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Penang Restaurant Recommendations
If you are reading this post and are expecting me to recommend some blogs on Penang food, forget it. I am not going to discuss particular food blogs. I am going to talk about food blogs in general. You may find a couple of sites about food elsewhere in my posts, but these are from people I know and trust.
If you search the internet for certain restaurants in Penang, or just search for Penang food, you are bound to see a large number of food blogs. There are beautiful photos and delicious sounding desriptions on all of the blogs. What you don't find are honest reviews, like you can find in Food Sections of major newspapers or on online food critic websites originating in the west. Most of the reviews on the Malaysian food blogs are written by people who are actually paid by the restaurant to blog their food. You won't find a review containing any negative comments about the food. I think the bloggers are afraid of hurting someones feelings or getting sued
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Malaysian Condominium Construction
Concrete is the medium of choice when constructing any kind of building in Malaysia, including houses and condominiums. Probably the reason for this is that there is very little wood here, but a lot of termites. This makes for good, solid construction that is reasonalby soundproof. The problem arises when you want to make changes.
In the US when someone wants to buy a new condo in a complex the units are all ready to move in. You may want to paint it a different color, and you may have to buy new appliances, but nothing major has to be done. When you buy a new unit here in Malaysia all you get is an empty shell. You have to spend a lot of extra money installling kitchen cabinets, countertops, appliances, as well as putting in bedroom wardrobes ( no walk in closets here). The living rooms usually have built in television and entertainment consoles and shelving. Even most of the bedrooms have built in beds. The bathrooms include only a toilet and a hand held shower. If you want a western style bathroom you have to add it. When I bought my condo I was lucky and didn't have to make too many changes
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International Shipping of Belongings
When I decided to move to Malaysia the first thing I had to do was to put my house on the market and start cleaning up the clutter. I lived in a two story single family house with a basement and attic and a sizeable back yard. Because of the housing bubble burst in the US it took me about 8 months to sell my house. Once I signed the purchase and sales agreement I had to think fast about what I was going to do with my furniture and personal belongings.
I surfed the web looking for international movers and received a few quotes. The prices were quite reasonable, but I soon realized that I really didn't have that much furniture I wanted to bring with me. I had my favorite comfortable leather sofa and love seat as well as my bedroom furniture. I was not sure, however, that the furniture would fit into my new house. I put the decision off for a short time while I pondered the possibilities
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FBAR filing for Americans Overseas
When I first began to ponder how to file my US Income tax returns from abroad I searched the IRS websites and other websites related to Americans living abroad. As I had stated in a previous post I could not find any information regarding tax filing for a person in my situation. Finally I managed to file my simple tax return and breathed a sigh of relief that the unagreeable task was over for this year. I was wrong.
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Expat Communities in Penag, Malaysia
When I was at home in Boston contemplating my move to Penang I often fantasized about what everyday life was going to be like. I imagined eating at food courts and coffee shops, similar to those Kevin and I had visited on my previous trips to Penang. I looked forward to meeting Kevin's friends and family and making new friends with neighbors and other local people. I never once thought about joining a group or club comprised of Americans or joining a local club of foreign expats living in Penang.
I was surprised to see that there were many expats here, who did just that. Malysia is a former British colony so there are a large number of British expats here. What really irks me is that there are is a small number of these people who think Malaysia is still a colony and treat the locals accordingly. These same people don't eat the local food at the food courts, coffee shops and local restaurants. These establishments are too far beneath them. These people tend to eat at 4 or 5 Star hotels and high end restaurants where they can demand the utmost in service and throw a few ringgits at the waiters and staff to watch them grovel. In my opinion they are nothing but low class pretentious wannabes. I have a couple of British friends who are totally embarassed by the behavior of these few. They have even lost friends over disagreeing with their pretentious behavior
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PENANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
About a half hour's drive from our home in the Tanjung Tokong section of Penang, in the northern part of the island, lies a small fishing village called Teluk Bahang. Right on the seaside there is a seafood restaurant called the "Fishing Village Seafood Restaurant". It is one of Kevin's and my favorite restaurants. It is not a fancy restaurant, like most local eating establishments. It is basically open air dining, with a roof, in case of rain. Usually on Friday and Saturday evening it is extremely crowded and the wait is long. We usually go on Sunday night and we go early. This evening seven of us went, including our next door neighbors.
