Penang, Malaysia

Yes. That's right. We'd thought we'd try something a little off the beaten track, and even though the old ex-British colonial island is a little nugget of industry and commerce, some might say a more chilled out Singapore, nobody seems to travel through here. To be honest, our main goal was to get to Koh Lipe, an island on the very southern coast of west Thailand. But rather than spend two weeks just watching the surf, sand and blue skies, we thought we should at least try to get a bit of culture in along the way. Especially since my mum was joining us from the UK and because we can go to the beach any time we want in Thailand. Also, my aunt and uncle were to meet us there for the Xmas period after they'd island hopped around the Andaman coast. So, we flew to Penang airport and headed straight to Georgetown, the old city where Francis Light founded the colony in 1786. Interestingly enough (admittedly only for me and my family), old Francis was from Woodbridge, Suffolk, which is very near to where I grew up as a kid. From Penang, you can get two ferries that take you direct to Koh Lipe, in Thailand. This is pretty much what most people were doing: travelling from the south, up to Thailand. Penang was great, although I must disagree with it being dubbed the food capital of SE Asia. Yes, it does have a multitude of foods from Indian, Chinese and Malay cuisines...but even this can't beat Thailand's culinary delights. Sorry, Penang. Just my opinion. That aside, the food is great as are the people and it would be a great place to live, I think. We saw some really nice, affordable condos on the seafront highway. The island is small enough to drive around in one day, which makes it easy to commute. Crime rate is low too. But even with all these things, I still wouldn't actively look into visiting the island again. If you're travelling through though, here's what it's like!



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Thanks y'all...next stop, Koh Lipe...