In April of this year, I made a huge life decision. I moved to Penang, Malaysia. From San Francisco, CA, USA. That’s a lot of time zones!
However, it was the right decision. Sure, it’s been hard to leave behind my loved ones, in particular my amazing life partner (who is trying to figure out how to join me over here) but I’ve always embraced change, and this move has been no different.
Maybe first I could start with the downsides for a change – it is hot. Like oppressively hot. And it’s not like there is ever much of a break from it – I wake up at 5:30 to run…it’s still hot. No matter the time of year…still hot. But I’m adapting, and being that it is now September, the rain has cooled things down (a bit).
Also, Penang is an island. Surrounded by the ocean (well, probably classified as the sea, but whatevs). However, the water is not too swim-able, especially when compared to the other beaches in Malaysia. There are jellyfish galore, and the water is pretty murky. Even at Monkey Beach, where the jellyfish are fewer, there appear to be little biting/stinging things…so to the pool it is!
Lastly (on the bad side), there is a good amount of both trash and traffic on the island, which I tolerate less in the aforementioned stifling heat. But, I guess that’s what happens when you put a lot of humans on a fairly small island – especially humans who aren’t necessarily very eco-minded.
But enough bad stuff – despite all that, Penang is an excellent place to live! People have blogged extensively about the food scene here (so I won’t) but it is great, and there are so many new foods to try. And new ways to eat old foods! I’ve even learned to suck the brains out of the head of a prawn – and I loved it! I’ve yet to try durian, but Penang is supposed to have some of the best (I just want to wait for it to come into season again – somehow without even trying it I’ve become a durian snob!).
Another thing that is great about Penang is that you never know what you are going to find around a corner. For example, I was walking with some friends the other day, and we passed down a narrow alleyway. My friend nonchalantly pointed to the left, and there in this random spot, was a huge Buddha, shimmering in golden splendor. It was awesome! But sightings such as this are common in Penang — no matter where I’m walking, I happen upon some sort of interesting religious site. Whether it’s a huge Buddha, large joss sticks burning (kind of oversized sticks of incense), or people burning money in honor of hungry ghosts (really! it’s called the Hungry Ghost festival), there is never a dull moment walking the streets of Penang.
Georgetown is another great reason to live in Penang, and there are a number of blogs where people sing the praises of walking the streets and checking out the street art, so I again won’t do that. I will say however, that to enjoy Georgetown, you must walk around at night when it’s much cooler. Even better, the Kapitan Keling Mosque is beautiful when it is lit up at night. But in general, more people are out, there are colorful lights to see, and perhaps most importantly, there is more food! You haven’t lived until you’ve sweated through a spicy hot meal at a Georgetown hawker stall, all while racing against time to drink your bland Tiger beer before it gets warm and (if you can believe it) less tasty!
At any rate, I love Penang, because though it may be hot, steamy, and sometimes stinky, it is a great place to call my (new) home.
A Byrd's Eye View 