Then January 5th, I left on the overnight train for Bangkok on my way to Malaysia to get a new 60-day visa. From the train station, I took a motorcycle with my pack to the Don Muang domestic air termail that had been closed by a political sit-in last month. I flew from there to Hat Yai in southern Tland were I took a minibus from the airport to downtown where I got a ticket for another minibus to Georgetown on the island of Penang in Malaysia, about a 3 hour ride. No problems going through Immigration or Customs. Once settled in Hotel Mingood, I went looking for an ATM to get some local cash – about 3.5 ringits for $1 US. Check here to see photos Jim took when he was here in December. Then I used my map to find the 75 Travelers GH where our friend, Tina, was located. She took me to great places to eat Indian and Malay food every night – loved the murtabak, samosas, rendang (a form of dry (as opposed to soupy), heavily coconut-based curry, nasi kandoor, biriyani – and definitely eating too much! The food is much richer than in Thailand – more bread (nan), heavier curries and sauces, and deep fried.
Tina also took me out to the Thai Embassy the next morning so I could drop off my passport and copies, photo, and 110 ringits for a new two-month visa. I got just a bit mixed up on the walkign directions and flagged a motorcyclist to get oriented in the right direction for the Embassy and he offered to take me there. Much hotter and twice as humid as Chiang Mai and I was wiped! (The reason I got a “real” hotel room with A/C and fridge was because I remembered how overheated I got when Jim and I were there a few years ago.) This place is a melting pot of Chinese, Indian, Malay, lots of Muslims and fabulous food. It's quite exotic, louder, and busier compared to my now-familiar life in Chiang Mai - you stop on any street and feel the rhythm of the local life, eat the food, smell the smells, listen to the languages. Here are some photos Tina took in Georgetown last year.
Completed the 36-hr return trip to Chiang Mai and am not leaving again this trip! Anne, an ESL instructor, is now visiting here on her way to India and Nepal. She’s a friend of Tina's from the other Portland, whom we meet two years ago here when she was here on sabattical. Exploring temples and new places to eat and have a bike ride scheduled for tomorrow. I could live here a hundred years and still not see all the temples or try all the food shops.
