04.04 - Day 7 - George Town, Malaysia to Taipei, Taiwan
Saturday 4th April
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia to Taipei, Taiwan
Temperature Min 25, Max 32. Taipei Min 17, Max 26
10,171 steps
Kate and I borrow the hotel’s bikes at 7am as the sun is rising for a cycle through the quiet Old Town. More dogs and cats than tourists for now.
From an out of date paper map we hunt down some of the street murals including some that have lost the battle of time. It's a pleasant time to be out and about whilst merely warm before the heat of the day.
It's a full breakfast for everyone back Citadines including Char Kway Teow, a smokey noodle dish popular on Penang.
Seb and I get a haircut and beard trim respectively at a single seat barbers in an annex of a very small convenience store. With a complete language barrier Seb’s hair is a little shorter than expected but it'll grow back.
There's a final swim in the rooftop pool before packing up our gear to leave. There’s time to share a couple of Hainanese chicken and rice next door at Tong Song Roasted House with mango smoothie and then two Grabs whisk us 30 minutes south to the airport.
Our driver had lived in Sydney for five years and was back living in Penang to look after his parents. He talked of the growth in high-rise buildings, of those people who retire here for part of the year when it's less humid - indeed Sienna and I had popped out before leaving to source a couple of handheld fans for her and Seb.
Our flight with China Airlines had been moved back an hour - we’d at least been told in the morning - but still doesn't leave until 4:30pm; Penang's small airport at least had short queues.
Does airline food get better as you get older? Or perhaps it gets better after plenty of flights with no food. Anyway my fish all goes as I watch Nuremberg with an overweight Russell Crow.
Despite the several bouts of turbulence, Seb is chuckling out loud to the final few minutes of Garfield movie that he watches four or five times over.
From Taipei airport it's 35 minutes on the train after we encounter our first experience of the cash culture, even for the $50 purchase of tickets at the airport station. Finally escaping the vast Taipei Main Station, completely empty bar a few lost tourists, we walk to our hotel along near deserted streets 11pm on a Saturday night, clearly not quite in the heart of this high-rise metropolis. Just Sleep’s lobby is level 5, this Google stated “trendy hotel” the wood panelled walls and leather trim. And time for Just Sleep it is.