Believe it or not, we actually saw some sights in Penang and didn’t simply eat our way through the town. It’s a neat area (Penang and the UNESCO World Heritage City of Georgetown) and seems to be a microcosm of what’s happening in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Driving across the Penang bridge feels so much like driving into San Francisco from Oakland. The city and its skyscrapers and high rise condos are backed by hills covered in lush green jungle. We stayed about 15 minutes (without traffic ) outside the city and went in everyday for food/sight-seeing.
Clik here to view.
A view of the bay from Fort Cornwallis.
Penang bills itself as the Silicon Valley of Malaysia with numerous tech jobs from international companies basing offices there. The new developments (shopping malls and condos) testify to such potentially lucrative employment. However, all the tech geniuses in the world could not solve their traffic problems. Friday and Saturday night traffic is sheer paralysis. There’s simply too many cars, insufficient public transport and not enough scooters. I have to admit that on our first night out in the area, I was a bit put off by it all…the traffic and the sterility of the malls. New shopping centers emerging that look like the traditional shopping buildings that have been torn down for new shopping centers that look like traditional Malaysian shops.
Clik here to view.
Street art in Georgetown.
However, on Saturday, we saw a completely different side of the city…the more traditional components that give it such character, making it one of the neatest places we’ve visited. The first striking thing about the old town is the architecture. The old shops and houses, even in their decaying state, are beautiful, especially when they bear the marks of their past glory like a fading mural or aging antiques. It’s easy to spend an entire day wandering these streets tucking in and out of art galleries, coffee shops, shops and restaurants.
Clik here to view.
Clan house in Georgetown.
We made our first stop, after breakfast of course, to check out one of the oldest clan (family) houses in Georgetown, Seh Tok Tong Cheah Kongsi, which dates back to the 1800′s. It’s a fine example of traditional architecture and design and the recently renovated warrior paintings on the doors are really sharp. After that, we made a quick stop into the Yap Temple (Michael’s family name) which boasts some finely carved pillars at the entrance to the altar. We tried to visit Khoo Kongsi, but didn’t want to pay the $10 entry fee.
Clik here to view.
They’ve got the whoooooole world…
After lunch we visited two Buddhist temples (Bhurmese and Thai) that sit opposite one another on the same street. The Dharmikarawa Burmese temple has a giant standing Buddha statue, a garden full of colorful sculptures, and a wishing pond. The Wat Chayamangkalaram (Thai) temple has a famous, colorful reclining Buddha (33 meters long) guarded by impressive, brightly-colored warrior statues. After all this Eastern history, we drove back into Georgetown to tour the old Colonial areas along the Esplanade, including the British port stronghold of Fort Cornwallis. The heat pushed us through quite rapidly.
Clik here to view.
Reclining Buddha at Wat Chayamangkalaram.
We then made the drive north toBatu Ferringhi, the beach area of Penang. Amy and I had thought about staying a couple nights here before heading towards Langkawi. We’re glad we didn’t as it’s relatively removed from everything and priced well beyond our budget. The “kids” walked along the beach for an hour while the rest of our group rested underneath some trees. We took some photos before going back into Penang for an earlier dinner as everyone was pretty much exhausted from all the touring, riding, and eating!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
On Sunday morning, after a Hokkien noodle breakfast, we drove up to Kek Lok Si, a hilltop temple that features a new giant standing Kuan Yin statue and offers stunning views of Penang and the bay. And of course, what Buddhist temple would be complete without statues of Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck?! Our wonderful hosts dropped us off at our hostel, Love Lane Inn, where we spent Sunday night before departing for Langkawi. The place is nothing to write home about, but we booked a fan only room, hoping that we could stay cool for the minimum hours we planned to spend in it. The owner was so nice, however, and helped us book ferry tickets. We dropped our gear off and headed straight over to one of Penang’s many malls for some A/C and two movies. I saw Piranna 3DD while Amy wind0w-shopped, and then we met back up for Snow White and the Huntsman. We were especially thankful for cheap tickets ($4) along with our dinner of cheap popcorn and soda (another $4).
We were up early the next morning for our ferry to Langkawi. More on that adventure and the week of laziness to follow.
Until then…”Minum!”
Days 1 & 2 in Penang
Day 3 in Penang
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
