Due Vagabondi: LANGKAWI & PENANG Islands

If you are looking for an island-hopping paradise Malaysia is the country to head for. There are 878 islands here, much renown for their beauty. We will likely only manage three of them on this trip as we want to see the mainland and Borneo as well as having some island time.

An early tip re. Malaysia is to always carry your passport as some attractions allow senior rates even for non-Malaysians. The rates are usually half-price.

Langkawi and Penang Islands are the first two stops on an itinerary that looks like the map below. The less well-known Pangkor Island will be a stop later on after the Cameron Highlands.

Langkawi Island

If you love the stories of ancient myths and legends, Langkawi is the place to be. A few are found here: 7 Langkawi Legends from the Blog: Rolling Grace

With lots of time to stroll the town, it has a good feeling about it. People smile, greet you, welcome you to their country and have a bit of a chat. The whole island of Langkawi is duty-free which is an interesting concept. You could completely furnish and equip a home with all of the products available in the duty-free shops, not to mention stocking the kitchen, bar and your clothes closet, music needs and kids' room. There are products from around the world.

The main beach:

First views of the beach.

This beach is so lovely that we spend a day walking its considerable length going into the beachfront resorts until we find one that is reasonably priced and plunk down enough moola for a week.

The balcony faces west so a shower after the beach, watching the locals play soccer, followed by spectacular sunsets, late evening dinners in town and a bottle of wine to watch the moon, stars and squid boats on the horizon become the routine.

Many people rent scooters to explore the island. We prefer daily walks, the beach and swimming.

We spend some time with a lovely couple and their pre-school aged daughter. She's from Quebec and he's from Italy. They are about 5 months in Canada living in an RV, 2 in Italy and 5 travelling every year. Nice balance.

A visit to the free rice museum is one of the few attractions that we take in and is more interesting than expected. Walkways through the rice fields get you there.

The equipment used from seeding to harvesting to grinding is on display. There's also a collection of fishing baskets.

There are some beautiful watercolour paintings of rice fields hanging on the walls.

Kite

Langkawi - Random Photos

Wandered into the very exclusive Dash Resort on the beach one day. Loved their funky statues and plastic furniture around the grounds and little figurines in the lobby. Felt like we were in a comic book.

A hazy afternoon on the beach

A PINK evening on the beach

Ah, Langkawi, we enjoyed your hospitality and food; and we recommend you to anyone heading to Malaysia looking for beach time.

Penang Island

After so much beach time on Phu Quoc and Langkawi Islands, we are ready for a city hit. Georgetown as the capital of Penang is a great place to start. There is the colonial heritage to explore that is entwined with the Chinese history; Little India; Armenian Street and so much more that brings together the multiple cultures found here.

Ah, but there is deception in the title, we really only explore Georgetown. The remainder of Penang Island is for another trip.

Our first accommodation is in a three-story mansion owned by a young Chinese couple. We are the only guests and they both work away from the house so we are alone in this huge space. As we prepare to leave them, their staff are getting the house ready for the Chinese New Year. All of the 7 bedrooms with their en-suites will be in use for family arriving from near and far for the celebrations.

The collage below is simply of the kitchen/dining; stairs up with bar below and living room. There are two bedrooms, multiple bathrooms and a laundry/storage space on this ground floor. There is an outside patio that leads to a one-room shack with outside bathroom for full-time house-keepers which they don't have at the moment. The ancient belief that its bad luck for "the help/servants" to live in the house, remains strong today.

Our second accommodation is two blocks from Little India and is this amazing, modern and skillfully decorated (in a minimalist way), walk-up apartment that provides every comfort a traveller could want (well, minus a washing machine and a hotplate). There are three bedrooms with shared bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. We are the only guests for all but one night.

In Little India, we are mesmerized by a man in a street-side flower shop making garlands. His hands work like lightning wrapping tiny flower buds with thread to form circles that are then layered into the garland, then shaping and adding other flowers as he chooses. The Hindu culture in particular uses the floral garlands. Many stores sell garlands made from fake flowers, which may say something about a lost art form or perhaps about the expense of real flowers.

