Adventures in Asia: Penang, Malaysia

Penang's transit service, RapidPenang, offers a bus route called "CAT" (Central Area Transit) which tours the UNESCO World Heritage portion of George Town, which is made up of European (especially British), Malaysia, Indian, and Chinese influenced neighborhoods.  We rode this first thing this morning, and got to see many of the famous sights of George Town, including what's left of the old British fort, the Supreme Court, St. George's Church (oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia), and City Hall and Town Hall (I'm not clear what the difference is, but they're distinct buildings).

Then, after dropping off some laundry at a place in Little India, we took another bus an hour east to one of Penang's most famous beaches at Batu Ferringhi.  We spent an hour and a half there, strolling in the water and relaxing and reading on the beach.

It was a remarkably quiet and pleasant afternoon.  There were a few people here and there, but mostly it was very empty.

Today, and since we've arrived in Malaysia, really, the weather has been much cooler than in the other countries we have visited.  The highs have been in the low to mid-thirties, instead of 40 or 41 as everywhere elsewhere.  The lows are still in the high twenties, which has been the case in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, as well.  

Of course, this means it is still plenty warm enough to be on the beach, but thankfully not so hot that it's too hot to be outside during the afternoon.  Interestingly, two men we met on the ferry over from the mainland told us that El Nino has brought a heat wave to Malaysia.  They were eager to convince me that usually it's even cooler than this. 

Later this evening, after dinner at a cafe, we walked over to St. George's.

Then we headed into Little India so I could pick up the laundry.  Little India seems to be especially bustling after dark, with sari and video and jewelry stores appearing to be especially popular.  

There were even almost a dozen people standing in the street on the street in front of one particular video store watching a Bollywood movie on a TV mounted outside.  I also had to dodge a cow patty outside of the Hindu temple at one point!  Interestingly, we were walking through Little India as we heard the call to prayer from a nearby mosque--a bit of a glimpse of the multiculturalism Malaysia, and especially George Town, is famous for.