On the road II

Georgetown, Penang
12 November 2010
Penang is the smallest state in Malaysia, made up of a densely-populated and industrialised coastal plain and the Island of Penang, joined to the mainland by a long causeway and bridge. Georgetown was the administrative centre of the British Straits Colonies and it still retains many of the grand colonial buildings of that period. Traffic is a little more hectic here than in the capital. Narrow streets, many one way, confused our GPS system to the point where we had to pull out the maps to find our hotel.

Foodies love Penang because it has such an enormous array of cuisine available at such reasonable prices. Last night we ate at one of the many 'food halls' that are a cross between the modern food courts that pervade shopping malls worldwide and an open Asian market. If we were hungry enough, we could have grazed across a bewildering selection of Japanese, Malay, Thai, Chinese, Western and several variants of Indian food. To top it off, there was the ubiquitous waffle and ice-cream stand. If you are wondering, we went for a Chinese squid dish with bok choy and rice on the side – no idea what it was called! All this and a large bottle of Tiger beer for just over $5 a head. Got to love it!



Georgetown, Penang
13 November 2010
Second day in Penang was fairly laid back. An extremely pleasant meeting with a new family friend who is in Georgetown due to a family accident filled in our morning. Then it was shop, shop, shop. Even the big brand products purchased at big department stores are about one third of the price at home. If we needed new clothes, we could have filled our bags and easily paid for our flights. Sadly, we don't need much (what an ignominious comment on our life style!).

It was not a totally hedonistic day, however. We also visited the Museum of Penang at the huge cost of 1 Malay Ringgit each (about 30c) – a nicely presented museum which took us through the history of Penang, dealing with all the cultural groups sympathetically. A Ringgit well spent! And we took a stroll through the Protestant Cemetery, final resting place of Captain Francis Light, who took possession of the state in 1786. He is important, as well, as the father of William Light, who founded Adelaide. The cemetery is also home to the remains of Thomas Leonowens, husband of Anna, of “The King and I” fame.

It was a big news day in Asia today as Aung San Suu Kyi was released from detention in Burma. Makes us wonder just what the future of South-East Asia will be. We have been amazed at the level of development in Malaysia. Patchy it might be but, like other Asian countries we have visited, it is all happening. We don't feel at all out of place here. Language is not a problem. Getting about is relatively easy. People are welcoming. The culture here is truly multi-cultural, at least on the surface. And we as 'westerners' are not treated as total outsiders. Many people we meet have been to Australia and it is fairly common, at least for the more affluent, to be educated in Australia. Australians may not feel Asian, but with 10% of our population now Asian born, it may not be too long before we become more comfortable with the notion of an Australia that is more Asian than European.


Ipoh
14 November 2010

“It's good to be king!”

Leaving Georgetown today was like a Sunday morning drive in the 'burbs'. Hardly a car in sight. So it took us no time to hit the motorway - did we say what a fantastic motorway this is?? - and arrive at the small (200,000) city of Taiping. After a while, the towns and city centre all look the same. Tiaping did, however, have an interesting museum with some great cultural exhibits and some very sad stuffed animals. A fairly quick walk about the city centre was all we could manage in the increasing heat.

Kuala Kangsar, our next stop, is the royal seat of Sultan of Perak. The town is fairly non-descript, but the Royal precinct is simply opulent! His Highness the Sultan has a residence that makes Buckingham Palace look like a coach house. His old residence is now a Gallery devoted to his Highness and his, not insignificant, achievements - Barrister, Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaysia, sports fan and all around good guy. The crowning glory for us was his collection of four Rolls Royces. It's obviously Great to be King!.


Tonight is our last night in Malaysia, so we thought we might lash out a bit. We booked the Majestic Station Hotel Ipoh over the web last night. We expected a grand Rajah era palace with open verandahs, period fittings and all the grandeur of colonial Malaya. As we turned into the drive way of the Majestic, we were greeted with exactly what we had imagined.

A Palace! ?



Perhaps the fact that the room rate was about $35 including breakfast should have alerted us. Everything was, in fact, just as advertised, except that 50 years have passed since any major upgrading has been done. The period rooms are just that. Cary Grant could have stayed in our room and if he had come back today, not much would have changed. Not even the paint which is now peeling badly. It's not all bad though. Everything is clean and our room opens onto the grand verandah, complete with fans and probably the same chairs that were there when Cary (may have) visited.

The biggest draw back for us was the lack of a fridge. Not at all phased, we wandered down town to the local Chinese cafe and had a few beers with the locals. It defies description. You just had to be there!!!