Day 63 (Penang)

Farewell Thailand, hello Malaysia!

Our first of two stops in Malaysia was the island of Penang which is separated from the mainland by a 13km long bridge. The guide for Malaysia was a hoot, the guy came out with the most random stuff in addition to all the really excellent historical information he shared. We passed a Tesco on our way into Penang that sent him into a chorus of 'Tesco, Tesco, Tesco' in the way you expect a Japanese tourist to be singing 'photo, photo, photo' when on holidays. He explained that Penang was heaving that weekend with every bit of accommodation in the place fully booked because there was a big celebration for the feast of St. Anne that was at it's height the next day and attracted people from all over.

When we got settled into the hotel we went in search of all the historical sites he had been explaining on the way in. Of course we got horribly lost and then distracted by a shopping centre boasting a Starbucks (I'm having severe coffee cravings even though I've had practically none in weeks) and a McDonalds that was calling to the girls. There was also a cinema there which we went to check out once I mentioned that Ice Age 3 was out and I'd heard good things about it. That was the end of looking for the historical sites, instead we were cooped up in the air-con'd cinema for the evening. After the movie we went for some traditional food in a restaurant in the shopping centre before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the next days drive. It wasn't too long, and for once we had a couple of hours break during the day to have a look around Kuala Lumpur.

The hotel had a limited number of postcards and ran out of stamps so apologies if you normally get a card but don't this time...I had only a couple to send. I'll hook you up in Indonesia ;)