Day 12 - Penang to Bangkok

Our time in Malaysia was soon winding down.  Starting our day in the usual way, we decided on a morning stroll and went for a walk.  The Penang streets were already bustling by the time the sun rose, so we were cautious and careful as we navigated the streets.

We stopped to take pictures of a few interesting doors.  When we were in Scotland, Ramona took pictures of several colorful doorways.  Here in Malaysia, we'd learned that in the old days, doorways had the Chinese name of the families who lived there.  Over time, these were replaced with numbers, but in many places, the Chinese letters remain.

Returning to the hotel in the midmorning, we took our luggage to the lobby and headed out to lunch at restaurant high above the city.  At the Top View restaurant, we were treated to a "set lunch", featuring a full-course meal and a spectacular view.

Our meal was exquisite - the presentation was excellent!

At last, it was time for our last outing together, our debriefing session.  We gathered in a group and walked over to the Lightbulb.

Once there, we broke into small groups and discussed some of the cultural similarities we encountered and some of the differences.  It was an interesting discussion as each of us brought our unique perspectives to the equation.  Sadly, our discussions ended almost as quickly as they began.  Soon, it was time to return to the hotel to catch our busses to the airport.  Before long, we were on our way to Penang International airport.  For most of the group, they would be catching a  flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, then onward to home.  For Ramona and I, we would catch a flight from Penang to Bangkok, Thailand, to continue our international travels and get a bit of rest and relaxation for us.

We said our goodbyes to the students and headed off to our gate.  Before I could get too comfortable, our plane arrived at the gate and we had to board.  Our flight from Penang was a bit delayed by the on boarding process, but we were soon on our way.  A scant two hours later, we found ourselves in Thailand!

The weather was quite similar to Malaysia, just as hot, but a tiny bit less-humid.  We passed through immigration and customs, and headed for the taxi pickup.  We found a taxi service that would transport us from the airport to our hotel for only 750 Baht (30 Baht to the USD, or roughly $25 USD).  Our driver got us to our hotel in under a half-hour, excellent - considering the traffic.

Our check-in experience exposed us to the service-oriented culture of Thailand.  Our porter and concierge were overly gracious, eager to make our stay comfortable.  They took our luggage and brought us up to the Executive floor room Ramona had reserved for us.   Wow!  What a setup!