Arts and Entertainment

There are very few places in the world where the culture has remained the same for years. Myanmar is one of those. But, now it is changing – too fast. We have visited Myanmar every year for ten years. There is much we love about the “Golden Country” but now we go mainly to enjoy Ngapali Beach. It, too, is changing. Now there are more hotels and many flights arrive every day.

I love it when hotels offer free activities for their guests – especially if there is a cooking demonstration. I may never make the recipe at home but I get to try something new and typical of the area John and I are visiting. The Malaysian Island of Penang has some of the best Indian food. Why? More than ten percent of the island is of Indian ancestry.

Cemeteries might not seem like a likely place to visit as a tourist but they are. Some people visit cemeteries to pay homage to presidents, artist, poets and other influential individuals. Others go to admire the art and architecture, while still others find the beautifully landscaped gardens a place to reflect.

I always suggest that people take a hop-on bus tour first. There were two options: Beach Tour and City Tour. I liked the fact that the tks are good for 24 hours from the time it is stamped and the buses run until 7 p.m. John and I chose the beach tour which took us to the Entopia Penang Butterfly Museum. Penang was on the Spice Trade Route.

The Malaysian island of Penang is on several lists of great places people should visit during their lifetime; and, besides Number One on Forbes’ list of budget places to visit, it is second on CNN’s list of “The 17 Best Places to Visit in 2017.” It is easy to see why. The island has myriad different things to do from exploring the UNESCO Heritage City of Georgetown to a walking tour through the new Entopia Butterfly Farm to parasailing over the Straits of Malacca.