Penang Airport
From the moment I boarded my flight on FireFly to Penang, Malaysia I knew it was going to be a great experience. The flight attendants were genuinely pleasant and it was all of 8 people on the entire flight which is fantastic when you’ve been waiting eons for your flight all the while sitting next to a Japanese cat who was repeatedly puking spitting on the floor and smearing the yummy pea green goodness that came out of the back of his throat with his shoe. The flight was only 1hr and small change so I didn’t expect any refreshments (shout out to my 2hr flight from Singapore to Bangkok where they left me thirsty and starving and fed only the VIP customers 😐 ) but they gave us flavored peanuts and some kind of interesting juice that was actually quite refreshing.
Landing in Penang
Upon arriving to Penang the view was pretty gloomy. The exterior of the airport was grimy and looked like a disaster area. They were apparently in the middle of construction but instead it looked more like the aftermath of a suicide bombing. I exchanged the zillion dollars in Thai Bhat that I had left for Malaysian currency and headed out the airport to find a bus to Georgetown where I would be staying. As I walked through the airport everyone greeted me with a smile or a nod. Even the security guards which was unsusual. No one was yelling out “Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa’am” and forcing me over to a booth to purchase some high priced tour.
I got on the bus and since I had no friggin small change I wound up paying 5 times the bus fair and went to take a seat. There were several seats open but this cute old chinese lady moved over and offered me the seat next to her. (NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT MALAYSIA!!!) We sparked up a conversation that started with her asking where I was from and continued with stories about herself and her family. She showed me pictures of her granddaughter on her cell phone and gave me some pointers about getting around the area. She told me I was brave for traveling alone and that the best time to do so was when I am young and able to enjoy the journey. We laughed and laughed during the course of the long bus ride and talked about everything from kite flying near the ferry to her angst about having to share a motorbike with her husband. Then it was time for her to get off. She was headed to catch a transfer bus that would take her to see about her sick daughter. Before exiting she grabbed my hand and told me to enjoy my time here and to be safe.
These are the kinds of moments that I love about traveling around the world and life in general. Crossing the path of someone, who you will probably never see again, who will leave a first impression that will last a lifetime.
and your real journey begins….interacting with locals, and able to take something from the experience is what it’s all able….yay Malaysia!