SINGAPORE FLING

NOT A REAL ONE YOU UNDERSTAND ... just a quick one because Penang Global Tourism was holding a Penang Showcase in the city state and asked me to go along to give a talk about Penang ... food, what else!!

So on Wednesday morning I took the 1hr flight there and got to the York Hotel at about 1pm but unfortunately didn't get there on time to attend CM Lim Guan Eng's launch. However, the lunch was in full swing: every year the hotel flies these 10 or so hawkers from Penang to cook and serve Penang Hawker Food to deprived Singaporeans! It was PACKED, and. The irony of it of course was that I went from Penang to Singapore ... to eat Penang food cooked by Penang hawkers!

YB Danny Law (that's him above) was there working hard and doing his bit, talking to as many people as possible about tourism in Penang and investment opportunities, and visiting interesting places to see what he could introduce in Penang.

Over the next 2.5 days I gave 4 talks altogether. Being a bit of a sad case I always have this feeling not many people want to hear me talk, and in fact tried three times to persuade the organisers to let me change my mind ... but they wouldn't. However my 10-min talk was a whistle-stop tour of Penang food and outlets, and I think it went down relatively well ... except at the start when my remote mouse wouldn't work so I had to keep reaching for my laptop to move my presentation forward!

Unfortunately as it was held during the week it wasn't exactly packed out, and all in all not many exhibitors took part. But of those that did some got good response, and it was good to meet a lot of couples who came up to me to say, "I haven't been to Penang since 1970/for 30 years," etc. I think it was successful in bringing our wonderful island to their attention again. And it's the first time. They even went to the trouble of taking a troup of cultural dancers who put on an impressive show.

Of course that left quite a bit of time for that activity which brings shivers down my husband's spine ... SHOPPING ... and boy did I hit the shops! Till I dropped! Having said that I went with one suitcase and left with one so didn't really buy THAT much. Too expensive lah. Esp with the ringgit at RM2.50 to SD1. Wow, I really felt like the country mouse visiting the sophisticated city cousin! One night I met up with some nieces at Grand Hyatt's "Pete's Place", an Italian restaurant. The set dinner (salad, mains and dessert) was SD35. Quite tasty.

Still I enjoyed it. It's a great - some would call it FINE - city, and I always have to pinch myself to stop me thinking that I'm in Europe cos it feels like it. It's modern and clean, regulated and safe. There's no fear of taxis overcharging, and one can walk along the roads without fearing motorbikers snatching one's handbag. However there's a price for this: it's an expensive city, and one of the most costly in the world I'm told to live in.

Here's hoping that next year PGT will have a bigger do.

More next time about the other food I had there.