2024年3月4日-3月10日
本周日子流转得很平静，上班下班，晚上出去吃晚饭，散步，步入了日常生活的正轨。楼下一艘平静停泊的游艇意外半沉没于水面，船主立刻行动，紧急雇佣了一群人进行抢救。经过连续两天的努力，他们终于成功地将游艇重新救出水面。
March 4th to March 10th
The week passed by peacefully with the routine of work, dining out in the evenings, and taking walks, settling into the rhythm of everyday life. Unexpectedly a yacht, moored in the docks, was found half-submerged in water, prompting the owner to act quickly and hire a group of people for a rescue operation. After two days of effort, they successfully refloated the yacht.
周五，我和PJG为了表达对那位热情接机的当地朋友的感激之情，特地邀请他共享了一顿娘惹菜晚餐。我们三人共点了四道菜，每道菜的分量稍显微薄，整个晚餐感觉不足，有些不好意思，其中的一道菜是魟鱼，这也是我俩第一次尝试这种鱼。
周六的时光，我们选择了前往槟城热带香料园，探索那里汇聚的来自世界各地的热带植物。在槟城这个炎热潮湿的地方，香料园成了一个难得的凉爽避暑地，提供了一个既宁静又放松的环境。门票附带了语音导览服务，只需下载至手机，便能让游客深入了解这些香料植物背后丰富的历史和文化故事，增添了一份游园的乐趣。
On Friday, PJG and I, wanting to show our appreciation for the warm welcome and airport pickup from our local friend, Dom, and invited him for a Nyonya cuisine dinner. The three of us ordered four dishes, which turned out to be quite small in portion, leaving us feeling slightly embarrassed for the insufficiency. Among the dishes was stingray, a fish that both of us were trying for the first time.
On Saturday, we chose to visit the Penang Tropical Spice Garden to explore the collection of tropical plants from around the world. In the hot and humid environment of Penang, the spice garden offered a rare cool refuge, providing a peaceful and relaxing setting. Admission tickets, 28rm, included an audio guide service, which could be downloaded to a phone, allowing visitors to delve into the rich history and cultural stories behind these spice plants, adding an element of exploration fun.
The Bird’s Nest Fern belongs to the Aspleniaceae family, which is closely related to banana trees.
一个供游客小憩的茶亭，今天提供的免费凉茶是香兰叶，香茅和甜菊糖酿制，味道有些怪怪的
A tea pavilion for visitors to rest, offering free herbal tea today made from pandan leaves, lemongrass, and stevia. The taste was a bit unusual.
在香料园的对面一家简单的饭店吃了午饭，炒面和炒饭，我有又一次尝试了叻沙，真的不喜欢里面一种特殊的味道。- We had lunch at a simple restaurant opposite the spice garden, with fried noodles and fried rice. I tried Laksa again and really didn’t like a particular flavor in it.
4点多回公寓休息避暑，6点多赶在日落之前，我俩又去了峇都丁宜海滩，准备再欣赏一下落日，没想到今天在太阳还没落山之前又一次下起了雨，还好雨不是很大，我和PJG坐在一个太阳伞下，喝啤酒看雨，一个自称是东马的女孩加入了我俩，坐在那里和她聊了一会儿天，做为移民华人的第四代，她的中文很不错。
After returning to our apartment to cool off from the heat around 4 PM, we went back to Batu Ferringhi Beach around 6 PM, hoping to catch the sunset once more. To our surprise, it started raining again before the sun had set, but thankfully, the rain wasn’t too heavy. PJG and I sat under a beach umbrella, drinking beer and watching the rain, when a girl who claimed to be from East Malaysia joined us. We sat there and chatted with her for a while. As a fourth-generation immigrant of Chinese descent, her Mandarin was quite good.
