Catching our breath in Georgetown, Penang
For various reasons our last week in Thailand was a bit intense and this, combined with another day-long minbus journey and border crossing, left us exhausted on our arrival in Georgetown, Penang. We therefore spent quite a bit of time sleeping, catching up with the website, and generally taking it easy. Georgetown proved to be quite a good place to do this, partly because there wasn't actually that much to do there. In fact we covered most of the sights in an afternoon stroll.The main attraction in Georgetown is probably Fort Cornwallis. The fort was built on the cape of the island where the city's founder, an English chap called Francis, landed in 1786. As forts go this wasn't the most exciting, particularly as it had never been used in battle. We resisted the temptation to dress like a British soldier and have our photo taken. In terms of other attractions we visited a few temples and mosques and stopped in at the Penang museum which was surpisingly informative and well organized, especially by Asian standards.
Penang, like most of Malaysia has a very mixed population (one third Malay, one third Indian, and one third Chinese) and this makes exploring the streets of Georgetown an experience in itsef. For example as you move from China Town (where our friendly but basic guesthouse was) into Little India, the buildings, the roads, and even the smells completely change along with the people and the food. Then a few streets further on are examples of colonial architecture.
On our third day we ventured out of the city to Penang Hill which was apparently a popular leafy retreat in the colonial days. I'm sure that in those days visitors didn't have to travel up to the top squashed into the funicular railway like sardines for half an hour. The hill itself could at best be described as pleasant, but was in fact rather dull. It didn't help that it started raining as soon as we reached the top so the clouds obscured our view. We were also a bit disappointed that the English country house which, according to the tourist guide, serves delicious tea and scones, was actually still under construction.
One of the highlights of our stay in Georgetown was our visit to the viewing platform if the tallest building in Penang, the Komtar Tower. The building itself was a hideous block of concrete but the views of the city and the surroundings were great. Another highlight was the cinema, which we had found when trying to navigate a maze-like shopping mall. We saw the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, which we both thoroughly enjoyed (admittedly this may have something to do with the fact that we have been starved of western entertainment). We would not be able to pass comment on the entire film, however, as the version we watched had the sex scenes removed (done in the most unseamless of manners) - something to do with being a muslim country and having a ridiculous certification system. We enjoyed our cinematic experience so much that we went back the following evening to watch Happy Feet which, despite featuring dancing penguins, even Emily was prepared to concede was a bit rubbish.
It probably doesn't say much about Georgetown as a tourist destination that one of our favourite experiences there was watching a Bond movie. It probably doesn't help that it was difficult to see the rest of the island without a car due to the confusing bus system. Nevertheless Penang was a cheap and friendly place to relax and get our laundry done.
Chris
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