Penang #1: Exploring Georgetown

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After spending yesterday cooped up in a series of minivans as I made my way from Ko Lanta to Penang, I was ready to explore and walk my socks off today. Breakfast was included at the hostel, so I headed up to the common room to help myself to that. The coffee was strong, just how I like it, so I had to have several cups. Cereal, toast, eggs and spreads were also available, not a bad deal at all. Sun at the guesthouse in Ko Lanta had given me an itinerary of places I should visit in Penang. He had listed two things for each of the two days I would be here. But first things first, I just wanted to have a wander around exploring the streets of Georgetown. I headed out and just randomly picked roads to walk along that looked interesting. My first port of call was Kapitan Keling Mosque. It was built in the early 19th century ans was named after an Indian Muslim merchant, Caudeer Mohudeen who was the headman, Kapitan Keling. The mosque is gorgeous, and I enjoyed taking some photos of it. I would have liked to have gone inside, but I don't think it was possible.

A little bit further along the street, there was a nice looking bakery/café. There were some tables outside with big, comfy looking chairs and parasols to keep you shaded. I decided that even though I hadn't really done anything, this would be a lovely little spot to sit and chill. I went inside to order an iced coffee. There was a display cabinet filled with cakes, so, of course, I had to have one. The cakes looked legit, not like Korean cake (I don't think I've had any cake in China yet), so I ordered a slice of chocolate cake. I took my perch outside and the waiter brought my coffee and cake out to me. The cake was delicious. I wish I could have had a second slice.

I continued further along the street and came across Yap Kongsi Temple. This place was very ornate. I had a quick look around before heading up the street in one direction, there were so many beautiful houses, before turning back and heading down Armenian Street. I popped into Poh Hock Seah Twa Peh Kong Temple, which was beautifully decorated. I wonder if the temples always look this good, or whether they are just done up for Chinese New Year. There was loads of street art in this part of town, so I wandered the backstreets, taking a million photos. I kept coming back to Armenian Street though. There were plenty of cute little gift shops, that I enjoyed looking around, too.

Further down Armenian Street, I came to Cheah Kongsi, which is one of the oldest Hokkien clan associations in Georgetown. The Hokkien came from south east China originally. This place was very well cared for. It was immaculate, there wasn't a thing out of place. I found the guard and paid my entrance fee. I headed inside and found some shoe covers to don before heading upstairs. The clan was established in Georgetown in 1810 and the house built in 1858-1873. I enjoyed looking around all the rooms of the main house. There was information plaques up to describe what most of the rooms were used for. I would have loved to have hung out on the big, upstairs veranda drinking tea and reading a book. I also liked the guesthouse room downstairs, the huge old safe was impressive. Just next to the main house, there was a smaller two storey building, the ground floor detailed the movement of the Hokkien people and upstairs had some more general information. I was surprised to find that one of the theories about the origins of Mahjong is that it was invented in my new hometown, Ningbo.

Wandering the streets a little more, I came to Little India. I enjoyed walking through that area and buying a couple of cheeky samosas as a snack. I got an egg one and a sardine one, both spicy and delicious. I took a walk along past the port to the area, where Fort Cornwallis is. I passed the Queen Victoria clock tower, which is 60 ft high and commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It was presented to Penang in 1897, by Cheah Chen Eok, a local millionaire. I also walked past the port and saw where the Malaysian navy is based. I saw Penang City Hall, which is a gorgeous old building, its whiteness sparkling away in the sun. I also stopped at the Cenotaph, which was locked up. However from outside you can still see it pretty well.

