Bird's nest soup in Penang

Clock Tower

Last stop in Malaysia:  Georgetown, on the island of Penang. Two days ago, we took a 3 hour fast ferry from Langkawi to get here.  If you're wondering why we're backtracking, it's because the flight options to southern Thailand are better out of Georgetown.  Plus, we've heard so much about Pulau Pinang, which means Betel Nut Island:  locals and other travelers alike enthuse about this place, both because of it's history and it's famed regional cuisine.  

Kuan Yin Teng Temple

Our budget hotel is located in Little India; a pleasantly chaotic tangle of jewelry and sari boutiques, DVD vendors and green grocers, and "mamak" (food) stalls. Within a three block radius of our hotel, four places of worship stand, all of which were built in the early 1800s.  There is the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple, with its colorful statues of the many deities.  Heavy clouds of burning joss sticks waft in front of the Kuan Yin Teng or Goddess of Mercy Taoist temple, which was built by early Chinese settlers.  St George's Anglican Church, named after the patron saint of England, is further down Lebuh Pitt street.  And finally, the whitewashed Kapitan Keling mosque, originally built for Muslim Indian soldiers. We're woken at about 5:30 am each morning with the muezzin's Call to Prayer, amplified by loudspeaker.

Fort Cornwallis

In Georgetown, there is also an abundance of colonial buildings, such as the Penang Clock Tower, which was erected to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.  Another one is the star-shaped Fort Cornwallis, where Sir Francis Light landed in 1786.  Over the years Fort Cornwallis was used as both an administrative and military base for the British East India Company.  During WWII the Japanese used it as a staging point and base, but through the fort's history, no battle has ever taken place there.

at the Pinang Peranakan mansion

Something a little different was the Pinang Peranakan Mansion.  It depicts the typical home of an affluent Peranakan over a century ago.  The Peranakans, also known as Baba-Nyonya, or straits Chinese, are a community of accultured Chinese unique to Penang, Melaka and Singapore.  (We had Nyonya food for our Christmas dinner and it is delish!)  Upon entering the mansion, one steps into a central courtyard, with several rooms bordering it on both the main and upper levels.  Among many other artifacts, formal mother-of-pearl furniture, rich tapestries, porcelain, jewellery and wedding slippers can be seen - an antique lover's dream.  The upper level contains three bridal chambers, with collectibles from different eras.  Aside from traditional Chinese decor, the European influence is fairly strong, with English floor tiles, Scottish iron-works and Victorian mirrors.  Connected to the mansion through a hidden passage is the Chung Keng Kwee ancestral temple.  Most impressive were the ceramic figures in tableaux showing various scenes from Chinese legends.  

red date & gingko nut bird's nest soup

Last but not least, we had the opportunity to sample bird's nest, a Chinese delicacy.  Edible Nest-Swiftlets build these saliva nests which are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans.  Would you dare try it?  The cost was 38 ringgit ($12) for a small bowl, and we decided to share one.  Our soup was prepared with a sweet red-date broth base, served warm.  Some cooked gingko nuts and a few pieces of the bird's nest rounded out the list of ingredients.  The bird's nest was as thin as rice vermicelli and seemed to be both dissolving and congealing at the same time.  But the strands tasted so mild in comparison with the dates that it's impossible to accurately describe the flavor.  We liked the soup well enough, and finished it off.  Apparently the soup had health benefits too, and is good for one's circulation.