The fifteen-day Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration of the year. Lions are coming to the temples to bless them; orange lanterns are everywhere; huge joss sticks burn day and night; fireworks and bangers are relentless background noise, and red envelopes for money hang on and around doorways. 2020 is the year of the Rat ... but seriously, he looks like a cute mouse.

Enormous commercially made joss sticks

They burn for days

We are told that Laksa is the dish to eat in Malaysia. It was born through time, love and the inter-marriage from a mix of the cultures here. Many eateries serve it: from street pop-ups to cafes, to high-end restaurants. The Internet has many recipes, some claiming to be authentic with long lists of ingredients and much arduous labour, to others that offer simplified or speedy versions. It is indeed a tasty meal that lives up to its reputation. This blog has a short, but entertaining read on Laksa: About one of the most remarkable dishes in the world

All of Malaysia is considered a foodie paradise and much has been written about it elsewhere. There is likely food from most places in the world and the local Malay food is delicious. If you're planning to go, treat yourself to as many new foods as you can find, or your stomach can hold.

One of our favourite days is taking a big city bus for about an hour and a half to the Penang National Park where we hike in the virgin jungle. The ride costs less than $3 for both of us and runs every 15 minutes. The road is curvy and our driver thought he was in a sports car. A baby in a stroller who howled the whole way as he was tossed from side to side had my complete sympathy.

End of the blue line on NW coast (left photo) is the Park location, while on the right is the trail map for the Park that we are given only after presentation of our passport and signing into the hiking log, in case we go missing.

Hiking is free. It's hot and humid so there are warnings to carry lots of water. There are some free wild-camping spots available. It's bring everything you need as there's only water for sale in the park and its pack-in/pack-out. Mosquitoes are the most common wildlife after dark. No fires allowed on the beach. Turtle beach is lovely but its too dangerous to swim here as the shore drops off abruptly to a depth of five feet and its too hard to get out of the sea. People have died trying.

Of the three main hiking trails here two are closed. Perhaps if an entrance fee was charged there would be money for repair and maintenance. We do the main trail to Turtle Beach and a lesser trail. Boat operators are eager to take you to the head of Monkey trail that's closed or to the entrance if you're too tired to hike back. The other trail that's not available is the canopy walk.

Birdsong and the song of the cicada accompany us and monkeys track our progress from above. It feels good to be out in nature and the up and down path gives our lazy beach legs a good workout.

There is a turtle sanctuary here

The clan jetties of Georgetown reaching out to the sea on stilts are a fascinating part of history here and the descendants still live and/or work on the jetties, keeping them vibrant. They started out as piers in the harbour to load goods onto sampans. Competition for business became fierce between the clans, so living and working together on the piers made sense. Six of the original seven jetties remain. The residents of the jetties did not get water and electricity until 1957,

The contrast of old and new and a place of worship on the jetties

Clan Houses

Surely the immigrant services offered by many governments today are modelled after the Clan Houses here. A newcomer would arrive in Georgetown and would first seek out a House of his Clan, or kongsi. Here he would meet new friends, get help finding accommodation and a job, have a place to relax after work to smoke opium and play mahjong, learn a new language and how to get by in this strange new land. Once working he would be expected to contribute to the Clan House as money was needed to help with school fees for children and to support widows. Several of the kongsi's are open for the public to tour. We visited the Khoo Kongsi Clan House and it really is a must to see.

Khoo Kongsi Clan House

Wikipedia has a complete history of the house. In short, the forefathers came from Fujian province and were wealthy traders of the 17th. Century in Malacca and Penang. It was built in 1851, burned down in 1901 and rebuilt from 1902 to 1906. The building is known for its ornamentation and for the exceptional woodwork by craftsmen brought over from China. Today Chinese operas are still staged in its theatre on the 7th. month of the lunar calendar.

This beautiful place is another must-see for its beauty and history.