Usually we each pick a favorite dish from the rather extensive menu. This evening we had schezuan soup, deep fried whole fish, black peppered crispy fried squid, fresh oysters as appetizers, Vietnamese style chicken, spicey stir fried kankung (vegetable), salted egg yolk prawns and asparagus sambal and of course steamed rice
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Expat and Retirement Websites
Recently a friend from my college days, whom I haven't seen in many, many years found me on Facebook. The first question she asked me was how did I find out all the information I needed to move here. I wrote her a lengthy private message explaining the process which brought me here. I realized that in one of my earlier blogs I had explained that I did my research on Malaysia before moving here. I feel I should add that my research involved learning about Malaysian culture and life. I did not explain how I got the information on the logistics of moving here.
Probably my biggest concern in moving to Malysia was financial. This included banking arrangements and paying my US federal and state taxes. I searched all of the websites regarding retiring abroad, expats and international living. I basically found these sites to be useless. Most of the sites concerned selling real estate, primarily in Central or South America or getting a job overseas. There was little or no information on how to actually prepare to move. When there was information it was extremely vague or very basic. Nothing was said about how to set up banking, transfering money easily or fullfilling income tax requirements, other than saying you still had to pay taxes
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Luxury Condominium Development
Seven years ago when I researched my first visit to the island of Penang I learned that it was called the Pearl of the Orient. I guess I expected a "small" island. When I arrived here I saw a large island with many large hills lush with rainforest growth and populated with monkeys, I walked along Gurney Drive, with luxury hotels, condo, foodcourts and hawker stands lining one side of the road and the ocean splashing upon the beach on the other side. Traveling around the island I do remember seeing numerous high end condos intermixed with low cost housing developments. I really fell in love with the island and it;s scenery.
Now things have changed. A large luxury housing development, including a very high end shopping center with extremely expensive condos above and a marina, has been built on reclaimed land. It is my understanding that reclaimed land should not be built upon for at least 15 years, but the time elapsed for this development was less than 5 years. Because of this development walking along Gurney Drive is akin to walking beside a mud flat. One can only see mud and washed up garbage and trash. Nature and beauty for all destroyed for the benefit of a wealthy few
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HEALTHCARE and HEALTH INSURANCE
One of my major concerns about retiring and moving to Malaysia was the quality and availability of healthcare and health insurance. One of the requirements for a MM2H visa application is that the applicant must have insurance, but it doesn't specify what kind. Many people just take out a simple short term accident policy, which satisfies the requirement. I conducted months of research into the best health insurance policies.
I discovered that healthcare in Malaysia is only a fraction of the cost in the US, while maintaining a high level of quality. Malaysia has a thriving medical tourism industry serving all of Asia. There are numerous top notch private hospitals in the country staffed by very qualified doctors trained in the US, the UK and other western countries. There are also numerous government hospitals serving the Malaysian population, which charge minimal fees. Of course the private hospitals charge more and are the favorites of expats and foreigners. As in any country the more money you have the better your healthcare
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A short time ago I started writing a blog Called "Retired Away". In my original blog I attempted to tell how I retired from my job in Boston, Massachusetts, applied for and got a Malaysia My 2nd Home (MM2H) visa and moved to Malaysia. I was originally from Watertown, New York, a small city in upstate New York near the Canadian border. After college I moved to Boston, where I worked in the medical field for a number of years. My blog centers of my new life in Penang, Malaysia. I will attempt to relate my experiences living in a totally new culture. I may also try to discuss some world events from the perspective of an American living a long way from home. When I decided to move here none of my friends knew exactly where Malaysia was. I am sure that there are many people in North America and Europe who do not know anything about Malaysia either. Through my blog I hope I can shed some light on Malaysia as a wonderful place to live as well as perhaps giving some information on how to retire here. Whatever I attempt to do it will be a chronicle of my new life after retirement.
Yesterday I took over an inactive blog domain and began posting on "Malaysia Found". For all of those readers who had followed the original blog, I believe I owed you this explanation for the "new face". Malaysia Found is still about Malaysia and my discovery of the country.
