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.
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.