Temples and More Temples

SE Asia is full of temples, Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, etc. Here on Pulau Penang (island) there are even private temples that belong to families and their beauty competes with those that are larger and belong to the entire population. Entire clans will have a temple with their individual accomplishments recorded on gold plaques. Penang is a medium size island separated from the mainland by a fast moving channel and sports a nice marina that is rapidly disintegrating due to lack of maintenance and the fact that there is no breakwater to separate the yachts and the docks from the wash of the ferries that are continuously disgorging passengers. The slips have silted to the point that more than half cannot be used and the yachts toss dangerously back and forth in the wake threatening to lock masts. The water is so full of floatsom that we continuously suck garbage into our systems, shutting them down. At low tide the smell of the mud flats is nauseating but the customers sitting in the lovely restaurants overlooking the water don't seem to notice. So why do we stay? A one block walk puts us in the center of the second largest city in Malaysia where we can wander and explore-a delightful change from our visits to isolated islands. Today is the end of Ramadan and there will be feasts and family visits for a large part of the population. Approximately 40% of the island is Muslim and the rest are Chinese, or Straits-Chinese better known as Nyona. In the Indian section of town the stalls are full of large pots of food that are spooned into bags or containers to take home. Garlands of marigolds hang everywhere bringing a lot of color to the area. The Straits-Chinese food differs from Chinese food as we know it. The flavors are subtle and addictive, the spring rolls from Malacca are so good that we would fly there just to eat them! Fiery chilis are a large ingredient in the dishes as they are in the Indian foods. Similar to the rest of the areas throughout the Pacific we have visited there are no provisions made for pedestrians. Crosswalks are non-existent as are sidewalks so one walks with traffic and dashes across streets hoping not to be run over. Motorbikes zip in and out, usually with more than one person riding and many times with families of 4 or 5. Ted actually had the guts to ride a bike here.

Both Malacca and Georgetown (the main city on the island of Penang) have been declared World Heritage cities. Malacca seemed more prepared for tourism with many of its lovely buildings restored but Georgetown, although the larger of the two cities, has yet to renovate many buildings. The monsoon seems to be rearing its ugly head for a last gasp before transition season as we have had hard rain for the last 3 days, continuously, and it is expected to continue for at least another 2 days. There are lots of landslides blocking the roads.