Many people visit George Town in Penang, Malaysia for an island holiday and for healthcare. We did a little of both! We took a train from Kuala Lumpur to George Town and enjoyed the ride immensely through the jungle and gorgeous countryside. We followed the crowd from the train station for the short walk to the ferry to arrive on Penang Island via boat. Our apartment was in a high rise near Gurney Bay Park with a beautiful view of the water (the Penang Strait). We enjoyed the delicious food, walking the promenade, and the cute animals!
Malaysia is a mix of cultures including Malay, Chinese Malaysian, and Indian Malaysian which is reflected in their food, religions (Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity), and even political parties. Our daily walks often took us by the beautiful Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple and we passed many places of worship. We frequently stopped at the market and enjoyed cooking in our apartment. Shopping for produce is best in the morning, so we typically stopped for a coffee first and then headed that way. The market was amazing with a vast array of fresh produce, fish, tofu, flowers, clothing, and many other items! We very much enjoyed the sweet chili sauce and perfected stir fry and eggy rice while there!
Much of our time was spent enjoying apartment activities (computer time, reading, cooking, etc.) as well as walking, exercising, practicing Spanish, and planning future travel. We enjoyed afternoons with leisurely games of cards at cafes, taking time to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy daily life. Occasionally, we walked a little further into the Historic City of George Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) where we discovered fun wildlife both in art and in person at the Munchkin & The Gang Cat Cafe.
We also took five “adventure days” during our four week visit to learn about and explore George Town. For our first adventure, we visited the Clan Jetties, built on stilts over the water. Originally built as housing for Chinese immigrants working on the water (fisherman, port laborers, boatmen), there were as many as 20 different jetties. Today 6 clan (family) jetties remain including Chew, Lim, Tan, Lee, Yeoh and New/Chap Seh Keo (mixed surnames). Descendants of each live there today and while boats and fishing remain, parts have morphed into shops with treasures, little cafes, and rooms to stay.
On our second adventure day, we visited the Pinang Peranakan Mansion built by Chung Keng Quee (a Hakka Chinese immigrant and tin mining tycoon). It showcases his wealth and also the unique culture and opulent lifestyle of Peranakan Straits Chinese. After Chung died in 1901 it slowly fell into neglect. A local developer and architect, Peter Soon, bought it in the 1990’s and completely restored the home. It now is a museum housing his collection of antique Peranakan furniture, porcelain, and art. I thought that much of the furniture had to be reproductions because people were sitting in chairs, touching the furniture, and using it (mostly gently). But, no! The museum is set up as an interactive experience with history. There are signs stating that you will buy it if you break it, but take all the selfies and have a great photo shoot! Of course, the most delicate and expensive treasures are placed away from the main areas and safely encased in display cases. In addition, across the courtyard, the beautiful gift shop sells gorgeous modern Peranakan style art and treasures. I particularly liked the Peranakan porcelain in beautiful greens, pinks, and yellows. Stunning!
One gray afternoon, we decided to head northwest above the city to the Botanical Gardens Penang for our third adventure day. There are a number of greenhouses with beautiful flowers and so many gorgeous plants. During our visit the Red Trailing Bauhinia was in full bloom! We enjoyed strolling without an agenda through the formal gardens with a fountain, inside the greenhouses, and through a bit of jungle (complete with ferns). We discovered ground creatures including a gigantic millipede among the rocks! The monkeys at the garden are playful and fun, though we kept a respectful distance and made sure not to feed them (per the signs throughout) because the park makes sure they are well fed and happy. As a result, we enjoyed watching them from a distance and seeing them interact. They were mischievous, fun, and playful!
For our fourth adventure day, we headed west (and slightly south) up to the Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple. Just past the entry is Liberation Pond. Here you can buy water spinach and feed a variety of tortoises and turtles that swim and sun themselves (and enjoy being fed)! We continued up the stairs to see the temple complex with gorgeous painted ceilings, beautiful gardens, many Buddhas, and a view of George Town. I enjoyed the laughing buddhas so very much! After walking through the temple, you arrive at a huge patio with another amazing view of the city. And then you turn around to see elephants and dragons guarding the entrance to the largest pavilion of all with the stunning Bodhisattva Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue that stands 99 feet tall!
Our last adventure day (five), we headed west of George Town to Penang Hill. It was originally developed by the British East India Company as the first colonial hill station in Southeast Asia and used by British colonists for a retreat from heat and illness. It is now transformed into an eco-park and heritage site using the original funicular railway (which we took up and back)! It reflects George Town’s Harmony Street (Pitt Street) with a historic mosque, Hindu temple, and Buddhist temple peacefully coexisting. The eco-park includes the canopy walk via raised walkways over jungle (a great place to watch for monkeys). I also happened to pause at a beautiful hill of flowers and plants where a couple was speaking with one of the staff… who kindly pointed out a tiny and unique vampire crab! It is the only place on the planet where these nocturnal, land-dwelling crabs live. One even posed for photos. 🙂 How cool is that?!?
We enjoyed George Town so much. We had a great time cooking and the restaurants we visited were delicious! We enjoyed the combination of influences on the food… we had Malay fried chicken with noodles―Mee Goreng Ayam or rice―Nasi Ayam Goreng, Indian Malaysian curries and rendang, and Chinese Malaysian dim sum (the dim sum was so much fun)! We often wandered around town and saw a few more sights including the Fort Cornwallis garden, the outside of Cheong Fatt Tze (the Blue Mansion―used for the mahjong scene in Crazy Rich Asians), and the Georgetown Mansion with it’s cool historical car and board game history exhibit!
We also scheduled health visits (i.e. medical tourism) at the Penang Adventist Hospital during our time in George Town and they checked us from head to toe! Each of us had two visits… the first visit the staff took our vitals, blood and fluids, x-rays, internal ultrasounds, and we ran on a treadmill for an EKG. The next day, we went back and each sat with a doctor to discuss our own results. Our doctors sat with us as long as we wanted to discuss our goals, next steps, and our health. It was so nice to be able to have a leisurely discussion to ask all the questions I had. Good news, we are both healthy and well and now have some baseline information if we ever need it. Amazing and highly recommended!
Thanks for making it to the end! Here are some happy well-fed turtles, a walk through the Botanical Gardens, and a little monkey business. Enjoy!