"The way they do things in Penang"

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I would like to raise a few points about the culture and local ways in Penang.  I hope you won't think them trivial, but I am trying to learn as much as possible in advance of a visit and to assess how different things are from what I am used to in BKK.

1. Clothes drying on balconies.  Here in Bangkok this is the norm - that's what balconies are for.  In all the photos of Penang I have seen, such as Google Images, Panoramio and estate agents photos, no clothes are visible.  Looks nice, but how are clothes dried?  Are there communal drying areas somewhere?  Is there some city ordinance or condo rule precluding it?  Do people erect dryer racks in their apartments?  Is that why everyone has 3 bedrooms, as one is the drying room?Surely they don't use tumble-dryers in 30C?  How is it done?

2. Wild dogs.  In Thailand everywhere there are wild dogs, often packs of them.  They are Thailand's worst feature.  In all the photos and videos of Penang I have seen, there are no wild dogs in evidence.  Is this really true?  If so, great, but how is it done?

3. I have accepted that Penang is a car-based society and I am going to be in difficulty without one, but that's the case and I must make the best of it.  The Rapid buses make a brave attempt, but their routes are too few and the frequencies too low to make much change in the car-based society.  They also need a mini-bus "feeder" system.  So I have accept that I will have to make some use of the dreaded taxis.  Understanding the transport situation has pushed me towards looking for a condo near a shopping centre.

4. Can anyone confirm that motor-cycle taxis for short-distance local journeys [e.g. condo to main road] do not exist.

Any other relevant advice would be appreciated.

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 What a great series of questions.
I'll let some of the locals give you the good oil but let me answer the one about the packs of dogs. No there are no marauding packs or even single dogs. Having spent some time in Koh Samui I know what you are talking about. Now about the monkeys.....well others can tell those stories.
Cheers

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We folks in Penang used to place our undies on balconies to dry but due to the high level of thefts by monkeys (mainly Macaques) we resorted to wearing our clothes wet and then riding around on motorbikes to dry off. If you dont believe me check how many motorbikes there were prior to the arrival of the Macaques. I personally hang my shreddies from the ceing fan, it works a treat.

For some reason doggies are rounded up and sent by barge to china

You will have no need of taxis because in Penang we have the mass transit system known as Hin Bus Company. These vehicles are large, swift and luxurious. No worry about frequency of service, you will find that when travelling by any other of vehicle, or motorcycle, or on foot there will always be one of these ECO friendly giants in front of you. The Penang state government plans for a light railway were shelved in face of opposition from Hin Bus supporters who hold the Jolly Blue Giants close to their heart.

HTH

Bob

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There are stray dogs but usually 3-4 that hang out in the side streets, new construction sites and around the grounds of not fully occupied condos. I was told some of the foreign construction workers keep them around for their supplies of protein  or late night special treats 
I was chased by 2 on one of my walks to the wet market. Maybe they could sense my fear though I tried to put up a brave front 
And monkeys, even a toddler jumped on me and bit my leg once upon a time

People do hang their laundry on the balconies even though there are rules not allowing that in some mid-higher end condos. Just depends on how strict/serious the management is.
When we first came here I sun-dried but there are days when the humidity is so high that the clothes esp cotton ones could not dry out completely. Or maybe it was my neighbors upstairs washing their windows and floors and sweeping all that off their balconies   I think bacteria and fungus started to grow and we thought we developed BO in this tropical weather Since then, I've always used a tumble dryer

Well, no tuttut for short distance local trips, but self-service .... some times we cycle 
Or else the trishaw mainly downtown and in BF 

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Hi Feebee,

This to make amends for my flippant reply to your questions. The effects of the very good evening out have now worn off and I should be making more sense.

We have been here for about a year and have noticed that not much laundry is visible in this area (north coast) but certainly there is quite a bit to be seen nearer to Georgetown. Many people up here have tumble dryers which helps a lot. I agree with BB that air drying is OK on low humidity days but not so good for much of the year.

Dogs, we have a few all seem very docile types but then who could trust even the meekest of pooches. No big packs that I have seen and I do know that the council take action when there is a nuisance.

Public transport in Penang is a bit disjointed but there seem to be plenty of buses including the famous Hin Bus (you will have to judge for yourself about them). I think the Rapid Penang schedule is pretty good (every 20 or 30 mins) but maybe more frequent during the rush hours.
Taxis can be a good method of transport especially if you stick to 2 or 3 regulars. Tell them you are Puntay Lang (local people) and the price drops a bit if the driver is chinese.

