Let's Go, Jane!

After a week in bustling Kuala Lumpur, Penang felt like an exhale. I took a train to Butterworth and then a ferry to George Town, where signs of British colonialism are everywhere. While waiting to board the ferry, I saw a man chasing what looked like an alligator out of the dock area (I later learned it was a monitor lizard). Then, on my walk from the ferry terminal to the hostel, a man whizzed by me on a scooter piled high with hundreds of fresh eggs. These are the moments I love most about travel, when something so absurd and unexpected happens that you’re left thinking, did I really just see that? 

The hostel was nice. Clean, rustic. No shoes allowed on the second floor. Some very friendly cats with collars lived in the courtyard area, and occasionally found their way inside to wander the halls. I did my usual free walking tour, this one with a food theme. Penang is often called the food capital of Malaysia, and while the guide was not particularly charismatic, the food made up for it. In Little India I discovered panipuri, hollow, crispy balls filled with potatoes or lentils, raw onion, and sour tangy sauces. They were so addictive I went back to that same street vendor every day.

I also signed up for a Nyonya Chinese cooking class that began with an early morning market tour. The class was run by a husband and wife team, with the husband taking us through the market for a light breakfast and some food samples, including a Chinese peanut butter pancake that was to die for (imagine a giant fortune cookie filled with peanut butter and sugar), and fresh silken tofu with brown sugar syrup. Back in the kitchen, his wife taught us how to make jicama spring rolls, curry chicken, char koay teow (stir-fried rice noodles), and a coconut-pandan dessert with chrysanthemum tea.

Penang Island is lush and green, and I was craving a little time in nature. The next day I took a one-hour bus to Penang National Forest and set out on the trail to Turtle Beach. Just as I began, a newly-stationed park ranger hiking on his day off was heading out. He didn’t know many people yet and was clearly lonely, so we walked together for 6 miles to the beach and back. Despite the fact that he was half my age and Muslim, the conversation was surprisingly deep. Plus, it started raining heavily and it was just as well not to be hiking by myself in the jungle, with mudslides and monkeys and snakes. Truth be told, I was glad for the company as well.

I woke up on day four, and this is where things got interesting. I still had two full days left in Penang and I felt like I’d eaten all the dishes (having already spent the previous week in Malaysia) and done all the things. Carey suggested that I skip out to another place before my flight to Thailand. I pulled up Google maps and saw that Singapore was not far away. I put on my travel agent hat, and an hour later I had a round trip plane ticket and a hostel reservation. This was seriously the best pivot ever. 

Singapore is a magical place! My first impression is that the country is immaculate. The buildings are huge and unique, and everything is in bloom. I only had 48-hours, so I had to make every moment count. I dropped my bags at the hostel and headed out to Gardens by the Bay, hitting both the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome installations, which were incredible. I circled back to the hostel to check in, and then headed out to the Singapore Flyer, a huge ferris wheel that you can see from everywhere. I timed my arrival very carefully to coincide with the sunset and was rewarded by an incredible view.

Next I headed over to the iconic Marina Bay Sands building, where there is a 15-minute light show every night along the waterfront. I grabbed a prime spot along the railing and enjoyed a ground view of the cityscape. After a quick bite for dinner, I went to the rooftop bar at the top of the Marina Bay Sands building and had my first Singapore Sling. It seemed fitting, and the view was worth the cover charge.

It was getting late, but I had one more destination in mind before calling it a night. I had read about a night zoo just outside the downtown area. I knew the zoo was open until midnight, but I pulled up the website from the backseat of a cab and saw the last entry was 11:15 pm and I wasn’t going to make it in time. Disappointed, but also tired, I asked the cab driver to take me to the hostel instead.

I slept well, and woke up ready to hit the ground running. Well, walking actually. I went to MacRitchie Nature Reserve and set out on the 3-mile trail to TreeTop Walk, a 250m-long freestanding suspension bridge between the two highest points in the reserve. This is where a little more advance research would have benefited me. I have gotten accustomed to tourist attractions where you can walk one way and catch a ferry/funicular/cable car back, so I sort of assumed this would be the case. However, I found myself at the far end of the TreeTop Walk with only one option, to walk 3 miles back. It was not my intention to hike 6 miles in the heat, at the start of a day where I wanted to do all the things, but that’s just how it worked out.

I finally made it back to the road where I was able to catch a taxi to the Singapore Botanic Garden. As you can imagine, a botanical garden in a lush, tropical place like Singapore is incredible, but the crown jewel of the park is the National Orchid Garden, set within the park. I wandered for hours, taking pictures and admiring the exquisite orchids. I think at this point I had already taken more photos in Singapore in 24 hours than I did in 5 days in Penang. I was also drenched in sweat and hungry and exhausted. I grabbed a quick bite, and headed back to the hostel for a much needed shower and a nap.

This time I set out for the night zoo around 8 p.m. I’m not much of a zoo person, but this one was really special. I wandered for hours in the dark, searching for nocturnal animals in the dimly lit displays—anteaters, porcupines, otters. It was such a treat, and worth the effort. In the taxi back to the hostel, I checked my step count: a new daily record of nearly 32,000 steps, with a two-day total over 54,000. While I would have loved more time in Singapore, I think I really made the most of my visit. Tired but deeply satisfied, I was ready to trade city lights for the temples and beaches of Thailand.