We both had our reservations about staying in Penang and were hoping to get to Thailand as soon as possible, but after a day and a night here we have decided we quite like it. It's got the same feel to it as Fort Cochin in Kerala, helped by its geography as well as its people.
There are a lot more of your 'typical' backpackers here (sunburnt, tattooed layabouts who probably all read The Beach and thought backpacking was the answer), and the vibe is completely different to India - I think everyone is trying too hard to be cool.
We're not though so pulling on our sandals we headed straight to the mecca of uncool, Fort Cornwallis, for some cultshah.
After saturating our brains with the history of the place (we sailed in, claimed it as our own, annoyed the Dutch and named the capital after the King), we had our photo taken with a 4-year-old python called Milo (pix of us looking scared soon). It weighed a ton and I was sure it was going to bite me until the handler reassured me that he prefers live pigeons (!)
Now, as we've travelled our windy way here I've been pleased to notice the dozens of reminders of the imperial might the British Empire (RIP) once wielded. We've been everywhere, and I don't think I've been to a country yet that we haven't invaded.
Elements of Britishness are alive and well in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore
Take Penang for example. The East India Company needed a convenient stop-off point on the trade routes it had established between China and India, so the British Navy sailed in and took over the island - just to annoy the Dutch - and established the capital Georgetown, named after the king.
The whole of India thrives on a bureaucracy and democracy so maddening it could only be British,
After arriving we sunk a few Tigers before discovering that the Thai Government
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment