese New Year here. Last night, the ninth night of celebrations, there were huge fireworks displays around midnight. It felt as though they were going off pretty much right next to our hotel, and that might literally have been true. Today streets near our hotel are blocked off for more celebrations and we’re hearing all sorts of music and drums; we’re hoping to see a parade or two tonight. Fortunately, most things are open these days, so it’s not disruptive like it was a week ago.
One of the odd things we’ve observed about Malaysia is that in restaurants that rely on local Malays for an important part of their business, as opposed to just tourists or even Indians or Chinese, they don’t serve any alcohol or beer or wine at all. It’s not just that the Muslim locals wouldn’t drink it – apparently they would be offended to have it in their presence and so we can’t get it either. Strikes me as strange, and it must certainly make it harder for those restaurants to prosper. But then it got even stranger this afternoon when we observed that a Malaysian restaurant with great food we’ve been to twice for lunch doesn’t serve beer or wine but it does serve pork. Strange indeed.
Tomorrow Mark’s father and brother fly to Singapore to start their trip home, while Mark & I take a morning boat to the island of Langkawi, Malaysia’s most famous beach and tourist destination. This life of ours is exhausting, so we’re looking forward to relaxing on the beach for five days. 🙂
So without further ado, here are some great pictures of our time in Penang, courtesy of John Sullivan.
One of the most remarkable aspects of George Town (the city we’re staying in, on the island of Penang) is the murals painted on exterior walls. Some of them – like this one – are really beautiful.
This is another. There was a lot of public art in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Street life in George Town
There were a lot of fun signs here. We particularly loved the icon attached with the last rule.
I loved this one. If you’re 10, you can only stay at the bar until 6:00, but if you’re 13 midnight is fine!
Mark’s dad in the lobby area of our hotel. We *loved* the hotel – our rooms were on two floors with tons of wooden Malay furniture and great staff. Can’t say enough about how much we loved the hotel!
One of the highlights was a hike through what is billed as the world’s smallest national park. It was a real walk in the jungle.
A walk that ended on a beautiful beach, so there I was with my Kindle. Unfortunately the water was heavily infested with jellyfish and closed to swimming, but reading on the beach is still good.
And then there was the walk through a spice garden
Mark & his brother John in a Buddhist temple
I loved this abandoned building with trees growing out of it
Just making sure you know how much we love reading your blog! Love every photo, but most of all the ones with you in them. Love to you both!!
Thanks Jeanne. It’s funny, I have this sense that pictures of us are boring, compared to pictures of things. But I’ll take your advice to heart and post more and more pictures of US!
Miss you!