A Walk in Penang

Penang is not a walkable city. Pavements are not well maintained and often aren't there aren't at all. The shoulder of the road is narrow and the safest route between two points inevitable requires crossing the street several times. That being said this morning I decided to walk to the bus station to see if I could book at ticket to visit a friend for Hari Raya. Along the way I was surprised to see two cows by the side of the road (I have walked this route several times, but this is this first time I have seen livestock)

On the way back I stopped at an SPCA charity food fair. I wish that I hadn't stopped for a roti canai on the first leg of my trek, the amount and variety of food seemed endless. It was hot outside (88F) and felt hotter inside.Once I saw the "South Pole" t-shirt I felt cooler. We had a short chat. I learned that the Chinese prefer dogs (I had been told that dogs are primarily kept for protection. The dogs I saw seemed too pampered for guard duty). I have noticed that I have never seen anyone walking a dog. Apparently, dogs are restricted because Muslims consider them unclean. Malays own cats and Indians own dog and cats.

I decided to wait for the dog show. In the meantime I spent RM2 on the "lucky draw." One draws a number out of a bag and gets the item with the number - I got a can of longans, not a bad return on investment. The SPCA president started the programs. He pointed out that the SPCA receives no government support. With the change of government the SPCA hopes that the government will help it getland for a new/larger shelter. (Penangites voted in a new state government in March - optimism abounds, although most of the time I hear more about what people hope will happen once the country has a new government.)

The dog show was sponsored by the Dog Agility Association (which I have learned from Colin is the equivalent of Gymboree for Dogs). People were crowding around the dogs. Every picture I took was a dog lost in a sea of legs, so you will have to imagine a small yappy dog. There were a few big beautiful dogs but they were even harder to photograph.

As I walked back to USM I spotted the banner. I have no idea of what it is referring to but overdevelopment is a pretty common topic after race and the need for a new government. BTW - the bus route was sold out so I am Penang for the week.