Travel blog: Foodies paradise in Pulau Penang
Nick journeys on toward Bangkok
Saturday, 23, Aug 2008 12:00
Nick Claxton has never ventured outside of Europe before but a combination of too many years in London, a lack of proper responsibilities and an unhealthy admiration for Michael Palin now means he is spending a year travelling the globe. A terminally-disorganised 24-year-old taking on the world - solo. Here is his 17th blog entry:
A five minute ferry ride (1.20 Malaysian Ringgit) took me across the Strait of Melacca from Butterworth to Pulau Penang - Malaysia's most populous island and one of the most racially diverse communities in South East Asia.
Most notable is the Chinese influence which throws one further ingredient into the Malaysian mixing bowl. Here in Georgetown, bustling dim sum joints, carved clan houses and the swirling dragon pillars of Chinese temples can be found around the corner from shining white mosques, South Indian banana leaf restaurants or brightly coloured Hindu temples.
So it's an intoxicating place to drink in a constant change of incense and spices, but for the lazy traveller there's an even easier option - crowding into one of the hawker food centres to get sensory overload of everything at once.
You might suppose that this outcrop of Chinese culture in Malaysia evolved organically over hundreds of years, however the source of this particular melting pot lies firmly in the peninsula's colonial past.
Seeking to combat the Dutch control of the regional spice trade from Melacca, the British East India Company acquired Pulau Penang from the ruling Malay sultanate in exchange for the promise of military protection and soon turned the previously unoccupied island into a booming port.
Georgetown was the company's first settlement on the Malay peninsula and it proved one of the most successful thanks to its location on the key trading route down the Strait of Melacca. Naturally, this attracted merchants and sailors from all points of the compass which gave the town a legacy of multi-culturalism that is still alive today.
For budget travellers, the central Chinatown district holds a number of standard fare hostels that will put you in the middle of the nightlife and within touching distance of the sights and smells of the hawker centres.
But there are a few gems that are worth searching out for a more memorable experience, such as 100 Cintra Street's mansion-come-museum-come-guesthouse (dorm 10RM/night, single room 25RM/night).
Its atmospheric panelled walls, creaking staircases and thin mattresses on raised wooden platforms make it perfect for the classic daydreams of Eastern colonialism - it's surprisingly easy to lie back under your mosquito net, listen to the fan whirring above and imagine the spice traders pulling in to dock like Georgetown was still at the height of empire.
Signs of British rule over Penang have eroded since the collapse of empire, but the most obvious remaining evidence is the looming presence of Fort Cornwallis (entry 3RM) that guards over the northern straits.
The fort was built where the city's founder, Captain Francis Light of the East India Company, first set foot on the island in 1786. If you so wish, you can discover the entire history of the fort since then, but prepare for a lot of panel reading. I'd say walking round the ramparts and poking into crumbling corners is more enjoyable - plus the island's history is more entertainingly displayed in Penang Museum (entry 1RM).
Other than the colonial sights in Georgetown, there are a plethora of other attractions listed in the guidebooks such as temples to the Chinese patron saint of the sea and 19th century mansions built by hideously wealthy merchant traders. However, I found Georgetown to be at its best when you trade a map for a menu and graze the stalls in some of the city's hawker centres.
My favourite would have to be the Esplanade Food Centre where you can sample Malay dishes such as rojak, local Nonya cuisine or Chinese dim sum while cooling off in the sea breezes sweeping across the strait. But whether you hit the cheap seats at the hawker centres or settle in for a feast down in Little India, Penang should be a definite stop-off for food fanatics.
After four days of gorging on the weird and wonderful, I was suitably stuffed. By then, I'd also had my fill of Malaysia and was ready for something different once again. Conveniently, Thailand beckoned just a few kilometres north.
I hopped on a bus (30RM), negotiated the border crossing with no hiccups and within minutes of entering Thailand was subjected to the infamous Thai karaoke and a full bus sing-along.
The songs might be bad, but the feeling was a good one as we honked and beeped our way through the scooters up to Krabi - famed for its rock climbing at Rai Leh beach and for being the gateway to the true diver's and sun-worshippers' paradise of Ko Phi Phi.
I found time to explore the fishing villages up the Krabi River and some of the bat-filled caves deep inside the distinctive rock formations erupting out of the surrounding mangrove swamps (longtail boat rent for the day - 180 Thai baht or £3)
But unfortunately, time was short and neither Rai Leh nor Ko Phi Phi could fit into my plans (or my budget!). Soon I was skipping up-country on another overnight bus (650 baht) to meet my sister in the bright lights of Bangkok. Sure, I was jumping ahead of my route slightly to meet Charlie's flight, but we'd be back south soon enough - after all, we had a certain notorious monthly beach party to get to!
Nicholas Claxton