Bang Bang Penang
Trip Start
Nov 12, 2008
1
14
49
Trip End
Apr 30, 2009
Penang,
Malaysia
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
In keeping with our snap decision, and our honed travelers instinct, we didn't bother to book a place to stay in advance. Or pay heed to the fact that it is the Christmas holiday season. Or pay heed to the fact that it is one of the biggest holiday periods in Malaysia. When all the Malaysians head to the beach, and this beach in particular. The proliferation of 1000 room hotels were either booked up, or had rooms free for exorbitant prices. We spent an hour and a half trapsing through hotel after hotel gradually losing heart. Eventually we found just about the only non-Presidential room in town. The Padua Guesthouse. By now it was late, we were tired, we were probably going to have to sleep on the beach if we didin't take it. We took it no questions asked.
The most apt description of this place was 'Operational Hamas HQ'. Reading about the Israeli airstrikes at the moment, we were more than a little worried the Padua guesthouse may be next on their list. The room had no toilet or bathroom, but it did have half of a sink basin snapped into razor sharp cuts. No windows, just rusted slats. No third bed, just a dodgy double and a mattress on the floor. It was rough, and Shahed paid for it on the floor by getting bit to buggery by the local wildflife. He woke up with arms like a braille book, and spent the rest of the next day letting us know about it.
Luckily yours truly came up with the bright idea of trawling the guesthouses late at night to find a new gaff for the next day. It paid off big style.
Ismael guesthouse is right on the beach, modern with its own bathroom and a/c. It is amazingly picturesque, you can sit on the verandah and watch the surf ten feet away, beach right up to your front door. As a consequence, we've adopted the 'Lilt' lifestyle, chilling out on the beach.
Yesterday was a little overcast so we decided we would frequent one of the many many dodgy DVD stalls and pick up a film to watch on our room DVD player. Our run of luck ended finding the guesthouse. The police were clamping down on DVD sales...for one day. You could buy any number of fake shoes, clothes, watches, perfumes, sunglasses, they were all on open display and fine to sell. What type of a crackdown was this? We were forced to spend the evening talking to each other, a frightening prospect indeed...
Today we hired a fishing boat and went out to fish the open waters. We were moving up in the world, no volvic bottle this time. Now it was a reel and line. Its hoped by South America, Raz and I might have moved up to a rod, or at least a long stick. Of course Shahed informed us he was a natural fisherman, which made sense hailing from a country spending 75% of the time under water. Turns out, like much of his chat, this was rubbish. Complete and utter rubbish. Its hard to be a really bad fisherman. He succeeded in being one. Who knew to catch a fish you need more than 5 minutes patience?
To be fair, old hand 'Salty Seadog' Raz didn't do much better. His mudskipping abilities deserted him, which is exactly what we did with the fishing. We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the deserted monkey beach, frequented by the proverbial Cheeky Monkeys feeding on rubbish, coconuts and stray children, and the odd Russian tourist sporting disgraceful Speedo banana hammocks.
We're moving on to Kuala Lumpar tomorrow for NYE, its raining here so might as well.
Roll on 2009, the oddysey continues...
