Penang: Day Two.

Penang, Malaysia - It was a quieter day in Penang as I had the oppor- tunity in the morning to join SCS at her conference, which included a number of the top bloggers in the world (notably contentious Malaysian bloggers, who are attempting to mobilize action in a country devoid of press freedom) and human rights activists. (Thanks for the shout-out, Peter.) It was particularly interesting to be able to put faces to a number of individuals about whom I have read a fair bit in SCS's papers and to hear their views in person. I'm thinking the only reason SCS asked me to come to the talk was that she wanted a piping hot latte. But I might be wrong.

I also wandered around the subdivisions around where we're staying until SCS finished her work and we were able to head back downtown. I had wanted to go see the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also known as the 'Blue Mansion' because of its startlingly blue walls, which helped it win a UNESCO award. We weren't able to get inside, but it was still a sight to see from the exterior.

We again wandered down through the streets of Penang and into a couple of crazy Chinese and Indian stores with fireworks, golden Buddhas, flowers and other religious icons wrapped in plastic. We also went into a local art gallery and store where the owner graciously toured us around and pointing out various pieces, including one SCS particularly liked of a surrealist cat with fish eyes painted by a 94-year-old man.

For dinner, we stopped into a little Indian shop and had some Tandoori chicken, Mee Goreng and assorted other delights. You really cannot beat the value for food here -- we were full and quenched for about $6. Apparently, many of the hawker stalls follow traditional recipes passed down through their families and tend to specialize in just a few items.

Once we had had enough of wandering, we went back to the Eastern & Oriental hotel to watch the sun set over the water and enjoy a glass of wine. As it got dark, a cruise ship sparkled through the Straits -- needless to say, it was a nice setting.

Stopping at the grocery store on the way home, the security guard wanted her to check her umbrella with the coat check. She looked at him rather incredulously, as if to say: "Hunh? You think I'm going to smuggle a bundle of bananas inside this wee thing?" It was odd, but not as strange as the hotel refusing to provide us with another blanket at the end of the night. Wedding after wedding in the hotel this weekend...