This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Williams, a 65-year-old Australian retiree living in Penang, Malaysia. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I first came to Penang, Malaysia, in 1968, when I was 8. My father was in the Australian Air Force and was stationed at the Butterworth base on the mainland for three years. My family loved it.
For many in the Air Force, it was considered a dream posting. The food, the warmth of the people, and the blend of cultures made it unlike anywhere else.
When I graduated, I followed in my father’s footsteps and joined the Air Force. I later married a serviceman, and together, we ended up being posted to Penang twice, in the ’80s and early ’90s.
Retiring in Penang
Business Insider visited Malaysia to meet some of the people who’ve been drawn to Penang, one of Southeast Asia’s most sought-after places to retire. Read more in our series:
- An American couple sold their house in California and retired in Malaysia. They love ‘not owning anything.’
- She’d dreamed of retiring in Malaysia for years. At 58, she packed up her life in New Zealand and went for it.
By then, Malaysia was well and truly in my heart. I had plenty of local friends and knew the place like the back of my hand. I eventually left the Air Force and moved back to Australia.
Retiring, and then un-retiring from a job
In my last job, I was a training coordinator at a company in Western Australia that laid underground power cables.
I’d never really imagined retiring abroad. But when I started thinking about retirement, it was a natural step for me to consider Malaysia. I had such strong ties to the place, and with the Malaysia My Second Home visa available, I thought, why not apply and see what happens?
It helped that my second — and now current — husband fell in love with Penang when I brought him here for a holiday in 2016. We were both open to the idea of retiring here.
We applied for and were granted the visa in 2018. I retired from my job in August 2019 and came to Penang to set things up for our eventual move. In early 2020, I went back to Australia for a wedding, and that’s when the pandemic hit.
Since my husband was still working, we decided that I would stay in Australia and see how things unfolded. However, as the situation took longer to recover than we had expected, I ended up returning to the job I had retired from.
I stayed there for over two years before retiring again in January 2023, this time for good. I’ve been living in Penang since then. My husband hasn’t retired yet, but he flies over from Perth, Australia, regularly to visit.
Daily life in Penang
Moving here for retirement feels just like coming on a permanent holiday. You can get nearly everything here, even Vegemite.
My daily routine changes depending on the day of the week. Since there’s a big expat community here, there’s always something happening.
On Monday mornings, there’s a coffee group that meets at Pulau Tikus, a neighborhood in George Town. Some days, I play mahjong, and other times, I teach fellow expats how to play.
Wednesday afternoons are for playing Canasta, a card game, at a coffee shop, and by Friday morning, there’s another coffee meetup to round out the week. Once a month, usually on a Thursday, I play mixed darts at a local bar.
I’ve also started organizing a few meetups of my own. Every Sunday, a group of us goes out for dim sum, trying out different spots around Penang each time. My next plan is to start a high-tea club.
My friends and I have started knitting blankets for hospitals and hospices, and we also volunteer with local charities on various fundraising initiatives.
The best thing about Penang is the food and the people.
I post a lot of food photos on Facebook, and people ask, do you ever cook at home? And I say, why would I? I can go two minutes down the road, and have roti canai for breakfast, congee for lunch, and Thai food for dinner.
Every Tuesday, I go to a night market with a friend, and we’ve been trying all the different food stalls available.
My budget is about 3,000 Malaysian ringgit a month, or about $725. That’s for going out, buying shoes, and anything else I want to do, like lunches, dinners, and all the little extras. I get by comfortably on that.
My dad is 88 and lives in Brisbane. My daughters, who are 27 and 34, have their own lives too. It really depends on what happens with them, but for now, I see myself staying in Penang for the long term — as long as I’m able to renew my visa and nothing unexpected happens.
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