Here is Chad approaching our next amazing encounter. i just thought the little peep holes were cool.
Another Chinese temple! We were really tied at this pint and were kind of ready to get back to the hotel to freshen up. Despite our effort to get home we were distracted by this temple and the little man inside.

A little old man met us outside and insisted to us (without English) that we take his tour. We couldn’t really say no.

This was my favorite part of the tour. He offered to take a picture of us together THEN he proceeded to get a picture with each of us. It was pretty amazing.

After we had the photo shoot he took us downstairs to see a picture of him and Tony Blair. He then handed us a handmade business card with his address and asked that we send him copies of the pictures. we need to get on that.

Kids playing on the street.

Among the ruins. Okay, yes I like taking pictures of dilapidated buildings but I do think this take it a bit too far.

Watermelon juice in a bag! Pink liquid in a bag?! Does life get better?

I had hard time handling it. I ended up just carting it around like a wet bag of sugar.
Incense constantly lit for Chinese New Year.

Another eating break! Okay, in all fairness, it has been more than an hour. We went back to the hotel and toured the Indian section of Penang. Hence the samosa.

I just like this, we didn’t go in.

Ah, but after more India Town touring we found a bakery/cafe owned by a man from Penang who had lived in NYC. While there he owned a similar cafe. He was great to talk to. We went back the next day for lunch and brought Dave and Eve. Eve and I had a veggie burgers!!

Do you see my orange mid-air? Chad wanted to take a picture of a temple at night. Quite beautiful, I think. This temple we cam across on our way to get foot massages. At the foot massage we got to be in the same room and the gave us fresh fruit and fresh juice. It was lovely.

Okay, after all of our nibbles we went for a real dinner at the Hawker’s Market. Basically there were a bunch of vendors every where and you just order and give them your table number. We took some risks and ordered random things with which we were unfamiliar. It wasn’t bad but not thrilling, neither of us ate much. Maybe we were just full. .

Lots of different ladies sang to us while we ate. Lots of Celine Dion like music. Woot.

It Asia it is traditional to give gifts in the form of oranges. By the end of the day I had quite a collection in my bag.

Shaved ice covered in ice cream and sauce! Yummy.

Newly engaged bliss.

Okay, so far no one has participated in my challenge so no high-fives from Korea. Last chance, don’t scroll down. What is in these little packages?

1. . .

2. . . .

3. . . .

Spicy coconut rice topped with a boiled egg wrapped in banana leaf!

And now, the Kate tradition continues. When else am I going to have a hot dog in Penang?

Whoa Nellie, this one was intense! More goup than dog.

I couldn’t do it.

Chad enjoyed his midnight snack. :)In with naan, out with naan.

So, that is Penang in a nutshell or two.

On another note, I hope you are all doing very well. We miss you all terribly. Please send us a note to let us know how we are doing. Thanks for keeping up with us, it means a lot to have the support!

Take Care!

Love,

kate & Chad

Ironically, the day we left for Penang which was the day after our engagement, I got sick. Go figure.  After a day of traveling between Langkawi and Penang my body needed a break. Consequently, after lots of Gatorade and toast (I told Chad I was testing his ability to take care of me by getting sick, he passed.) we set off around 4 PM to see a little bit of the city.

Our first stop was nourishment beyond Gatorade. I found chicken soup! The next step, right Momma? It was amazing. I basically ate the broth and spices. It came with a huge slab of bread. Perfect.

Chad was a little more adventurous than I was. He had this lovely platter of naan and tandori chicken.

This is where we ordered. There are tons of street vendors all over just like this. Most of them seemed to be wearing the purple shirts. .

More about these guys later. Any guesses about what is inside? A high-five from Korea if you are right!

Residence of Ku Din Ku Meh

After our large nibble we began our wandering. This little house is one of the very first places we saw. I was attracted to the green building. When we walked up the sign said closed but a man say us and let us in. The house was owned by the former High Commissioner who if I remember correctly kind of lost power when the British came in. Don’t quote me. Anyways, the house was charming and had a little museum. It fed my curiosity.

Pretty Town Hall 

City Hall  

Both “Halls” were next to the ocean. Quite nice.  

 

Random interesting building that I liked. For some reason I am very attracted to facades that are in shambles.

Okay, we are on to Day 2 now. Costume change. This day we actually managed to set out fairly early in the morning (like 11:00). Prepare for more buildings with Chad’s head.

Malay Mosque  

Have I mentioned how religiously diverse Penang is? It is incredible. There is a huge mosque (seen above), tons of Buddhist temples, churches, Hindu temples. I am sure I am missing quite a bit but you get the picture. The people in Penang are proud of the fact that they have lived in harmony with so many different cultures in one place. I would be too. It’s amazing. A place from which we all could learn.  

 

McDonald’s VIP Drive-through  

 

 

I think this is part of a Chinese temple. I can’t bring myself to look at the map right now. Isn’t it beautiful?

 

Chad at the same temple!

Okay, quick story then I need to go to sleep. This day was the day before Chinese New Year. Chad is standing in front of Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Penang base. Dr. Sun Yat Sen is basically the man responsible for Democracy in China. Anyways, the woman saw us and kind of dragged us in, we are very glad she did. She gave us a tour of the base and told us the story of the man and his group. Dr. Sun Yat Sen and his comrades staged a revolution. The majority of them were killed. Photographs were taken of their bodies and distributed all over China. The photographs outraged the Chinese – democracy.

There is even a movie about it that Chad and I bought. The woman who gave us a tour asked us if we wanted her to sign it because she is the producer.

Also, a man took our picture while we were there and then interviewed us and took our names, occupations, etc. Three days later we were in the largest Chinese newspaper in Malaysia!

After that we decided to EAT! We went to a nice little Chinese restaurant where we were surrounded by reunion dinners for the New Year! A fabulous morning. More to come soon!

Thanks for reading!

K