JIM HAMILL
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GEORGETOWN, PENANG

Georgetown is the sort of place my parents would like - it has a quaint small town feel with lots of small shops, public art, and excellent restaurants.  Many hotels and hostels recently been remodeled - exposed brick, recycled wood, etc. - and retain their historical charm. 

The first morning I went for a quick run through Georgetown.  There’s a heavy Chinese presence in the city and many were active - there were busy cafes and a bustling morning market.  In a brilliant marketing campaign and a unique way for tourist to see different parts of the city, Georgetown commissioned artwork and iron sculptures to be placed throughout town.  The walking tour becomes a bit of a scavenger hunt and sometimes I found myelf searching too hard for the artwork not paying attention to the historical building architecture.  
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With all the artwork photo taking, I took relatively few photos of Penang. The Georgetown area has similar architecture as Singapore - the colonial era buildings with the covered sidewalks.
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A popular place for a late night snack is Red Garden, an outdoor food court with nightly live entertainment - but don't arrive too early or it will swamped with other tourists.  Locals show up after ten when the live entertainment starts. ​
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Line Clear is around the corner from Red Garden and in a corridor with other street food vendors. The vendor was featured on the Penang episode of No Reservations.
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I spent the rest of the day visiting temples - the first Hok Si Temple is a large complex with a seven story pagoda set on top of a hill.  I noticed something different about the Chinese temples I hadn’t seen in other parts of SE Asia - a gift shop.  The temple also had smiling, happy Buddhas everywhere - another unique feature.  ​
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From Hok Si Temple I took a bus back to Georgetown and changed buses to head to a Snake Temple about an hour ride away.  There weren't any snakes in the temple area but a common room on the side and a tree in the back was loaded with snakes.  I had a photo taken with a giant python.  ​
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On the second day I took a bus to Penang National Park and hiked through the jungle to Monkey Beach.  It was a hot and steamy day and I was in a full sweat by the time I reached the beach.  On the way I went for a rainforest canopy walk - it’s a different perspective walking in the treetops.  When I reached Monkey Beach…there were no monkeys but I was able to eat fresh caught fish and have a pretty good ear of corn on the cob.  The trek back was quick but I had a bit of a starle - I heard a rustle in the woods and saw a giant monitor lizard scurry away.  It was at least five feet in length and for an instance I thought it was a crocodile looking for a meal.
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For additional Penang photos see FLICKR ALBUM.
  • Lifetime Travels
    • Best Of... >
      • 2014 World Travels
      • Videos
    • Africa >
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
    • Asia >
      • East Asia >
        • China
        • Hong Kong >
          • Essentials
          • Attractions >
            • HK Free
          • Coffee
          • Cooked Food Centre >
            • Best Cooked Food Centres
          • Culture
          • Dining
          • Districts
          • Expat and Colonialism
          • HK Skyline
          • Nature
        • Japan
        • Macau
        • South Korea
        • Taiwan
      • Indian Sub-Continent >
        • Bangladesh
        • India
        • Maldives
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Brunei
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Philippines
        • Singapore >
          • Singapore >
            • Singapore Layover
            • Central
            • Coffee
            • Dining
            • Hawker Centers
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            • Suburbicity
        • Thailand
    • Europe >
      • Balkans >
        • Bosnia and Herzegovina
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
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      • Central Europe >
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        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
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      • Eastern Europe >
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