Although I am incredibly lucky to be welcomed into Thailand as a guest and immigrant and am allowed to be gainfully employed, the biggest downside to working abroad has to be the paperwork involved. So. Many. Papers. And I will never fully understand why we need to leave the country to change a visa to another kind of visa, vis-à-vis our status, but that’s how it is.
Thankfully, Penang, Malaysia, my visa run destination, is a delightful city to while away 36 hours of visa stamping. A multicultural hub of just over half a million people, there are plenty of places to eat, shop, and stroll, particularly in Georgetown.
Named a UNUESCO World Heritage Site, Georgetown is a photo op in every direction, on both large and small scales. The colonial architecture leftover from British rule, combined with Chinese temples and modern mosques, fills every nook and cranny of the neighborhood with detail and personality.
But my favorite thing about Georgetown? It has to be the graffiti. The street art. It’s embraced and celebrated by locals and tourists alike. I even saw a monk in saffron robes stop to take a selfie at one of the many original murals.
Penang offers a bus tour of the city, pointing out points of interest along the coast and in the old quarter, but I prefer to explore on foot.
If all goes well with my paperwork, I won’t have to take the night bus back down for almost another year. Although, going from one tropical island to another isn’t much to complain about.
Until next time, Penang.
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