Penang Bang

We took a great little trip to Penang, Malaysia over the 4th of July weekend. While we enjoyed walking around town taking in the beautiful old colonial architecture, the true star of the show was the food. Penang has huge ethnic Chinese and Indian populations, and the food of both of those countries is well represented. Some of the highlights included the best tandoori chicken and dim sum we have ever had. We're getting hungry just thinking about it!

These are some photos of just a few of the meals we enjoyed. The pics of the plated food are from a Chinese restaurant we went to in the main area of Chinatown. We had twice fried pork and stingray in a clear broth with tomatoes, hot peppers, and fresh herbs. Both were fantastic.

The picture of the cafe is the dim sum restaurant. A picked out our dumplings and buns at the front of this place. Not really knowing what was going on made for a crazy and fun experience.



We spent much of the time seeking out little delicacies, but we had plenty of time for exploring as well. We went on walks of Chinatown and the colonial district, as well as a big hike down Penang Hill to the botanical gardens. We were so sore the day after our hike that we had trouble walking. We figured going downhill would be easy!

These are a few photos from some of our adventures. A took advantage of a hat and gun laying around at Fort Cornwallis. K looks like she's growing horns at a temple near Penang Hill. And the two of us take a little break on a bench in old Chinatown.








A was excited by the botanical gardens, because monkeys were running around everywhere.


Just to give you all an idea of where we were, Penang is an island off peninsular Malaysia. It's very close to where we live in Indonesia. We were staying in an area called Georgetown. Unlike most of Indonesia and Malaysia, which fell under Dutch rule, Penang was colonized by the British. The British influence is still palpaple. While much of the area we stayed in has given way to monster hotels and backpacker bars, we were able to stay at some beautiful old guesthouses that have been converted from colonial era mansions. Our final night in Georgetown was spent at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. It was built by a wealthy Chinese businessman dubbed the "Rockefeller of the east". It had fallen into squalid conditions not 15 years ago, but has now been restored to much of it's former beauty. Some truly amazing feng shui elements have been kept in place. Below are some photos of the outside areas. It was a real treat.