George Town, Penang

We've been talking about going to George Town since we arrived in Langkawi six weeks ago. But for various reasons we never got around to, until this Wednesday. We blame our guide book for not writing a selling enough description of this charming place. Now after we've been there we only wish we would have discovered it sooner.

George Town is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. From its humble beginnings as a swampy British colony in the late 18th century it has developed massively, yet somehow kept the historic touches and can now be described as a busy modern city with the small-town charm intact. Here you'll find an interesting mix of nationalities, religions and cultures co-existing harmoniously.

Since teleportation isn't invented yet the communication network between the two islands is as good as it gets. You can choose to go by ferry (3 hours) or plane (25 minutes). For obvious reasons we chose the later. The trip went as smooth as smooth gets and not long after leaving our apartment in Langkawi we found ourselves checking in at G Hotel. We liked our new found "G-spot" right from the start. The homemade ice cream they treated us to didn't hurt.

After a nice shower we took a cab to Chinatown, a short while later we ordered some local Chicken Ginger with rice and BBQ Pork with noodles, delicious and the bill read only 12 Rinngit (24 SEK or 9 PLN).

Nelly was getting tired, it was time to head back to the G-spot. We found a cab and this time we instantly liked the driver so we made plans with him to pick us up at our hotel the next day for some sightseeing. In Malaysia taxis are cheap which makes them a convenient way to explore a new town.

After Nelly took a nap we went out again for some Bibimbap. That's a popular Korean dish with rice, egg, vegetables, carrots and sliced meat, very tasty. Later on we went back to the hotel for drinks in the lobby. It was still happy hour and all three of us felt very privileged to be there. Especially Nelly who was cruising around all over the place in her own very characteristic and flirtatious way.

Next day we called our taxi driver Ahmad who we met the day before. He picked us up right away and took us on a tour of the city. He showed us Little India, Chinatown, Fort Cornwallis, Pinang Peranakan Mansion and the very impressive Buddhist temple Kek Lok Si. Ahmad proved to be a terrific guide who knew Penang like the back of his hand so if you ever need a pleasant cab driver/guide send him an e-mail: ahmad.badrul@yahoo.com. We will definitely contact him next time we visit Penang or "The Pearl of the Orient" as the slogan says. Hopefully that's very soon cause our stay here felt way too short.

Nelly admiring herself.


The relaxing lounge Lobby at G Hotel.


Nelly takes a short break from raising hell in the lobby at G Hotel.


-These coasters go down real easy, are you sure it's just carbon paper?


Super cool make-a-wish fountain at the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. One of the oldest temples in Penang, founded in 1803.


Guy with dragon tattoo in front of a dragon statue at the Dhammikarama Temple.


Vietnamese temple.




Bicycle taxi passing through a narrow alley in Chinatown.












The century old Pinang Perenakan Mansion (privately owned but opened for public).




Balcony at the Peranakans, also known as the Babas and Nyonyas.


Nelly and our Chinese Charlie Chaplin look-a-like guide at the Pinang Perenakan Mansion.


The Pinang Peranakan Mansion displays the typical home of a rich Baba 100 years ago.


Kek Lok Si tempel (or in plain English the Temple of Supreme Bliss). Construction begun in 1890 and hasn't ever really stopped. Sky's the limit!








Our nice taxi driver Ahmad taking a well deserved break with Nelly.






The pool at the G Hotel.








Finally after two busy days it was time to fly back to Langkawi. Check out the rhino on the woman in the seat in front of us.

Getting sentimental

This afternoon we went to the small marina Awana Porto Malai Langkawi. It's a charming place with a few small restaurants and shops, as well as a terminal for ocean going cruise ships. We stayed there for a few hours chilling and admiring the beauty of the Andaman Sea and its magnificent islands.

Since we are about to leave Langkawi soon, we get easyily sentimental these days. It's a really peaceful island and we have had a wonderful time here. When we got back home to Chogm Villa we said good bye to our host Rob who had to fly to the Netherlands. He is such a kind guy who works hard to make his guests' holiday as great as possible. It doesn't matter what kind of problems you might face here, he fixes it for you right away, always with a big smile.

Tomorrow we are off to George Town (Penang) for two days and then we will be back to Langkawi for our final three days here. Next week we're getting into city mood again, starting with six exciting days in Singapore, followed by Kuala Lumpur again.

Don't go chasing waterfalls...

"...Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to..."

Remember that song by TLC? We should have taken their advice. But we wanted to see the waterfall that was described in the guide book as a geological marvel, so we drove to Telaga Tujuh which is about as far away as you can drive on this island. Once there we found out that it's dry season (no shit Sherlock!) so the only geological marvel left to see was dust and dry mud. Luckily for us we were at least told before we attempted to climb the umpteen steps. Plus we got to see a really cute monkey so the trip wasn't a complete waste.

We had to think fast and come up with a new plan, but if there's one thing we've learned on this trip it's that plan B can sometimes outshine plan A, and this proved to be true again.

With nothing to loose really we decided to stop at the Perdana Quay in Telaga Harbour. Our host Rob had described it as a nice place with a Mediterranean flavor. Usually we try to keep it local when we are abroad, a "when in Rome..." mindset you could say. But we've been in Malaysia for so long now that European food sounded very tempting, and that's how we ended up at a Spanish tapas joint.

The harbor was dominated by a gigantic super yacht named Moecca Douglas. It was the biggest god damn boat we've ever seen and the closest we've ever gotten to filthy rich people. We were so curious about the boats owner that we almost forgot to eat our tapas. Tom Cruise? Kylie Minogue? Nicole Kidman? We hopped to get a small glance of someone famous but all we saw was the seven man strong cleaning team, polishing their asses off. Some of us (no names mentioned) were even considering to go through the boats garbage that was bagged on the dock cause apparently "that's were you find information". While "the other some of us" went on a spy mission with our Nikon D90 and made friends with an Australian sailer. He didn't reveal anything but it's always nice to talk to people from Australia. Overall the day turned out really great and we didn't miss the waterfalls much, we just wish we would have spotted the rich bastard but he stayed incognito.