Ramblings

We are thoroughly enjoying Penang, it is vibrant, lively, historic, amusing – ok I've run out of descriptions but you get the idea.

Just the other day whilst in a cab coming back from town, there suddenly appeared ahead a band playing wind instruments, followed by a truck full of percussions instruments with players banging and crashing.......our cab driver stopped and there we waited for the full procession – it became evident after 12 men RAN past us, carrying a coffin ( in Penang – where its 35°c with 95% humidity), that it was in fact a Chinese funeral – some 15 minutes later, the procession had passed us but not before hoards of weeping and wailing mourners had been seen to be doing their bit. Our driver explained, the Chinese measure success according to how much money you can accumulate in a lifetime. He said that the funeral we had witnessed must have been that of a very wealthy person, due to the number of crying mourners. Then he told us that the family PAY mourners to cry at the funeral, as well as paying for all the trucks full of musicians etc. Well, I reckon I could do that crying job, dead easy – bunch of onions in my handbag, box of tissues in my hand – no worries, gimme the dosh. The other amusing aspect of it all of course is that the family would have been standing round waiting for old Uncle Ping Yong to pop his clogs thinking they'd probably inherit a goodly sum from the old boy, only to find that they have to spend most of it getting strangers to cry and stuff!

I call this one "SPF 1000"

This marina (she said, moving seamlessly onto another subject) is quite something – it is owned and has been developed by the E & O group – for those not familiar with the name, the Eastern and Oriental hotel in Georgetown is a world famous, heritage listed 5 star hotel. This marina and surrounding residential/retail area has been built on reclaimed land in the style of the hotel. I'll take some photos next time for you, including a snapshot of the chart plotter showing us firmly tied up on land!

Enough ramblings? OK, more soon. 

Snake Temple garden

Near Hole-in-the-Wall