Thursday July 23rd 11PM
Friendly Encounters in Penang, Malaysia
For the first time, without free internet access here as I bed down in the northwest coastal area of Teluk Bahang on Penang island, in what feels to me like a perfect Malaysian countryside ambience…courtesy of my overnight stay at Miss Lo’s guest house. With the little computer though, want to take the time to sketch out some of the fullness of a new day of travel—with such days’ cadences of often waking up and then laying down to sleep in completely new and unexpected places, of frequenting various (and always tasty, so far) foods and the happenstances of meeting new people, local and expatriate. I’m settling into the flow of this type of traveling—I’m hooked.
Malays--Penang National Park
First, this guest house—encapsulated, for me, in a transcendent showering experience earlier this evening without pretense, purpose-of-design or luxury. A walk to the back courtyard with cool concrete under the feet and the sufficiently dim glow of light over the two toilet/shower combination stalls. Pleasantly cool water from showerhead
Miss Loh's guest house shower
like a blessing, thin corrugated steel door, and the light from that single hanging bulb. Post shower, being able to stand sans clothes in the night cooled air outside—no rush to towel off when air drying is that much more satisfying. This is what a shower is supposed to be… The other parts of this place? I wish I could describe to reflect the way it feels to be here; simple rooms with bug nets, open layout of kitchen with a small front courtyard—filled haphazardly with differing potted plants and the other things that accumulate in yards in villages like these. Not trying to be charming or designed and in that sense, being the most. [$20 ringget a night (~7 USD)]
A day of friendly encounters for my second day in Penang.
Friendly encounter 1. Wandering through Chinese markets and eating my way through stands in Georgetown, and then packing up and taking the 45 minute bus ride west past the more developed beach area of Batu Ferringhi on onward towards my destination for the day and evening—Tuluk Bahang; this northwestern part of the island the site of the Penang National Forest and less developed villages. A talkative and friendly Chinese-American family on the bus with me—mom, dad, an older brother and sister—mother originally from Penang and father from Taiwan, relatives in Canada, and the kids a high schooler and middle schooler. A really close parallel to my own family, with the exception, perhaps, in that when I came to Asia as a kid—albeit younger than the two that were on the bus today—I was not nearly as positive as the ‘it’s awesome!’-response I got from the boy when I asked how the trip was going. (Me? I had to be bribed that we were going to Disneyland on the way back, so-I’d-better-behave-and-be-nice-to-the-relatives-who-you-don’t-understand-but-you-need-to-respect-them-and-show-you’re-a-good-son kind of thing).
For the record? I appreciate those visits (to Asia, not Disneyland) a lot more now—thanks mom and dad. 
Friendly encounter 2. So having no real idea where this guesthouse actually was, I had to do some asking around. Conversation with the employees at the National Park office was wonderful (such polite and nice people, here)—so much that after starting to write down the somewhat complicated directions one was giving me, another said that he would drive me to that area instead. Once there, I had to get more specific directions and talking to one woman who was a street hawker, she told a nearby boy on a motorbike to take me there. So on I hop, and off we go to the guesthouse. Pretty lucky and very appreciative, especially in the heat of midday with the weight of my full pack.
Friendly encounter 3. Returned from a full (and hot and humid) day of trekking through the National Park and its Lowland Dipterocarp Forest (hey, it’s from the brochure—to me? My poor description would be it was a lush rainforest-y kind of place). Dinner snacked on street hawker stalls of roti canai and a non-soup laksa dish (rice with curried sauce and a side of egg). Post blissful shower, settling on some charming old and mismatched chairs in front of the guesthouse with book and journal—ending up talking for a few hours to the other people staying here; most of whom are long-term travelers…some having already stayed here for a few months straight, and others moving on to other places at their own relaxed paces. Older and seasoned travelers (and one true hippie)—C. from Holland, P. from Germany, another from Halifax and the one who reminded me most of Ernest Hemingway (or at least his writing) for some reason—solitary, somewhat rheumy eyes of man who has lived, sitting by himself at a small circular table inside the guesthouse, dealing himself a simple game of cards. Shared tea, holding stray kittens and talking about the fullness and shape of peoples’chosen lives.
A good day and evening, and I will miss Penang—taking a bus to Ipoh tomorrow early afternoon.
