A Year in Exile: The end of the year

October 3 - out to lunch with Juliet and Robert and we decided to go for a Thai so they took us to a different part of Georgetown’s heritage. Along from the ferry port there are wooden jetties, each named after a Chinese clan or family, Tan, Chew etc., they stretch out into the water on stilts, much of it on reclaimed land. Along the road there are many food stalls particularly at night but we went along Tan Jetty to the end where there was a Thai restaurant sitting right out over the water. Excellent food and company as usual, on the way back we stopped at Sunshine, a local supermarket that does good wine deals and stocked up ready for Friday at the Old Frees where there is a karaoke competition. 14 contestants each sing a song of their choice (in English or Malay but not Chinese), the 8 best get to sing should be good fun.

We had dinner at the club first, very nice and then went into the large function room for the karaoke, about 50 or so came to watch and there were 12 contestants. The contest was won by one of Robert’s friends, Gerry, a lecturer, who unlike most of the contestants took it very seriously. He was very good, he practices a lot and enters karaoke competitions on a regular basis. I also enjoyed Ricky’s numbers, hot numbers he called them meaning they were quite upbeat and not the usual ballad, he sang a version of Achy Breaky Song and Chains by the Beatles and a youngster who sang Smoke on the Water. After the contest we went into the bar and the singing was very much for fun, the best being a young lad (well 28!) who sang various Elvis numbers complete with all the actions. Alice, a really lively woman who runs the restaurant and lives in our apartment complex drove us home at 3am – don’t know how we do it!

The next day we were guests of a trainer and his wife, Swee Hock Tan and Lynn, at Penang Turf Club. We had been told that there was a strict dress code and had to go shopping, trousers and shoes and socks for Brian (he borrowed a shirt and tie from Robert) and shoes and a top for me, the biggest spending spree we have had since we left the UK. We were in the Trainers and Jockeys box, along with 2 or 3 others, and it was good fun, especially after Lynn told us we could do a forecast bet for RM2 (about 40p) so I stopped worrying about what we were spending. The afternoon cost us RM39 so not bad at all, only one winner though! We were invited back for Day 2 and Brian was keen to meet Swee Hock and Lynn’s son Soon, who had just finished working for Godolphin for 7 years, he turned out to be an engaging and bright young man and good company. We were surprised that the racing on Sunday was on as it rained all night and then again in the morning and it had been pretty wet the day before but we arrived for the first race and it went ahead. Between the second and third races the heavens opened and the third race was run in appalling conditions, when the storm finished there was water lying on the track, they delayed the next race for 10 minutes but then went ahead. I got into a conversation with a girl whose boyfriend was a jockey and she was very unhappy and thought they were putting lives at risk. Another delay before the next race and eventually the meeting was called off – much to the delight of the jockeys who had been standing around waiting for a decision. Swee Hock said later that his jockey had said that he couldn’t see a thing coming down the straight so definitely the right decision. We had been invited out after the races but when an owner decided to stay on we postponed to Monday.

On Monday we had a ‘crisis’ call from Dan, there were several queries about the tiling that needed immediate answers, however, we missed the call and by the time we responded Lisa and her Dad, Alan, had solved them all! So the tiling is now done that just leaves the shower doors and mirrors, the garage, the paving and the outside painting to do – won’t be long now!

Monday evening Swee Hock, Lynn and Soon picked us up and we went to a very nice fish restaurant in Strait Quays owned by a friend of Soon’s. Strait Quays turned out to be the most expensive area of Penang and the restaurant overlooked a marina full of expensive yachts, yet another beautiful mall on the island, we intend to go back in daylight and have a wander, it really was very, very smart.

In the meantime we have Sumatra to look forward to – it feels a bit like an October half term holiday except that I haven’t been at work. We had a lunch out with Juliet and Robert on Thursday and a final karaoke session on Friday after a meal with Juliet, Julia and Ricky. Robert had a meeting finalising wedding plans and joined us later, we were all out the next day, us to Sumatra and Juliet and Robert to a wedding in Ipoh so we called it a day at midnight, on the way home Robert asked if we wanted to go for ‘snacks’, we declined.

The taxi arrived on time, the plane left as scheduled and we were off to Medan. The taxi drive from Medan airport was grim – Medan is a very large city and not blessed with much beauty, not an encouraging start. The hotel, however, was very nice, we got a free upgrade and the room was large, comfortable and clean. After unpacking we went for a coffee in the hotel café, it arrived 25 minutes later! We looked at the menu and decided to come back later for dinner. So – off to explore.

On leaving the hotel we were met by four lanes of heaving traffic and no pavements – we made it about 100 yards in one direction before going back and trying the other way. It was marginally better and we found a supermarket of sorts where we stocked up on beer and nibbles before finding our way back when it started to rain. On the way back we picked our way through rubble, up and down a variety of steps and on the road, at one point I went to go up a drive to avoid the traffic and found myself flat on my back, I had slipped on a new coating of wet cement. I was covered in a thick layer, my clothes, my shoes, my bag and my skin, much to the amusement of some of the workers, certainly not me! Luckily we were only a few yards from the hotel and I went straight into the shower fully clothed to try and rescue my clothes and shoes before it set. After the shower and a beer I calmed down and we went for dinner – we decided to share an avocado salad and then have fish and chips. After much toing and froing we were told no avocado salad, never mind we say, we’ll just have fish and chips, fish and chips all finished we were told, OK then, 2 tuna salads and 2 lots of chips. Well – the tuna salad was covered in sauce at least an inch thick and there was no tuna in sight, the chips at least were edible, not happy we collected some brochures and went back to the room.

