ANDAMAN SEA ROMANCE

The Lone Pines, Batu Ferringi

A message from Singapore that says “Meet me tomorrow at 7pm under the Pine trees.” An E ticket to Penang and a hotel reservation of The Lone Pines, for the weekend, was attached to the email. 

This guy knows how to push the buttons.  It could be anywhere in the world, but exotic Penang, the old world of British Colonial past and Malaysia’s future spells of this man’s Anglo appeal and the stuff of romance.

Passport, mobile, perfume, sexy negligee, all  quickly stuffed into my LV bag, and early on Friday afternoon, I called in “sick” and raced to the airport.  

The English may not be known for their delectable cuisine like the French over the Channel, nor known for their romance like their Latin cousins, the Italians over the Alps.   But their steely Daniel Craig persona, their ability to make hot naughty weekends classy, this weekend will also be charged with historical East Indian English adventures. No doubt my bedtime stories making a Scheherazade’s One Thousand and One nights, stuff of silly fairy tales.

Dinner by the sea

The rendezvous at 7pm sharp in Batu Ferringi.  The table set up on the beach beneath twinkling stars and the rush of Andaman waves set the scene.  My weekend gentleman was waiting for me at the beach, pulled the chair for me, and poured the wine.  

The Lone Pine is Batu Ferringhi’s luxury boutique hotel.   Tucked along Penang’s coastline, it had the old world effect with modern luxuries.  Tonight was reminiscent of British colonial days when a curry tiffin was accompanied by Indian waiters in white uniform.   Such was our waiter, we secretly called him “Piranah fish,” for his gum and teeth were in desperate need of dentistry work, couched his words with difficulty when explaining the menu.

The checkered table cloth had an envelop with two tickets to the old funicular railway up Penang Hill for tomorrow’s excursion.  Piranah brought the already ordered food, on his arm was three dishes,  Malaysian Fish curry, Sambal, Rice, Ayam Goreng, a plateful of assorted Sate.   The best was Botok Botok served last.   It is steamed banana leaf parcels of seasoned fish and shredded herbs, just heavenly.

Wooing me with my favorite dessert, there was nothing more than to capitulate on bended knees.   Sagu Gula Melaka, (sagu set as a pudding and drizzled with thickened coconut milk and gula Melaka syrup).   

The night was still young and a nightcap by the pool ended the evening, or rather began our evening with colonial tales to delight me into slumber.

Georgetown, Penang’s city viewed from the Hill, has an incredible panoramic sight having chugged up along the funicular railway.  One of the oldest British Hill station in SE Asia, the funicular railway track is the longest and steepest in Asia and only took us 10 minutes.  As we climbed higher, the lush greenery was evidence to the richness of the country.

English Tea at David Brown

Afternoon tea at Strawberry Hill in David Brown’s restaurant  sealed the deal. I sat down to Ceylon tea, Devonshire creamed scones with strawberry jam. Picturesque scenes of BBC period dramas becoming more real as I delicately bite into a cucumber sandwich.  Newly laundered linen napkins, the smell of freshly mowed garden, sipping Black tea with a dash of milk; time marked by elegant and civilized conversation.  Unknowingly sunset crept upon us as Georgetown’s twinkling lights below suggested it was time for my Pink Gin and his Gin & Tonic, and seemingly settling into the evening with ease.

A rich mix of ethnicities brought together by colonial British trading allowing Indian, Malay, Chinese Thai and Arab communities to live side by side and taste each other’s food makes for a richer culture.   I could easily have been taken on a time travel machine, having turned off my Iphone, there were no suggestion of today's modern ability to be in touch with anyone, anywhere.  My social network apps  took a much needed weekend off.

Lazy Sunday morning by the pool, our Penang odyssey coming to an end;  he back to his conference in Singapore, me returning to my office publicist cubby hole, the weekend of  Malacca spice and vice will be peppered with reality of office politics to financial quarterly spread sheets – the utter boredom of  the mundane.

Our last day of adventure beginning at sundown, the 1.5 Kilometer walk on the street food along Gurney Drive, by Georgetown’s northern end added another dimension of Penang life.  Packed with dozens of food stall, we walked, we ordered, we stopped to eat, and repeated this many times over.  Noodles, rice dishes, curries, sate’s, puddings.  I teetered on gluttony, the eyes and the smell savouring what was on offer, but the stomach said enough.  It was finally time to take the hotel’s ride back.

In a melting pot of Asia’s best;  “Malaysia Truly Asia”  is true to its slogan, a unique home to Asian cultures.  The Pine trees will always bring me back.  

Until the next long weekend   -     Sehingga kita bertemu lagi.