Friendly Encounters in Penang, Malaysia
Thursday July 23rd 11PM
Friendly Encounters in Penang, Malaysia
For the first time, without free internet access here as I bed down in the northwest coastal area of Teluk Bahang on Penang island, in what feels to me like a perfect Malaysian countryside ambience…courtesy of my overnight stay at Miss Lo’s guest house. With the little computer though, want to take the time to sketch out some of the fullness of a new day of travel—with such days’ cadences of often waking up and then laying down to sleep in completely new and unexpected places, of frequenting various (and always tasty, so far) foods and the happenstances of meeting new people, local and expatriate. I’m settling into the flow of this type of traveling—I’m hooked.
Malays--Penang National Park
First, this guest house—encapsulated, for me, in a transcendent showering experience earlier this evening without pretense, purpose-of-design or luxury. A walk to the back courtyard with cool concrete under the feet and the sufficiently dim glow of light over the two toilet/shower combination stalls. Pleasantly cool water from showerhead
Miss Loh's guest house shower
like a blessing, thin corrugated steel door, and the light from that single hanging bulb. Post shower, being able to stand sans clothes in the night cooled air outside—no rush to towel off when air drying is that much more satisfying. This is what a shower is supposed to be… The other parts of this place? I wish I could describe to reflect the way it feels to be here; simple rooms with bug nets, open layout of kitchen with a small front courtyard—filled haphazardly with differing potted plants and the other things that accumulate in yards in villages like these. Not trying to be charming or designed and in that sense, being the most. [$20 ringget a night (~7 USD)]
A day of friendly encounters for my second day in Penang.
Friendly encounter 1. Wandering through Chinese markets and eating my way through stands in Georgetown, and then packing up and taking the 45 minute bus ride west past the more developed beach area of Batu Ferringhi on onward towards my destination for the day and evening—Tuluk Bahang; this northwestern part of the island the site of the Penang National Forest and less developed villages. A talkative and friendly Chinese-American family on the bus with me—mom, dad, an older brother and sister—mother originally from Penang and father from Taiwan, relatives in Canada, and the kids a high schooler and middle schooler. A really close parallel to my own family, with the exception, perhaps, in that when I came to Asia as a kid—albeit younger than the two that were on the bus today—I was not nearly as positive as the ‘it’s awesome!’-response I got from the boy when I asked how the trip was going. (Me? I had to be bribed that we were going to Disneyland on the way back, so-I’d-better-behave-and-be-nice-to-the-relatives-who-you-don’t-understand-but-you-need-to-respect-them-and-show-you’re-a-good-son kind of thing).
For the record? I appreciate those visits (to Asia, not Disneyland) a lot more now—thanks mom and dad.
Friendly encounter 2. So having no real idea where this guesthouse actually was, I had to do some asking around. Conversation with the employees at the National Park office was wonderful (such polite and nice people, here)—so much that after starting to write down the somewhat complicated directions one was giving me, another said that he would drive me to that area instead. Once there, I had to get more specific directions and talking to one woman who was a street hawker, she told a nearby boy on a motorbike to take me there. So on I hop, and off we go to the guesthouse. Pretty lucky and very appreciative, especially in the heat of midday with the weight of my full pack.
Friendly encounter 3. Returned from a full (and hot and humid) day of trekking through the National Park and its Lowland Dipterocarp Forest (hey, it’s from the brochure—to me? My poor description would be it was a lush rainforest-y kind of place). Dinner snacked on street hawker stalls of roti canai and a non-soup laksa dish (rice with curried sauce and a side of egg). Post blissful shower, settling on some charming old and mismatched chairs in front of the guesthouse with book and journal—ending up talking for a few hours to the other people staying here; most of whom are long-term travelers…some having already stayed here for a few months straight, and others moving on to other places at their own relaxed paces. Older and seasoned travelers (and one true hippie)—C. from Holland, P. from Germany, another from Halifax and the one who reminded me most of Ernest Hemingway (or at least his writing) for some reason—solitary, somewhat rheumy eyes of man who has lived, sitting by himself at a small circular table inside the guesthouse, dealing himself a simple game of cards. Shared tea, holding stray kittens and talking about the fullness and shape of peoples’chosen lives.
A good day and evening, and I will miss Penang—taking a bus to Ipoh tomorrow early afternoon.