Gong Xi Fa Cai
This is to wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year on 31st January. Penang is the place to be for festivals as there are so many cultures and nationalities here. We are in the middle of Thaipusam, a Hindu festival that consists of a silver chariot carrying a statue of Lord Muraga being pulled through the streets with devotees smashing coconuts and having baskets of offerings blessed. We got up early yesterday to watch the procession in Little India which was fantastic. Today was the day that the followers attach kavadis with metal and wooden hooks through their bodies and walk to the main temple. Would have loved to go and see this but we are leaving tomorrow for N Thailand and Burma so had to get things ready. Sad that we will miss the New Year celebrations.
My friend, Carol who finally arrived safe but tired after her emergency landing in Azerbaijan and an 18 hour delay on the ground, loved all the sights of the Chinese New Year decorations going up around the city, particularly the paper pineapples. We showed her the main sights of Georgetown. Together we discovered a large modern temple near the Clan jetties with odd altars full of Guiness and cigarettes!!! , we drank coffee at the China House (a group of adjoining Chinese houses with bars, restaurant, a performance space and a good ambiance) and visited the Kek Loh Si temple complex. This is the largest Buddhist temple complex in SE Asia and spreads over 3 levels on a hillside. Our canny taxi driver dropped us at the top so we made our way down the hill. Preparations were under way for the New Year but also a lot of building work being done. Enjoyed the visit as the gardens and views are spectacular. The temples and pagoda are gaudy but very colourful. Everyone was buying wishing ribbons for the coming holiday including me but not sure what l should do with them! We enjoyed sitting on the terrace of the Bellevue Hotel on Penang Hill. The gardens are beautiful even if the hotel is rundown. We caught a local bus back and l saw lots of streets l hadn't seen before. We ended our day be going to a local place for foot reflexology. My feet are still recovering from the pain!!! We took Carol to eat at some old favourite places - Red Garden, Bali Hai, Kapitan and dim sum at Tai Tong. When Carol was delayed Kevin and l went to a very local place, Sup Hameed whose speciality is bull penis soup - sup torpedo. We didn't try it. We also visited the local market on Jalan Penang and the overgrown Protestant cemetery with some Chinese graves in one area.
Two days after Carol's arrival, we flew to Kuantan on the east coast of Malaysia. The jungle comes to meet the ocean on this side of the country. We thought we would all catch a nasty infection from our Muslim taxi driver who kept clearing his throat and then spitting outside his car door. Gross!!! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on the beach. We have been there several times for the location on a white sandy bay. The hotel is being renovated which it needs. Carol had a fruit bat living in the rafters outside her room!! We sat round the pool and it started to rain. Managed to enjoy drinks at the Sampan Bar, a wooden boat full of Vietnamese boatpeople that washed up in the 80s on the beach. Ate outside the hotel that night. We were a bit dismayed at the fast food joints that have sprung up nearby but we found a local place. The next morning, the heavens opened and the rain and wind didn't stop for 24 hours. The hotel is very open to the elements so we bunkered down in the lounge, chatting about the cons of visiting the east coast at monsoon time and drinking coffee. It was impossible to consider going out but we Brits are good at the Dunkirk spirit. The next day was dry but overcast so we set off to sample the delights of the town. We walked around a place not really destined for pedestrians and discovered all sorts o f interesting Muslim and Chinese businesses, a wonderful mosque and 2 hawker centres. We tried 2 local bars while we were in Kuantan. As the Muslims are teetotal,they were owned by an Englishman and a Chinese man. All interesting experiences !!! Don't think Carol saw Kuantan at its best as the place transforms when the sun shines. We left early for a 3 hour taxi ride to Mersing. Breakfast was a local affair at the port. We caught a speedboat ferry across to Rawa. We were bounced up and down as the sea was very turbulent. However, as we approached the island, all calmed down and the sun came out. What a beautiful island. It's tiny with 2 small resorts side by side although the owners don't get on. The island itself is owned by the Sultan of Johor. We stayed in a waterside bungalow which is on stilts on the sea. It is the nearest boat experience that you can have, while on dry land. We realised that we had the resort to ourselves as it is low season. There was a lot of work being done in the resort both building and grounds. We initially found it odd but soon got used to moving aside for a digger full of earth shoring up the waterline. It was bliss having the beaches and sea to ourselves and Kevin now has a designated hammock. The staff were lovely to us and the food was very good. Peacocks roam the grounds including 2 albinos. We managed to climb up to the vantage point through the jungle. We are returning in August and l think we will resent sharing with other people!!! The 30 minute ride back to Mersing was smooth.
Carol is now safely home and we are leaving this weekend for Chang Mai and Chang Rai in N Thailand followed by 2 weeks in Myanmar. We then need to go to Bangkok to get visas for India but will have to watch what develops politically. We will be back in Georgetown around 18 February. Til then.... Let us know your news.... Xx