Day 28 Fri 29 September 2006 Penang, Malaysia

In fact, the room rate was so cheap, it didn’t include breakfast, so had coffee made in our travelling plunger in the room while we tried to find out if the more westerly crossing into Thailand was feasible and/or open. Finally set out into Georgetown to find something resembling breakfast and stumbled upon (into) the E&O (Empire and Orient) Hotel where we just scraped in for their buffet brekky, looking out to the channel between here and mainland. Beautifully maintained/restored colonial building but too expensive to stay in!

Tried to do a ‘heritage walk’ but it immediately poured with rain so went back and got the car and did a heritage drive instead. Highlight was Khoo Kongsi (Khoo family clan house) which resembled very elaborate temple, maintained by same family over last 100 years.

After lunch at the new Marina, we set off around the island to see Batu Ferringi, rather tired beach resort and then up and over some twisty roads through jungle in the rain and back around to Georgetown. Dinner at 32, a restored colonial mansion with jazz singer/pianist and Sydney prices

Weather – rainy 27,
Distance today 90km
Total Distance 5782km
X5s 1 (this town is positively full of them)
X5s from start 9
CBs 1
CBs total 5