Penang

In Penang now, impressing my friend with my ability to get lost in a city I have visited several times and which isn't even very big. Today we bought a new suitcase for me, because the handle on the old one was destroyed by China Air. I could probably claim damages from them, but it's hardly worth it. It was a cheap suitcase. My new one is slightly more expensive (actually double, but the old one was VERY cheap) and, I hope, stronger.

The weather is a lot cooler than it was in Japan, and I am enjoying the respite. I am not sweating madly all the time, and especially enjoy the cooler evenings. Taiping was very humid and it rained every afternoon, but we expected that. It is not called the Rain Town for nothing. But it was worth it for the amazingly lush environment, and anyway it wasn't too hot. The jungle seems to be growing as you watch, creeping in over everything. Green, green, green, green...

Penang is busy and friendly, as always. The main backpacker area has got worse, but where we stay things have improved. When we asked for rooms at the back of the hotel as we usually do, to avoid the noisy music that goes on all night, the woman told us the offending place had closed down.

"No more noisy!" she cried triumphantly, so we took rooms at the front and got better views.

We'll be here for a couple more days, and then we're off on the bus again to the east coast. Eventually we will have a couple of days at a beach, and then work our way back down to Kuala Lumpur.

We are walking a lot, maybe even enough to justify the six or eight meals a day we seem to be managing to squeeze in. The food here is, as always, FABULOUS, and The Man knows all the best street stalls and restaurants. Following him around is like following a galloping gourmet. We gallop from one great meal to the next.