Penang: George Town Touring

By 8:30a, Insignia was tied up at the Swettenham Cruise Pier and cleared by the authorities. Fifteen minutes later, we were standing at the port exit, awaiting our driver/guide for the tour Sonia had arranged for the four of us through Viator.

We started out in the heart of George Town, the capital of the State of Penang. I had read that the area had a number of beautiful murals. Indeed, we saw some interesting ones. And also took a peek at the Yap Kongsi Chinese Temple on Armenian Street.

Back in the car, we were driven to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion on Church Street … which I will write about separately … it deserves its own footprint.

Next, our driver took us to the House of Amber. He described it as a museum. Perhaps part of it was. But sensing that it was more of a shopping stop, we told him we were not interested. We did, however, agree to a batik demonstration at another stop. Managed to get out of there without making a dent in the wallet.

The first of the two temples on our itinerary followed. Again, I will post about it separately … combining it with the second temple we visited before returning to the ship.

By the time we were ready to take the funicular to the top of Flagstaff Hill — one of several peaks in the Penang Hill area — the blue skies and sunshine that we’d been enjoying were replaced by low-lying clouds and downpours. Bad timing.

With the summit shrouded in clouds, we knew there wouldn’t be much to see in the way of expansive scenery. So, I’m not sure why we agreed to pay the funicular fare to go up. Perhaps it was the hope that we could have lunch at the summit that swayed us. As it turns out, the eateries at the top station were more or less like stalls at a food court. The place was packed … mostly, I think, with those seeking shelter from the continued downpour. So, no lunch for us.

Instead, grateful that we had an umbrella, we went for a quick stroll.

The overlooks — as anticipated — had little in the way of views because of the weather. What was visible was veiled by the mist and clouds. We were about to throw in the towel when we spotted a colorful temple.

Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan is apparently one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang. It dates back to to the 1800s. At that time, it was a small shrine to the Hindu deity Murugan … associated with a time of devotion and sacrifice by the Indian sepoys [Indian soldiers serving under British or European orders] and sedan chair carriers. Today, instead of the shrine, one finds an ornate temple here … in the Dravidian architectural style of South India.

Even on a dreary, rainy day, the colorful figures decorating the roof of the temple were quite cheerful. The cheer continued in the hall, where a pandit — Hindu priest, if you will — was decorating a statue of Ganesh, the Elephant God, with floral garlands and preparing offerings for visitors.

By 1:30p, having rejoined Sonia and Boris, we were ready to head down the hill. The lower the funicular went, the bluer the skies became. There was no sign of any wet stuff falling. Penang Hill, however, was still shrouded in clouds, so our decision to leave was a good one.

Seeing as how the weather had improved — though it was quite hot and humid — we allowed ourselves to be convinced by our guide to visit another temple. Good decision … though the story will be part of my temples footprint.

It was getting on towards 3:00p when we finally got back to the ship. The temperature read 88F … but the feels-like temp was 98F. We were done! And more than ready for a tepid shower and the air conditioned comfort of our cabin.

Refreshed, and with an ice cold strawberry milkshake on hand, we took advantage of the decent wi-fi strength to go online to complete our Singapore Arrival Card. Easy enough to do through the free websites section of the ship’s wi-fi portal. With the pdf files downloaded, and email confirmations as a back-up, we’re keeping fingers crossed that our entry into Singapore will be faster than it was on RTW2017.

Insignia was already at sea by the time the next rainstorm moved into Penang. We watched as the rain came down in sheets in the distance and veiled Pulau Penang from view. Then, it was time to get ready for dinner with the Gelmans and the Craddocks … to celebrate Sonia’s birthday.Read more