Day One in Georgetown

Today we left Batu Ferringi and the peace of the oceanside to head into Georgetown, the main city on Penang Island. We engaged a taxi for 9:00 and Reid and June decided to come into town with us. We arrived at our hotel, Chulia Mansion, left our luggage, and headed down the street to find a Thai visa agent. There were many and we chose Jim, whom we had read about online. Dan gave him 40 MR, his photos and passport, and that was it (the actual visa fee is waived right now to encourage tourism to Thailand, he said). He told us to come back at 2:30 tomorrow to pick it up. He was obviously ready to leave for the consulate to submit a handful of applications. It was surprising to me to see so many signs offering Thai visa assistance.

Then we headed off to scope out this town. We went first to Little India, then north to the water's edge and back to the hotel.

Teksi waiting at the hotel

"Green" building we passed

Reid & June showing how tall this incense is

We asked an Indian vendor along the street where we could find some chai. He motioned us a bit down the road and we headed over to a small South Indian restaurant. There were people there having breakfast; it was now about 10:30. We couldn't resist the food, so we had some idles, a dosa to share, and masala chai. The sambar and dipping sauce were served in small dishes. It was all delicious.

A Chinese temple, this time with tall, FAT incense sticks outside.

British colonial buildings abound; this one says "Town Hall" above the entryway.

Almost next door was this very large building. I think it is a museum now.

When we got to the shore, we saw the war memorial. The main monument says 1914-1918 on it, but the smaller sign to the left lists other wars, including World War II, the China-Burma railway, and some other engagements with Indonesia and others.

A view across the bay -- lots of tall apartment buildings

St. George's Anglican Church

These artists were painting a Chinese temple across the street.

Back at the hotel, we finally took a photo of the four of us. The mural in the background is on the lobby wall.