Malaysia

Georgetown, Penang

Thursday 8th – Sunday 11th March

Crossing the land border from Thailand to Malaysia, you are sharply aware that you are in a very different country. Pretty much all the signs are in English, the roads are very modern and so are all the cars. There is an orderly feel here, matched by the endless palm nut plantations that line each side of the road as we head for Georgetown on the island of Penang.  

This is a prosperous country with hotel prices to match so, for the first time in our trip, we are booked into the Penang YMCA (constant humming of the inevitable song from one or the other of us has us in fits as we ask each other: "Where we going to stay?" - Sorry everyone, we are easily amused and can't help ourselves). The 'Y' was actually rather good and, after a freshen up, we went out for beer and food into the old town. 

It's amazing anything old has been left standing because the love of tearing down the old and putting up the new is an obsession with the Straits Chinese who live here. As a result, the old town is hemmed in by the sea and new developments and yet it keeps its own charm intact, with a slow pace and gentle ways.

We visit the Pinang Peranakan (or Green) Mansion - the town house and ancestral hall of Zheng Jinggui, Kapitan China of Perak (don't know what this means but we were impressed), and then the Cheong Fatt Tze (or Blue) Mansion - home of Zhang Bishi, Qing Dynasty Chinese Consul. 

These were both fascinating glimpses into life for the wealthy of Georgetown. 

Built on strict Feng Shui lines, a central courtyard holds a stone in the middle that would have been set there by the Feng Shui master to determine the direction of the house and all the rooms in it. 

 Clever rain collection systems drained down into holding tanks and any excess would flow around the house before it left. (this is because the Straits Chinese believe that, just like money, water should flow in to a house very quickly but leave very slowly).

The exterior decoration is uniquely Chinese. It is made from plain coloured ceramic bowls, imported from a particular region of China. These were then broken up and master mosaic workers created all manner of figures, animals, flowers and scenes from life, in a curved relief. This traditional skill is still maintained here and is both eye-catching and unusual.

There are three dining rooms; one for the immediate family, one for Chinese visitors, and one for foreigners. There are screens for the ladies of the house to observe the visitors. 


Displays of beautifully embroidered shoes were part of a bride's dowry to show her skills with the needle. There were also magnificent bridal outfits, with a bamboo vest to hold the precious, and very heavy, garments away from her body during the marriage ceremony, so that no sweat would damage them but we were not allowed to photograph them as they were too delicate. The embroidery was in brightly coloured silks and gold and silver thread - all utterly gorgeous and Celia had to be dragged away from studying them.

We come across a bride and groom, having endless pictures taken at the Green Mansion and they are happy for us to snap them too. They are small and perfectly formed. It seems everywhere we go we see wedding couples and it is rather lovely.

We moved on to the old Church (closed), the Museum (closed), the Cemetery (closed). We had forgotten that Friday is a common day for things to be shut here.

However, the Chinese temples were open and we visited the Goddess of Mercy Temple, where they have giant (and we mean giant) incense sticks burning outside, producing huge clouds of choking, but sweet smelling smoke. This is combined with all the smoke from the large incinerators outside, that are full of burning fake money that is an important part of any temple offering. By the time we got inside we felt and smelt like perfumed kippers.

Moving right along in the intense heat, we went to see the Khoo Kongsi Clan House, established in 1800, perpetuating Confucian practices. This consists of a complex of buildings and in the centre at the back, is a large temple, fantastically decorated. 

At the entrance are two large roaring stone lions with round stone balls in their mouths. In a side room are many plaques showing who belongs to the clan and what they do, or did, for a living – like the one in the picture who studied law in Bristol. 

There are quite a few of these Clan houses in Penang andthey are still an important part of the life and community in Georgetown.

Exhausted and hungry we strolled into Little India and ate Dosa and curry, served by very jolly ladies. As good as anything (in fact probably much cleaner) than anything you would get in India and incredibly cheap. The fact that it was women running the business tells you that you definitely are not in India – because you would never see that there.

We went then from the incredibly cheap to the monumentally expensive because we had to go to the venerable Eastern and Oriental Hotel (the E&O as it is known) for our ritual drink at the best hotel in town. It's a lovely old and large colonial style building. The bar is old dark wood panelling and serves very cold beer in a marvellously cool room with views out to the water – a welcome relief from the heat.

Then it was off to wandering through picturesque old streets to Dr Sun Yat Sen's house, where there were photos and artefacts relating to his life. He lived here for 4 months in 1910, so there was a lot relating to his activities prior to the revolution in China and his role in it. It was amazing to us that he spent so much of his life outside China as a rebel or exile and yet became the first President of the Chinese Republic.

