New Year's in Georgetown

I have absolutely no idea how I’ll celebrate New Year’s Eve in Penang. I start the day by going to a nearby foodcourt, Old Winston Coffee Garden, for breakfast, then wander towards the coast, past another very popular food court, New World Park. I see an interesting old building for sale, although it lacks a few desirable features, stop in at a coffee place I happen to pass for another excellent coffee and pause to wonder what would happen if I asked the fellow about Windows Server 2003. It really is a day for wandering, with no insight provided into how to spend the evening.

It’s when I go back to Old Winston for dinner (it really is close to my hotel) that I work it out. When I’m there, the place is crowded and there’s a show on - not quite karaoke, as they seem to have a schedule of singers to come on stage to sing a single song (none in English).

Closer to midnight, I come back. Now they have a single singer performing a set, and the place is pumping! Towards midnight, there’s a rush for the door, so I follow: we can see the fireworks from KOMTAR. The singer has been a bit slow - the firworks are nearly done when she does her coutdown.

There are sporadic fireworks through the night, although I don’t see many of them.

I don’t completely waste the day - I do some actual planning for the trip. There’s a train ride I really want to do in Borneo - it starts in Kota Kinabalu, runs to Beaufort, then after a change of train (and long wait) continues to Tenom. I’ve done it once before, but the trains have been updated. I’ve tried to do it another time, got as far as Beaufort but couldn’t leave the station because the streets were flooded: no onward train. I can fly direct from Penang Airport, then fly back to Kota Bahru, to walk into Thailand.

New Year’s Day involves more wandering - I go down to Beach Road, a major café strip - it’s so crowded, I don’t stay long and, in any event, I have a destination. On the way, I pass KOMTAR - when built in the 80s, the tower was the tallest structure in South East Asia. It houses the state and municipal Government, along with some businesses. At its base is a pretty low rent mall. Nearby, I find something far more interesting.

The depot formerly used by the Hin Bus Company has been turned into an arts and events community hub. I don’t know this - it’s the look of the place that catches my eye.

Inside, there’s a market, musicians, little shops, places to eat - a fun place to hang.

I only find it because it is next door to a craft beer bar, Drafted. This turns out to be a bit of a disappintment - they don’t have any Malaysian beer on tap (sold out) and only Sapporo and BrewDog Punk IPA is available. The IPA is not at its freshest - possibily because the bar doesn’t seem to have a lot of custom?

I walk around the area of my hotel one last time - there are several streets where the shophouses have been done up really nicely.

There’s another day before my flight: I could stay on in Georgetown easly enough, but I’m intrigued by a café a local to the area has posted about, in Alor Setar. I’ve been here before and didn’t feel any need to stay longer or return, but it turns out I was wrong. Getting there, I find I am on the wrong train, headed for Ipoh rather than Padang Besar so get off at the next station. By the time the right train arrives, it is packed, and I have to stand the whole way - it’s well over an hour. Luckily, I can recover my spirits at another of my favourite cafés, the Mansion, which is near the train station.

I’ve seen Alor Setar’s main mosque feature on Top Ten Mosques in the World lists - it’s pretty special.

My destination is Café Diem - it is in a part of town I’d not seen on my earlier visit, and it’s an area which encourages me to come back - it feels quite special (more in the nect post). I’ll finish this post with the café - it’s really the building which houses it which is the story. It had been a prison, then an opium den and (maybe at the same time) budget lodgings. The building has been refurbished and is rather lovely to explore. The top floor is closed when I get there, but the staff are kind enough to turn all the lights on and let me go up.

Downstairs is still open so I can get coffee and cake and admire all the photos adorning the walls.

Cheers!