Motorcycle Explorer December 2014 Issue 3 | Page 68

T
he battered and uneven pavements of George Town remain laid out in the main on British
colonial lines, and the city is an amazing cross match of cultures. The population is a rather
eclectic blend of people from Malaysia, Burma, Indonesia, China, Thailand and India, with a few
Westerners thrown in for added character. Each has made their mark on the city with its
buildings, foods and businesses. There’s a very driven entrepreneurial attitude; the islanders
have a strong, ‘we can make it happen’ mind set and many fortunes have been made as a result.
Much of the success stems from its location in SE Asia, and from the fact that for many years
George Town revelled in the opportunities that being a free port gave it. The streets almost
throb with the sound of wheeling, dealing and fortunes being fought for. Rollers, Mercs and
Bentleys run the roads alongside trishaws and a never-ending stream of panel vans and
scooters. Surprisingly funny graffiti art dots the walls. Eateries range from street stalls, to cafés,
to swank plate-glass and chrome restaurants. Palm trees and bougainvillea soften the edges of it
all. The street stalls are superb places for travellers to eat – the food is cooked on the spot and
the variety is enormous. You can wander through the stalls having a starter from Thailand, a
main course from India and a dessert from Indonesia. The cost? Buttons, in real terms and I
started to put on weight again. After months of riding in Malaysia and Thailand I’d lost a fair bit
and that concerned me. When it’s really hot of course, you don’t feel like eating as much, but the
thinner you get the fewer reserves you have to call upon if you are unlucky enough to pick