The house itself was typical of these old 'shophouses'. Single front room, straight off the street. Behind that one room leads into another until about four rooms back you come to the kitchen. There is a balconied upstairs looking down into an open courtyard about half way back. Carved wooden screens divide the rooms with doors on each side, to allow maximum air flow. It is all light and shadow, giving an air of the mysterious east.

Ghosts of a previous way of life fill the rooms and you can almost hear the swish of a silk gown behind a screen, the snap of a fan being closed, the chattering of the maids from the kitchen, the master of the house out on the verandah smoking and chatting with his friends. You feel as if you could reach out and touch that life so recently disappeared,. For a moment, just for a moment, it seems possible, but just as you do so, a mobile phone rings, a car horn sounds and you are back in 2012.

The Moslem women here mostly go unveiled, just a full headscarf and the usual loose trousers and top in plain colours. The Straits Chinese women wear a colourful sarong type skirt and a pretty long sleeved blouse that has a type of lace edging and embroidery. This is usually closed with a brooch or buttons. There are also plenty of women in western dress as well but this is not as common. In Little India you see women in traditional sari or salwar kameez. Sometimes you will see a whole group of women all in slightly different dress, and occasionally one woman with a mix of west and east.

Detail of the Day: Post Offices I Have Known. We do our usual trek to the PostOffice as we have more gifts to send home and it strikes Celia that our knowledge and understanding of the countries we have been to is bound up in our Post Office experiences: India – chaotic, but somehow it works. Sri Lanka – laid back, charming and helpful. Thailand – smooth and efficient operation. Laos – slightly confusing but got there in the end. Cambodia – we didn't try. Vietnam – we tried to get to the Post Office but we weren't able to explain what we wanted. Malaysia – complete breeze.

The next morning, as we have come over all touristy, we have to visit the Snake Temple. There is a cult of snake worship in many places but we haven't visited one before. We are assured that the pit vipers are milked of venom regularly, so that if you did get bitten you wouldn't die! There are also pythons here. The snakes are draped around doorways and on dry branches that are propped up here and there through the complex. 

John decides to have his picture taken with the snakes and Celia stands a good way off, grimacing. The pit vipers are vivid green and black with triangular shaped heads. Somehow they are more scary than the large and seemingly slower moving pythons. There is nothing to tell you what ceremonies are performed involving the snakes – all rather secretive.

Later, we take the brilliant and exciting funicular railway up to the top of Penang Hill, where it is a little cooler. Everything is very orderly and people queue up! It was a hill station and has old fashioned bungalows and pretty walks. 

 We wander through the trees, enjoy the lovely flowers and views down over the island and drink tea on a shady verandah at the Belle View Hotel.

We get back down to Little India, go to an internet café and print our rail tickets for the trip to Melaka tomorrow. Have a chicken tandoori meal (that couldn't be beat) and excellent Chai at the Kapitan Restaurant for 20 Rupiah, before retiring to the 'Y' and getting ourselves together ready for our early morning departure.

Melaka

Sunday 11th - Tuesday 13th March

We caught the 8am train out of Penang for a day's journey down the country, through plantations of dragon fruit, pineapple and of course, palms.

Detail of the Day: The air-conditioning on the trains here is always set to freezing, so be sure to wear trousers, socks, shoes and have a jacket and scarf – at the very least!

Melaka

We passed through Kuala Lumpur at lunch time and then arrived at Tempin, a quiet, dusty town about 30 kiilometres from Melaka. The station was a mile out of Tempin itself and, as we dawdled out of the station, the last available taxi pulled away and we had to walk in to town to find the taxi rank. However, as we had been sitting all day and the weather was fine, a walk was just the thing. This is the time when travelling light comes into it's own and we are very glad we are toting small cases on wheels.

An hour later we had checked in to our hotel on the river at the edge of the old town of Melaka and set out to explore. It's quaint and homely in a different way to Georgetown, less cosmopolitan and smaller. Also, they embrace tourism with both arms. 

For instance, the tri-shaws here are a lucrative income for young men, riotously decorated with flashing lights, loads of brightly coloured fake flowers and anything else they can think of that will attract you to climb aboard and take a tour. This is in stark contrast to the broken down men and machines in Saigon.

Good food is celebrated here and small bakeries producetheir famous pineapple tarts by the ton and expertly market them (and they are delicious). 

 They have old fashioned shaved-ice machines in ancient shops, where you can have any flavour poured over the top. The most popular and traditional topping is fresh coconut and palm sugar syrup.

