Great food, hiking, and a visit with a friend from P-town

ferry crossing into georgetown, Penang.
see all photos »

After a short four hour bus ride from Cameron Highlands, a very scenic 20 minute ferry ride with viewings of some of the most massive jellyfish I have ever seen I arrived on island/city of Penang Georgetown and was kindly introduced to it by a friend of a friend from Portland. Chin Chin-a native of Georgetown- was able to take the time to show me around most of the weekend. I have to admit not having to hire a guide and pay transportation fees was a nice break from all the constant energy of organizing my days all the time. Chin Chin literally chauffeured me around town showing me all the influence of British colonization architecture, to eating the local dishes of Wa ton Mee, Penang Laksa, and fruits of the weirdest texture and flavor. My tastebuds were working overtime with all the wonderful spices of food and flavor. One thing for sure is Malaysian food is very very spicy. Almost every dish has a certain amount of heat that will destroy you if you're not used to eating spicy food. Luckily for the past five months most of my diet has had a high level of heat to it so I had no major problems.

Khoo Kongsi
see all photos »

The first night we caught up with each other over a mug of beer which is close to being a pitcher and talked a lot about how great the city of Portland, Oregon is-Chin Chin lived in Portland for an extended amount of time while working for Intel. This made me miss the city I have been living in for the last five or so years of my life and instantly thought of all the great friends I have to come back too. Then later in the evening Chin Chin recommended an excellent Indian Restaurant where I practiced eating with my right hand off a very large place mat of banana leaf.

In front of the entrance of Khoo Kongsi
see all photos »

The next morning Chin Chin showed me the many temples and mosques that surround Chinatown including the most famous Khoo Kongsi. The ornamentation at this particular mosque was extremely impressive with every corner, wall, ceiling, and pillar decorated with the most finest skill and craftmanship. I imagined the process of carving a block of granite or a section of marble into the images before me. It must of taken so much time, skill, and patience decorating a solid mass into a piece of beautiful art.

Bridge leading to the white sand beach of Pantai Keracut
see all photos »

That night we sampled most of the local food dishes. The chicken satay was absolutely delicious and in comparison to all the many satay I've sampled back home this put it to shame. But on this particular evening I came across my new favorite dish of Char Kuay Teow which consists of flat rice noodles, prawns, cocles, sprouts, egg, Chinese chives, chili paste, and fried over extremely high heat.

Day two I decided to get some activity and hike through-out Penang National Park located on the NW peninsula. The first trail head lead to a beautiful lighthouse located at the very top of the many hillsides. With an incredible view of the surrounding rainforest, wildlife, and ocean I decided to take my time stretching on top of the lighthouse. I couldn't have picked a better day to hike as the sun was out for the most part of the day.

Over-looking Penang from Penang HIll
see all photos »

Day three I came back to the park to finish off part of a trail I had run out of time on the previous day. It lead me through a dense flora of plush greenery making it seem straight out of Lord of the Rings. It was within this experience that I realized nature-in it's most pristine form-gives me the proper energy I need to truly appreciate my existence. The trail weaved up and down and then opened up to a white sand beach linked to a salt/fresh water lake. I choose a rocky point to have a snack and drink of water when all of a sudden I witnessed four white winged Malaysian eagles dive into the ocean only to come up with fish from their massive talons. I sight I will never forget.

On my last day I explored the mountain area of Penang Hill. I have to question whoever named it a hill because the actual elevation climbs up to nearly three thousand feet above sea level making it far from being a hill. After a very scenic but extremely slow cable train ride up the mountain the view opens up to a panoramic scene of the whole city of Georgetown. The views from all the linking trails are spectacular and worth the long wait in line for transportation to and from the base.