Taxi from New Farm to Roma Street (at 4.30 am after being out till one, thanks boys!), bus from Roma Street to Gold Coast, plane (delayed 3hrs, thanks air asia) from Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur, plane from KL to Penang, and taxi from Airport to Love lane.
I know, I know, these days most people would look at this thinking ‘oh shit, thats one hell of a carbon footprint, I better go plant a tree’ but to be honest after 18hrs of transit all I could think was ‘Damn Penang better be worth it’.
And it was. It was fantastic. It was everything I needed and more.
To start off with my hostel was amazing. I’ve heard so many stories about hostels in Asia, from bed bugs and broken air-conditioning to downright hideous sanitary conditions. Red Inn was perfect. Situated on what is touted as the ‘dodgy street’ of Penang, Love Lane, I thought it was actually a great location, walking distance to most things and far enough from the city centre to feel less like a tourist.
On my first day I met two lovely Swedish girls, Hanna and Emilie. They were a good source of knowledge as they had been in Penang for some time, and they were a great source of entertainment too.We went out to Batu Ferrenghi (CHECK SPELLING) the famous beach/resort strip. The stupid bus driver yelled at us and told us to get off the bus about 4 km before our final destination! Jackass. It is not a bad beach, lots of water sports available such as jet-ski, water skiing and paddle boats. For the land lovers they have horse riding, massage and windsurfing. So not really the most relaxing beach but good for absorbing the rays all the same!
I had a man offer to give us a massage who was quite lovely. He was so pleased when I said I came from Australia, ‘A miss, you from Australia?! Australia is all good now, Julia Gillard is in now, with the red hair, John Howard is jogging in Canberra and Kevin Rudd has gone fishing. Yes miss, Australia gonna be good now’.
I was so impressed, but I couldn’t help wondering whether he actually follows Australian politics or if he just has a speech prepared to suck us in!!
All up I stayed 5 days in Penang and it was my first real insight into travelling in Asia on my own. Here’s a few of the things that stood out for me;
Lady boys – They actually do exist! I spotted my first lady boy at the 7-11 on our corner and it took me a few minutes to figure out whether he/she was a woman with really flat boobs or indeed a lady boy. I know now to always check for the adams apple!!
Funerals – There was a street just of China Town riddled with “24 hr’’ funeral parlours AND I happened to witness a procession one day while waiting for the bus. The hearse had a huge photo of the deceased attached to the bonnet of the car and sombre music playing from loud speakers attached to the roof. Bizzare.
3 man – a dangerous yet undeniably fun drinking game introduced to us by the Sweds. A game of chance and two dice, not a good game if you are drinking beer or fizzy drinks.. Albert , the hostel owner, and Wee, Alberts right hand man, got right into it with us a few times and I truly hope it lives on at the Red Inn!! Booooogie Nights!
Hawker markets – the food markets here are just incredible. So many varieties of food from so many different countries. And nothing over 7mr ($2.50 Aus), you can basically get a 2 course meal and 2 drinks for under $10! Fabulous!!
One night I decided to be greedy and tried Eel sushi (not amazing), Satay Ayam (chicken satay, always fabulous), the local Laksa (very nice, different style to the one I make but delish all the same), and Frog Porridge. The frog porridge was actually not too bad. Tasted like chicken...
Rickshaws – I took a rickshaw ride on the last night, pretty much just for the photo opportunity! The man was so sweet and only charged me 5 ringgit and when I insisted on giving him 10 ringgit he started crying! He said that he had just payed all his bills and had no money and was so thankful! 10 ringgit is about $3.50! It’s quite humbling sometimes to think how different our realities really are and how lucky we are.
You are truly welcome in Penang , once called Pearl of the Orient and before was known as Prince of Wales Island
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