Georgetown, Penang

 We hired a taxi for the day and this proved a wise move as he took us all over the city and then to several places on the outskirts which would have been impossible for us to do on our own.  Even so we got very hot and sweaty.

During a very packed day we  popped in on the Botanic Gardens, a spice garden and the mansion of a very wealthy Baba-Nonya (Straights born Chinese) merchant



Opium bed in elaborate home of wealthy Straights born Chinese family

Penang was settled by the British and so there are lots of reminders of their role:  many churches of all denominations, schools and hospitals.  In fact the Christians in general have a large presence.  However, Penang is the only State where the Chinese are the majority and it seems there is growing resentment at the measures being taken by the moslem national government which is becoming increasingly fundamentalist.  E.g. to marry a Moslem woman the man must convert.  If he already has children who do not convert he cannot leave them his property.  A Moslem may not abjure his religion.

We saw many Buddhist temples, each more elaborate than the last until the grand finale; a complex (or komlex as it's spelt here) which starts at the bottom of the hill and is so vast that to see the giant statue at the top you travel up in a funicular train.  Here there were monks chanting with a vast congregation.

To our western eyes it all seem so bright, even garish and, although we were required to remove our shoes, there is little outward show of reverence with shops even right inside the temples.

In stark contrast we took tea in Malaysia's only Georgian mansion- strictly Palladian in style.  The cucumber sandwiches, tiny cakes and scones with cream and home-made jam seemed incongruous in the heat with exotic flowers all round.

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We drove along the north coast which is densly built up with high -rise holiday flats, expensive hotels and local businesses all hugger mugger so the sea is hardly visible until the ribbon development runs out.  New blocks are under construction and we saw 1 block where the 2 storey condos-each with private pool - are selling at £2.5m each!  Some of the buyers in Penang are Australians who see that their pensions will go further here but it would not appeal to us- too humid and the stability of the government and society might not be as assured as it appears.  The guide book says the sea is polluted and there were hardly any swimmers so quite why this coast has developed like this we couldn't fathom.

On the other hand, Penang has a very succesful electronic sector- it is the largest exporter of chips in the world and Intel etc have large plants here.  So that would indicate a secure future and there is certainly a confidence in the future visible in the vast constructions underway.  E.g a 2nd bridge is being built to the mainland to supplement the 13k+ one they already have.

One of the many, many buddhas we saw