My first day in Penang was spent checking in at the Cathay Hotel and catching up with some of the staff that I got to know on my previous stay. Later on in the day, my old friends from Europe, Sam and Neetlje, whom I hadn't seen since they got married, and who happened to be living in Penang, came by and picked me up. It's crazy how small the world really is because I met Neetlje at Cornerstone Festival of all places, back in 2000. Later on she moved back to Holland, and we got to hang out a couple of times during my TSTGU days. Sam I got to know whilst living in London, as we had mutual friends in the so-called 'Christian music/alternative' scene. Fast forward eight years and they're now in Penang, married, and expecting their first child. We hung out at the QE II, one of the restaurants owned by Sam's family. It overlooks the harbour between Penang Island and Butterworth, and is situated right alongside all the incredible looking colonial buildings, right in the heart of what I guess was the former financial district of Georgetown. Apparently a lot of money is being invested into rejuvenating that part of town, so I imagine it's going to look pretty amazing a year or two from now. On a side (and biased) note, the QE II serves pretty darn good woodfire oven pizzas.
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