I fly into Penang because I want to avoid all the insurgents and trouble in the south of Thailand. If the Bangkok Post is to believed, the pulling-up of train lines is now a regular occurrence. It's not only the west that has this problem.
The island has been described as "The Pearl of the Orient" - I'm not sure about that, but I only spent 2 nights here and both of them were in the capital Georgetown. Immediately upon arrival i can tell this place is different to what I'm 'used' to. Women wearing black burkha's, wanted signs for terrorists (one of the photo's was a guy in a military uniform with a patch over his eye and could have been a baddie in any western film, I couldn't help laughing when i saw it), and a distinct lack of touts and hawkers...
...so far anyway.
Penang like Malaysia is celebrating "50 years of nationhood" - i.e. 50 years of not being ruled by Britain. The influence is obvious, not least the driving on the left and having 3-pin plugs. This proves a slight problem for me, as i only have 2-pin plugs. I took a hint from my hotel: pretend you have an earth pin by sticking a screwdriver or something similar in the socket and then you can put a 2-pin plug in...I kid you not. In fact Penang is nearly as multi-cultural as we are: from China town to little India, although the Islamic influence is strong, just like the booze. Alcohol isn't everywhere, but it's certainly accessible, and much to my delight generally comes in the form of Danish strong (8%+) beer. So it's harder to find, but affects you more.
I can't say that i think much of Georgetown; it's pleasant but not really interesting enough for more than a couple of days. It also has a ladyboy problem. I've said before that I'm a ladyboy magnet - i go to a cafe in what's the towns main shopping complex (past it's best I think) and somehow unknowingly pick what is the probably the only cafe in the country run by ladyboys. Then on the way home i get 'propositioned' (you know what i mean), by 2 of the ugliest ones I've ever seen.
Why me?!!!!
