Penang

Flowers at the Penang Botnaical Gardens

The first day was definitely a rough start to what I was hoping to be the calm before the storm (the new job).  However, homophobic guys and monkeys prevented me from enjoying my first day.  Just some guys I met in the airport were a little mean to me.  Then the monkeys chased while I was alone the forest of the Botanical Gardens.  It was the greatest start to a trip, but it got much better after that first day.  

Shop house along the street.  Shop houses cover the streets all throughout Georgetown.

I stayed in two places in Penang, in Georgetown in the city centre and in Batu Ferrinngi on the beach.  It was nice to move a little on the trip to get a different sense of the whole island.  I loved the city, it had so many of those shop houses, and they were gorgeous!  Bright colours, paint chipping away and such a rustic old town feel.  It was amazing.  Georgetown was nice because it was a city, so you got all the conveniences of a city but it’s not nearly as busy as Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.  There was also a lot of little tourist things to see.  I had a blast walking around the city for a couple days and taking it all in. 

The beach at Batu Ferrinngi

When I got to Batu Ferrinngi, it was to sit and relax on the beach.  I spent one day walking around and checking out the area, and also going to the Toy Museum.  The second day, I spent the whole day on the beach.   It was nice to just sit out there and enjoy my books, music and the sun.  

Sunset at batu Ferrinngi

This trip was super nice too because I met a few interesting people along the way.  I met a girl, Christine, from Germany who was on a German cruise.  But she was just walking around because she didn’t want to do the tours that were offered.  We were kind of following each other because we both lost.  We got to talking and she sounded super cool, we exchanged emails and she was off on her cruise.  I also met a cool local, Abus, has traveled around and he works in the health department for government.  I don’t know what he does exactly, but it involves driving around.  He was super cool and we hung out a few nights. 

Spider-Man at the Toy Museum.  This is the biggest Toy Museum in the world.

Buddhist temple in Penang.  Biggest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

Penang is a wonderful, quiet, quaint, and rustic place. It is a small island so getting around is super easy and the food is amazing!  I love the food!  If you ever find yourself in West Malaysia, head to Penang you will not regret it!