So this morning we drove a few hours from Krabi to the Thailand-Malaysia border. We had to walk across but the crossing was pretty uneventful. The only thing of note was that there was a large warning sign declaring that possessing drugs in Malaysia is punishable by the death penalty! Malaysia is much more strict than Thailand and many of the other countries in SE Asia. Malaysia literally mean "Mountain Asia" and hosts about 26 million people. Islam is the dominant religion at about 60%. The remaining 40% is mostly Hindu and Buddhist.
After crossing the border, we drove a couple more hours to Penang which is an island off of the Western Coast of Malaysia. It has many luxury high rises and modern construction on one part of the island and then an older historic center in a neighborhood called George Town. This was at one time an English colony so many of the streets, signs, statues, etc. are all in English or revolve around historical western figures.
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| Golden Buddha at Burmese Buddhist Temple |
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| 45 m Gold Plated Thai Buddha |
It's also possible to go up Penang hill via funicular which is about 800m above the city. Scenic views and a Hindu temple and mosque await at the top.
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| View from Penang Hill |
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| Python Head |
The group is getting along fine so far considering spending the past week together. Our guide, Khag, is a good-humored Thai woman from Bangkok who maybe not so surprisingly has a deep love for karaoke! We actually went out for karaoke one night in Penang and had a good time. Liz, in your honor, I sang Sweet Child Of Mine with an Aussie buddy and ripped it up.
Overall, feel very lucky with the group dynamic and even though we are all very different, we seem to have a blast together. Khag is always the life of the party and sometimes the instigator!
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