georgetown, penang: a sweaty, spray-painted fever dream
i just stumbled off the ferry in georgetown and my skin immediately started weeping. 25.16 degrees celsius on the app, but it *feels like 26.06 - humidity 89%? i'm pretty sure i'm breathing soup. i just checked and it's...a swamp out here, hope you like that kind of thing.
the city is a labyrinth of crumbling shophouses and neon signs begging for attention. i'm here to tag walls, but first, i need to not melt. my buddy from the hostel, who goes by Zig Zag, says the best spots are in the UNESCO zone, but watch out for the city council goons - they'll fine you faster than you can say "artistic expression."
i tagged the side of 1734586 Jalan Macalister with a phoenix that seems to shift colors in the heat. someone told me that the number 1734586 is the area code for secret messages among street artists. i have no idea if that's true, but i love the mystery. i heard from a local barista that the building used to be a brothel during the rubber boom. now it's a cryptocurrency exchange office. times change.
if the concrete jungle gets too much, butterworth is just across the bridge - but everyone says it's a ghost town compared to here. i'd rather take the bus to alor setar for their mamak food, but the traffic is legendary. someone on a likethelizard forum posted that the 1458446120 bus route goes there, but i think they made that number up. it sounds like a computer glitch.
the weather here is a character in itself. pressure 1011 means clear skies, but the humidity 89% turns my spray caps into dripping messes. i learned the hard way: always test on a brick first. a veteran artist warned me about the sea level pressure affecting paint adhesion - i thought he was joking, but my first piece peeled off in a day. grnd_level 991? that's the number on the manhole cover where i lost my favorite cap. coincidence? probably.
food is another obsession. i'm on a hunt for the perfect char kway teow. Yelp says "Kim Lee" has 4.5 stars, but the comments are wild: "served with a side of regret" and "made me see god." i asked a street vendor, and he just pointed to an alley and said, "the real stuff is where the cats gather." i followed a tabby and found a stall with a queue of construction workers - best wok hei i've ever tasted. overheard rumor: the chef uses dragon's breath chili, which might explain why my mouth is on fire.
i've been snapping photos too. freelance photographer me is struggling with the light - it's harsh and golden at dawn, but by noon, it's a whiteout. i read on 500px that the best shots are at golden hour behind the clan houses. tried it, got chased by a guard dog. worth it for the shot of Khoo Kongsi with the sun glinting off the tiles.
links if you're planning a trip: check out the TripAdvisor forums for honest reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. Yelp Penang is hit or miss - i found a cafe with 5 stars that served cold brew in a styrofoam cup. criminal. for local vibe, LikeTheLizard has the skinny on hidden bars and pop-up markets.
i'm running on fumes and coffee that tastes like charcoal. the air-con in my room is broken, so i'm sleeping with a fan that sounds like a dying helicopter. 1458446120 keeps popping into my head - maybe it's the Wi-Fi password to the universe? i asked the hostel owner, and he said, "son, that's just the number of times i've answered your dumb questions." fair.
tomorrow, i'm meeting Zig Zag at dawn to hit the lakeside walls. pressure is holding at 1011, so no rain. humidity will be 89%, i'm sure. i'll bring extra caps and a towel. if you see a dripping phoenix at 1734586, that's me. or a ghost.
that's it for now. i need to pass out before the mosquitoes eat me alive. georgetown, you're a beautiful mess*.