I headed over to Fort Cornwallis. It was built by the British East India Company in the 18th century and is named after Governor-General of Bengal, Charles Cornwallis. It is the largest fort in Malaysia and has never been engaged in combat. It was built by Captain Francis Light, who had taken possession of Penang, to protect the island from pirates. To be honest I found the fort to be a little lacking. The church was cute, but the other rooms on the ground floor, looked a bit dilapidated and were either empty or had a some old, crusty artifacts in them. I think the fort is now a function venue as there seemed to be people setting up tables and chairs in the middle of it. I wandered around the perimientre and took the stairs heading upwards. I got a nice view from the top. There was a shippy thing, but you couldn't go on it. Further along there were some cannons and a magazine store, which was, of course, now empty.

I was so thirsty by the time I came out of the Fort, I headed straight into one of the shops by the port for a drink. I pretty much downed that and as I made my way across to the Pinang Peranankan Mansion, I had to stop off in another convenience store for a bottle of water. I continued up a rather unassuming street and came to the place Sun had recommended Pinang Peranankan Mansion. I walked through the small courtyard and was greeted by some staff, who ushered me into the building. I paid the 20 ringgit entrance fee and was free to wander around. Peranankans are also called Babas and Nyonyas, and are descendants of Chinese immigrants, who moved to present day Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore between the 15th and 17th centuries. The Peranakan were in a unique position and acted as middlemen between the Chinese and English. The house was pretty big and very, very ornate. I wandered around the right side of the ground floor first. I loved the photos of the family that adorned the walls, it was so nice to get a glimpse of the people who lived there and imagine them there. For going upstairs, you have to take your shoes off. I headed up to explore some more. I loved looking around the bedrooms and seeing the clothes that people wore back then. I also chilled out on the veranda for a while. There was a couple doing a wedding shoot, they had picked a really nice place to do it. I headed back downstairs to take a look around the other side and to marvel at the beautiful staircase that we weren't allowed to use.

The other place that had been recommended to me by Sun for that day was the Chew Clan Jetties, so I headed down there. I was getting hungry by this point so stopped off at one of the food stall in front of the jetty. I ordered some economy rice. I love economy rice, it is such a good concept. I love being able to pick and choose what I think looks good. I'm sure I always order more than I should. I had pork, rice, egg and some veggies, all for only a few ringgit. I like these hawker style centres that have the stalls and a central place to sit and eat. Feeling full, I headed into the Chew Jetty for a look around. The houses on the jetty are all small, wooden houses built on stilts over the water. Chew is the family name of the people that live(d) in this jetty and they were poor Chinese immigrants for Fujian Province, who had migrated due to hardships in their homeland. They worked in the port nearby. It was a stark contrast to the clan house I had seen earlier. The clan jetty has definitely turned into more a tourist attraction these days. As I walked along the narrow walkway between the houses, I was greeted by lots of small shops selling tourist tat and some little cafes. At the end of the jetty there was some kind of temple and a man was performing some kind of ritual, interesting to see. I also liked seeing all the small fishing boats, they looked cute.

I had managed to pack a lot into the day. It was about 4 o'clock by this point, so I decided to head back to the hostel for a rest. The lure of free, decent coffee was too strong. On the way back up the street, I saw a man setting fire to a load of firecrackers outside of his hostel. It must have been for good luck. When I got back to the hostel the hostel, the common room was empty. I read and enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee. When I got hungry again, I decided to head out for some food. After Chinese last night night, economy rice for lunch, I needed to have some Indian food. I had spotted a large 24 hour place earlier, so I headed there. Tandoori chicken and a cheese naan was what I ordered. They were really good, if a little more expensive than what I had paid for my other meals. After dinner I went for a bit of a wander around some of the backstreets to take pictures. Georgetown is just gorgeous. You could seriously take a million photos here. I love that as you walk down a seemingly boring little lane, you are greeted with pretty little temples and old school shop fronts. I love that the place hasn't been modernised and has retained its old charm. I wish I could time travel back to the past to see it in all its glory, as now it has feeling of fading, crumbling grandeur about it.

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Photos

Coffee and Cake
Wheat Connection

Street Art
Georgetown

Street Art
Georgetown

Street Art
Georgetown