20.12.2022 - Exploring Penang with Jap

Often it is the people and encounters that determine whether one remembers a country positively or negatively. And at this point, I can already say that Malaysia will remain in very good memory, even though my time here is not quite over yet. It's not that I haven't met friendly locals in the previous countries, but here in Malaysia they have been particularly open and accommodating to foreigners and tourists. It started after landing in Kuala Lumpur on the way to the city and continued from place to place. I met a very special person in Penang in the last few days.

After the Cameron Highlands, I drove about four hours northwest to spend the next few days on the island of Penang. Penang is famous for its mix of cultures, especially Chinese and Indian cultures are very popular here. In addition, there is an impressive street art scene here. From small and large graffiti to huge paintings on house walls, everything is there. And last but not least, there are of course many, many temples here.

By chance, I met Jap together with two other backpackers, whom I had both met a few weeks ago in Thailand. Jap grew up in Borneo but has been living in Penang for a few years and knows his way around here. Spontaneously, he offered to show us the island off the beaten tourist paths. So, on the first day, Jap showed up with his car in front of the hostel to pick us up. The first way took us far away from the center to the edge of the jungle, where one of the biggest trees in Penang stands. After a hike of about 20 minutes, we stood in front of the tree. He had not promised too much, the tree is so tall that it does not fit in a picture. But based on the root, you can at least guess what a colossus is standing in the forest. After the tree visit, Jap asked us where we would like to go next. We replied that he should simply show us a nice place with a great view. So, we went to one of Jap's favorite places on the island. In between, I was not sure if Jap had really been there before. We drove over bumpy field roads, and at times it looked as if we would have to push the car. Due to the rain the day before, the paths were so muddy that the car had trouble getting through the puddles. Accordingly, the car also looked when we arrived at our destination. But Jap took this with Southeast Asian serenity and led us up to a lookout point. When we were at the top, I could understand why this is one of Jap's favorite places. The view was beautiful, so we stayed there until late afternoon. After that, Jap invited us to his home. Over homemade smoothies, he told us about Malaysian culture and his life. When do tourists ever get the opportunity to get to know the culture of a country so closely and authentically? Just great.

We ended the evening at a restaurant, but it wasn't a normal restaurant. Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery was recently awarded one of only four restaurants in Malaysia with a Michelin star. For less than ten euros, you get a main course and a drink served here. Since I will probably never again enjoy star cuisine so cheaply, there was no question for us whether we should visit the restaurant or not. We had Nyonya Beef Rendang with Nasi Ulam for dinner, which means caramelized curry beef with vegetable rice - even if it is not so nicely arranged visually, it was delicious. They don't care much about aesthetics here. But ultimately, the taste counts, and it was great, although I have to say that the difference to street food was not that big. But that is probably due to the high quality of street food here. :)

As mentioned before, Penang is mainly known for its food and street art. However, it is often overlooked that you can also go hiking here. In addition to the national park, Penang Hill is especially suitable for this. Although you can climb the mountain with the cable car, this is expensive and especially on weekends, it takes a relatively long time as many tourists want to use the cable car. Accordingly, we decided to take the footpath and started our ascent early the next morning. After 2.5 hours, we arrived at the top. Unfortunately, we were denied a beautiful view. The fog and the approaching rain prevented any view of Penang and the sea, so after a short rest, we decided to go back down relatively quickly. We had also discussed with Jap that he would pick us up down there to take us to two temples and a reservoir. After we had visited everything, he dropped us off tired and exhausted in the evening at the hostel, where we had to say goodbye to each other. It was two super nice days with Jap, and I am very grateful to him for taking the time to show us his home. That is not self-evident.

I used the last day in Penang again for travel planning and relaxation. Actually, I wanted to fly to the island of Langkawi and relax in the sun there over the Christmas holidays. However, since I would have had to fly north and then again south for that, I canceled my plans and instead decided to drive back into the interior of the country and start the journey south from there. I will tell you what awaits me in the south over the next few days.