Craig's List: Penang, Malaysia
1. We experienced our first and last tendering operation during the voyage. Our lifeboats were turned into tenders transporting 100 people at a time from the ship to the dock and back again every half hour. We were bumped from our initial anchorage due to to the arrival of a Cunard ship on its' maiden around the world voyage that started in New York.
2. I found Penang to be a wonderful city with a nice blend of character and charm, great food and reasonable prices. The climate is similar to Florida- except it seemed more humid especially in the Penang National Park where we spent a day hiking in the tropical rain forest. We saw a variety of old growth and recent growth specimens as well as heard quite a variety of tropical birds unlike I had heard in other places. We took a skiff from the park over to Monkey Beach to meet some residents after whom the beach was named. Stacey was almost cornered but managed to escape unharmed.
3. Starting at 7:00 p.m. at various locations in the city, night markets emerge to address the shopping needs of traveler's and natives alike. The night market we spent most time in was said to have 1000 vendors in stalls lined up along a main street for two kilometers. Coupled with the vendor stalls were many outdoor food courts that offered tasty wares from 15 to 25 hawkers preparing and selling a rich variety of foods. We were told in advance that Penang street food is excellent, cheap, and safe to eat. We discovered for ourselves that all three descriptions are correct! I only regret that the hawker food was not as available throughout the day so I could eat breakfast and lunch there as well as dinner. Yummm.
4. On Easter, we visited two Buddhist temples across the street from each other. One was the Dhammikarama (constructed by the Burmese) and the other was the Wat Chayamang Kalmaram (constructed by Siamese). During our visit, we received a family blessing from a Buddhist monk in residence during a Buddhist Water Festival. In the evening, there was an Easter service developed and conducted by students on board the ship. No Easter egg hunt or Easter baskets but a few chocolate bunnies did find their way on board. The birthday of Muhammad was being celebrated throughout March so the mosques were crowded and surrounded by lots of security personnel.
5. We stayed off ship for two nights in a wonderful resort on the beach. Didn't do too much except chill. It was nice to have a break from the ship, but it was equally as good to get back on board. Penang and Malaysia in general certainly holds a place at the top of my list to visit again. The blend of Chinese, Thai, and Indian cultures is fascinating and makes for an inviting combination of interesting experiences that merit further exploration.
6. We bunkered in Singapore today- receiving fuel and supplies as well as Vietnamese immigration officials who will be traveling with us to Ho Chi Minh City. We haven't had much time between ports so considerable effort is needed to wrap up one port and prepare for another. Forty-three parents will be joining us in Viet Nam to connect with their children and travel to points north and into Cambodia. We will be hanging out in Ho Chi Minh City and are looking forward to some wonderful Vietnamese food along with some visits to places significant in the Vietnam war. Stay tuned......
Penang, Malaysia: Stacey
Penang, an island, is the California of Malaysia. It is connected to peninsular Malaysia by ferry service and the Penang Bridge. Kuala Lumpaur is the nation's capital, located on the peninsula in West Malaysia. Four hundred miles across the South China Sea is East Malaysia on the island of North Borneo. Malaysia is very diverse religiously, ethnically and linguistically. Fifty-eight percent are Malays of Islamic faith and the 26% Chinese are Buddhist, Confucian or Taoist, with the remainder being Indian, Pakistani and others, some who follow the Hindu faith.
The country is famous for it's production of natural rubber and tin. Fifty percent of the world's palm oil is produced in Malaysia. "Vision 2020" is the Malaysian government's plan for full economic development. Sector's targeted for growth include the aerospace industry, biotechnology, microelectronics, and information and energy technology. Roughly 5000 international companies have located in Malaysia because the business infrastructure is so conducive to world trade.
Our port city was Georgetown in Penang. We tendered to and from the ship while in Penang, exploring the city the first and last days and hiking Penang National Forest the second day. We took a break from the ship and stayed at a Shangri La Resort on Batu Ferringhi Beach for a couple nights. Batu Ferringhi is a world renown beach retreat with a fine collection of five star hotels and resorts. Each evening begins a night market along the street with many crafts and things for sale. As with all over the world, many of the things for sale were made in China and India. Batik fabric art and pewter are some of the things actually made in Malaysia.
"Hawker food" is the thing here. These are street vendors that are found throughout the city and in a sort of food court where many tables and chairs are surrounded by a collection of stalls with cooks preparing fresh food cooked to order. This was my favorite slice of life in Malaysia. The food was great and very inexpensive at these hawker stalls and food courts. Tiger is the Malaysian beer which is quite good.
Singapore was included in the Federation of Malaysia for a short time until they withdrew in 1965 and became an independent state. We departed Penang late so we could sail faster (to avoid pirate ships) as we went south along the Strait of Malacca. Today we bunkered in Singapore to refuel the ship. Singapore offers fuel at significantly reduced prices and has become the place for many ships to stop for fuel. The port was bustling with ships of all kinds and provided quite a show of fighter jets doing maneuvers and flying in formation over the port area.
Stacey -March 25, 2008
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