I hope this will be the last or next to last post on my everlasting leak. Today was the day the repair was to take place. About noon I was at the gym when I received a call from the management office requesting me to meet with the landlord. I met with him, accompanied by my neighbors, to translate, and the management committee chairperson. The landlord announced that he was still not convinced the leak was his. He offered to open the walls, if I paid for it. If there was a leak he would repair the leak, but I would pay for the wall repairs that were incurred. I naturally said absolutely not. He then offered to hack the wall and if the leak was not his, I would pay. I agree with the stipulation that a 3rd party plumber be there. He said no. I told him I don't trust him or any of his contractors. I asked if we could look at his bathroom and he agreed. I brought the plumbing contractor, who first suspected the origin of the leak was the unit next door, with me. The landlord's contractor showed that the bathroom was dry and no evidence of water was there. At this point the person I brought with me asked for a chair. He climbed up on the chair and pulled the ceiling tiles back, revealing a totally wet ceiling above the wall. He then went to the bedroom wall and showed where water had been leaking for some time, but just cleaned up. The landlord still refused to accept responsibility and wanted me to pay. He demanded I agree now, as he was going out of town and wanted to get the matter resolved. At this point I went home and decided with the chairperson and my neighbors that I would sue. The landlord came and asked for my decision and I refused to talk with him.
About 20 minutes later I was taking a shower and heard some hacking and pounding coming from next door. Apparently the landlord had his contractor start the work. My neighbor went to investigate while I went out for lunch. When I came back about an hour later I learned that the leak was found and fixed. The whole procedure took only 20 minutes. My neighbor told me to wait for 24 hours to see if we have any water. If not, then this is the leak that caused all of the damage. What I learned next really made my blood boil. He was going to have me pay for his contractor to do the work. He told my neighbor, however, that his contactor did the work for free. The SOB wanted to make money off the situation. I have already given up the idea of having him pay for my damage, but I will try, just to be a thorn in his side. Ah the joys of condo living in Penang!
I didn't post anything on Saturday as I was exhausted from anger and frustration over this plumbing situation. The whole day was a complete waste of time. The owner was supposed to show up early in the morning. He showed up at noon. His tenant didn't answer the door or the phone. At 3 the owner came back with 2 of his plumbers, but his tenant didn't open the door because he was taking a nap. Finally at 4:30 tthe tenant answered the door to the landlord. The landlord had 2 plumbers who reminded me of Laurel and Hardy. Without even looking at our wet floor they agreed that the leak was hours. Kevin explained to them the numerous times that the water next door was shut off and we were still flooded. They suddenly went silent and then left. It was apparent that the landlord probably paid them to say it was our problem. The plumbing contractor who discovered the leak source was supposed to show up, but called and said the landlord called him to cancel. He said he and the landlord would be back on Monday. I was furious.
With the arrival of Sunday morning the bedroom floor was again flooded in addition to our master bedroom bathroom floor. The unit below the unit next door was also suffering water leaks. The Management Committee chairperson called to tell the landlord that everyone was fed up and they will initiate lawsuits on Monday. A half hour after this call the landlord and another plumber showed up. In the meantime Kevin had taken photos of the landlord's water meter continuing to run after the water was turned off. He printed the pictures with the times taken. He gave this to the landlord and his plumber. Finally they admitted that the leak was indeed coming form next door. Supposedly the repair work will begin on Monday. After the landlord left, his tenant said that his master bedroom had been flooded for 2 days, but he did nothing.
Hopefully this will all be over soon so things can get back to normal. The next thing to do is to dry out and repair our bedroom and then start writing about retirement in Penang!
I didn't post anything on Saturday as I was exhausted from anger and frustration over this plumbing situation. The whole day was a complete waste of time. The owner was supposed to show up early in the morning. He showed up at noon. His tenant didn't answer the door or the phone. At 3 the owner came back with 2 of his plumbers, but his tenant didn't open the door because he was taking a nap. Finally at 4:30 tthe tenant answered the door to the landlord. The landlord had 2 plumbers who reminded me of Laurel and Hardy. Without even looking at our wet floor they agreed that the leak was hours. Kevin explained to them the numerous times that the water next door was shut off and we were still flooded. They suddenly went silent and then left. It was apparent that the landlord probably paid them to say it was our problem. The plumbing contractor who discovered the leak source was supposed to show up, but called and said the landlord called him to cancel. He said he and the landlord would be back on Monday. I was furious.
With the arrival of Sunday morning the bedroom floor was again flooded in addition to our master bedroom bathroom floor. The unit below the unit next door was also suffering water leaks. The Management Committee chairperson called to tell the landlord that everyone was fed up and they will initiate lawsuits on Monday. A half hour after this call the landlord and another plumber showed up. In the meantime Kevin had taken photos of the landlord's water meter continuing to run after the water was turned off. He printed the pictures with the times taken. He gave this to the landlord and his plumber. Finally they admitted that the leak was indeed coming form next door. Supposedly the repair work will begin on Monday. After the landlord left, his tenant said that his master bedroom had been flooded for 2 days, but he did nothing.
