Day 87 – Monday 7th April
2014 – Penang, Malaysia
Lying just
off the north west coast of the Peninsular Malaysia is the island of Penang
with its mountainous interior and narrow coastal plain.
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| Penang |
Today the island of
Penang is no longer an island in the strictest sense, as it is now connected to
the mainland by an eight mile long bridge.
The Penang Bridge, is the third longest suspension bridge in the world
and has come to stand as a symbol of success for the island known as the ‘Pearl
of the Orient’.
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| Alongside |
We were
ashore at 10.00; it was very hot and humid, and commenced exploring around the
town of Georgetown.
The first stop was
Fort Cornwallis built by Captain Francis Light who first landed here in 1786 and
built the fort which stands guard over the town.
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| Town Hall |
A short walk
from the fort and we came to the City Hall built in 1903 and presently being
restored while in the same road is the fine imposing building and still
functional, Town Hall.
We headed
for the Komtar, Penang’s tallest building rising 65 storeys and got there by
using the local free bus service which was very educational.
The tower has an observation platform on the
60th floor but when asking at reception on how get up there; we were
shown a notice stating it was closed for maintenance.
Within the
tower and surrounding area, we were once again in a shopping mall. At least it was air conditioned and outside
there was only other shops and stalls to visit.
We found the coffee shop which was part of the same chain which we had
used in Port Kelang, and stayed there.
Another lunch of crispy noodles; the waiter could not really believe, as
I kept on re-ordering hot chocolate (I don’t like coffee).
Back to the
ship in a taxi and the ride was unbelievable, in and out of the traffic was the
norm, up and down back streets, nobody slows down or takes any notice at cross
roads, but we made it back without a bump or a scratch.
Straight
into the Golden Lion for refreshing Speckled Hen, this no alcoholic drinks policy
in certain countries of a different religious persuasion may have an effect on
the tourist trade.
We sailed at
16.45 and our stay in Malaysia was over as we headed out into the Malacca
Strait.
The two ports were interesting
but different from each other, but it is not somewhere, I would like to revisit.
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