GAH

good. grief.

'nuff said.

goodbye, room

possibly my favorite hotel stay ever, amongst many nice stays in other places. generous proportions plenteous amenities cheerful prompt accountable service strong wifi with our own router and the best location yet of all our penang hotel experiences. would i come again? yessirree, in a heartbeat! (after the sticker shock)

penang vs. ipoh

both with charmingly olde worlde tourist trap pockets although of course penang is much larger and much more established.

ipoh has that hard-to-top japanese genki restaurant.

penang has e&o which is not possible to top, as far as hotels go.

ipoh's churches are housed in industrial looking shophouses. penang's churches meet in expansive neo-colonial properties. i get the same underlying current of aliveness at both.

ipoh's bakeries are pretty much done by early afternoon. in penang they are called patisseries and you can buy cake at 8 PM yesssss.

ipoh has traffic lights and little green and red men. penang has jaywalkers.

food is good at both. i am unable to comment on non-food attractions, having only explored food.

lunch pour un

my fellow travelers embark on their durian excursion and i trot off to my own devices. very glad that i enjoy dining solo so much. gimme a nice cafe with a quiet spot something hearty-fresh (melbourne-style cafe food is good) and an absorbing book. 

today's pan-seared salmon is delicious with the lantern of lost memories.

georgetown baptist church

hanyu pinyin. godsend for riff raff who cannot otherwise read beyond the basics but may nevertheless wish to participate in the worship of a chinese congregation. like me.

my life journey contains laughter and tears

which leave behind marks of the Lord's grace

we mean business

possibly the biggest no smoking sign i've ever seen. i love this place already.

e & o hotel, penang

HOM indulges me and books us into the grand dame. 

ooooh! real hardwood floors! ceiling fan! colonial charm! his-and-hers sinks! balcony with a view! sarongs in the closet! separate work desk and cozy corner! charging points in abundance!

that's it, i tell HOM. my hotel bucket list is all ticked up.