Smiling Malaysia

Almost halfway through Malaysia and the rain still falls. Apparently there was hardly a drop of rain until Bangkok, and now it seems to pour or thunder or drip, or all three, every other day.

 

An early lunch

Georgetown on Penang Island, a UNESCO heritage city, is calm and relaxed compared to many Asian cities. British buildings speak of a former era when a gin and tonic could be enjoyed high on the hill, sitting comfortably on a shady verandah awaiting the evening spread of delicious Chinese, Indian and Malay fusion dishes. Or roast beef and horseradish, depending on madam's instructions. This mannered era has gone but the vestiges of grandeur, master and servant deference and quiet commercialism can still be detected.

 

Jimmy Choo's original shop

Backpackers congregate in Love Lane, so called as this was the street Chinese well-to-do men kept their mistresses, according to one of the many iron pieces of street art placed on walls to inform the visitor about previous occupations. It is a narrow street with low colonial style housing, fronts now filled with motorbikes to hire and tables and chairs spilling out, cheap cold beer and modest snacks with mainly a western flavour - pasta, pizza, sandwiches, that sort of thing. We passed by the shop where Jimmy Choo began his shoe business, and another comical iron piece depicting the Japanese camera sellers that dominated the shopping strip as suspected spies, as cameras back then were considered dubious pieces of equipment.

 

Rural street market

Swallows are lucky birds in this country. We have passed many several storey cement constructions where they are housed so their nests may be harvested for the iconic bird's nest soup. Rice paddies in the north painted the countryside a verdant green but they have given over in the main to endless palm oil plantations. Near the coast there is fishing and aquaculture. Some rubber - Malaysia produces the highest quality surgical gloves in the world, we have been reliably informed.

 

Roads without shoulders that are busy with traffic are challenging but don't feel dangerous. Road rage does not seem to exist. Let's hope it never catches on. Our ugly roads are such a pain.

 

The food is pleasant, if the chili is assiduously avoided, and comes as Chinese, Indian or Malay. There are numerous western influences including coffee shops, patisseries and the whitest white bread I may have ever seen.

 

I am riding at a leisurely pace. If it rains, I try not to ride as my device gets very wet, slips a bit, but acts as a soaking bowl for the wound. We are approaching Kuala Lumpur the slow way, taking to the mountains for coolness and probably less traffic.

 

Many of my fellow riders are tired, and some are nursing injuries. There is a general desire to reach the next rest day and rest, the urge to engage in tourist activities having diminished somewhat. For me, still fresh so to speak, sights are new and the odd museum and old building worth a look. Taiping boasts Malaysia's oldest museum, crammed full as it is with faded and patched natural history specimens. The 23'9" long python skeleton gave pause for thought. I'm kind of glad they're fairly rare now, as to meet one coming out of the vegetation would come as a shock. Lots of kingfishers, a sighting of two hairy nosed otters, a few squirrels or similar, and some monitors are pretty much all we have to report in the live animal stakes. Of course there are the rats in the cities but I prefer not to count them. At least they don't turn up in our dinners.

 

Waiting to board the ferry to cross to Penang Island

 

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