Frogger and My New Best Friend
Penang, Malaysia
It is said that the best way to get to know a new city is to walk its streets. If that’s the case then Penang, Malaysia is my new best friend.
Brad and I set out in the early afternoon for the hills. We sat down for a bite to eat before our hike. When we asked for the menu, our confounded waiter looked at us and said he only served chicken and rice. “We’ll take two,” we replied. Our walk continued through the shopping district where we purchased some Penang Pewter items and I got a hardwood mask that the owner said was for good luck. On we walked without the guidance of a map, just our intuitive travelers’ sense of direction. After a few turnarounds, we were on track to the hills.
Motorcycles and ultra-sub-compact cars rule the streets here. Navigation by foot is a challenge and we should be awarded a medal for still being alive. If, at one point, you were a pro at the video game Frogger then you too may be able to survive the streets of Malaysia. Sidewalks are pretty much nonexistent. So one must walk on the edge of the road facing oncoming traffic. But your eyes can’t be focused solely ahead of you because you must watch the ground as there are open sewer culverts that line the roads. Throw in the aforementioned bikes and cars and the fact that they drive on the opposite side of the road than I’m used to, and it’s a live version of Frogger attempting to cross the street.
The ultimate goal of this urban exploration, aside from getting to know our temporary home, was to head to the hills where there was a funicular (steep railroad) station that led to the top of the hill and a view of the island (did I mention that Penang was an island?). Four and a half hours after our chicken and rice lunch, we passed a Muslim mosque and a Buddhist temple, so we knew we were on the right track.
My reaction after finding out the funicular was closed
Finally, just before 5:00, we reached the station that we were informed was open until 9:00. Strangely, all the vendor’s doors were closed and there weren’t any tourists milling around. We inquired within only to find out that the station will not be in operation for a few more months. Renovations. The fact that we had gotten there without a map was lucky. But maybe now our luck had just run out.
Since the station was non-operable, there were no tourists around which meant no taxis either. So we wandered back in the direction that we had come and the last of the remaining luck was used to find a taxi shortly thereafter.
Soothing oldies was the cabby’s choice of music as we were whisked away to our hotel, arriving only minutes later.
Tomorrow we leave our new best friend, Penang, for the Muddy Confluence—the literal English translation of Kuala Lumpur.
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