ARTY TOWN, BY GEORGE!

Left Thailand just before our visa ran out, with a splash of colour at the border town. The Welcome to Malaysia was genuine --- fast friendly border and no charge for the visa! On the drive south were hundreds of square miles of palm oil trees, and rubber trees: Malaysia is the biggest producer of natural rubber in the world. But approaching the island of Penang the highways got absolutely jammed with 8 cars across 6 lanes for hours. We crossed one of the longest bridges in the world but the skyline looked like Miami. Settled into the Little India section of old colonial Georgetown. A/C room with bathroom down the hall a high $33 but the town is sold out due to the mobs of Chinese New Year holidayers.

Georgetown has a modern side with huge malls, 70-storey condos, and major shipping and banking. But we're in the really interesting neighbourhood: half British colonial era (like the tall monument to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee), half Chinese clan zones and half India's raucous colours, blaring music, and mysterious menus. P.S. --- it's none of these, it's Malaysia. Duh.

What's really impressively simple yet simply impressive is the Street Art that is spreading quickly since it started in 2012. In a few square blocks of walking and cycling zone there are clever wrought iron silhouettes of local history. And ceramic tile masterpieces. And optical illusions that make you say hmmm. But most of it is murals and installations that invite you to jump in, or jump on. That motorcycle, for example, is imbedded in the wall. All of old Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site but local artists worry on the walls that it's all fading away. We hope they're lion.