Sheraton Penang Hotel Georgetown

... On the way a rather attractive yet obviously a prostitute girl obviously and purposefully tripped herself up into me and succeeded in grabbing my pocket; I can't be sure whether she was thieving or perhaps soliciting and her intended target was my ******, but either way I grabbed my wallet and told her in no uncertain terms to procreate with herself, to which she just giggled maniacally and tottered off down the street. It ...

... schedule) wasn’t in the cards. We were able to get some nice footage of the surf gently lapping the fine, golden sand, though. Surf and turf at Batu Ferringhi. It was time to get ready to check out Batu Ferringhi’s famous night market, or pasar malam.

... out now!! The islands look absolutely stunning, exactly the same a the paradise pictures upon my sisters wall, and the sea is clear blue...

Well the engine has been switched off and we are sailing into Penang Harbour. I can see the shoreline of the main town on the island, George Town which is illuminated in the night sky!! For all I know I could be sailing along the Hudson River in New York. Anyway it feels good to be here...
Georgetown, Pinang, Malaysia followingmyfeet

... we just
found out there is no public transport there so looks like we will
have to catch another taxi. Defeats the purpose of public transport
but oh well. May have to look at hiring a bicycle to get around on
whilst we are there depending on how long we decide to stay. Anyways
thats about all the excitement for today. A bit of a rainforest walk
to clear our sinuses from the city smog and heading to the beach
tomorrow. WOO HOO. Cant wait.

... leg, was just going to be too much travelling, with no guarantee of being able to make the coach connections. The decision, therefore was to spend an extra day in Penang, and to investigate alternative ways of getting to Mersing in order to have an extra day on Tioman. Much of the day, therefore was spent investigating these options. Catching the ferry to Butterworth on the mainland seemed a good idea, as this is not only a main rail station on the ...

... about the driving, and I was surprised to note that I hadn’t really realised the guy was speeding and swerving. India and China must have lowered my safety standards, or at least numbed me to nerves.

After a quick and chatless lunch and a few more hours driving, the South African and I were moved to a different van for the final hour or so before the border. I finally got speaking to him, and it turns out Clinton is actually a ...

... The strong presence of British colonial influence from times gone by was predominant in the architecture, as it looked more like a run down European city than an Asian one. I walked around for accommodation for a while, looking at the worst dorms I had seen so far, and some equally unappealing guest rooms. I settled for a room with a mattress on the floor and a sink in the room. That's a sink better off than ...

... Victorian buildings, a pier and the clocktower, and some churches. Once again, it was all left from British rule. We reached the funicular train that goes up the hill and stopped for lunch. The journey up the hill took about half an hour and on the way we saw lots of monkeys playing in the trees. Once at the top (800m) the air was cooler and the view over Penang, the surrounding islands and the sea was ...

... that I could achieve it in Penang rather than Kuala Lumpur. I left Penang for a week to venture further afield but planned to return for Thaipusam. I stayed at a beautiful guesthouse right ...

... runner beans & gravy topped with coconut ice cream (that was actually alright!), vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce & sprinkled with sweetcorn (obviously) and worst of all was coke & crushed ice mixed with peas, carrots & mushrooms (Minging!) I have to say thanks to Benny for a great day & his hospitality- top bloke!!