Penang

Things in Koh Tao had got a little quiet so I decided to head to Penang for a few days R & R as well as to get my visa stamped for another sixty days.  After some consideration, I decided to fly with Firefly, rather than to take the traditional backpacker's route via train from Chumphon.  For a little more money I can have a seven hour trip rather than twenty seven.

On first impressions the island appears to be very well developed with an advanced infrastructure and a degree of order not always present in may other Asian centres of population.  The capital, Georgetown, has a distinct colonial appeal.  It has been successful in retaining some of this charm in the face of the modernisation that is evident in other areas.  While statistics say that the population is 46% ethnic Chinese on the island,  certainly in Georgetown, this diaspora would seem a lot more prevalent.  There are also some ethnic Indians mostly centred around the Little India area.

I stayed in the Banana Boutique Hotel which is on Chulia Road.  This is a refurbished historical building with a tall entrance hall containing an indoor pond full of Koi Carp.  The rooms were basic and lacking in light, but at least there was a functional television and air conditioning.  The WiFi was another matter.  As usual, this was not functional.  The receptionist wasn't interested whatsoever in doing anything about it.  She said she would look into it and get back to me, but never bothered. I returned to reception and she fumbled around for a bit, but said it would have to wait until tomorrow.  I pointed out that the main computer at reception appeared to be connected to the Internet, but she told me this was on a different line.  Great..  So when she wasn't looking I went into it and found out the password, and therefore had uninterrupted Internet for the duration of my stay.   This did cause some consternation among the other guests who approached me when I was in the bar and asked how I managed to get Internet, and they couldn't.  

The next day I went for a walk in the Clan Jetties.  This settlement was initially set up in the 1800's for migrant workers in the docks.  It comprises a number of dwellings built over the water on stilts.  You can imagine that at one time this was a slum area, but it is far from that now.  Each home seems to have some sort of business attached.  The walkways as well as the building are all solidly constructed from the best of materials.  The inhabitants are clearly well fed and clothed, which makes their appeal for more money to appear somewhat insincere.

The toilet facilities for members of the public walking around are a lot more basic than those in the homes of the Jetty dwellers.

Afterwards, I visited the Mansion House which is now the Chinese Cultural Museum.  It has an impressive collection of Delphware and furniture etc., but little by the way of explanation or information of the exhibits.

That night I wanted to try out a restaurant called Heaven Gate that had a number of good reviews, so with my head full of ideas of a French feast from the online menu, I set off on the 30 minute walk.  I had previously checked on the Internet as to the closing time which was listed as 11PM, which was ideal as I wanted a later meal.  I arrived at 10PM and asked the waiter if they were still open, to which he replied that they were.  There was only one table occupied and the other waiter behind the bar asked me for how many people I wanted a table for.  When I replied that it was just for myself, the kitchen suddenly became closed.  Needless to say I was not very pleased with this situation, which ended badly with me accusing them or being involved in auto-genital sexual manipulation for self-gratification, and even carrying out the internationally recognised sign language appropriate for this occasion.

Things improved when I found myself at the Chinahouse.  This is an amazing place.  It is about three metres wide and about two hundred long, with a open beer garden in the centre. It is obviously two buildings which were back to back being joined together.  It has a restaurant/cafe and one end and a bar at the front.  There are regular gigs here, and this night there happened to be a very inspiring Chinese rock beat combo in performance.  In fact, they were so good, the next thing I knew it was midnight and I was eating crisps from 7/11 on the way back to the hotel.  They weren't even French, but I was happy that I had a good night's entertainment and as looking forward to tomorrow's adventures.

The next day I paid a visit to Fort Cornwallis.

This is a small fort which was originally founded by Francis Light which began it's life as a palmwood stockade when the island was originally known as Prince of Wales Island.  The stockade was later developed into a fort and then subsequently re-strengthened into a more imposing structure in order to protect from the potential invasion by the French, which never happened.  There aren't too many original buildings left, but the powder magazine remains impressively intact, as do a number of the original canon.  

Afterwards, I went to the Protestant Cemetery.  This was interesting in that it contained the graves of many of the dignitaries whose roles had been documented in the history of Fort Cornwallis, such as Governors, military commanders and members of the Clergy.

That night I made up for the previous night's lack of decent food with a visit to "That Little Wine Bar" on the Burmah Road.  This is a delightful little establishment with a reasonable selection of food, and an extensive cellar of wines.  I opted for the baked Camembert, followed by confit of duck then baked cheesecake, all accompanied by a bottle of 2010 Haut Foret Claret, which was unfortunately comparable to the service - uncomfortably long on the nose, and short in complexity and character.    It is worth noting that if you have a Samsung smart phone, typing in "Camembert" can prompt your predictive text to substitute it for "Camel Birth".  Useful in the Libyan Restaurant "Camels 'R' us" but of no use whatsoever in this particular establishment in Penang.

All in all a very pleasant and relaxing stay.