Pearls of the Orient - 2026: Koh Samui

From the reception deal of the W

 January 7-8, 2026

 Koh Samui is about 470 kilometres due north across the Malay Peninsula from Penang. If you could fly direct, you it would be take about an hour to get from one island to the other. It would be a quick trip. Unfortunately, only Bangkok Airlines flies into Koh Samui and there are no flights from Penang by that airline. It was therefore necessary to connect at some other airport to make this journey. Our hero chose to connect in Phuket. Phuket turned out to be a very stressful choice.

After a 55-minute flight on the world-renowned Firefly Airlines, our hero and his lovely companion had a heck of a time making their way through Thai customs in Phuket. They then had to pick up their luggage to cross over to the domestic terminal and find the Bangkok Airlines desk. It took forever. They missed their scheduled flight and were rebooked on the next flight, two hours later. The aircraft they eventually boarded was some kind of ancient turbo-jet but the travellers were pretty smug  because they had snagged two seats in the second row. Score! Right? But no, this plane loaded from the rear, like a Hercules military transport and the dynamic duo strapped into the front of the plane, surrounded by a bunch of Albanian rugby players. What Mr. G had hoped to be a smooth two-leg hop over to Samui had become a bit of a nightmare.

They did eventually arrive safely at Koh Samui, albeit after dark. A cab was arranged to take them to their resort. They would be setting up camp at the W, on the north shore of the island. The reservation was for seven nights. This was their second trip to Koh Samui. They explored the island thoroughly in 2023. That first trip they stayed at the Vana Belle Resort on the sunrise side of the island. This time they had moved over to the point on the western end of Bo Phut Beach and would have a decent view of the sunset.

As a destination, Ko Samui is very new to the game. Before Bangkok Airways built Koh Samui Airport in 1989, it was only backpackers that knew about this island. Prior to the airport, there were no highways connecting the villages on the island,  there was really no infrastructure whatsoever. Today though, a highway of sorts circles the island and every hotel chain in the world has a resort here. In between the hotels are quaint roadside cafes run by the locals and in the towns and villages more sophisticated restaurants have been established by ex-pat entrepreneurs from all over the world. The white sand beaches are sandwiched between the blue azure seas and the emerald green flora that make for some great photos. Once you leave the busy highway and settle down at your accommodation you are one with the very favourable zen of Koh Samui.

Our travellers covered the island in detail in 2023, so they won't be doing much touristy stuff this time around. They are also coming off a very busy week exploring Penang and plan on dialling it down a bit to try and blend into the tropical calm.

Stay tuned.

The tropical calm

Koh Samui used to be known as the Coconut Island

Nice eh?

We don’t see these in Calgary this time of year.

The W motto

After they make up the room in the morning
The red teddy bear in our room wears a tie

At night after turn down the bear wears a bath robe

Wonderful sushi at Namu at the W

They got a seat at the sushi bar

There are 3 Sweet Spots on the property where guests can 
Pick up ‘free’ ice cream bars 24 hours per day.

The white sand beach

Met sushi chef Son on his way to work, the next morning

Pearls of the Orient - 2026: More Penang - fixed up Jan 10 because the original draft was awful

 

A view of George Town and in the center distance, the 
Man-made Andaman Island from the top
Of Penang Hill

January 5-7, 2026

Francis Light would be proud to know how successful his little colony has become. Today there are almost two million living in the state of Penang and about half of those live in George Town. Yes, if you have been reading this series of posts, you know there is a thriving tourism industry here but out by the airport, the High-Tech Industry has set up shop and that industry accounts for more than 50% of the economic output in the state. The tech industry with its high paying jobs and huge foreign direct investment, has made Penang which is the second smallest state by area, the state with the third highest GDP/Capita. This means folks here are well off and they can support all the great services George Town has to offer.

