Yes, I have resorted to confronting entire countries, especially ones that may or may not have given me Dengue Fever. But before we discuss that.....
Malaysia was a wonderful escape for Christine and I. We left on a sticky Saturday night from Chumpon and jetted south to Hat Yai, right on the Malay/Thai border. After very little sleep, we arrived at 4:30am, blurry-eyed and stumbled to the nearest travel agency to wait four hours for the bus to Penang. We were surprisingly upbeat though, as we struggled to eat coffee and runny fluorescent eggs, perhaps because we were so grateful to have escaped all the drama and ridiculousness our lives had been encompassed by. From blow-ups in the office between our never-ending male colleagues, to receiving wool traditional Thai outfits that they actually expect us to WEAR in this heat, we were ready to go to another country, and to an island at that :-)
After border control and a few nauseating hours in a hot bus, we found a bustling little island that looked like something of a relic. The buildings, though crumbling, were somehow highly enchanting. There were no sprawling beaches, but instead were pockets like Little India where Bollywood reigned King and the booming music and poignant colors put on a show throughout the night. It was like being in India, and was a cruel teaser at best. We had such amazing Indian food which we ate with our hands in the true native fashion, and with our full bellies we wandered back to our fabulous hotel where the a/c was blasting and Internet was included. Most foreigners admit that, at times, they need to indulge in something a little more like home, and for us, Penang was just that.
Thai culture is, indeed, very unique, exotic, and tantalizing, but I am a California girl that is spoiled in her ability to eat international cuisine and see different color skin, hair, and eyes. Penang, being an old British colony and part of the East India Company, is a perfect little melting pot.The Chinese dominate the island with both people and cuisine, but Indians sneak their potent curries in, and of course the Malaysian thick brown noodles and language is the slightly crooked backbone. It is a strange body makeup, and yet it functions so well, all as one!
Our two days there, though by definition were for VISA purposes only, were delightful. We saw so many Temples and Mosques and loved walking into fancy hotels like we were actually staying there. The water was lovely too, though not accessible, and we had one afternoon where we ventured down precarious wooden planks to the fishing boats and saw many floating homes. I have to say though, the architecture was my favorite. It was breathtaking and decrepit all at once. These amazing, almost Southern balconies leaping from columns on big white houses that have mold and weaving vines crawling all over. It was the perfect juxtaposition of old and new, as the skyscrapers and newest stark white hotel loomed above us with the thick Malaysian heat........oh what a trip we had!!!
But, I digress......
Malaysia was a wonderful escape for Christine and I. We left on a sticky Saturday night from Chumpon and jetted south to Hat Yai, right on the Malay/Thai border. After very little sleep, we arrived at 4:30am, blurry-eyed and stumbled to the nearest travel agency to wait four hours for the bus to Penang. We were surprisingly upbeat though, as we struggled to eat coffee and runny fluorescent eggs, perhaps because we were so grateful to have escaped all the drama and ridiculousness our lives had been encompassed by. From blow-ups in the office between our never-ending male colleagues, to receiving wool traditional Thai outfits that they actually expect us to WEAR in this heat, we were ready to go to another country, and to an island at that :-)
After border control and a few nauseating hours in a hot bus, we found a bustling little island that looked like something of a relic. The buildings, though crumbling, were somehow highly enchanting. There were no sprawling beaches, but instead were pockets like Little India where Bollywood reigned King and the booming music and poignant colors put on a show throughout the night. It was like being in India, and was a cruel teaser at best. We had such amazing Indian food which we ate with our hands in the true native fashion, and with our full bellies we wandered back to our fabulous hotel where the a/c was blasting and Internet was included. Most foreigners admit that, at times, they need to indulge in something a little more like home, and for us, Penang was just that.
Thai culture is, indeed, very unique, exotic, and tantalizing, but I am a California girl that is spoiled in her ability to eat international cuisine and see different color skin, hair, and eyes. Penang, being an old British colony and part of the East India Company, is a perfect little melting pot.The Chinese dominate the island with both people and cuisine, but Indians sneak their potent curries in, and of course the Malaysian thick brown noodles and language is the slightly crooked backbone. It is a strange body makeup, and yet it functions so well, all as one!
Our two days there, though by definition were for VISA purposes only, were delightful. We saw so many Temples and Mosques and loved walking into fancy hotels like we were actually staying there. The water was lovely too, though not accessible, and we had one afternoon where we ventured down precarious wooden planks to the fishing boats and saw many floating homes. I have to say though, the architecture was my favorite. It was breathtaking and decrepit all at once. These amazing, almost Southern balconies leaping from columns on big white houses that have mold and weaving vines crawling all over. It was the perfect juxtaposition of old and new, as the skyscrapers and newest stark white hotel loomed above us with the thick Malaysian heat........oh what a trip we had!!!
But, I digress......
