Happy birthday Wes !!!
Trip Start
Mar 17, 2007
1
250
401
Trip End
Ongoing
Georgetown,
Malaysia
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kek_Lok_Si_Temple
Dr T sleeps badly. I have to drag myself out of bed too. I go for breakfast on my own and try again to wake Hubby up. I have the arms: Red Bull AND coffee. It does take me till 11 before any life comes to the creature in my bed. We walk to a bus station. Indeed, buses come and go here but it just does not feel right. Our bus is an E-two hundred something. We have seen E busses: they are big coach busses. What stops here are crappy little vehicles. T goes for a hunt and finds the right station WITH E busses. E201 or 203 or 204. It takes half an hour for one to arrive. The locals wait patiently, no sign of hurry or distress. We have a lot to learn from the mentality of those people. When E204 finally arrives, we pay 30 Eurocents each. But, where do we get off? Do not think the bus stops are labeled. Or that we have a bus map. Once, we are out of the city, Dr T asks the driver, who is happy to direct us. This bus is a social meeting place. Locals get on and off and chat to each other all the time. Everybody knows everybody.
We see, on a mountain, something in scaffolding and I start fearing... . And indeed: the bus driver tosses us out. The way to the temple is horrible: HUNDRED tourist shops. All want to sell us something. The only thing we buy is an ice cold beer. We pass by a pond full of turtles. I never saw so many turtles in my life! In Buddhism, the turtle is the symbol of eternity. The temple is a wrong expression. It is many temples, in different styles. The last leg is a funicular to the top of the mountain. And, my Kuan Yin is hidden behind the scaffoldings. The end result will be that she has a roof above her head but they do not even dare to put an assumed end date on the works.
It is the biggest and most commercial temple, I ever saw. But if you ignore the shops, it was great! The entrance to the pagoda is half a Euro for both, as is the funicular. So, that is plain cheap.
At almost 15h, we reach the village again and go for a meal in, again a hawker. This time it is 60 Eurocents for our meal. Dr T cannot believe he eats this stuff.
We are planning to take a bus back but Tony shows on the map that the Penang Hill (one of the other top 10 things to do here) must be close. But how do we figure this out? Unfortunately, the book says that on publication, bus transport is dramatically changed, so they do not give any guide lines. It is not far but how do we find out? An old local man asks us whether we want to go to Penang Hill. That is exactly what we want. He says: go on foot: it is only 10 minutes. He starts explaining but interrupts himself with: 'want me to show you?' Sure. He starts walking at top speed. He must be 70something and his English is good. And indeed, 10 minutes later, the entrance of Penang Hill is visible. Of course, he expects a tip and is very happy with his 20 Eurocents. If we can eat for 30, he can live a whole day on 20!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang_Hill
The only way up to the top of Penang Hill is the funicular. Almost a Euro for a return ticket! We just catch one. It climbs 700 meters to almost 850 meters above sea level. It does take half an hour. To our surprise we find a whole CITY up there. It was a very popular place to live before the airco: it is on average 5 degrees cooler up here and on 30-35 degrees, this is very noticeable.
It gives a wonderful view over Penang Island AND the mainland. We see the bridge and through the telescope: our hotel! We walk around in the village, have a beer (or what do you think) and go down. It says bus stop at the foot of the mountain and Dr T insists on staying there. But, we saw a bus with the right number a couple of hundred meters further! Hubby insists. After half an hour, he does step up to the bus stop we saw earlier and waves from far: come here. When I approach him, I see a bus waiting and start running. When I reach the bus, Tony is walking at ease, laughing at me and taking pictures. All right, all right, this is the second time in my life I chase a bus (last time was Mexico City) and it is silly but I stopped it and we waited for Hubby, approaching at ease with a big smile on his face.
The hotel paper says we can get off the bus closer to the hotel than where we boarded and we try. And then, then, T gets lost. Lost in George Town. In the rain. The first rain of the day. It rains every day but mostly early afternoon.
He pretends he knows where he is going but he does not!
Like that cat, chasing a pigeon and looses. It pretends it was not after the pigeon at all. It will sit down and start licking his paws. Dr T says: how can I be lost, if I do not know where you want to go. Yes, right! Luckily, he finds a familiar 7eleven and we find our way.
We let our clothes dry while internetting a bit and we go back to our dodgy hawker place. Mama San is already closed and Dr T gets a bit lost in the stalls. My food is curry and vegetables and this is not for my meatatarian. After a little help from me, he eats his plates almost empty. We are already known costumers and again the only tourists.
Back home, I chat to my brother, we look at the today's pictures and I go to bed with my crossword puzzle. Hubby even joins me.
Tomorrow, we do not plan big things: walking to the old town and the harbor and inquire about diving the day after. The diving is not highly recommended in this part of the island but I want to give it a try anyway. Testing my new knee, qoui! At the end of the day, we are close to Thailand, where the diving is fabulous. Tony is still discussing the place to meet in the weekend with his brother: men!!!