I wasn’t feeling very happy, the trip to see the orang utans was a 3-4 hour drive each way with no guarantee of actually seeing any and cost more than we had expected, there didn’t seem much to see in Medan itself and we couldn’t really walk anywhere as the traffic was horrendous and there are no paths. I said to Brian that I wished I hadn’t booked a week as I didn’t see what we could do, next thing I had booked to go back to Penang on Tuesday rather than Saturday, the cost of the airfare almost exactly balanced out the hotel refund, we both immediately felt much happier.

On the Monday we went to Sun Plaza, a huge shopping mall, air conditioned and traffic free, we spent 6 hours, shops, pictures, food, a good day but not something you could do every day for a week!

Medan airport summed up the city – grim! We were both ridiculously pleased to get back to the apartment.

Malaysia is an extremely visitor friendly country, a 90 day free visa which can be renewed by leaving the country (as we had just done) and returning as quickly as 24 hours, Indonesia, on the other hand demands a pay on arrival visa (about £18) and an exit fee when you leave of between £5 and £10 per person. Guess where we would go again!

When we got back it was right in the middle of a 10 day vegetarian festival. Our local veggie was absolutely packed with extra tables and chairs outside and queues everywhere but the food ….. was amazing, the usual 20 or so dishes was increased to at least 30 with extra stalls doing broth/noodle dishes to order – food heaven it is some of the best food I have ever tasted, shame it is only a 10 day festival.

Back at karaoke on Friday much to Julia and Ricky’s delight as they had friends over from Adelaide, a really nice couple, he an English Aussie and her Malaysian, they met when she was there at uni.

Also on Friday we had an email from our builders saying that the paving and garage were done – panic stations, we started looking at air fares and applied for 6 month visas as the usual 3 month one wouldn’t take us to March when we can apply for a more permanent one. This meant we had to have chest x-rays, luckily there was a hospital in Penang that we could use. We decided to go and see on Monday. Two bus journeys and we found the hospital, everyone was so friendly and helpful and arrangements were made to go back on Tuesday with photos and several extra forms filled in. From the hospital we walked to Gurney Plaza for a mooch and a coffee and cake.

Back to the hospital next day, again very helpful and the x-rays were done and paid for. This time we walked a different way and found an older plaza, coffee and a third of the price, a leather bag and wallet for Brian, 2 pairs of flip flops for me and a Thai massage later we returned to the apartment - a good day.

We were stunned when we had notification the very next day that the visas had been granted – pretty efficient for a government department, so now our focus has changed and we are already looking forward to going to Australia.

One little hiccup with the house – Daniel mentioned that the laundry and loo hadn’t been tiled so we sent an email to the builders who informed us that it wasn’t included. Somewhat baffled we asked for an explanation and were pointed towards the original spec with an apology if it hadn’t been explained clearly. Sure enough it wasn’t on the spec – no mention of it at all so how we were supposed to know I’m not sure, anyway after many emails we won’t have a tiled laundry and loo when we move in (they did offer to do it but at an outrageously exorbitant price!). Not the end of the world and reports from Aus are all favourable so we won’t let it spoil the overall joy.

Friday night is karaoke night but the last few of weeks have been a bit different – there are two groups of people, one in the ‘tavern’ and one in the main hall, previously we had only been in the tavern but we one Friday we went into the main room first, Juliet had made a delicious pasta dish and others had brought contributions to the supper table – all very nice. The next week, Juliet took her air fryer (an amazing bit of kit that fries without fat) and made chicken and chips so the third week I decided it was time to make my own contribution and made a Thai green curry like I had been shown in the restaurant kitchen in Phuket. Perhaps a bit ambitious as it was the first time I had made it but it was OK although Robert would have liked it spicier with a thicker sauce! So now Fridays is spent half in the main hall and half in the ‘tavern’ – apparently the two groups don’t get on, hence the split, but a difficult situation for Robert and Juliet who are popular with both groups.

We’ve also started to do a bit of shopping and had a stroke of luck when we went to look at karaoke machines (which, by the way, we have decided not to buy at this time), I popped into the Post Office to see how much it would be to post a machine and discovered that it was very reasonable. So we’re not posting a machine but have packed a fairly large box full of ‘stuff’ to send to Aus rather than taking it on the plane.

The bus service in Penang is excellent, the buses are clean, regular and cheap, the bus station has an electronic board that tells you how long before each bus arrives or that it is at the jetty, we have been very impressed. However, the bus station seems to be a ‘hanging out’ place for people with nothing to do and we are often engaged in conversation. One elderly man started by asking which bus we wanted, asked the inevitable ‘where are you from?’ question and then started talking about the Guinness Book of Records – how did we know it was true? etc. – but then started talking about Rudolf Hess and how he couldn’t have committed suicide the way the Guinness Book of Records says so that is why he doubts it! It was a long discussion but finally our bus arrived, I said goodbye and asked what number bus he was waiting for, his reply ‘ Oh, I’m not waiting for a bus, I’m waiting to die’ – what do you say to that? Speechless.

We decided to go to the cinema to see the new James Bond – excellent. Bonus was that the whole thing – bus fares, cinema, popcorn, water, dinner and drinks afterwards - came to about £12 altogether – that we ARE going to miss. Came back to listen to the Saints v Quins in the LV Cup, love the fact that we can get the games here and therefore, hopefully in Aus too.

Well, that’s it – A Year in Exile – it is exactly a year since we left the UK – and what a year. I feel extremely privileged to have experienced the different cultures; we have met some wonderful people, who will be friends for life, have tried so many different foods and drinks and haven’t been cold once! Brian and I are not only still talking but have become closer and are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives. We called it our pensioners’ gap year and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.