Penang

This is my third visit and Darryl’s second to Penang -the last being 20 plus years ago. Once heralded as “The Pearl of the Orient” – an island state with glistening seas, white sandy beaches, swaying palms and a vibrant multicultural society living in harmony, these days I found it to be more of an island of noisy cars, tall condominiums, patches of public beaches and disillusioned people.
Our first six nights found us at a beach side resort in the neighbourhood of Tanjung Bungah – a town en-route to the popular tourist area of Batu Ferringhi. Filled with condominiums existing and under construction (as were most other areas in Penang) it piqued our interest – who lives in all these high rises? Conversations with  taxi drivers, hotel staff and others revealed that the majority of these buildings are only partially occupied – some at only 10%. Built by developers and sold to wealthy investors there is currently such an oversupply that they sit here empty – unable to be rented. In a land where corruption is rife – development appears to have occurred at whatever cost and with no thought given to supporting infrastructure – sewers and drainage has not been upgraded but rather new builds use existing overstretched systems. What few footpaths exist are haphazard and  broken, roads are clogged with traffic, beaches are privatized and according to one local we spoke to – the younger generation will not know what a mangosteen tree looks like.

On the positive there are still hidden pockets of beauty and if one looks – that quintessential Asian cafe on the beach can still be found. The food is beyond amazing – roti canai, fried keow teow, pork lor bak, chicken laksa, mee goreng and  chendol to name a few of our favourites.  It is here in Penang that we learnt how to use Uber and it was great to spend time with family.
The second part of our visit found us spending three nights in Georgetown – the colourful, multicultural capital of Penang. Known for its British colonial buildings, Chinese shop houses and long colourful history – it always has and still thankfully is, a foodies paradise. Here we spent the days visiting little India, Chinatown and walking among the old buildings situated in the UNESCO listed heritage area. Stopping to look at monuments, street art, museums and stumbling from one food court to the next.

Since its inception as a popular East West trading port back in the 1800’s Penang has always been home to many nationalities – Malays, Chinese and Indians being the majority. It was know for its harmonious multicultural living. Today and I wonder just how harmonious this still is. Segregation with Malay favoritism seems to be increasing.

One interesting thing I feel I should mention is that since the murder of Kim Jong Nam the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at KL airport a few weeks ago – Malaysia appears to be flexing its military muscle slightly. Each day sees fighter plans flying directly over the island and this morning we filmed some large military planes flying incredibly low to buildings above Butterworth. Locals say the planes have only started doing this in the weeks since the assassination.
Overall an interesting, gourmand and due to the strength of the dollar against the ringett, relatively cheap adventure. But disappointment at seeing how development has affected what was once an island gem. Tomorrow sees us once more aboard the train and heading back South towards our next destination Johor Bahru.