First day in Penang, Malaysia

Mak, who I worked with several years ago and will be working with again on this project was kind enough to pick me up at the (remarkably small for an international) airport. He took me to one of his favorite restaurants for dim sum for breakfast. That's where Chinese food comes on little plates with 2-4 servings, and you pick out the kinds you want. I don't know what he picked for us (I didn't really want to know) but it was all good. The two of us shared about ~12 plates of food, plus tea, for RM28 (that would be US$7.50). Sorry, I left my camera with my stuff in his Honda Civic.

He then dropped me at my Hotel.

Which is right next to a gi-normous 7 level mall.

My room ...

... has a nifty bathroom ...

... and a view ...

... with a free minibar (click the picture and read the card if you don't believe me!) ...

...

... and a funky thing you have to put your room key card in to turn on all the outlets/lights/ac, and not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road, "down" is "on" for all the electric switches ...

OK, I've settled in. Time to go for a walk and see what's around, and adjust to the time by getting some sun and ignoring what time it feels like. I was actually looking for 2 budhist temples that are supposed to be just a few blocks away from my hotel, but I think I turned left when I should have turned right and didn't find them.



A cool fountain.

A neat looking Japanese Seafood Restaurant.


A fire station, I think.



And of course, the Well Known Souvenir (and something) shop!

The Consulate of Indonesia.

All the streets seem to have closed, or like this one open drains. HOnestly, the city has a distinct odor to it. Not great.

Did I mention it's hot? And humid? And overcast (it poured just after I got back from from my walk). I walked around for about an hour, and I still think I got a little sunburned (even with wearing a hat). Tomorrow, I'm taking a taksi!

I decided to eat dinner at a Thai restaurant in the mall. The pictures don't do them justice. I had "Money Bags" for an appetizer, chicken with cashew nuts and rice, a diet coke (er, "light coke"), and a mixed fruit juice and scoop of cocunut ice cream with Jack fruit (the red ones, kind of tasteless actually) sticky rice and chopped nuts.,






All that for RM$49.15 - that would be US$13.50!

Check out the prices on these desserts at this bakery. They are about US$1.50 a slice. Wow.

OK, back in my room. The tide is out - wow, all that was water earlier today.

Hey, the boys could survive here! They have McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC (around the bend, can't see it here), and Toys R Us.

OK, that's it for today. It's 10:47pm here, which would be 6:47am in Oregon. Good night!