No motor cycle taxis I'm afraid.

Let us know if you have any other questions and we will try to answer them sensibly.

Regards

Bob

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Washing on balconies, marauding packs of dogs? - blimey Feebee you're in the wrong part of Thailand.  We don't get that here in Phuket.  A few soi dogs but they keep themselves to themselves.

Condos in Singapore used to have an "outside yard" where you could dry off your clothes - don't Malaysian condos have those?  And humid days, dry off indoors under the aircon - or "Send Out".

I'd read about the monkeys.  How high do they climb, Bob?  I mean, penthouse condo 25th, 28th floor - would they make it up there?  Or are we just talking about ground floor/level 1?

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hi,

The "outside yard" for condos in Singapore became studio extensions including a maid's room, laundry, wet kitchen area, and shower room, all for S$1500 psf.   

Some of the older condos still have an outside area. Over the past few years developers have done away with them in favour of gold-fish bowl units, see & be seen 24/7. With no rear area for laundry it's usually put-out on any front balcony, hung-up on the windows, or left in any usable common space - staircases, lift lobbies, poolside.

How about the good, old-fashioned laundry poles outside the kitchen window. Or the more refined laundry pulley rack mounted on the kitchen ceiling next to the window - perfect for hot air to rise through the laundry. There are some very neat ones around, including remote-controlled models.

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hi,

Monkey Business, huh.

The ones here in Perak are related to the Penang crowd. Our local troublemakers are obviously low-life Macaques and hang around the lower branches.

However there are some big, black apes with white ringed eyes (not my next door local drunk) and long, long tails. These are pretty deft at high-rise living and the trees here are about 6 floors high.

King Kong went to the top of the Empire State Building with no problemo. But for the locals, above 6 floors, dunno. Let's do a test - for flat dwelling Penang members please try hanging a bunch of bananas off your balconies, or window grills/ledges. And then post the results.

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The big black apes with the white ring eyes could be dusky langours. They seem to cause no trouble at all.

The streetwise macaques are reported by neighbours in our condo complex to have raided properties as high as 20+ floor.(True).

I wonder if they carry their own oxygen for particularly high level attacks?

Bob

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Respondents, I thank you for your efforts, and yes even for the flippancy.  So much information to digest, and true hazards being exposed.

But I am truly shocked.  You are telling me that I am to swap Thailand's disgusting rabies-ridden biting dog-packs for Penang's rabies-ridden biting monkey-packs!?!  With the added disadvantage that monkeys do not stay on the ground like dogs.

And if the authorities are so meticulous as to round up the dogs for the pot in China, how come they are so negligent with the monkeys?  It is well-known in culinary circles that monkey cutlet is superior to mongrel cutlet.

Qjumper, now that you are sober [or am I too late again?], it seems that Penang must be more humid than BKK.  BB seems to confirm this with comments about tumble-dryers being common.  Never seen one here.  Clothes dry here very quickly in all weather except the worst of the monsoon, which amounts to only a few days a year.  That might mean that Penang is more uncomfortable [sweatier] than BKK, so I shall take careful note when I visit.  The Hin Bus is new to me.  Useful to know, and sounds reminiscent of BKK buses in some respects, though frequency is not an issue here.  They come along in groups of 6 or so, every minute.  Re the Rapid buses, any buses that operate on a 20 min frequency are only useful if they stick to a timetable.  One would die at the bus-stop waiting for the next one if you couldn't predict when it was coming.  I am seeking to avoid this problem altogether by getting a condo by a megamall.  My current short list is BJ Court, Sunnyville, N Park and E Park.  And I'm still studying the Sungai Dua area for more.  Opinions and further suggestions welcome, particularly about other areas. 

Scott -  "With no rear area for laundry it's usually put-out on any front balcony, hung-up on the windows, or left in any usable common space - staircases, lift lobbies, poolside".   
Common space!!  This would be totally unacceptable here, and so unnecessary given the balconies.  As Mcenroe said "You cannot be serious!"  Surely if condo management forbids use of balconies, they are not going to let you hang your sheets on a rope by the pool!?!

BB mentions cycling.  I used to cycle in BKK.  Fundamentally it was very pleasant, but I had to give it up due to dog attacks.  Perhaps the dog problem in Penang is so small that I could cycle again.  Do monkeys attack cyclists, or just people hanging their smalls on their balconies?  [BKK dogs attack joggers and cyclists, but don't attack motorbikes.  Walkers - it depends.]

