5th december - Penang - Georgetown

Thursday 5^th December

Last night we went to the glorious E &O (Eastern and Orient) Hotel for Happy Hour drinks.  It started off with a decorous four of us – Pete and me (2XS), Jen and Michael (Tigerlily II.)  We expected a few other boatloads to arrive and yes…within half an hour there were 25 of us, crowding out the dignified Farquhar Bar, once the haunt of my current boatfriend, W. Somerset Maugham.

E & O

Most people went into Georgetown for dinner after this.  Pete and I were, apparently, made of sterner stuff and we started walking along the waterfront, towards the marina…a VERY long way…

A mansion behind black & gold gates

It was a beautiful walk, with LOTS of lovely old houses, in various states of repair, to be exclaimed over.  But we got hungrier as the miles went by…and for some reason we rejected every single food source, one after the other, until at last we could bear it no longer.  Too much choice!

We ended up, faute de mieux, at a Korean restaurant, Seoul Garden.  I had a vague recollection that Korean food is very nice.  And indeed it is!  Delicate flavours, fresh ingredients, all just perfect.  We staggered back out into the street, replete, feet aching, and caught the 101 bus the rest of the way home.

In Georgetown - Komtar Tower; old building in need of innovation

This morning I again caught the 101 bus, straight into town.  I wanted to wander the streets of Georgetown alone for a while, and Pete had Things To Do on2XS. Most of the things, he told me when we finally met up at the Chinese Temple bus stop near Komtar (hellmouth shopping mall,) caused him to swear and curse most foully.  For example, he cleared off the bunk in the port aft cabin – it has been a useful storage place for this and that, over the past few months, and Pete wanted it all pristine, for visitors.  Just in case.*  He put the mattress protector on and then carefully went to get a lovely clean new fitted sheet.  He had brought said sheets in his case, all the way back from Hobart in October, because we are short on bottom sheets.  (We do have, to compensate, eight, yes EIGHT, doona covers…)  Cry of anguish #1 when he discovered it was a single sheet.  (There are no single bunks on 2XS.)  He carefully folded it up and went to get another one. Oh NO…cry of anguish #2…yet another single sheet.  And so it went, for the rest of the morning…

One of my goals was to find a post office and to send 20 postcards.  Post offices are a scarce commodity but I eventually found a big central one and lined up patiently.  A lovely PO clerk carefully sold me the necessary stamps, and said, That will be 7.5 ringgits, as he directed me to a little pot of glue to affix them.  7.5 ringgits is about $4…Can you imagine this mail will ever get to Australia??  Maybe on a coastal steamer…

I found some delightful things in Georgetown.

A cat asleep on a chair, looking very much at home.

And my favourite – a knitting shop!  Unfortunately it was closed, but I did love the sign…

Pete and I finally met up, at the aforementioned Chinese temple bus stop, and did a bit of unsuccessful shopping for Pete – he is trying to get his wireless dongle fixed, and had brought his very heavy laptop computer to town in his backback, to get it all tuned in.  Cry of anguish #3…his computer was, strangely, completely flat.  (I say strangely in sarcastic tones.  Pete’s computer battery is always flat…)

We had some lunch and then caught a 204 bus up Penang Hill to look at the fabulous Buddhist temple.  By the time we got there…it was 5.45 and we weren’t allowed in to the inner sanctum.  But it was just wonderful up there, and we saw what we needed to see.

Including this…A random few crates full of…reindeer???

We are finally home from our Georgetown Adventures, and very soon we will sleep for the first time on our new memory foam overlay – SO excited to find one right here in an unexpected hidden factory outlet at the back of the posherella Straits Quay Mall.

At the temple

* Tomorrow I hope to find time, with the co-operation of Captain Pete, to write some sort of timetable for our next few months, so that any friends and relations who are keen to come and join us can make PLANS.

4th December - Straits Quay Marina - Penang Bridge sailpast/convoy

Wednesday 4^th December

Singapore orchids - yet more beauty

This morning we rose far too early for a leisurely Georgetown Day.  But yes there was reason in our madness.  It is, apparently, a Sail Malaysia tradition to have a sail-past under the Penang Bridge.  It seemed as if nothing was going to happen, But Captain Pete spoke persuasively to Sazli at our farewell dinner in Pangkor, and Sazli sent out an equally persuasive email to all sailors, inviting us to meet around 8am, ready to sail in convoy at 9.00. 