There are snack stalls selling deep fried plantain and sweet potato, or potatoes cut with an implement that turns them into a long curl, coated in a spicy batter and they are deep fried. Indian snacks abound, both sweet and savoury. Then there are the restaurants and bars selling delicious Malay curries and brilliant fusion cuisine as well.

John tries the local beer and finds it to his liking – although he can't remember what it's called now! Celia finds that they sell red wine that isn't half bad and she can't remember what type it was either! Must have been good.

Later on we stop at the Honky Tonk Bar and Restaurant just off Jonkers Street, run by a Kiwi called Joe and his Malaysian wife Sandra. We eat by the river and watch the boats go up and down carrying tourists and we all wave at each other. Joe is a fantastic pianist and he and John start chatting and before you know it they are having a bit of a sing. Suddenly it's really late and so, with promises to return tomorrow and have a longer singing session, we wend our way back to the hotel, collapse into bed and sleep a dreamless sleep.

The next day, a hotel buffet breakfast of gargantuan proportions awaits us. You can have western food, breads of every description, eggs and so on, but it's all the other stuff that fascinates; rice, noodles, soups, curry, vegetables and then all the things you have no idea about at all. John valiantly tries everything and declares it all brilliant and goes back for more. Meanwhile, Celia notes that the tea is hot and of excellent quality and is consequently in heaven. We head off along the river walk into town and go through a small park with large coloured dancing fountains next to the hotel. It is beautifully manicured and the park keeper and gardeners are working away. 

Under a small pergola are some benches and lying on them are 4 or 5 young men sniffing glue from paper bags. We assume it must be legal, because the laws here are draconian if you are caught with any illegal substances. No one seems to mind them and the security people sit and chat with them. We pass on up the pathway, and notice one area behind the fencing at the river's edge that has not had a make-over. Small shanties sit on boards over a boggy patch of dirty water and you can see some miserable dwellings, so although there is plenty of prosperity here there is also poverty existing cheek by jowl, just like the other places we have seen in S E Asia.

Strolling through the old streets, we are struck by the lovely architecture and prettily painted houses and shop fronts. The Chinese temples are a riot of colour and even the mosques are colourfully decorated. Celia is in search of a Melaka cane to post home but is disappointed. We believe they are still made somewhere but we can't find them, just some very poor imitations. We did see a traditional coffin shop - but no canes.

We visit the Baba Nyonya Heritage museum. They are descendants of late 15^th and 16^th century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago and still a dominat section of Melaka society. This house is still owned by the same family and contains furniture, paintings and clothing from their lives. The kitchen is original and you can see how they cooked and prepared meals. Baba is the term for gentlemen and Nyonya is for ladies. It was well worth visiting.

We climb the hill to look at the ruined church of St Paul and the view out over the town and visit the museum. However, it is inevitably midday and we are doing our mad dogs and englishmen impression again and are as hot as boiled turnips, so we have to retreat for a rest at the hotel in the air con. In the evening we venture out again, grab something to eat and head to the Honky Tonk bar.

Remember Ruben? The Frenchman we kept meeting in Luang Prabang? Well, there he was, sitting at the next table, accompanied this time by a rather lovely blonde girl from Sweden, who told us they had met and fallen in love a couple of weeks ago in Bangkok. It was all too romantic. He is a photographer from Avignon and she is a nurse. They told us they were off to Sumatra in the morning on a ferry and then on to Borneo. We feel rather pedestrian in comparison, as we are just heading for Singapore on the bus!

We share drinks and swap travel lies and then John gets up and sings along to Joe's excellent piano playing. Has he been a crooner in disguise all these years? They sang songs that haven't been heard since Celia was a child at Boxing Day parties at her Auntie Cissie's in Walthamstow. It was especially striking as they were sung with the same gusto as in that small, crowded and smoky room, all those years ago. What's incredible is that we remembered all the words to the songs, but it's better left untold as to what they were. If you were there back then you don't need reminding. If you are as young as Ruben and his girl you would react as they did, which was open mouthed and bewildered – it was so incongruous and quite hilarious and we had a great time.

Melaka is home to a small ex-pat community and you can see how someone could be drawn to the life here and just get absorbed along with the array of peoples and religions that exist side by side. There are English, Dutch, Chinese, Indian, and of course Malay influences everywhere that gives it a unique character. We would have liked to stay a little longer and explore more. However, it's time to pack up and head off to Singapore . . .

Shophouse

Snake Temple

Melaka Houses

 Clan House

That's a long name