Papaya, I went to Phuket a few years ago with the intention of deciding whether I wanted to live there or not.  Having discovered the local hazards I decided against it, but the interesting point is that the weather there was wonderful.  Much better than BKK.  Medium temperatures, lowish humidity and a breeze off the sea.  How disappointing that Penang, only a bit further south can, apparently, be so much more humid, and from the comments made, even more humid than BKK.

So the hazards that have emerged so far are:

probable more humid climate than BKK  [could be fatal, decision-making wise]

drying clothes more difficult, particularly in monsoon [avoidable by use of tumble-dryer in the tropics!  Burn fossil fuels to get elec to get water out of clothes and back into atmosphere, wow.]

awkward bus travel [avoidable by condo/mall location]

taxis, have to haggle, maybe manageable [avoidable by condo/mall location]

monkeys, even at high altitude [not avoidable]

possible small but manageable dog problem, maybe not at all

Hmmm.  The "excessive humidity" thing is an unwelcome surprise to me.  I find no need to use aircon here.  I have top floor apartment [8th], with a good breeze, and with completely shaded balconies.  Weather and humidity are not really an issue.  It seems I would be "trading down" on this topic.

This is all tremendously valuable to me.  Thanks, and keep it coming if you can!

Feebee

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As you relativly 'just up the road' to Penang, maybe a few days visit may be in order

Cheers

JJ

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The streetwise macaques are reported by neighbours in our condo complex to have raided properties as high as 20+ floor.(True).

How do they respond to Baygon? 

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Papaya, I went to Phuket a few years ago with the intention of deciding whether I wanted to live there or not.  Having discovered the local hazards I decided against it, but the interesting point is that the weather there was wonderful.  Much better than BKK.  Medium temperatures, lowish humidity and a breeze off the sea.  How disappointing that Penang, only a bit further south can, apparently, be so much more humid, and from the comments made, even more humid than BKK.

Feebee

I imagine you came to Phuket in the high season - Dec to April?  Weather is relatively low humidity and nice north-east breezes - perfect weather.  Low season weather - May to November, some days are very humid I'm afraid (not every day).  Maybe you just got lucky, Feebee.

It's all relative of course and what you're used to.  I still think that Singapore humidity is far worse than here in the low season.

I've been of the opinion (and I may be wrong) that Penang, Langkawi follows similar weather pattern to Phuket - though maybe doesn't get the very strong south-west monsoon winds with Sumatra in the way?

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JJ - I intend to visit for 1 week in January, possibly make application then, if I have reached a decision.  It's a difficult decision for me, and that's why I am here trying to get the feel of everything.  [[Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the enormous one-time bureaucracy and move, or to suffer the annual slings and arrows of the retirement visa renewal bureaucracy in Thai Immigration?]]

Papaya - good idea, but they are so nimble I think it might be difficult to squirt one.  But Baygon coated bananas might get the poison onto their hands.  Anyone tried their response to an air pistol?  It occurs to me that condo management might have an interest in seeing that their paying customers are not inconvenienced, or is it like BKK - "take it or leave it"?  There must surely be "monkey traps".  Perhaps David Attenborough could weigh in on this?

I actually came to Phuket in July.  I walked non-stop for 2.5 hours around mid-day, all over Patong, and never even broke into a sweat.  Maybe I was just lucky.  I remember that it was mid-day because I went to the Irish bar for lunch, and the service was so awful, I only just managed to get fed.  I was the only customer, so perhaps they had got used to doing nothing.

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Hi Feebee,

Relatively sober now,

Re the Rapid buses, any buses that operate on a 20 min frequency are only useful if they stick to a timetable.  One would die at the bus-stop waiting for the next one if you couldn't predict when it was coming. 

When Penangites wait longer than 20 mins for a bus they open a foodstall. Evidenced by the large number of foodstalls sited in the middle of the road or on the crosshatch area of traffic junctions. No self respecting Penangite would ever go longer than 20 mins between meals.

Some adjustments to your fact sheet.

The only reason that Penang is humid is because of the excessive use of tumble dryers by expats. Come during a power cut, or when BB is not in town, problem solved.

Monkey hazard can be solved by pacing a large Gorilla soft toy on balcony. Our friend does this and it works.

Dog problem (if any) can be resolved by staring them down, they cringe and leave. DO NOT DO THIS WITH MACAQUES, different psychology different result. They immediately attack.

What is Baygon

Bob