Pulao Penang

For the countless number of people who love Thailand so much they get stuck for long periods of time, like myself, there comes the inevitable, undesirable chore: the visa run. Just the combination of those two words induces sympathetic eyes from all the foreign residents. Basically, Thailand offers free visas for most people upon entering the country, thirty days when flying in, fifteen when coming overland. At various places, you can go to a consulate and get a free sixty day visa, with options of extending for thirty more in many major cities throughout Thailand. So, eventually, everyone who stays long enough has to leave the country for a couple days. When living on a secluded island paradise, nobody wants to leave the bubble for any amount of time; even the three mile trip to the atm at Haad Rin is worse than a paper cut.

On Koh Phangan island, the most convenient place for a visa run is Penang island, also known as Betel Nut Island, in Malaysia, just south of the border. Thankfully, it's a popular tourist destination in its own right; I just didn't want to bother leaving. With a different mindset, I would have really enjoyed my time there, but I was so islandized, I had trouble liking it. Now, I understand that Pulao Penang is an island, but it is the home of one of the larger cities in Malaysia and I was resenting motor vehicles and everything really. When I arrived at my hotel, I left to tour the city, barefooted, clad in my sarong, and quickly realized after all the stares that I had become one of those weird hippie guys. I put on some pants and shoes then tried again with more success.

Malaysia is a food heaven; amazing Chinese, Indian, Thai, traditional Malay can be found all in the same food stall. Within Malaysia, Penang is called Food Heaven (and yes they capitalize the F and H when they say it). So it's a Food Heaven, within a food heaven. This is no exaggeration. Georgetown, Malaysia, mark it on a map with an icon of chopsticks, because this is the epicenter of food in Asia. Most tourist information centers have building to see; in Penang, they have brochures of all the specialty dishes and where to find the best stalls. In the one whole day I spent there, I ate six meals. Now, I didn't like all of it; it was fish centered, and at that point, I was still merely accepting of fish, but after being in the food business for so long, I know if something tastes amazing, even if I don't like it. Highlights: Assam Laksa, a fish soup that is to die for; Ice Kachang (aka ABC), which is a snow cone with beans and corn, topped with ice cream; and hokkien mee another soup which was amazing. I met a local at a hokkien mee cart, who informed me that I had stumbled upon the single best bowl of soup in the country; in Asia, masses of locals never lie: they always show you where to eat.

The rest of the town is quite lovely, with a lot of British colonial architecture that was quite nice. Malaysia was so modern, I felt it lacked the type of charm for which I was searching in Asia. Still a nice town. I met a two assholes at the hostel that inspired the closest thing to hate I'd felt for other people in long long time. I thought that was an emotion that I couldn't feel anymore. On a side note, my belle Michelle had arrived there a few days later and became good friends with one of them, though she admitted that she was the only person there that seemed to get along with him.

I wasn't really ready for civilization when I went to Penang, but it was a nice enough place. I think a person could spend weeks there just eating if they wished. The food makes it an essential stop for anyone in Southern Thailand or Malaysia. Malaysian visas are free and it's only three hours from the border.