Penang a.k.a Georgetown, Malaysia - We took a mini van to Malaysia as we got quite a good deal and there was less chance of us being left behind at the border!!
Our driver was a little crazy (driving wise) but in all seriousness he had to be to survive on these crazy roads!!!!!! The roads in Malaysia actually look very much like ours at home, same signs and road markings I guess. At one point we were on a 2 lane motorway with a car either side of us and one directly infront......arriving alive in Georgetown was actually a blessing!
Georgetown in writing sounds nice and first impressions are it is nice, however we didn't really enjoy our stay here and that was purely because of the local men. They stare and hiss at you, and look at you like you're a piece of meat. Even in broad daylight on the main road we didn't feel safe. Georgetown is famous for its mix of religions, on one street you will find a temple, mosque and a church. Even though they are currently all living together in 'harmony' it really does feel like a ticking time bomb. The fact that Georgetown itself is divided into areas according to religion doesn't really mean that the people here are actually living together at all.
Good things about Georgetown:
1) Love Lane Hotel/Hostel - run by Jimmy and Amy. Jimmy is an older man with plenty of knowledge which he's always eager to share and also has slightly strange pets including his pet (carnivore) fish who he actually strokes by sticking his hand into the tank! Amy is a lovely and ever so slightly crazy, she's very persistant in making everyone drink the free coffee every minute of the day!!
2) Indian food!!!!! Mmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnn because there is such a high percentage of Indian people in Malaysia, there is Indian food available everywhere and it tastes amazing!
