7th December - Cheon Fatt Tze Mansion - Paragon Hotel - Penang

Saturday 7^th December

I am not sure what happened to Friday…It vanished in a flurry of activity.

These cut-and-paste porcelain designs are just glorious

After a few domestic chores we took our favourite 101 bus into town (brrr brrr too much aircon!) and made our way to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (aka The Blue House)  in Lebuh Leith.

Everyone raves about this mansion.  My friends Pauline and Elsa have stayed there, and inspired me at least to go and have a look.  Lonely Planet says it is one of the 10 greatest mansions in the world.  And yes indeed, it is, as my little brochure says, legendary and awe-inspiring.

Wrought iron from Stoke-on-Trent - no expenses spared

It was built by an extremely rich man; a rags-to-riches story, starting with a very fortuitous marriage to the boss’s daughter at age 19.  This bride was Number #1 of 8 and he, apparently, only ever loved #7.  She is named in the will, along with his six sons.  Nobody knows how many daughters he had  - they were not important.

We had a lovely (retired) Belgian guide, who was full of knowledge and enthusiasm.  Everything about the mansion is designed along Feng Shui principles, so it is very pleasant to be in.  It was the first restoration project in Penang, and has been done with great love and care.  The tour only lasted one hour; it all went very quickly.

We got back to the marina, after a lively time in a taxi with a very friendly driver who couldn’t really speak English but tried to nonetheless… He couldn’t read a map either, or understand the written address Pete showed him.  “I didn’t like schoolie,” he proclaimed.  “It was lousy!”  Pete wanted to take his computer dongle to the Maxis mothership because nobody in the smaller branches could tell him why it isn’t working.  Oh yes!  Our driver, full of enthusiasm, set off at a rate of knots in entirely the wrong direction.  He knew which hotel we wanted to go and stay at!  Eventually we got him turned around and heading correctly.  Pete spent twenty minutes with an efficient young woman who told him, in effect, that his dongle isn’t working because it is Indonesian… Oh well…

We got back, through thick peak hour traffic on our 101 bus, just in time for me to have a lightning-swift shower and rush out to the Straits Quay foyer to meet Jen and Kerry (Tigerlily II).  We were meeting a rallygroup at the Ocean Green restaurant at the back of the Paramount Hotel, on a lovely little beach. 

It was a great evening, with beautiful food arriving at frequent intervals, lots of chat, lots of laughter.  At the end of the evening a very cheerful Chinese man from an adjoining table came to join us – Australians!  Aha!  He burst into song – The Carnival Is Over!  He had the entire oeuvre of The Seekers down pat.  One of his friends came to take him away, gently, just as he was beginning on his Rolf Harris repertoire.

 It is yet again the 7^th of December and therefore – my beautiful mother’s birthday!

My mother Gina with her eldest grandson Michael

I have just spoken to her on the phone; she sounds well and is going to have a quiet day, although at 4.30 random family members are coming for aperitif… Monique, Leah, Mark, Elektra (2), Jacqui, William, Liam.  Not a bother at all!  On this rally I meet lots of very nice women, French speaking or otherwise, who are very interested in my mother.  I always “introduce” her by way of some very nice photos which live in my iPad, and they are always mightily impressed.  I am very proud of her!