Joel's [Annual] Post

FYI:

I raced my mountain bike today in Johor Bahru, Malaysia; Something I do frequently with my fellow expat and Singaporean friends.
The race was hosted at the Sales Gallery, a glass box in the middle of a field where happy young first-time property owners will congregate to be wowed into purchasing a condo between a freeway, high powered electrical lines, and a pretty nice looking hill adorned with classic radio towers ( why are there always two? ) poking out of its top.

Penang travels and Canadian thoughts

See the whole album on flickr

You one would have guessed the rest of our Penang trip was spent eating. This is by far the biggest draw -- besides the historical walks and architecture -- to the city of George Town. The street meat, the hawker centres and sizzling grills in unmarked alleys and hole in the wall bare bones mom and pop shops. We sampled pretty much everything our local hosts pointed us toward and I couldn't recount it all if I tried. There's a blog devoted just to hawker food in Penang worth checking out to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Today we flew home and as soon as I got back onto my computer a barrage of disturbing news of the riots in Vancouver piled into my inbox. It's a dark day when you are so humiliated by your country you'd rather not show your passport to anyone. I felt like this around the election too. In response I decided that I should modify my passport. Happy Friday everyone.

Penang Photo Album

Penang, Malaysia, a set on Flickr.

George Town, Penang Malaysia

My mother and brother returned to Singapore with us last week when we flew back from Victoria. After their first five days exploring the red dot we took a side trip to Penang. We flew in on Tiger Airways, which is cheaper than even buying the gas to get there. 

We lucked out in the accommodation department and scored a two bedroom apartment at the Straits Collection which is right in the UNESCO heritage area we came here to see. It's a row of converted shop houses which are now restored and full of antique furnishings and some modern amenities like a/c. 

Our first day took us around only half of the heritage walk suggested by our host. It was actually too hot for us to even walk outside after noon. I thought Singapore was hot but Penang takes the cake. I think it's the lack of foggy atmosphere and also the lack of trees and shelter along the streets because the temperature is supposed to be cooler than we are used to.

Redang Island, Malaysia

Joel finally came home from his work trip to New Zealand. We jetted off immediately for a 5 day trip to Redang Island in Malaysia. It's a gorgeous white sand island with pretty amazing snorkeling. We saw an incredible variety of fish and reef sharks too. It was great to have cool ocean air for a few days. As Joel put it "I don't think I've ever taken a tropical vacation and come home to hotter weather."

Redang is a resort destination with a few options for places to stay.  Berjaya airlines is the best way to get there (unless you want to spend a day in a bus... nope? I thought not). The highest rated resort is the Berjaya Redang Resort which is on the far side of the island on its own beach. It's also the most expensive option. The other 16 resorts are all in a row along three bays.

We stayed in the middle of that resort area at Laguna Redang. The beaches in that area were very nice and the actual rooms at our resort were tastefully furnished. As I said above the fish were plentiful and from what I've heard from other people this really is the big draw here.

When we were there the average age of travelers was about 16 -18 (lots of high school groups) and the beach dance parties were very loud and almost all of the resorts along that area seem to be very much into creating a party/club atmosphere. The food and beverage services are very basic. If you are a die hard snorkeling fiend this is going to be heaven for you but if you're a foodie you might not be too impressed. Either way, don't forget your earplugs for the evenings.

Click on either of the pics below to see more from the trip on Flickr. Make sure you login if you are a friend or family member to see hidden pictures.

 

The great escape

I wrote a post a while back with some weekend getaway options but since we were constantly in different countries over the past few months we never booked anything. Friends of ours invited us to join them in Malaysia for a deluxe resort, total veg-out trip and we jumped at the opportunity. We're booked for a few days on Redang Island next month. Looking forward to spending some time off with Joel.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world...

Joel in a mountain biking race in Malaysia

Weekend getaway options

Well we are moving into our apartment next weekend and then our next project is to take take a weekend excursion to one of the popular vacation spots close by. The decision might be a tough one so why don't you tell us where to go!

courtesy of www.mynetbizz.com

Bintan
45 minutes from Singapore by ferry. An indonesian island with great beaches, some old growth jungle and lots of resorts to wile away an weekend at.

Batam
The more industrialized and less touristy neighbour to Bintan. Known for night life and shopping but still has some nice places to stay.

courtesy of wikimedia.com

Melaka
A historic Malaysian town, about a 4 hour bus ride away.  Shopping, dining and new cultural things to poke around at.