Day 04 - We have just three months here but there is an amazing number of sites to visit on the small island of Penang. I know we have mountains and beaches to visit; however, today we went back to George Town. We found getting there rather relaxing on the bus. I'm sure that commuters are annoyed that it may take up to an hour to get there. We are retired and the time gazing out of the clean windows is not a chore.
Just like yesterday we boarded the bus from our neighbourhood and went to George Town. This time we disembarked at the end of the line, at the jetty.
Chew Jetty is a famous site for visitors. It is an intact, working village on stilts over a section of the harbour and it's been there for over 100 years. Poor Chinese immigrants initially lived there. Read a short explanation here.
We also walked to see where the passenger/car ferries go over to mainland Penang. Although there are two major bridges over to the province, lots of folks appreciate the ease of a direct connection by boat. We didn't go over, but we will save that for another day.
From the jetty, we walked a few blocks inland in search of street art. Downtown Penang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lots of the original, heritage buildings exist today and now it is a vibrant area for tourists and locals. We enjoyed seeing the variety of history in such a compact area. In one particular area, a Chinese temple, a Mosque, and a Hindu temple stand cheek and jowl. We stopped to buy a bottle of freshly-squeezed sugar cane, a favourite of Jay's.
We were only a block away from 'Little India' so again we went for lunch. We ate at a different restaurant than yesterday but again ordered chicken biryani. No two establishments ever serve it the same way and I'm sure that none do it like mother did.
We are going to be rushed to see everything here in Penang even though hopping on a cheap flight can bring us to much of SE Asia, even for a weekend.