My Shangri La

From 5° 25' N, 100° 19' E, I report brilliant sunshine, fluffy white clouds and blue mountains stretching into the horizon across the water, as I sit in a conveniently air-conditioned coffee shop by the quay. Of course, as with anywhere else, Penang is not a complete paradise. The traffic here can cause road rage among those pre-disposed to impatience or believe the highway code should apply on the island.



You really do need a laid-back attitude and sharp reflexes to a) smile at the lane weavers and b) avoid the mosquitoes (motorcyclists). You must also not mind being eaten alive by the real-life mosquitoes. I counted six last night.

For all that I’m not working, the past two weeks have been fairly busy. But I am for the first time after a long while, able to say that I am happy. The symptoms are clear; my hair is bouncy again, because we have ‘soft’ water here, and in the mirror I catch glimpses of the cheeky 4 year old from my old photos that I didn’t expect to reappear after all this time. Here, I meet people who don’t care to tell me to act my age. I spoke to a 47 year old lady working at the French school, full of life and laughter, who said I should just be who I am, and agreed with me that Penang is the best place. I don’t think Penang is for everyone, but I think it is a good place for me right now. It’s not just the hotel, this entire island is my Shangri La.


This is the tree that shelters us at breakfast in the Shangri-La















This is the route to the beach








Upon my return to the Shangri La, I was greeted by a longstanding member of staff who explained diplomatically the reason I prefer the Rasa Sayang to the Mandarin in Singapore with an analogy: he told me that there are ‘City’ staff and ‘Resort’ staff; neither can bear to work in the other type of hotel. So by extension I suppose I must be a ‘Resort’ guest. If any of you come to Penang, I would recommend the Shangri-La. It may not be the most state of the art, but it sure is relaxed.



Penang in the morning-Relax by the pool through to the sea












Singapore sun - Look cool in the city pool. The water is freezing!