On the way to across the station concourse, if that's what you can call it, I was accosted by numerous taxi drivers. I told them I was taking the ferry to my hotel.
I successfully booked my ticket on the sleeper to Bangkok, I had decided to slum it and, albeit gradually adopt the Backpacker persona.
I booked a sleeper but in the second class compartment. The train left Butterworth at 2.20pm and arrives in Bangkok at 11.30.
With my ticket tucked safely in my wallet I headed out of the concourse. I had originally planned to travel over to Penang but after the long journey haggled for a taxi to take me over the impressive bridge to the Island of Penang and my hotel for the next couple of nights.
My Malaysian taxi driver gave me a history and running commentary of Penang on the 30 minute drive from Butterworth. I arrived at the hotel around 4.30 and checked in, because the hotel was so busy i had been upgraded to the executive floor. Nice.....
The hotel was what could best be described as ' faded elegance' clearly it had once been quite posh although it was now a little tatty. It was still excellent value though. After checking in I popped out for my usual orientation session. First impressions of George Town are that it is a bit of a dive. After the infrastructure of KL and Singapore this was a big difference. The streets have open sewers ( note to self - don't get pissed!)
My hotel is an stones throw from the Komtar shopping centre. I had a wander over to look around, this too has seen better days. I exchanged the remaining Singapore dollars for Malaysian Ringet at an money changer booth then went in search of a bar for a late afternoon drink.
This area is full of restaurants and street cafes. I happened upon an open air fish restaurant and stopped off for a crafty beer.
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you cannot understand a word they are saying?
Usually they are foreign or drunk. I was sitting in this fish restaurant and the manger, a HUGE Chinese guy came to sit down beside me. That in itself was fine but when he struck up a conversation, so strong was his accent that I could not understand, a word he was saying. I spent the next half an hour politely nodding and smiling like some retard.
At one point I very nearly accepted an offer of him taking me to a brothel.....
The Chinese fish restaurant where I nearly came unstuck.....
In the restaurant were about 20 tanks, each containing marine life. You picked what you wanted and it was taken to the kitchen.
The tanks had all types of fish, prawns lobsters and an unusual critter called a Geoduck. I had neither heard of or seen one before.
Geoducks are large clams which are native to the shorelines of the Pacific Northwest. The shellfish are also marketed as “king clams” or “elephant trunk clams,” in a reference to their impressive size and distinctive siphons, which can reach three feet (one meter) in length. In addition to being consumed in the Pacific Northwest, geoducks are also exported to China and Japan, where they are a popular delicacy. It can sometimes be difficult to find the clams at the market, since they are hard to harvest, and they tend to be expensive.
The distinguishing feature of a geoduck is its long siphon, which the clam uses to filter plankton and other food sources. The siphons look alarmingly like a private portion of the male anatomy, especially after harvesting, when the shell of the clam may be removed so that the siphon and body can be cleaned. The siphons have a slightly crunchy texture and they are very savory; they can be eaten raw like sashimi, or they may be steamed, fried, sauteed, or boiled, depending on personal taste.
My view, you've got more chance of pissing in the queens handbag than getting me to try one of these things.
On returning back to the hotel I dropped off at reception to enquire about Internet access, my wifi tracker suggested that there was access in my room but on trying to log on I was being asked for a code.
The lady at reception asked me my room number, on giving it to her she said.
"Sir it's free, you just put in your r.........."
At this point the lady that had checked me in shouted across
" No Sir, you have been upgraded, it is not free, you can access it in the lobby for 9 ringet per two hours "
" Can I pay for access in my room "
" No Sir, Sorry Sir, just in the hotel lobby "
I thanked her and headed for the room.
While having a shower I thought about what the first receptionist had said and after dressing tried putting my room number in as the password.
BINGO.... WiFi access in my room and free to boot. Why am I so smart?
After checking e-mail I had a small early evening snooze and got ready for my evening promenade and dinner. One thing for sure, I wouldn't be trying Geoduck!
The goosefoot in black bean curd didn't sound that appealing either!
The local area was now lively with busy food stalls selling predominantly Chinese fayre. They were busy too. I settled on another seafood restaurant a cross the road which also seemed to be a favourite with the local Chinese community and had egg fried rice, honey and Ginger chicken together with a couple of beers. I was intrigued by one punter, a Chinese lady sat opposite me, I have never seen anyone use chopsticks with such dexterity, with a Chinese soup spoon in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, she was shovelling it like there was no tomorrow.
Chinese street food stalls opposite the hotel
Dinner at an open air fish restaurant, the lady there who was eating like it was her last meal.
At midnight I made my way back to the hotel, very careful not to fall down one of the open sewers.....
Once back in my room I studied my guidebook and planned the next day.....
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Location:Lorong Baru,George Town,Malaysia
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