Hopefully this will all be over soon so things can get back to normal. The next thing to do is to dry out and repair our bedroom and then start writing about retirement in Penang!
This morning we again woke up to more water on the floor and chipping paint. We left it there until the owner and plumbers came. They were supposed to be there at 6PM. Not surprisingly the owner did not show up. Many people attempted to call him, but he would not answer. A little after 7 the managment did succeed in contacting him. He gave some half assed story and said he would meet everyone tomorrow, Saturday morning. We'll see. Before the plumbing contracter, who originally discovered the leak source, left he suggested that the water be turned off, as it posed a fire and electrocution risk for the tenant, as electrical wires ran beside the plumbing wthin the concrete walls.
On our way out we met the tenant from next door. He couldn't figure out why his water was off. After talking with him we realized that no one had the decency to tell him what was going on. We explained the situation and warned him of the dangers of using the bathroom where the leak is occurring. We advised him to keep bugging his landlord until the leak was fixed and even to ask to be put up in a hotel until the job is finished. He was very cooperative. This is actually the first time he has ever talked to anyone on the floor. He has been very antisocial since moving in.
Tomorrow will be another story. I personally feel that the owner will drag his feet on the repairs as he does not want to spend a dime to improve or maintain his property. I hope I am wrong.
Well after another evening of no water it was a day of waiting and investigating. First Kevin's brother came and said the leak was not from our pipes. Then the condominium plumber came and said it was our leak. Kevin and I didn't accept this. The management called in a plumbing contracter who took 10 minutes to figure out the leak came from the unit next door. The management shut off the water from that unit and now our floor is dry and the walls are drying out. Now the big problem is getting the owner of the unit next door to fix the leak. So far he has not answered any calls and his renter has no water.
In between plumbers Kevin returned tro the police station. The police have decided that he is at fault. Kevin was attempting to enter traffic with our car stopped. The other car came from behind and hit our car. The old man who hit us did not see us as his lights were not turned on. The policeman determined that our car was blocking traffic, as it was not moving. Kevin asked about interviewing the witnesses. The police answered that witnesses are not reliable and cannot be believed. They could not explain how a car enters traffic without being hit. Last night the possibility of the old man being drunk was brought up, as he was staggering a great deal and was very confused. The police said that they cannot test him for alcohol as he had not made a report about the accident. Perhaps that is why he didn't make a report. He went home to sober up. We do not know if he ever came back today. I don't think the FBI or Scotland Yard has anything to worry about from these Keystone Cops.
I managed to squeeze in my 4th yoga class and I think I got rid of some of my frusrations. To top the day off Kevin, myself and neighbors, Linda and Cheah went to our favorite restaurant, Fred's Thai restaurant. After a great spicey Thai meal I pronounce the day a good day.
This morning I woke up to the unbelievable news that Osama was dead. After 10 years it was hard to believe. Today was a holiday, Labor Day, here in Malaysia. After watching the breaking news on CNN in the morning I noticed water on the floor in the master bedroom. I mopped it up and then noticed the wall was wet. Kevin turned off the water to our unit, but water still appeared on the floor and the walls became more wet. As today was a holiday nothing could be done. Kevin's brother is a plumber and tomorrow he will come to see what the problem is. It appears to be leaking from the upstairs unit, but upon checking with that unit no water was found. I really hope the leak is from upstairs, as they would have to pay for the very expensive repairs.
A little beat down by this situation we decided to go out for dinner with our neighbors. On the way to the restaurant our car, with Kevin driving, was hit by a elderly man driving without lights turned on. The old man was either drunk or completely confused. He was driving too fast and with no lights he was unable to see our car. He refused to accept any blame and even wanted us to pay for his damages. In Malaysia the police do not go to the scenes of accidents or even crime scenes. The victims or participants of an accident have to go to a poilce station (not always the closest) to fill out a report. The report must be in Malay, since the government entities here do not speak English or Chinese. For a simple banged fender this whole procedure took over 2 1/2 hours. A very archaic system. The old man also went to the station to report, but left because he could not write Malay, whereas Kevin can. The police, instead of actually investigating the accident, compares the two reports and then makes a judgement. They then file charges and assess a fine if needed, without talking to witnesses or actually being at the scene. The old man has 24 hours to make a report so we will have to wait a couple of days to find out what is going on. It will be a fun night without water, but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
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