Street Art in George Town

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A pink elephant and a cynical message on a wall near Lebuh Armenian in George Town, Penang

A pink elephant and a cynical message on a wall near Lebuh Armenian in George Town, Penang

I had just 9 days in Malaysia and I was feeling a bit worn out on the bus rides, booking new hostels, getting orientated to a new place and so on, so I decided to just spend the whole time in the UNESCO heritage site of George Town. It’s a very tourist-friendly small city that’s pretty cheap, and almost everybody speaks English. It’s also famous for two of my very favorite things: food and street art. I was quite a happy camper!

The street art in George Town is dominated mostly by a series of murals that are advertised in a popular tourist map (Marking George Town). Most of these had at least a handful of other tourists snapping pics when I found them. The common theme is protection of animals – particularly cats – and promoting responsible pet ownership. There were a few other nice pieces that I found scattered about as well.

In addition to the murals, there are wrought-iron caricatures with messages about George Town’s history all throughout the city. They’re a fun reminder of the history behind all the streets.

 

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Thailand Roundup

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Standing in front of the Namuang waterfall on Koh Samui

Standing in front of the Namuang waterfall on Koh Samui

I spent 74 days in Thailand, which beats my previous record from Bolivia! My budget was all over the place, as food, accommodation, and transport were extremely cheap up north and only  moderately cheap down south, but then I added on loads of scuba diving, some Thai language lessons, a cooking class, and renewing nearly my entire wardrobe. Ultimately I panned out at an average of $35 per day including everything, which still isn’t too bad!

I visited 8 places: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Sukothai, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Khao Sok, and Ao Nang. I absolutely fell in love with Chiang Mai and would consider going back to live there semi-permanently in the future. It’s a bit of a cliched expat center, but for good reason!

I also enjoyed checking out some cool street art and seeing the beautiful coral reefs of Koh Phi Phi. All in all, it was a wonderful 10 weeks!

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Diving at Shark Point and Anemone Reef

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The beautiful blue soft corals at Anemone Reef

The beautiful blue soft corals at Anemone Reef

My final day of diving out of Ao Nang I did the “Superday”, which is 3 dive sites in one day: King Cruiser Wreck, Shark Point, and Anemone Reef. Unfortunately I couldn’t bring my camera to the wreck because we went past my camera’s limit of 18 meters, but I did get some good shots at Shark Point and Anemone Reef. The current at the latter site was pretty intense and it was the most challenging dive I’ve done so far!

There were loads of lionfish at the sites as well as more moray eels than I could count. I saw a few barracudas and some pretty big triggerfish. I fell in love with a couple of cube boxfish, which are probably the cutest fish ever (followed closely by the ever-popular clown anemonefish). Most impressive for me though was the sheer amount of bright corals and the variety of color, especially at Anemone Reef. I didn’t think I’d be able to find such a rich reef in such a heavily touristed area. Now I am determined to get off the beaten scuba track to find more pristine dive sites!

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Diving in Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Leh

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A seal faced pufferfish in Mango Bay

A seal faced pufferfish in Maya Bay

I spent a week in Ao Nang and went on several dive trips with Local Diving. The diving here was much better than in Koh Tao, but a bit pricier.

My camera, which broke when I used it in Koh Tao, suddenly starting working again about two weeks later. Needless to say, I was pretty hesitant to bring it out diving again, but gave it a shot since it’s still under warranty. Luckily, this time it held out! I didn’t, unfortunately, bring my camera on the dives where I saw turtles and sharks, nor could I bring it on the very impressive wreck dive because we went too deep.

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Khao Sok National Park and Chiew Lan Lake

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A view of the cliffs over Chiew Lan Lake

A view of the cliffs over Chiew Lan Lake

I spent a few days in the beautiful area of Khao Sok, hiking in the national park and taking an overnight tour to Chiew Lan Lake. Despite being a fairly popular destination in southern Thailand, both the park and lake are secluded and relatively untouched. I saw a lot of flying lizards, monkeys, and more geckos than I could count!

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