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Taking it easy on Penang
Friday November 17, 2000
Penang, Malaysia - I once heard that using the transportation ordinary people use is a good way to judge a country, and by now I have to agree full-heartedly.
Leaving Ko Samui and traveling to Malaysia was one of those experiences. The trip to the Malaysian border was nuts! Just getting from the beach to the harbor on Samui was difficult, and I got there by finding a "friend of a friend" with a car, who would drive me for a fee. Every car owner on that island tries to improve their income by playing taxi. But I got there, and in spite of rough sea and a pretty run-down ferry, I arrived at the mainland (Surat Thani) at 3 am, where they kindly let you sleep on the boat till a decent time.
Moving on from Surat Tani was easy, albeit uncomfortable, as they cram 12 people into minibuses - but that's the fastest way to get to the Malaysian border. I was lucky - I got where I wanted to go. Two Swiss girls in the bus were pretty upset, as they booked the trip further into Malaysia - and it turned out that the bus wouldn't go there. And there are many tales like that around.
What a change to cross the border to Malaysia - I walked there through the nowhere land between the two countries. Suddenly people used the roman alphabet. That meant, I could read street signs! The difference between the two countries was quite noticeable. In contrast to Thailand, most people were speaking English. The whole country made a wealthier impression than Thailand. The bus system was smooth and efficient. To reach my final destination, the island Penang, I had to take a short cab ride, a public bus, and a long distance bus. people were friendly, busses left on time and were neat and clean.
The last two days I spent on Penang, not doing very much at all. Georgetown, the biggest village on the island, is very comfortable, made for tourists, but mostly Malaysian tourists and thus very decent (as opposed to the popular Thailand beaches that were obnoxious). It's easy to meet travelers from all over the world (and I even met one French guy who also went to Suan Mokkh) who are happy to share travel tales over a glass of beer on a mellow summer night. I was lucky - the last day on the island, I also caught the beginning of a local festival!
I only wished I'd had time to visit the Cameron Highlands, but I have a flight to catch in Singapore. And it's the rainy season there, anyway. But then again, it's a good excuse to return to this country!
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Pictures
Click to enlarge
Children prepare the dragon heads for their performance during a street festival
The performance begins with a Taiko concert
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