Sonia and Jim in Southeast Asia September 2005

Sonia came over to visit me this week in Singapore. We took a trip up to Malaysia to see where Sonia was born and where she lived as a little girl. Sonia was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1959.

The Goltz family first lived in Telok Anson (now named Telok Intan) in the Malaysian State of Perak. Telok Intan is roughly half way between the Island of Penang and the Malaysian Capital of Kuala Lumpur, which although a federal territory similar to the District of Columbia, is located within the State of Selengor.

Sonia arrived at midnight Friday morning. On Friday we visited the Singapore Exchange briefly then walked around an area near the financial district that has remained relatively in tact - with a muslim temple, mosque, and a chinese shrine all on the same block.

Another picture of the street bazaar in Telok Intan
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View off of the square - think this was a southeast view
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View off the clock tower square looking I believe northeast
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Telok Intan was a surprisingly large town. Here is one of their more modern shopping complexes
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As we were leaving I managed to snap this shot over the roof of the rental car of a main sign as you entered Telok Intan. Agriculture is definitely the mainstay of the local economy.
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Good picture of the leaning tower of Telok Intan - one of the main tourist sites in the Perak State with Sonia in the foreground. It was really a warm day with lots of sunshine between the clouds. Telok Intan being inland and on a lower plain than Penang was noticeably quite a bit hotter.
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Telok Intan Street View facing southwest
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Some of the handycraft items for sale at Telok Intan
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Another picture of Telok Intan - this one showing a building housing the main political party UMNO.
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We drove from Penang to Kuala Lumpur so we could make a stop close to midway at Telok Intan (formerly Telok Anson) where Sonia's family lived in 1959 and 1960. Here Sonia is in the town square where there was a street bazaar going on.
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Chinese temple north of the financial district in Singapore
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Sonia in Chinatown in Singapore
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How about some lunch in Chinatown Sonia?
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Our lunch in Chinatown
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Sonia enjoying that Chinatown lunch
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Laundry extended on poles from apartments in Chinatown
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Sonia relaxing in Singapore's Chinatown
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Chinatown Singapore - old men playing marjhang
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Sonia early Saturday morning on her way from Singapore to Malaysia
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Some of the jungle flora
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The Hindu Temple atop Penang Hill - these temples give me the eebie-geebies
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A view of the Georgetown area of Penang
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Returning from the top of Penang Hill via the cable railway
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A view of the new Butterworth Bridge that connects Penang to the Malaysian Penninsula - as taken from Penang Hill
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Sonia in front of her childhood home in Penang within the compound of the Wesley Methodist Church
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The Wesley Methodist Church in Penang, Malaysia. The church actually sustained some cracks as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that hit last year. Services were moved until engineers could certify that the sanctuary was safe for occupancy.
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The Wesley Methodist Church - Penang, Malaysia
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The Wesley Methodist Church compound.
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Sonia in front of her former home
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The Boy's Brigade (similar to the Boy Scouts) has a fife and drum core. The meeting and practice rooms are part of the church compound.
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The sanctuary was rennovated since Sonia's family attended. The church was actually reversed with the altar being placed in front of what used to be the entrance. The entrance is still there - it is just closed off.
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The caretaker whose family takes care of the church compound
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Irene works for the church on a part time basis. She joined the congregation in 1987. She showed us around the church compound.
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This is where Sonia and her family lived in Penang - this building is next to the Wesley Methodist Church
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The new altar area in the Wesley Methodist Church in Penang
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The streets near where Sonia's family lived
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One of the older houses near where Sonia grew up - a newer home and a new apartment building can be seen behind the house.
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Visiting the Burmese Buddhist Temple near where Sonia and her family lived in Malaysia.
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Lots of Buddhas
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This is one big honking Buddha in the Bhurmese Buddhist Temple!
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The Thai Buddhist Temple
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In the Thai Buddhist Temple compound - Sonia going to visit the reclining Buddha
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Sonia remembers this reclining Buddha from her childhood when they lived in Penang. The Thai Buddhist Temple is directly across the street from a Bhurmese Buddhist Temple. There seems to be a fair amount of competition in terms of austentatiousness.
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The reclining Buddha in the Thai Buddhist Temple near where Sonia grew up northeast of Georgetown in the northeast part of the Penang Island. This buddha is 33 meters long - about 1/3rd of a football field in length. Again whereever the Buddha is now he would probably not be very excited by this austentatious display.
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More of the view from our hotel room
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Sunset looking out our hotel room window
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A view from our room at the Shangri-La Golden Sands Hotel near dusk
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The Sonia walking on the beach after sunset
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Sunset on the beach in Penang
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Dining at a Hawker stand in the Bata Ferrenghi Beach area on the northwest tip of Penang Island.
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