Georgetown, Malaysia: My Super Bowl

I arrived in Georgetown, Malaysia 24 hours and around 1,150 kilometers (700 miles) after leaving Bangkok. Overall my double bus journey was pretty smooth.

I arrived in Malaysia having done minimal research. I had seen online that Georgetown, located on the island of Penang, was a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its food, street art, and walkability. Sounded good to me.

I was immediately struck by the narrow streets lined with a blend of British and local architecture and a healthy dose of street art.

I've also decided that the Malaysian currency, the Ringgit, is the best money I've encountered on the entire trip. Look at the colors and the shimmer on that 50.

Georgetown had a wonderful mixture of Chinese temples, Hindu temples, and mosques. 

True to its internet description, the street art was plentiful.

On my first night I tried to hunt down some solid flavor bomb Indian food. I failed.

I did however, meet this native Georgetown inhabitant who walked with me for the entire remainder of my night until I retired to my hotel. At the end of our walking tour he did make a respectful but clear sexual advance. I declined.

He did show me this cool colorful lantern alleyway.

On my first full day I went on a run and then refueled with this breakfast of champions.

I set out to explore the area, beginning with Little India.

I hit the quadruple down with a samosa, dosa, roti, and lassi combo from three different places.

I wandered more until my appetite recovered and I had one of the best bowls of street food of my entire life. This one stall cooked up a delicious pork, wonton, noodle, vegetable combo with remarkable speed and precision.

I topped my meal off with some matcha ice cream. Check out the anti-drip technology on this 50 cent cone. Is Asia pulling ahead?

Per the advice of a local I chatted with over my bowl of street noodles (no sexual advances this time), I decided to go to Penang Hill for some nature and views on my second day.

But first, after Jake and I went on our three Michelin recommended restaurant bender back in Bangkok an important resource emerged - the Michelin Guide. Georgetown is known for its food so it had many Michelin recommended (not a Michelin star for the record) restaurants. As someone who loves good food, this was a major unlock. I started my day with a fishy but incredibly rich chicken curry nasi lemak for breakfast from a Michelin Guide restaurant.

Then I taxi'd to the train station and took this funicular up the mountain. 

From the top I had spectacular views of the whole city.

After walking approximately 150 strides, I left every single tourist behind and found myself in genuine dense rainforest - a new biome after two months of the dry and dusty heat of the Middle East.

At first I loved the tranquil nature of my abandoned rainforest hiking trails. But two hours in having seen no one, these somewhat vague signs became a little more ominous and concerning.

The jungle scenery was beautiful and in true rainforest form was full of countless strange plants and animals.

Eventually I found my way out of the jungle and celebrated with a Gatorade and some fried noodles.

On my way back to town I swung by this closed but still stunning Buddhist temple.

I ended the day with more Indian food, this time from the Michelin Guide. Still no flavorbomb though. The hunt continues.

I opened my last full day with a Michelin Guide Chinese restaurant for breakfast. I sat with this charming Spaniard named Daniel and we talked the whole meal (it was mutual I swear).

I was intrigued by the many durian shops scattered across Georgetown. I finally decided to try some. For those of you who don't know, durian is known for its strong smell, so much so that many buildings including my hotel ban the possession of durian. Turns out it tastes only marginally better than it smells, though it does have an intriguing creamy texture. Overall I was not a huge fan especially given its surprisingly high price point.

I rebounded and continued on to Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay, a Michelin Guide dessert spot famous for its kuih, a colorful glutinous rice treat.

In order to enter, I had to walk through the active kitchen and past the open concept toilets with no doors on them - this place was the real deal.

The desserts were immaculate - blends of coconut and pandan with a hint of sugar all delivered in vibrant colors with exceptional almost pudding-like texture. This was my single favorite dessert dish of the entire trip. I found them so addicting I even ordered a second batch.

The food tour continued to a local nasi kandar shop recommended to me by the same gentleman who recommended Penang Hill. Nasi kandar is a Penang staple, originating from Indian Muslim traders in the late 1800s. They essentially give you rice and then ladle on sauce after sauce and then you choose as much meat as you want. It achieved flavor bomb status. This place was awesome.

Sufficiently fed, I led myself on a street art tour.

These women spent over ten minutes alternating through different poses and angles with me.

I finished the day with a bowl of beef noodles.

The next morning I took one last look at the view out of my hotel room and then set off for the bus station.

At the station I of course loaded up with an A & W burger, fries, Taco Bell tacos, and then back to A&W for a chili dog (it was terrible).

Georgetown was a wonderful medley of urban and jungle exploration, street art, and incredible food (A&W notwithstanding). It truly was my Super Bowl of wandering, eating, and taking photos.

Next stop Kuala Lumpur!

From the vault: