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| Macaques of the Penang Botanical Garden |
January 4, 2026
Penang is truly a multicultural and religiously diverse place. In the rest of Malaysia, the dominant religion is Muslim whose adherents make up about 62% of the population, Buddhists then make up 19% and about 9% are Christians in this country. In Penang though, it is more diverse, with Muslims at 45%, Buddhists at 38%, a significant number of Hindus at 8% and Christians at 5%. Amazingly, there are 134 languages spoken in the country and yet, English is widely used by everyone in Penang. Canadians are treated very well here and apparently there is a fairly large ex-pat community here somewhere.
George Town is chock full of white-washed colonial style buildings, many with cement-tiled roofs. It is clean and relatively safe but sidewalks are inconsistent and sometimes crowded with parked scooters and motorcycles, so you have to be careful. Parking is practically non-existent but you can walk everywhere so you don't have to drive. Someone told the adventurers that pedestrianizing many streets in the old town is contained in the city's ten-year plan. That may make it a bit safer. They are also working on a new Light Rail Transit system and a modern cable car up Penang Hill.
The food and drink scene here is incredible. There are quite a few Michelin mentions and several Michelin Star restaurants. Gym and Mrs. Gym ate at a steakhouse called Firewood that has a 2026 Michelin mention. There are also many appealing eateries and watering holes throughout the old part of town but don't expect to find pork chops anywhere, for obvious reasons. At time of writing, our travellers have just returned from dinner at a cool, open-air place, about a mile from the hotel. It is called GravyBaby and it specializes in meat pies and craft cocktails. Our hero had a nice lime margarita and his dear wife had the frozen berry one pictured below. The food was excellent.
Early this morning, Sam the taxi-driver drove us to the Penang Botanical Gardens where we had a nice hike before it got too hot and sticky. The park supports a large clan of monkeys and some very scenic plantings along a paved and well-maintained trail. The morning's exertions were only marred by the blasting of rock up the hill. They were smoothing out the path that the new cable car will take up to the top of Penang Hill, from a station near the entrance of the Botanical Garden.
Since the previous post we have visited many more neighbourhoods within a couple of miles of the hotel. Fun parts of George Town that you should not miss when you visit include the following:
1. The Clan Jetties are where extended clans of Chinese families have built their homes and clan temples above the ocean, along extended piers. The Chew Clan Jetty is the most interesting one, with temples at either end and several colourful commercial establishments hawking souvenirs and street food in between.
2. The Street Art just off of Beach Street is a must-see attraction. All kinds of light-hearted and even whimsical murals have been painted on the sides of buildings. Along Armenian Street, multi-coloured umbrellas hang on wires in long rows above the pedestrians.
3. In Little India pastel Hindu temples are squeezed in between spice shops and Indian restaurants. One block over at the Buddhist temple giant incense sticks produce clouds of smoke to purify the surroundings. Over the din in all these vibrant districts, one can hear the Muslim call to prayer, five times a day.
Stay tuned !
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| 19th Century subdivision |
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| One of the wider and less cluttered sidewalks |
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| The oldest fire station in George Town |
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| Japanese section of Penang Botanical Garden |
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A stream runs from the Botanical Garden
into the rainforest |
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| The monkeys here are Long-Tailed Macques |
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| Caesar Salad at Firewood |
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| Firewood’s Passionfruit Margarita |
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| The bar at Firewood |
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| The steak at Firewood |
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A frozen Berry Margarita from the bartenders at
GravyBaby |
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| The bar at GravyBaby |
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| GravyBaby from the street |
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| Walkabout No. 2 |
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| Entrance to Chew Jetty |
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| The whole community is built on stilts |
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| Festive Chinese decor |
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| A shop on the jetty |
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| Looking across at a rival clan’s jetty |
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| Armenian Street with Mrs. Gym under the umbrellas |
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| Chinese Lanterns |
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| Very cool bit of street art |
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| The most photographed work of art |
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| Baby Dragon guarding the gate |
