Later in the morning, I went down to get breakfast and met up with many of the students. They recalled the things they had seen and done on their trips and shared many of their wonderful pictures.
I spent most of the morning resting up for the last leg of our trip in Malaysia and getting to know a bit about our next area.
When Ramona returned, it was time for our next bus ride and flight. Downstairs, we loaded onto our bus and soon headed to the airport. After a brief stop at the counter we were soon through security and awaiting our flight.
Many of the students were reflecting on things seen on the trip, and of the new opportunities they would have back at school. I was particularly encouraged by a new graduate assistanceship that they worked out. Their entrepreneurial spirit never ceases to amaze me!
We boarded our flight and were soon off for a short flight to Penang, a mere 38 minutes away. We scarcely had time to enjoy the peanuts and orange juice that were handed out before we had to prepare for our landing.
On the ground in Penang, we collected our luggage and proceeded to the bus depot. Our guide met us at the door, greeted us warmly and helped us load our luggage into a trio of smaller, eight-passenger busses. Georgetown, the capital of Penang, would soon greet its guests from WMU!
As the busses lurched away from the curb, I noticed that Penang certainly felt more humid than KL or Sunway, perhaps due to its nature as an island.
Our bus driver careened through the streets and before long, we pulled up at the Georgetown Sentral hotel. We unloaded our luggage, checked in and made plans for the evening. While the students opted to group up and head out, Ramona and I decided to go with the Andersons, David and Diane, and find a place to eat.
We opted to go to a nearby mall, in search of a sit down restaurant. Walking down our street, the mall was on the other side of a rather busy divided roadway. With no crosswalk in sight, we waited for a group of locals to make their bid to cross and we joined them. Fortunately, we all arrived safely on the other side.
A recurring theme I kept telling Ramona, many older cities simply aren't pedestrian-friendly and don't lend themselves to foot traffic. In the 1980s, the Malaysian government worked to increase automobile ownership by funding a national car company, Proton (a joint works with Lotus). The national car was inexpensive and greatly improved the mobility of the average Malaysian. As ownership grew, however, so did congestion, to the point that now the streets are crowded with scooters, motorcycles, cars and busses. Perhaps they have too much of a good thing?
At the mall, we circled around a bit before finding a restaurant called Tao. This location featured Asian cuisine and an all-you-can-eat buffet. We got a table and soon began to order a variety of dishes. The food and conversation kept flowing as we tried dish after dish. I was particularly impressed by the presentation of each dish - it was clear the chefs wanted to make each item look as appetizing as they tasted.
As the evening wound down, we made our way across the busy street and back to our hotel room. The lack of working wifi made posting the blog or uploading pictures difficult, so I opted to wait until morning to try and do either.
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