These colourful trishaws are everywhere throughout Old Town, waiting to take you on a tour of buildings, street art, temples ... whatever you like. They don't look easy to pedal. There are two bus routes in town that are free and regular city buses. We never did figure out either for some reason, so we did a lot of walking ... and one day did a Hop-On, Hop-Off (HOHO) bus tour. The buses that go out of town to temples, parks and villages on the other hand are easy to figure out and very inexpensive, as are the long haul buses that go from town to town.

Amongst other things the Historic Trail of the UNESCO-designated old town has a map of the businesses of 23 different skilled tradespeople of the old trades that you can visit. Some of the tradesmen have passed on but their work remains on display, such as the lantern-maker. We saw the sign-board maker, the wooden blind maker and others. Many of these people have tiny workspaces with living spaces behind or above. You can only marvel at the amazing work they produced under such conditions.

From one sign artist to another

Most fascinating to us was the joss stick maker. At 92 years of age, Mr. Chuan is the oldest joss stick maker in the world and one of the last left who makes them by hand. Today's joss sticks are made in factories with machines. Our first visit is in the afternoon and Mr. Chuan is resting. He likes to get up early and get his work for the day done. His son took the time to tell us all about the organic ingredients of their sticks and how they consult with a Sensei before they add any ingredients to the recipe to ensure that it will be both safe and effective. Some of their sticks have medicinal properties, while others are merely to remove odours from the air. He explains how the sticks are made, shows us sticks drying in the sun and invites us back another day to meet his father and to watch him at work, which we do.

In the collage below the watercolour painting in the centre is by a Canadian artist who visited the shop.

Space is very tight in old town and cars still drive through the narrow alleys. Sometimes days' worth of work are lost when joss sticks drying in the sun are accidentally run over by vehicles.

A mother tells us that her young daughter has been sitting patiently on the street for 90 minutes now getting her mendhi for an upcoming wedding. The girl clearly likes her new look. The work is not yet finished, but the artist needed a break. I've not seen it up close before and am surprised at the three-dimensional effect in some places. (A click will enlarge the photos so you can see)

Nearby we meet a woman doing work that resembles the henna work above but it is done with paint on purses, book covers and other products. The designs are her own. So beautiful. The photo top right is of her basket of 'paintbrushes' which are like little pastry bags made from glossy paper, filled with paint and she cuts the end for a thick or thin application of paint.

Within the Heritage, area are two mansions worth seeing, particularly the Peranakan Mansion and also the Blue Mansion.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

This stunning mansion built at the end of the 19th. century by Chung Keng Quee. This typical home of a rich Baba reveals not only the opulent lifestyle but also the customs and traditions of the day. There are over 1,000 antiques and collectibles here. After the tour, you are allowed to wander back through all of the spaces. While the main buildings of the mansion have been sold, the original family room is retained by the descendants who use it to this day to gather on special occasions.

The lover's chair. The carpet here is incredible

The top of a wooden stool

There are many hand made tapestries throughout the building. One more beautiful than the next.

The wedding bed

Table & stools of solid jade

An entire room was lined floor to ceiling with glass cases that contained Murano glass vases like these and other blown glass decorative items.

An entire room was filled with jewels from the day. Antique jewelry was sold onsite.

Amongst the pots & pans of the kitchen was a fully equipped pharmacy

A couple of rooms displayed hand-embroidered clothes, including shoes. Girls from a young age learned these skills to perfect them by marrying age. Note the photo below on the left. The shoes in the case are for adult women. The photo below the case on left shows how the foot was broken in half at a young age, then the feet bound so that they remained tiny (& thus beautiful).

An entire room was for the smoking of opium. There were beds and reclining chairs and games. Below is a statue of someone smoking opium and of a collection of opium pipes.

This mansion looks fairly ordinary on the outside but is mind-blowing on the inside. I seem to have lost photos. There was so much more to it. It is a must-see.

Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze)

Cheong Fatt Tze started life in a poor Haaka family. His first jobs were as cow-herder and water-carrier. Eventually, he married and went into business with his father-in-law. Determined to succeed and with hard work, he became his own businessman, then an industrialist with ventures around the world and also became a politician.