雨水在晚上7点左右停歇，我们便前往了附近一家融合了巴基斯坦、印度和阿拉伯风味的餐厅用餐。坐定之后，意外地发现，这里并不提供啤酒——确实，许多以穆斯林为主的餐馆都不销售酒精饮品。无奈之下，我们转向了旁边的一家中国餐馆，很多白人在这里用餐，坐了一会儿后发现这里的服务员是店主家的六个孩子，年龄从19岁到7岁不等，按照儿子、女儿、儿子、女儿、儿子、女儿的顺序排列，多么幸运的夫妻。我俩和13岁的老四——一个聪明伶俐、英文流利的女孩儿聊得投机。她能说英语、中文、马来语、福建话，并能理解粤语，自豪地说她的妈妈会说七种语言。作为第四代在马来西亚的华人，她的祖父曾拥有这里的一大片土地。当她得知我和PJG之间的年龄差距时，她甩出了一句,” 那太离谱了！” 哈哈，这个评论让我现在想起来还觉得好笑。
Around 7 PM, when the rain stopped, we headed to a nearby restaurant that blended Pakistani, Indian, and Arab flavors for dinner. After sitting down, we found out that they did not alcohol, a deal breaker! —indeed, many restaurants catering primarily to Muslims do not sell alcoholic beverages. Consequently, we turned to the Chinese restaurant next door, called Power Up , where many foreigners were dining. After sitting for a while, we discovered that the wait staff consisted of the six children of the restaurant’s owner, ranging in age from 19 to 7, arranged in the order of son, daughter, son, daughter, son, daughter—what lucky parents. We had a great conversation with the 13-year-old fourth child, a smart and articulate girl who spoke fluent English. She could speak English, Chinese, Malay, Hokkien, and understand Cantonese, proudly stating that her mother could speak seven languages. As a fourth-generation Chinese in Malaysia, her grandfather once owned a large tract of land here. When she learned about the age difference between me and PJG, she blurted out, “that’s so messed up.” Haha, this comment, in perfect english, still amuses me when I think about it now.
星期日，去了乔治城里的新世界美食中心吃了午饭，是PJG的本地朋友介绍的。在槟城遍布的诸多美食中心中，他坚信这里是最佳之选。果不其然，这个美食中心的规模远超我们此前去过的任何一个，不仅空间宽敞，而且美食种类也更为丰富多样，热热闹闹的感觉很不错。
On Sunday, we visited the New World Park Food Centre in George Town for lunch, recommended by our local friend Dom. Among the myriad of food courts spread across Penang, he was convinced that this was the best choice. True enough, the scale of this food center far exceeded any we had previously visited. Not only was the space more expansive, but the variety of culinary options was also richer and more diverse, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere.
吃完午饭，步行30分钟，去Padang Kota Lama转了一圈，类似于海滨公园，周围环绕着一系列重要的历史建筑和地标，包括槟城市政厅、槟城艺术画廊和英殖民时期的炮台等。
After lunch, we took a 30-minute walk to Padang Kota Lama, which is akin to a seaside park. It is surrounded by a series of significant historical buildings and landmarks, including the Penang City Hall, Penang Art Gallery, and fortifications from the British colonial era known as Fort Cornwallis.
槟城洛根纪念碑，这座哥特式风格的纪念碑建于于1873年，为了纪念詹姆斯·理查森·洛根而建。洛根是一位苏格兰律师，最为人所知的是在殖民地槟城为“小人物”捍卫权利，反对官方的限制。The Logan Memorial in Penang is a Gothic-style monument erected in 1873 to commemorate James Richardson Logan. Logan was a Scottish lawyer best known for his advocacy in defending the rights of “the little man” against official restrictions in colonial Penang.
Constructed in 1903, the George Town City Hall saw us attempting a visit. Inside, one guard was dozing off while another just happened to be exiting. He shooed us away informing, us that it was closed to the public on Sundays, though it is open for visits during weekdays.
Fort Cornwallis is the largest colonial-era fort in Malaysia. Constructed in 1786, it was built to protect the newly established George Town from pirates and foreign powers.
第二周就这样悄无声息地过去了，和本地的年轻的华人后裔的聊天中可以得知她们的兴趣，思想观念和政治意识，很是有趣。
The second week passed by quietly, and it was quite interesting to learn about the interests, thoughts, and political awareness of the young local Chinese descendants through our various conversations.
这周还是挺有趣的。这个城市值得去的地方还挺多的。
植物园我也向往，可惜听不懂英语就缺少内涵了。
我挺喜欢海滩上有马的那种照片，阳光从云层缝隙照下来。
隐藏的拼音，我似乎发现了，需要打破重拼 pang jin ge 哈哈 对吗
The Spice Garden looks very pretty, and interesting, and possibly fragrant as you pass by, or do you have to have your nose very close to smell the different fragrances?
I finally found the Draco lizard but the web pic gives a better pic of what it looks like.
I hope you joined someone for a swing together!
The US sells dieffenbachia plants, hopefully a non poisonous variety.
Perhaps, just to try something with those different flavors, you could have ordered something and brought it over to Power Up after also ordering dishes from there!
‘That’s so messed up’, haha, I think of you both as the same age!