Around Penang

In the basement of our hotel, there’s a restaurant, so we headed down there for breakfast. It turned out that the place isn’t very popular, so we found ourselves alone in a dimly lit basement restaurant. We decided to try out the local mode of transport, a bicycle rickshaw, to get to China Town. Our driver was ancient, and we got overtaken by pedestrians, but he kept his spirits high and pedaled along as best as he could. Later, when we wanted to head to Little India, we opted for the bus instead. The buses with a sign in the window saying George Town are free. In Little India, we bought some traditional sweets that surprisingly tasted really good. After walking around for a bit, we encountered a beggar, and we gave him our sweets. While exploring the city, we passed a large department store where I picked up some protein powder since I still didn’t have much of an appetite. Jan had been feeling some tingling and irritation in his lungs over the last few days, so we decided to see a doctor. The doctor mentioned that the heavy air pollution in the bigger cities could be the cause of his breathing issues, so he got some pills to help with his airways. The diagnosis was temporary bronchitis. In the afternoon, we took a taxi up to Penang Hill, and our driver drove past a prison that you can actually visit. It’s often a good idea to bring gifts like food or clothing to the prison since the inmates don’t have much. To reach the top of Penang Hill, you need to take a train, which costs 4 RM round trip per person. On the way up, you might spot some monkeys if you’re lucky, and the view from the top is really stunning. Up there, we got our first big impression that we were in a Muslim country. We hadn’t really noticed it in the city before. Penang Hill is a tourist attraction, so many Malaysians on holiday come here. This was our first significant encounter with the Muslim culture, which struck us as amusing in some ways. For instance, the women had quite a challenge when it came to eating. They had to maneuver their food all the way under their veils to reach their mouths. Besides observing the Muslim dining habits, we also visited a small zoo with parrots that said, “Hallooo.” On the way down, we chatted with a couple of Dutch girls who were traveling around for a year. In the evening, we dressed up nicely and set out to find City Bayview Hotel, which has a revolving restaurant with a view of the entire city. The hotel was really nice, and the buffet only cost 33 RM per person. The food was set up in the center, with tables arranged in a circle around it. In 45 minutes, the restaurant made a full rotation, allowing you to see the entire buffet just by sitting at your table. After dinner, we went downstairs to play pool, and to my surprise, I won a game. Most bars in Malaysia have a Bob Marley theme, and this one was no exception.