Wandering Goose: Penang: "the Pearl of the Orient"

If Malaysia is a model country for multiculturalism, then Penang is one of its prime examples. The city has a rich and diverse history - reflected in its architecture and population - due to the fact that it sits along one of the most active maritime trade routes of human history. Amazingly preserved examples of British colonial buildings make up the heart of Georgetown, where you can find Chinese and Hindu temples mere metres from mosques, churches, and synagogues. And if there is one thing that really exemplifies the fusion and preservation of different cultures across generations in this city, it is the excellent Indian, Chinese, and Malay cuisine that can be found at every street corner. Here, you are really spoiled for choice: tandoori chicken, curry rice, and roti washed down by fresh fruit juice at one of the Indian joints of Little India? Or won ton mee, chicken fried rice, and spring rolls with a delicious iced white coffee from one of the many Malay-Chinese fusion food courts around town? If for no other reason, visit Penang for the food. It will keep you there longer than you anticipated, and make you want to come back, which is exactly why we find ourselves back here today.

We first arrived in Georgetown the night of February 4th, 2015. We settled for a basic guesthouse for the night before setting out the following morning for our destination: the Couzi-Couji hostel. Couzi-Couji is the place to stay in Penang. The owner Alex is incredibly helpful and fun-loving, always has some kind of party planned for the night, and has three kittens that roam about the hostel causing trouble. When we arrived in the hostel we were about to pay for our room, when Alex came up to us, all excited, telling us that a bunch of people at the hostel were going to be going on a cruise ship that night to indulge in all-you-can-eat buffets, the ship's pool, and a lot of whiskey and vodka. We had five minutes to decide. Convinced, we dropped our bags, grabbed our swim suits, and headed off to the boat. That night we ate a poolside buffet, enjoyed the boat's pool and jacuzzi, ate a fancy Chinese food buffet, watched a really cheesy magic show, drank whiskey and played cards for a few hours, caused the ship's security a lot of grief as we snuck in to every pool on the boat (including a secret one spotted from an upper deck), had a late night karaoke session (which also got shut down by security), and finally fell asleep on the pool deck once we were told we would be spending the night in security if we were caught causing trouble once more. And we made a whole lot of good friends while we were doing it. After the fairly dismal hostel scene in the Philippines, Couzi-Couji came as a real relief, and although people don't always enjoy Penang (it isn't the most happening place in South East Asia), those who stay at Couzi-Couji tend to have a pretty good time.

The rest of our time in Penang was spent enjoying all the delicious food the city has to offer and exploring the city's history through its architecture and street art, some of which was commissioned by the city and outlines some of the unique cultural characteristics this city has, both historically and today.

Anyways, here are some pictures.

Part of the cruise ship crew. Including old man Wan in the middle and Alex, the hostel owner on the right next to the random Chinese tourist passing by.