Penang
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Penang,
Malaysia
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Day73 - Wed 14 July
Georgetown has a tropical climate, 21-32C year round, so the ceiling fan in our room, although the size of an aeroplane propeller, is just moving warm air round. Unfitted carpet covers the ancient floorboards, it's blue in the non stained areas, curling up the wall round the edges where it doesn't fit. Carpet means creepy crawlies, or in our case, leapy crawlies. The fleas may be ex close associates of Andrew the mouse who regularly scurries the length of the room from hole to hole. We have a double bed with a worn out mattress that lost the will to be comfortable years ago, a bedside box, a chair and a small sink. If the people in the room above use their sink, our sink belches noisily and regurgitates dirty water. Lovely.
Despite its ideosynchrises wekind of like of theroom, well I do, it's a very old building with huge beams nad wooden doors and shutters. Everything is thoughtfully painted bright pastel colours, even the staircases. The showers are cold but strong and the toilets are kept spotless. Plus, there's always that floating aroma of bread.
A team decision was made prior to arriving in Georgetown, that we would sacrifice a couple of days to catch up on the journal. It's something we really want to keep up, but I was slipping way behind. Anyway, I've caught up, which is great for me, bad for Rene, bless her boots, who has to type it all onto the computer. Two hours in the morning, three in the afternoon with a couple of hours inbetween for a walk and a samosa. I also spend three hours on the computer looking up other places to visit in Malaysia, such as Kuala Lumpar (LFC online), Melaka (BBC sport), and the Perhentian Islands (Sky sports news). Mr Benitez has taken his first training session at Melwood, the Euro 2004 players aren't starting until the 19th so he would have been working with Biscan, Diuof, Diao etc. Taxi. Has the First Division become 'The Championship'? When exactly do the Olympics start? What time of dat GMT will be the finals be on? Have they dinished the roof?
Curry, rice, sprite, nice.
Expenses (7rinngit / pound): Laundry 14, lunch 21, interent 12, snack 1.5, beer 9, dinner 25, accom 22.
Day 74 - Thurs 15 July
Tea, toast, internet, walk, sweat, fruit, drink, sandwich, bus ride, tourist info, walk, sweat, tea, read, internet, curry, read and sleep.
That was a special entry in aid of Rene's typing fingers.
Expenses: accom 22, internet 10, breakfast 19.50, drinks 9, sandwich 2.20, glasses 19.90, shorts 19.95, tea 7, beer 19.10, dinner 12.20, notebook 2.40
Day 75 - Fri 16 July
It was hot when we set off, helmets on (it's law in Malaysia), looking like Wallace and Grommet as we mopeded off on a circumnavigation of Penang. Half way round, the cloud that had been gathering all morning had developed into a huge black thundering mass. We could see the rain heading towards us, so we U turned and 'wheelied' and doughnutted' (careful, 3rd gear) all the way back to Georgetown, only we didn't quite make it before the monsoon caught us up.
We spent 3 hours holed up in a bookshop waiting for the downpour to end. When it did, we spent 3 hours zig zagging through the myriad of streets that make up Little India and Chinatown. It's an incredible place, Georgetown has one of the largest collections of 19th and early 20th century buildings in South East Asia. It's like riding round one of those working museum villages they have in the UK, where visitors can see how people lived and worked 100 years ago, only here it's real. Scattered about the city are a number of majestic, collonial style Municipal Council buildings, endless places of worship and several clan and guild houses. But for us, it's the maze of streets containing terrace after terrace of beautifully detailed shop houses that stand out. Solidly built, the ground floor area is the shop, with the upstairs as living accommodation. Upstairs projects out over the shop, resting on ornate pillars. This projection provides a covered walkway which runs the whole length of the terrace, which is often covered in original patterned tiles. There are no windows as such upstairs, it's wooden louvred, arch topped shutters all the way along with decorative plaster mouldings. The shops, more often than not, contain the original interiors with wooden counters and glass fronted showcases.
A five minute walk in Georgetown can transport you from the heart of Little India with its smells of sandalwood and soices, blaring Hindi music, Bollywood CD and video stores, brightly painted sari shops, restaurants, temples and samosa hawkers to the heart of Chinatown with its early morning veg market, temple ceremonies, crowded antique stores, exquisite shop houses and night time noodle hawkers. Quite surreal.
I'm on the lookout for a barber, so far I've seen two with a combined age of about 160, armed with just scissors and no doubt a razor sharp cut throat, out back. My sideburns are nervous and move on.
Thunder and lightening heralds the return of the monsoon, we just made it back in time. Torrential and set in the night, the rain keeps us inside.
Expenses: Accom 22, moped 20, supermarket 35.60, bread 2, starbucks 19.95, book 26.10, drinks 10.
Day 76 - Sat 17 July
Sleep was scarce last night, the couple in the room above were at it like rabbits, unfortunately theysounded more like a pair of water buffalo getting it on and the poor lad evidently wasn't very good, it took him ages and he kept having ot do it again and again. Bless.
