monkeying around

The best part of being unemployed for Natalie is the opportunity it affords her to do some traveling, get away from it all, recharge her batteries and give her mental health a boost.

"When I have a job, I save twice as much as my girlfriends because I not only have to finance my travels but also an uncertain time out of work," explains Natalie. "There's no such thing as a permanent job these days and it we have to survive in an uncertain world then we should make the most of our time here."

She’s just come back from a trip to Malaysia and says that the Malaysians are among the friendliest people in the world.

She was particularly taken with Penang and understands why it’s called the jewel of the country. It’s an enchanted island on the west coast, luring tourists from all over the world.

"What is absolutely fascinating about Penang, though," says Natalie, "is its monkey colony. Just like squirrels in London parks delight tourists with their antics, the monkeys of Penang are a delight to watch and interact with."

Apart from those she had seen in zoos as a child, Natalie had never come close to a monkey before and she says it was a bit unnerving at first to have these little creatures running around her. And little they were.

"I had always imagined monkeys to be much bigger," explains Natalie, "but perhaps the ones on Penang island are pygmy monkeys or something!"

Of course, like all good tourist attractions there's someone making money somewhere and the guy in this case was the peanut seller.

Natalie thinks that the monkeys and the peanut seller were in cahoots because she bought a bag of peanuts and was feeding one monkey when another one came up behind her and stole the whole bag of nuts.

"There's no way a little monkey can eat a whole bag of peanuts," laughs Natalie, "so I figured that the little monkey had been trained to steal the bag and give it back to the peanut seller. What a racket!"

Anyway, that little monkey sure made a monkey out of Natalie and so did the peanut seller who laughed his head off when he saw what had happened.

Natalie didn't mind. It was all good fun.

"Getting to Penang by train is a long, hot and uncomfortable journey," says Natalie, "but well worth the experience."

Ordinarily Natalie would not eat or drink local food and beverages in eastern countries - especially railway cuisine - unless she had no choice, but she felt quite safe in Malaysia.

"There was plentiful fresh fruit - durian being something one must acquire a taste for," says Natalie, "and the market food is first class."

Natalie says that a popular local beverage in Penang and Malaysia is tea sweetened with condensed milk.

"It is not too bad if you drink it piping hot, which is how they like it," says Natalie. "But stranger still is a beverage they call 'Coppete' which. as the name implies, is a combination of coffee and tea."

"It’s no stranger, of course, than putting jelly on peanut butter sandwiches," laughs Natalie. "It was just different!"

As is the case all over the west coast of Malaysia, the streetscape of Penang is ultra modern. First class hotels, a neat and clean city and very beautiful surroundings, too.

Natalie just hopes the monkey colony thrives amidst the tourist development complexes because without those little critters Penang would be just another pretty place to pass time in.

But what a nice place to pass time in between jobs!