4/17 Arrival in Penang

4/17/2013 afternoon: The train arrived in Butterworth, on the mainland, around 2pm, marking 39 hours of train travel since leaving Chiang Mai. I got off the train with the couple I'd met (Kristin and Eric), and exchanged Thai baht into Malaysian Ringgits. We dodged some surly taxi drivers, offering to drive us to Georgetown on Penang Island for 57 MR, and instead hopped on a ferry for 1.20 MR. We added a German guy named "Aryan" (strange, I know) to our group on the ferry and chatted with him some. I'm at the point now where everyone I meet has one of three stories and the typical introductory small talk is not really interesting anymore (1. they're backpacking for X months around SE Asia, 2. they're teaching English somewhere and on vacation, or 3. living somewhere in SE Asia temporarily and on a side trip). Aryan was a #1, having recently graduated from college. We wandered into Georgetown after getting off the ferry and we all ended up going to the same area - Chinatown, where all the hostels are.

I stayed at the Old Penang Guesthouse, a very nice hostel that is a historical building, rebuilt after WW2. As the website states, "It is a best accommodation for travelers who seeking for budget heritage stay." Hehe. I checked in, sent off some emails, and went out in search of a quick meal. I went about a block down the street and found a noodle shop, where the guy running the place eagerly recommended some noodles that turned out to be delicious and one of the specialty dishes of the island. While eating, another guy sat down at my table and started talking to me. He was an Indian guy, and eventually got onto the topic of where I was staying and how much I was paying. It turned out he had a guesthouse and I assumed he was going to start trying to sell me something. He never really did, but he seemed sort of shady. He gave me his card and wanted to get together later for a drink, but I managed to dodge him for the rest of the trip. I saw him later that night outside my hostel talking up some other white guy apparently about various day trips he could book for him. After my quick meal, I went for a short run with the remaining daylight. Georgetown is not a great place for running - intermittent sidewalks and no trail along the coastline. I did see a good amount of the downtown area though. I returned to the hostel to figure out dinner.

Penang Island is one of the most interesting places I've been. It has big populations of Malaysians, Muslims (not a nationality but I'd say a distinct culture), Chinese, and Indians, and the specialty dishes of the island really show that. Penang is apparently well known as a foodie destination, with interesting mixes of Chinese soups and noodles, Indian curries and breads, halal dishes, and probably Malaysian elements too although I don't know what those are.

Hokkien Mee

Nasi Kandar

Mee Goreng

 I went to the Red Garden, which seemed a bit touristy and not very authentic. It's a food court, so I found the stand that had the dish I wanted (Hokkien Mee) and then grabbed a table. I ended up chatting with a couple at the next table, the guy from Vancouver and the girl originally from New Zealand. We talked skiing most of the time. After dinner, I wandered around some more and found another food court - this one populated mostly by locals, and I ordered the famous local dessert - "chendal" - which contains shaved ice, some sweet green gelatinous worm-like things, red beans, and some sweet syrup. It was interesting, but not something I'll crave ever again. I wandered some more, up to the northeast corner of the island, then back to the guest house and called it a night after chatting with a French girl (Benedicte) and a Dutch girl (Irene).
 

Chendol