Pretty Penang

Sunday, July 21, 2024

We are privileged to have Ps Yoel of New Life Bandung speaking for us this morning. He encourages and challenges us from scripture and experiences of the early Church.

We pray together over Herbert (Tanzania) and Lionel (Rwanda) who are finishing their masters defense this week and will fly home shortly after. What a blessing they have been. Herbert has been part of our team for the last years and will be missed! Lionel joined the worship team and his departure is hard as well.

Right after the Gathering, PakG drives us to the shuttle station so we can head off to Jakarta. The flight to Kuala Lumpur is uneventful - and the airline food indifferent.

We sleep overnight in a hotel close to the airport.

Monday

We're up at 3:30, on the flight on time, and get to the conference hotel in Penang, Malaysia by late morning. The road twists and turns on the Waze app as our taxi maneuvers north up the central mountainous spine of the island. Women have much more freedom in this Chinese-majority setting and our driver is female.

The outside of the hotel is uninteresting in Brutalist fashion: concrete, metal, some wood. But the foyer welcomes the weary traveler with a huge tree sculpted out of recycled metals behind the welcome desk.

The walls are covered with the most beautiful rugs, which deaden the sound of conversations and heels against the marble floors and glass walls.

We catch up with friends at a coffee reception  ... and then go for lunch.

The site is beautiful - it takes a certain kind of property to host a big group. We usually end up at spectacular places, though planners negotiate for "very special" rates. This may be one of the best venues so far: the Angsana.

The setting is ocean-side and has a few pools. I've left my swimsuit at home because I've schlepped it everywhere without using it for three years. Happily, the room has a bathtub, which I enjoy. (Why? 1. our house has no tub, and 2. Bandung city water is so dirty that you don't want to bathe in it, even with a filter on the tap. A quick shower is enough.)

I love the color combinations, very different reds and purples than are used in Indonesia.

In the evening, we watch the sun go down between our supper and the evening meeting.

The artwork throughout the hotel is made of recycled materials.

There are beautiful views inside and out.

Our regional dinner involves some shouting over music videos. "At lunch this place is quiet and family-friendly," explains the planner. Regardless of the supper atmosphere, the motto behind the bar is one we would happily adopt. (The alcohol? Not so much. haha We are assigned a page number on the menu to avoid alcoholic drinks.)

Tuesday

Between morning and evening sessions, the women's afternoon tea is hosted at the hotel. Our planner wisely cut the 1+ hour bus trip to the original tea venue: that lets us relax together where we are. None of us are very hungry since meals are included; we eat and eat - but there is always a lot left over.

The evening session is prayer-focused, a time to intercede collectively for each other and those we serve.

Wednesday

We finally stretch our legs onto the chaises by the pool restaurant after breakfast. By noon, we're check out and on our way to the city.

We shop for some basics after checking in. There are strict prohibitions posted.

In a country with a Muslim government, the pork and alcohol is in a separate room at the back of the grocer. With a large Chinese population, neither is forbidden.

Our room is basic and clean, the perfect place to work.

Thursday

We are on the streets in the early morning, following foodie reviews to the best biryani (rice). The spicy rice has good flavor, but the piece of lamb is bone and gristle. Not going back.

Thursday

We're off to hunt down the best roti parata (fry bread) and it doesn't disappoint. The server brings us curried chicken in sauce. It disappears before I think of taking a photo.

Here, chefs and servers at street stalls are usually men. The combination of Malay, Chinese, and Indian flavors is unique to Malaysia.

We wander a few miles, pausing to admire the linens and food stalls in the market.

The tropics are hard on surfaces. Look at these "peeling" posts. Down the street, the mouldings are being reworked with fresh plaster.

Not even the police station fence is immune from the sun and rain.

We find the tea we are looking for: it used to be everywhere but is hard to find. We track it down in a mall grocer. Look at the reds on this mural in the mall.

Then we go for lunch, at the "best" laksa place. We loved it last time but today it disappoints with soggy noodles, the taste of overripe shellfish, and a listless spicy broth. We'll have to try another place tomorrow.

Remnants of British occupation are everywhere - these graceful buildings could be set in London except for some south-Asian motives.

We walk through covered passageways that double as up-and-down sidewalks. Unique tile patterns mark each shop. I wish someone would make a book of the tiles here. It's fascinating pattern-making and mortar-work.

Back at the hotel, I have a few hours of work on my upcoming class (next week). The challenge is to pare down the information from a 40-hour cohort to a 10-hour conference class.

Read more:

*Your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. Psalm 119:24

*Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17

*Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Moravian Prayer: Forever-building God, still etching your word into our souls, enable us, we ask, to bear evidence to your mercy, patience, grace, and peace among all with whom we come in contact. Help us bear a good witness for racial equality and justice. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.