But the elevated standard of living also draws people from elsewhere in the world. They move to George Town and boost the real estate development and construction industries which are the third leg of the local economy. Our hero and his lovely sidekick toured several new developments like Andaman Island, where a whole bunch of new condos are being built on land re-claimed from the sea. It reminds our hero of the islands off Dubai, like Palm Jumeriah. Rich expats from all over the world are moving to Penang for all the things that this part of Malaysia has to offer and buying those condos. The dynamic duo crossed over to the island with their adopted tour guide Sam the taxi driver, who had never been across the brand new bridge himself. It had just opened from the vicinity of Gurney Drive, another upscale part of town that has been reclaimed from the sea. Later Mr. Gym met a couple from Calgary that had lived in Penang for ten years. They had no regrets.

Let the author back up a bit here and dive a bit deeper into the relationship that was developed with Sam the taxi guy. The adventurers hired him to take them to The Botanical Garden, on day-three in George Town. At that time, they asked him to wait for them a little more than an hour, without being paid, before they returned to the hotel. He trusted his new Canadian friends and was there to finish the return leg of the journey. He safely returned his clients to the hotel and as a bonus entertained his passengers with a local's perspective of George Town, from a guy that had spent his whole life there. Sam has seen a significant amount of change in his city over the years but he is upbeat about it and he had a great sense of humour. Mr. Gym tipped him well that day and he provided transportation as well as colour commentary at least once a day, for the rest of the time spent in Penang. (Note:  If you visit Penang leave a comment and we'll get you his WhatsApp).

What else did our travellers do whilst in Penang:

1. They took the Penang Hill Tram up to the summit. The view is wonderful from the top but the day Gym and his fair bride went up, the visibility was just slightly marred by a thin layer of low level cloud. However, one could see mainland Malaysia and just about all of George Town from the overlook.

2. Our hero was determined to find the grave of Francis Light and on a walkabout, the travellers stumbled onto the Protestant Cemetery. They scoured the 200 year-old headstones for the founder of George Town. As you can see from the photos, they found it!

3. They had a drink in the lobby bar of the Eastern and Oriental Hotel dating from 1889. Sam the taxi guy had driven them by it the previous day and our hero had decided he had to check it out. Queen Elizabeth, Charlie Chaplin and Rudyard Kipling all stayed there and it was obvious why they did. It is opulent! It is also expensive, as a draft beer and a Coke Zero came to $20. 

On January 7, 2026 the traveller's time in Penang had come to an end and they were about to embark on a 2-leg journey to Koh Samui, Thailand. Sam was there in the morning for an the trip to the airport with some time built in to tour the Light City Development, another new upscale district for the rich and famous. The Light City Development was also built on land re-claimed from the sea. 

All-in-all the adventurers had a great first visit to Malaysia

  

Driving onto Andaman Island

Ultra-playground on Gurney Drive

Upscale condo on Gurney Drive

The founder of George Town

Penang Hill Tram

Looking down the tram on the descent

The Gate House at the summit of Penang Hill

The mosque on Penang Hill

A lovely tourist at the Penang Hill lookout

Looking down the funicular track to the city below

More street art near our hotel

Fried Chicken from the Beach Street Bistrot

Fish and Chips from Beach Street Bistrot

Interior of Beach Street Bistrot - Food and venue were great 
but the service needs to improve a bit

 

 

Pearls of the Orient - 2026: Penang Continued

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 !

19th Century subdivision

One of the wider and less cluttered sidewalks 

The oldest fire station in George Town

Japanese section of Penang Botanical Garden

A stream runs from the Botanical Garden
 into the rainforest

The monkeys here are Long-Tailed Macques

Caesar Salad at Firewood

Firewood’s Passionfruit Margarita

The bar at Firewood

The steak at Firewood

A frozen Berry Margarita from the bartenders at
GravyBaby

The bar at GravyBaby

GravyBaby from the street

Walkabout No. 2

Entrance to Chew Jetty

The whole community is built on stilts

Festive Chinese decor

A shop on the jetty

Looking across at a rival clan’s jetty

Armenian Street with Mrs. Gym under the umbrellas

Chinese Lanterns

Very cool bit of street art

The most photographed work of art

Baby Dragon guarding the gate