Also, Mrs Mops' (cleaning lady) broom cupboard is right next to our room, at 7am every morningshe starts work. Her first job is to make as much noise as possible with her set of castle gate keys, unlocking the cupboard door. The first morning we heard her, I went out to see what all the noise was, on realising it was Mrs Mop I just said 'Morning', to which she replied in broken English - 'Why up so early?'.
With the moped due back at 11am, we're up and out early, following one of the many heritage trails set up in Georgetown. The histroic communities in the city still keep alive their dialects, occupations, street festivals and religious traditions.
Malays, Chinese and Indians make up 90% of the population. Along with Bahasa Malaysian (Malay) the national language, you may also hear Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Tamil and English spoken. With a variety of races, comes a divesity of religions. Although Islam is the national religion, others are freely practised. The Chinese religion is a mix of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, while the Indians are Hindues, Muslims or Sikhs. There can't be many cities where in a fairly small area you come across a Hindu Temple, a Chinese Temple, a Buddhist Temple, a Catholic Cathedral, a Muslim Mosque and an Anglican Church, with all their respective congregations getting on just fine.
From a small age the children here are taught respect, both to their elders and other ethnic groups and religions and it shows.
Todays rapido tour began at Fort Cornwallis, where Captain Francis Light first landed to take possession of the Island in 1786. It ended with a Chinese Temple. Inbetween we visited 2 Halls, a court, a museum, 2 mosques and a mansion. Moped goped.
The midday sun is oven baking so we hideaway in an internet cave for a few hours, loading photos from disc to travelogue. It's been numbingly slow, normal resolution photos take a minute each. The high resolution ones (Angkor) take five. It's fun none and the girl next to us has obviously had her washbag stolen, it can be her only excuse. Until I came away I thought all girls smelt of cinamon and roses.
The ladies sat across the road from us, as later, we drink an ice cold Chang at a pavement bar, don't, I'll wager, smell of cinamon and roses. There are many ancient trades surviving in Georgetown, one of which is prostitution and looking at thses two women opposite, they may well have been there at the start, more Alf Roberts than Julia Roberts.
Sat on thier plastic garden chairs, dressedup as if off to Bingo, we can't help but feel sorry for these women, I'm sure they don't want or need our sympathy, but there you go. It must be a brutal and dangerous way to make a living.
There are a lot of prostitutes and a few of them are men dressed and made up to be women, but definitely men. In Bangckok, it is often very hard to tell, not here though. Rugby shoulders and ploughmans hands are always a give away. One ladyman we keep seeing, looks like a cross between Ozzy Osborne and Jerry Hall, he struts up and down, wearing very poor make up and ruby red lipstick, pouting.
I'm a bit niave but I presume when somebody hands over the money to this lady, they know what their hands are going to get, I mean it would surely take a pair of NASA developed beer goggles not to.
Aloo gobi, dhal, masala dosa, puffball pappadana, naan, a bottle of 2004 vintage sprite and no knives and forks. Much mess made in the Woodlands vegetarian Indian.
Fireworks lit up the sky as we left the restaurant, not just for us but also as the celebration to a Japanese festival down on the seafront. It was a quality display. There must have been 10,000 people on the grassed are behind the esplanade. The central stage, had a well known Japanese big drum band, surrounded by thousands of teenagers dancing and clapping in time to the drums. It was mad. Round the edges it was like a funfair, rides and games for the children and endless food and drink stalls. No alcohol whatsoever. Everyone having a great time. It finished at 10.30 and we travelled back via India.
Expenses (7 rinngit / pound): breakfast 13, washing 9.90, internet 12, bread 3.80, dinner 26, ice cream 4.
Day 77 - Sun 18 July
A lazy last day in Georgetown. In the morning we didn't walk the traditional foods making trail, taking in 'Poh Piah' skin (spring roll wrapping), Rempah Giling' (ground spices, 'Kuih Tayap' (local Chinese crepes), 'Ais Tingkap (window sherbet), 'Roti Benggali' (bread), 'Yu Char Kuih' (dough fritters) and 'Coconut tarts, (biscuits).
In the afternoon we didn't walk the Endangered Trades trail looking at a joss stick maker, coffee maker, fortune teller, Indian goldsmith, signboard engraver, songkok hat maker, rattan weaver, Nyonya beaded shoe maker and a tombstone engraver.
We were going to but they were all closed on Sundays, in fact pretty much all of Georgetown was closed and very quiet.
While Rene was emailing, I visited Lao Pan Hong. I thought it would be rude as a travelling wood butcher not to visit the Carpenters' Guild Temple, so I did. Many of Penangs heritage buildings were constructed by members of this guild, which is dedicated to Lo Pan, a legendary tool and weapon inventor. The guilds are run in accordance with confucious principles, with the Master - apprentice system of training which ensures the traditions of craftmanship are passed on to the next generation. Thoughts of dovetails, Derry and an empty workshop.
Expenses: accom 22, internet 12, drinks 5.80, bakery 6.40, dinner 10.50, beer and chips 21
