Hainan Association and Temple

Today was my first day in Penang, Malaysia. I actually started my visit to Malaysia over the weekend but I’ll have to write more about that exciting weekend in another post.

I woke up much later than I usually do in Asia because the guesthouse I’m staying in has no windows. It turns out that windows in guesthouses in the center of Georgetown, in Penang, are somewhat of a rarity. I’m staying at the Banana guesthouse and besides the windows situation it’s very clean and conveniently located in the middle of the backpacker strip, complete with a travel agency, cafe and free WIFI.

For breakfast I picked up a steamed bun with vegetables in the middle. I’m not sure what they call them here but they’re called bun bao in Vietnam. I was still hungry but I didn’t want to delay my walk around Georgetown since the day was already hot and was rapidly getting even hotter. I walked down a small street called Love Lane which leads into Chinatown and I passed several other guesthouses and homes. My first stop was to the Hainan Cultural Center where I was the only soul to be found. Even the person tending the desk at the entrance was off on a break somewhere. It’s always nice when you can wander into a place, snap some photos and hear the sound of silence around you.
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I just returned from a fabulous weekend in Singapore. I enjoyed every little street, dish, neighborhood, park, drink and mall (yes, I admit it).

I arrived late in the evening and went straight to my hostel “Hangout @Mt. Emily” which was perfect. The hostel is located in Little India at a top of a hill, right by a beautiful park. It has a great vibe and a gorgeous rooftop deck with beautiful view of the city. It has been a long time since I last stayed at a youth hostel but I was glad to see nothing has changed, not even the browser version on the public computers.
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In case you missed last year’s post about great airfare deals in New York’s Chinatown it’s worth another mention this time around. This is the third year in a row that we’ve been customers of Wa Minh Travel on Grand Street. It’s still run by Happy but her cousin, Susan, is no longer in the office with her. However, the deals are still there and they’re about as good as one can expect with today’s taxes and high gas prices.

Tamar got a round trip ticket to HCMC, Vietnam on Japan Airlines for $1,440 including taxes and the additional $70 for weekend travel (both ways) with only 1 stop over in Tokyo. This fare was on sale for a limited time and would normally cost over $1,800. The taxes alone are over $700, half the price of the entire ticket. FYI: Weekend travel is Friday to Monday and costs an extra $35 each way if travel begins on one of these days.
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If I told you I’m busy eating pizza, salads from Cosi and Starbucks coffee so that I can get my fill before I go 5 weeks without those NY staples…I’d be lying. I’m already eating Vietnamese food and I haven’t even left town yet. This latest feast on Friday night was at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, Pho Viet Huong, as part of a weekly meeting by the New York Vietnamese Language and Culture Meetup.
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This is the second time in the past year that I’ve looked into airfare from the US to Vietnam, specifically from New York. I’ve tried all of the usual online places like Expedia, Travelocity and Kayak.com. However, the best fares I’ve found both times have come from taking a little trip to New York’s Chinatown to visit Wa Minh Travel on Grand Street. This small agency is run by Happy and her cousin, Susan and is tucked away just up a flight of stairs on the second floor. Happy and Susan are friendly and very helpful and their prices are cheaper than anything I’ve found online, usually by a couple hundred bucks.
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