The birthday dinner of our host was held on top of Penang Hill. The hill is one of the famous Malayan “hill resorts” of British colonial days. Normally the view is stupendous, but alas, over in Sumatra across the Straits of Malacca, the Indonesians were burning the island as they seem to do about once a year. (Malaysia is not innocent here, either — they do the same thing on Malaysian Borneo). so it was very hazy.
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| Note the bridge to the mainland |
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| me under an ancient Angsana tree |
On Strawberry Hill — so called because Captain Sir Francis Light of British East India Company days is supposed to have levelled the hill to grow strawberries in the late 18th century — stands a restaurant called David Brown’s. It serves a British traditional menu. Good food, and because we sat out on the lawns at the edge of the slope — a glorious view as the sun went down and the lights came out…
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| Nightfall |
(Francis Light leased Penang from the Sultan of Kedah. He died of malaria and is buried in the Protestant cemetery not far from the Hotel Penaga in Penang. His son was the surveyor Colonel William Light who laid out the city of Adelaide.)
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| The party-goers, many ethnicities, many countries, 1 Malaysia. |
Interesting information Glenda. Did the strawberry growing work do you know?
Yes, indeed. It was very successful for well over 150 years apparently. I'm guessing now, but I suspect that in the end the need to pay a decent wage for the intensive labour, plus the fact that Malaysians don't have same nostalgic longing for strawberries that the Brits had, killed it off.
I guess that nostalgic longing is inbred although getting decent strawberries any more seems to be impossible. One place in North Carolina had really good ones though.
I hope you are home now and back to writing, all this gallivanting doesn't get me something new to read from you LOL.
Watch that counter in the side bar!
I'm guessing, as you haven't said anything, you still don't have a contract? How many books do you have to sell to be considered successful enough for them to want to publish again? I don't understand it as you are selling in different countries and everyone loves your books, or nearly everyone.