Georgetown, Penang

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After spending an unmemorable day in Kota Bharu on the east coast we headed back across the peninsula to Penang. It was an eight hour bus journey and the driver was a maniac but we eventually made it on to island in the early evening of the 16th.

Penang was an interesting place with some good sights such as the British Fort Cornwallis, the Chinese clan house 'the Khoo Kongsi' and the Kek Lok Si Temple but there were also a frustrating side to the city.

For starters, many of the shops didn't open over the weekend and the tourist info centre was closed the whole time we were here - tourists must obviously take the weekend off here! Also, walking around was a risky activity as the pavements were cluttered with motor bikes, so you had to risk being mown down on the roads with mopeds and scooters zooming past from every angle. The trip up Penang Hill is overrated as the cable cars are jammed with people and once you are up on top, there is not much to see and do.

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On the good side we did see some interesting stuff. The fort was really good with some interesting exhibits on the history of the British in Penang. Also, the Chinese clan house the 'Khoo Kongsi' was impressive which some really ornate decorations. For me, however, the highlight was the Kek Lok Si Temple a few km out of town. The temple had a nine-storey pagoda and lots of impressive buildings. The whole area was decorated with red and yellow Chinese lanterns which made it look very beautiful.

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After two days we decided to head up to Thailand and it was time to say goodbye to Malaysia. We had a good time here - no hassle from the locals and there was a good variety of things to see and do. Now we are looking forward to cheaper beer in Thailand!