Asia Days 5-6 (Penang)

Day 5 (20.12.2019)

Today was our final few hours left in Vietnam. Of course, we couldn’t say goodbye without trying some authentic banh mi. My Boyfriend and I left the hotel early in the morning to walk to a small restaurant about 15 minutes away. I am glad we woke up early, because we could properly enjoy the sights and smells of Ho Chi Minh City, the tropical flowers and street-side stalls, without the midday heat and humidity to distract us.

We found ourselves in a cafe with only 4 or 5 small tables. We each ordered a banh mi with all the available toppings (beef, pâté, French fried potatoes, sausage, egg, onions, cilantro). I was surprised when what came out was actually all the ingredients on individual-sized skillets, with crusty baguettes on the side. I’ve only ever known banh mi that were already sliced and assembled into a sandwich, but this way you were free to eat the ingredients fresh from the plate or dip your bread in them as you pleased. It was of course delicious, and served with very refreshing iced pandan tea in metal mugs.

After breakfast we were off on our way to Penang. If you read one of my previous posts, you may remember that I mentioned that I went to Penang last year, as well. The reason for this is my Boyfriend is Chinese-Malaysian, and him and his brother and parents are actually the only members of their family to live outside of Malaysia. So at least once a year they take a trip to visit the extended family, and they have been so kind and so generous as to extend the invitation to me twice now.

Once we arrived in Penang we went to A-ma and A-gong’s (my boyfriend’s grandparents) house. I really mean it when I say that my Boyfriend’s family are among the kindest and warmest people I have ever met. I was really excited to see them again this year, and they were just as sweet as I remembered.

Day 6 (21.12.2019)

Today we convened with some friends of the family. After breakfast at a hawker center we went to a large outdoor marketplace which sold mostly Chinese goods. I tried these wonderful cookies called Love Letters , which are traditionally eaten around the Lunar New Year, and arrowhead chips. After that we drove to a village about an hour away, for lunch at a very simple family-owned restaurant by the water. We went for a short riverside stroll after that, and took lots of photos at this spot where the vegetation was thinner and there was a clear view of the water. After this we drove back to Georgetown, but ended up taking a detour when we saw an advertisement for durians. My Boyfriend’s family and their friends love durians, but apparently this isn’t the proper season for them so they are harder to find. I tried durian last year and while it wasn’t as bad as I expected, I definitely didn’t like it. Luckily Boyfriend doesn’t like them either, so I didn’t feel too left out (they did tease him a bit though, calling him a “foreigner” for not liking durian).

We parted ways with our friends and went back to A-ma and A-gong’s house, where we made tangyuan in preparation for the Winter Solstice. We used natural dyes for the colors–carrot juice for orange, molasses for brown, and pandan leaf for green are the ones I can remember. It all looked so beautiful, but our hands were so sticky by the end

We spent most of the rest of the day relaxing at the house and drinking chrysanthemum tea. I really love their house, it is very clean and comfortable and surrounded by lots of trees and flowers and birds. There is even an unofficial pet turtle, who wandered into their garden some years ago and hasn’t left since. Boyfriend’s Aunt told me that they had a shaman visit the house years ago, who told them there were two spirits living there, and that is why the vegetation is so rich and beautiful. His Uncle also collects bonsai trees, and keeps them all in the garden. I think that is such an amazing thing to collect, and I am really impressed with the size of his collection and how he carefully waters them by hand each day.