Penang Undercover: Includes Hatyai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur

by Paik Leong Ewe

In George Town, the capital of Penang, the Pearl of the Orient and a Malaysian island hugely popular with domestic and international tourists, trishaws ply the streets ferrying tourists between colonial buildings, temples, food spots and bars. The more enterprising trishaw drivers offer sightseeing with sex, sometimes with unexpected results. Through candid interviews with sources in the sex industry, as well as Penang's trishaw riders, the author discovers shocking scams, pitiful repentances and happy-ending massages that don't end happy. Penang Undercover also looks beyond Penang to the neon lights of neighbouring Hatyai and Bangkok in Thailand to expose the shenanigans of mamasans, bargirls, dream-makers and liars. Finally, the author unearths a few hidden nuggets from his hometown of Kuala Lumpur and the subject of his fi rst two books in the Undercover series. Typical of his style, this book is written with wit and candour.

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 7, 2019

Reviews

[Rainy Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book is just.. wow. I knew that touristy areas like areas mentioned in this book have their own dark side, but after reading Penang Undercover, I think it took me to another level eye-opener.

This book contains stories collected by the author himself from rickshaw pullers, mamasans, prostitutes, people who have had their services and many others. It's like a compilation of their experiences and life stories into one book. One thing I can say is that this book is not what I expected it to be at first, and it's good. Good in a dark way I think? Haha I don't know how to put it into words. It's like reading people's dark experiences that you don't expect before.

[Deckard Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even a local can learn all kinds of new things from this book. Contains the life stories of customers, prostitutes, gigolos, and mama-sans.