Under My Belt

One year in Southeast Asia and Malaysia has flown by. I feel like I have both traveled a lot and not at all; learned much about the history, culture, and language, and know nothing at the same time.

After a year I can celebrate a few things, reflecting back on one of my first posts:

• I have a dedicated running route and the monkeys that plagued a part of it earlier this year have been either disposed of and/or there is more enforcement of the "not feeding the monkeys" thing. 
• I feel comfortable saying "thank you" (terima kasih) and "good morning" (selamat pagi) in Bahasa Malaya without it feeling contrived, and can recognize a slew of other words when written out. Important ones like "danger" (awas), "stop" (berhenti), and "restroom" (tanda).
• I have found a great group of new friends to go hiking and exploring with, finding hidden waterfalls and mountaintops to venture to on weekends or even after school.
• Despite a rocky culinary start with a few nasty bouts of true heartburn, I have grown more tolerant to the level of spice and heat in the local cuisines. I've found a favorite "stalls" place in my neighborhood that serves amazing, authentic Thai dishes (except when they are suddenly closed for a "boarder run"). My developing palate can handle a moderate bowl of laksa (Malaysian soup) and I will never turn down some roti kanai (twisted flatbread) or teh tarik (pulled black tea with milk).  Being located centrally in Southeast Asia has its perks, food-wise, and with the diverse styles of Indian, Chinese, and Malay cooking, the choices are sometimes overwhelming!

In flipping through the pictures on my phone from the last nearly twelve months, I rediscovered some that I imagine I had intended to write about. Others were just oddities that are now not so odd, and others will have to speak for themselves...

Behold the ping-pong ball-sized pulasan, not to be confused with the rambutan,
though they (and the lychee) both look like slippery eye balls once peeled.

Then, there's always new, regional flavors of Kit Kats to try...?

Hashtag you know you live in a Muslim country when...
Something tells me this won't be appearing on any airline in-seat monitors in the
western world anytime soon. Standard on Malaysian Air flights.

One day I was brave and took my phone out on the walk to work, risking it being
stolen...by monkeys.  The trick is to not make eye contact and keep moving.

Malaysia, you are truly Asia, and I look forward to knowing you better!

Painting the Town

If there was one place in the entire country that embodies the essence of the "1 Malaysia" campaign, the island of Penang and the city of Georgetown, specifically, would be its poster-child.  With a history as rich colorful as the street scenes one is involuntarily immersed in, Georgetown is the melting pot of cultures, food, and history Malaysians sell to the outside world.

Typical shophouses in the historic UNESCO-protected part of Georgetown.

Founded in the last part of the 1800's as a way for the British to get a foothold on the spice trade from China to India to compete with the Dutch East India Company, Fort Cornwallis was established on the northeastern point of the island. Though the fort saw little action, this essentially served as the birthplace of Georgetown the settlement which grew out, southward from it. Due to Penang's location and opportunities, Georgetown quickly took on the identity of a cultural cornucopia - immigrants from Europe - namely British and Armenian - Siammese (Thailand), Burmese (Myanmar), Indians, Chinese, Indonesians, and Malays, all took their places in this new city, finding niches to fill within the community while holding on to their own traditions.

Left: Canons along the walls of Fort Cornwallis
Right: A statue to the "founder" of Georgetown and a captain for the British East
India Company, Sir Francis Light, who arrived on the island in July of 1786.

Strolling down the street today, past old tin workshops with lettering in cantonese (Chinese) characters on lanes named after undeniably English names, it is not hard to notice the myriad cultures still present, though arguably fewer and more integrated. Dodging motorbikes in Little India whilst Tamil music blares from a neighborhood spice shop and then crossing the road toward a small mosque with teenagers hanging outside discussing something in Bahasa Malaya. Within a five minute walk one can pass a centuries old Hindu temple, Buddhist monastery, mosque, and the first Anglican church in the country.  It is conceivable to eat laksa soup for lunch, have an afternoon snack of tea of mooncakes, and finish off with biryani and samosas for dinner, all without leaving a one-block area.

Georgetown has become known for a number of street art installations, which
make for an entertaining scavenger hunt whilst wandering the historic city-center.
Many of the above were rendered by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic.

Fountain outside the City Hall building.
My camera's shutter is not functioning correctly and repeatedly blacked out
a portion of my shots, however, I like the effect it had here.

The Ming Xiang Tai bakery is famous for their egg tarts, siew pau (pictured),
and other Chinese (Cantonese) pastries.

The temperature was hot and the covered walkways were a welcome way to try
and escape the afternoon heat...and motorbikes.

The Jubilee Clock Tower: built in 1897 for Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and is 60 feet tall, one
foot for each year. The tower leans slightly due to
bombing that occurred during World War II.

While two days was not enough to experience everything Georgetown has to offer, it was ample time to get lost in the time-machine that the city has remained; thinking about all the crumbling store fronts have seen, inhaling in all smells - aromatic, nauseating, and questionable - that emanate from often mysterious places or origin, standing in a sea of people in a street market listening to the cacophony of languages and dialects being spoken, mixed, and understood.