It didn't take me long to pack, I'd brought just the basics with me and left my suitcase stored in the hotel in Penang. This meant that I had plenty of time to have a good final stroll around, this time heading east as I'd covered all the other directions during my time here.
I walked through the gardens on my way to the ferry terminal, having one last look at the Eagle mascot, then headed up the hill towards the eastern shore. I passed a pretty row of coloured houses (are you allowed to call them that any more?) and carried on for about another 1.5 km until I was stopped by a security guard at what amounted to a road block. It turned out that this was the entrance to the Westin Hotel and only hotel guests are allowed to pass! So this is a proper road, the shore is to my right, I have no other way of progressing along this road other than here, is that right? Yes, I'm told, private road, no passing, not allowed. This was repeated several times until it was obvious that I wasn't going to get past.
I walked back to the Tourist Information Office at the ferry terminal, none too happy about this, to my mind, ludicrous situation, but the lady in there told me that that road only leads to a few top end hotels. It seems that there is no road of any description up the east coast of the island. How weird!
So the only answer to this irritation was to have breakfast, obviously. I found a truly local place, liked the look of what was being cooked, and ordered the same. It was a type of omelette, made by stretching out by hand a pat of pastry, spreading some beaten eggs on it, folding this over several times, then frying it directly on a hot plate, it's served with a lightly spiced sauce, delicious. I mentioned to the cook that I'd like 2, meaning 2 eggs, which was interpreted as 2 helpings! But I managed to eat the lot.
In one of the photos below you will see what nearly turned out to be my breakfast companion. I was sitting next to a low wall, not a solid one, minding my own business when I glanced over the wall and saw this 'thing', at first I thought it was a statue, and then it moved and a very long very speedy tongue shot out many times, like rapid gunfire. It advanced towards the holes in the wall seemingly sizing me up, at which stage I thought a table much further away from the wall was looking inviting. I did manage to finish my breakfast though, I wasn't letting any prehistoric looking creature deprive me of my food!
I carried on strolling until I felt it was time to head back to the hostel to collect my backpack, then headed off to the ferry terminal, very pleased in the end with what I had achieved that morning.
The ferry was on time, the sea was calm, I found the CAT bus (the free shuttle one), got off at the terminal, checked the buses to the airport for tomorrow, walked to the hotel from there, checked in, showered, changed, went out for dinner and bought a coconut ice lolly on the way back.
And here I am, telling you all about it.
Day 1 of The Long Trek Home successfully navigated.
Photos hopefully self evident.
I walked through the gardens on my way to the ferry terminal, having one last look at the Eagle mascot, then headed up the hill towards the eastern shore. I passed a pretty row of coloured houses (are you allowed to call them that any more?) and carried on for about another 1.5 km until I was stopped by a security guard at what amounted to a road block. It turned out that this was the entrance to the Westin Hotel and only hotel guests are allowed to pass! So this is a proper road, the shore is to my right, I have no other way of progressing along this road other than here, is that right? Yes, I'm told, private road, no passing, not allowed. This was repeated several times until it was obvious that I wasn't going to get past.
I walked back to the Tourist Information Office at the ferry terminal, none too happy about this, to my mind, ludicrous situation, but the lady in there told me that that road only leads to a few top end hotels. It seems that there is no road of any description up the east coast of the island. How weird!
So the only answer to this irritation was to have breakfast, obviously. I found a truly local place, liked the look of what was being cooked, and ordered the same. It was a type of omelette, made by stretching out by hand a pat of pastry, spreading some beaten eggs on it, folding this over several times, then frying it directly on a hot plate, it's served with a lightly spiced sauce, delicious. I mentioned to the cook that I'd like 2, meaning 2 eggs, which was interpreted as 2 helpings! But I managed to eat the lot.
In one of the photos below you will see what nearly turned out to be my breakfast companion. I was sitting next to a low wall, not a solid one, minding my own business when I glanced over the wall and saw this 'thing', at first I thought it was a statue, and then it moved and a very long very speedy tongue shot out many times, like rapid gunfire. It advanced towards the holes in the wall seemingly sizing me up, at which stage I thought a table much further away from the wall was looking inviting. I did manage to finish my breakfast though, I wasn't letting any prehistoric looking creature deprive me of my food!
I carried on strolling until I felt it was time to head back to the hostel to collect my backpack, then headed off to the ferry terminal, very pleased in the end with what I had achieved that morning.
The ferry was on time, the sea was calm, I found the CAT bus (the free shuttle one), got off at the terminal, checked the buses to the airport for tomorrow, walked to the hotel from there, checked in, showered, changed, went out for dinner and bought a coconut ice lolly on the way back.
And here I am, telling you all about it.
Day 1 of The Long Trek Home successfully navigated.
Photos hopefully self evident.
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