He built the 38-room Blue Mansion for his 7th. and most favoured wife and it also served as the nerve centre for his business empire. Completed before the 19th. century it was built in the style of a traditional Chinese home, with the finest of materials and according to the principles of Feng Shui. The tiles that remain in perfect condition today were imported from England, the ironworks from Scotland and the highly prized blue paint was made by mixing limestone with natural dye from the indigo plant imported from India.

Today, even though its a first-class boutique hotel lovingly restored by a conservation society, it also allows the public to come through on guided tours to the common areas. Eighteen of the rooms are used for guests. We had an excellent tour guide, a woman in her 80's who had been a teacher. She talked non-stop for the whole tour with a wealth of history and humour. It was well worth the small admission price to hear her stories. I longed to be shown one of the guest rooms. As an aside, several Hollywood movies have been filmed here.

Georgetown's Heritage area is famous for its street art ... and it's everywhere.
This is but a small sample:

On a door

A collection of cats from around town

This dragon is on the front of the building, there is another on the corner wall to the right

Throughout the heritage, area are many, many information pieces that I also consider to be art ... made from wrought iron. Some tell the history of that spot; some impart a little wisdom or give you a laugh; some may be directional. They are lovely too.

Another art form has sprung up around the larger city, called container art. We only see these two, one on each side of the stacked containers.

Being so multi-cultural, Georgetown (and Malaysia) have a plethora of temples, many of which are written about elsewhere. Some temples and mosques are open to the public during certain hours, while others are not. You won't have time to visit them all, so do some research and decide which ones you have to see. The few photos below mostly concentrate on the decoration either inside or outside of the building.

This mosque is so beautiful in its simplicity

The 3-D work and paintings on this Chinese temple are fabulous

This Hindu temple is as decorated outside as it is inside

Kek Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss)

This temple built in the 1800s over a period of 20 years sprawling over 10 acres, is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists from all over SE Asia. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. We saw it first high up near Penang Hill while on the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus and took a city bus the next day to see it. For the Chinese New Year everything here: statues, pagodas, landscaping, buildings are wrapped in tiny LED lights and the is impressive at night. We didn't think we could face the New Years' crowds so we missed it at night. Other photographers have captured the magic: Kek Lok Si Temple lit for Chinese New Years

You can get to the upper parking lot to see the enormous bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy (photo collage below), or you can take a tram up to her. She is lovely to see.

The grounds are gorgeous. If you are tired food and drink are available.

Near the entrance is a turtle release pond. Turtles represent longevity, strength and endurance. Those qualities are brought to the person who catches and releases a turtle.

The pagoda in the photo below stands 7 stories tall and contains 10,000 alabaster and bronze statues of Buddha

Any notes of Georgetown would be remiss without some mention of the architecture, especially the colonial style from the time of British imperialism and the Chinese homes with the storefronts at street level and living quarters above.

These old buildings, restored are now upscale shops and living quarters

We've noticed a few fire stations in various cities and they are all painted this eye-catching red and white.

And then there are the very new buildings. Look carefully at the top left of the building to see the "Rainbow Sky Walk" with its clear platform on the 68th. floor. You can pay a pretty hefty price to go out on the skywalk. For the less adventurous, the 65th. floor has glass walls. You can walk all around it inside for a 360-degree view of Georgetown. We were grateful for this building as it was the landmark for finding our way 'home' from our first accommodation in Georgetown.

Georgetown is an amazing city. We spoke to a few people from various parts of the world who now call it home and love it. So glad we had time here.
Now we're off to mainland Malaysia, starting with Ipoh.

Georgetown Random Photos

This band with their classy instruments were out on Armenian street quite often, raising money to support a project for kids. They were quite good.

I never tire of the whimsy of umbrella's inviting pedestrians to stroll the street. One day we came across another street that had broad-brimmed women's straw sunhats with bright scarves around them floating over another street.