Our speccy convoy in the smoggy grey air, on the pewter coloured sea

Traditions should not be allowed to die so easily!

2XS as decorated as possible

We had a feeling that it would only be 2XS…and maybe Tigerlily II, or so we had heard on the grapevine.  But no, there were seven of us lined up faithfully, ready to go under the bridge (third longest in the world.  Apparently…)

I THINK THIS IS THE EASTERN & ORIENT HOTEL - WE ARE GOING THERE FOR DRINKS AT 5PM WITH THE OTHER BRDIGE CONVOY SAILORS

And yes it was fun; we all took many photos of the other boats, and drank coffee as we cruised back up to the marina, ready to start another Penang Day at 10.00.

3rd December - Straits Quay Marina - Penang - Georgetown

Tuesday 3^rd December

Singapore orchids

Straits Quay Marina is very grand.  We are tied up to a pontoon, along with quite a few of our friends all tied up within a small square area, protected by a sea wall.  Lining the waters edge is…a huge, glistening series of shops, restaurants and residential facilities.  The toilets are sparkling; there is a washing machine and a dryer.  (No swimming pool, but let’s not quibble.  As Mercedes, next door to us on SV Forty Two, says, Why do you need a pool when you can have LOTS of cold showers?  Plus a washing machine AND a dryer?)

Last night all I wanted was fish & chips.  I didn’t expect for a moment such a thing would be available, but there were indeed two possibilities – Uncle Albert’s, with haddock and cod sent in from the UK, and another one at the other end of the quay.

Straits Quay is in the waterfront affluent outer suburbs of beautiful Georgetown.  All of the massive buildings around us are built on reclaimed land. 

To Be Restored

Old Georgetown is quite different in character.  We took the bus in from Straits Quay, then wandered around a bit, getting very hungry.  

Another rainy photo...and another building to be restored

Pete chose an unprepossessing-looking streetfront Indian restaurant and ordered for us both.  I had no idea what the meal would be like but golly and GOSH it was fabulous!  He had mutton claypot – I thought the rice was totally delicious, the mutton not so much… But mine was tandoori chicken on garlic naan, with delicious green sauce.  Just fabulous!  We had mango juice with lots of ice and the whole meal came to less than $10, for a taste SENSATION.

I was much happier with a full tummy (I am very much influenced by whether or not I have eaten, and tend to trudge with leaden feet when I am hungry…Pete is much more stoic and much less prone to trudging and whingeing gently.) 

We explored the beautiful old Han Siang Temple, all lovingly restored – Georgetown is another UNESCO World Heritage Site – 

and then went to the ferry terminal to find the hop-on hop-off bus.  We love these free buses and always make great use of them, to orient ourselves in unfamiliar cities.

Colonial splendour - seen through the raindrops

The marina is very close to a large Tesco, so we went and had a quick look before coming back to the boat.

Pete has been searching for yet another fan…

And I have been searching for polystyrene beans for my poor deflated beanbag.  We were both successful – Tesco is our new Mecca!

Tonight we have done our internet business at the Irish pub not far from 2XS, on the marina front.  We have a very lovely waitress, Riza, who really deserves a place in this blog…

(I forgot to say that the reason we didn’t get as much Georgetown Sightseeing under our belts today was because…we started the day at the dentist.  At the other end of the marina crescent there is yet another large shopping area, and a wonderful dental clinic.  I had lost a vital bit of tooth, quite a few weeks ago, and I was very keen to have it fixed.  It wasn’t visible but it was…tricky, and at the back of one of my vital front teeth.  A lovely young Chinese dentist gently drilled and the filled this poor little tooth, and then he did a hi-tech cleaning session.  I HATE having my teeth cleaned…but I survived relatively unscathed, and the whole experience cost around $60.  Pete also had his teeth cleaned, and a few small fillings, and some check-up x-rays, so we are now all tickety-boo in the dental area.)

2nd December - arrival in Penang

Monday 2^nd December

We have arrived in Penang and are very happily ensconced at Straits Quay Marina.

We had many terns to accompany us along the way

And I am far too tired to write any more right this minute.

But all is well – we are safe, and happy, and very pleased have got here before the office shut at 6pm…

But I will say…

Happy birthday to my wonderful brother, and my equally wonderful sister-in-law.  I could have put up a photo with them all wearing onesies*…but I have spared them and here is a nice, respectable family one instead.

* They LOVE their onesies, and are all so goodlooking even these singularly unflattering garments cannot diminish their charm!