George Town, Penang, Malaysia 96F sunny, feels like 110
Malaysia is another country that was never on my list of must see countries. By this time, the heat was becoming a deterrent to doing much. It seemed that temples were the main attractions in the smaller southeast countries, and I can only look at so many of them. I had a couple of things that I wanted so to see and found a private tour that was attractively priced. I have really found that with a private tour, moving at your own pace and not waiting for 40 other people makes the days much easier.
We docked adjacent to the old town. In WW II during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, the area was actually a submarine base. Nothing remained of that structure, but interesting to understand. I met my tour guide outside the port gates. He had worked as a tour guide for about 15 years and retired during Covid. Now that tourism is coming back, he picks up a tour if it suits his schedule. A good or bad guide has a lot to do with a successful tour and today, I lucked out and we discussed the plan.
George Town is the capital of Penang, which is a state of Malaysia. Penang encompasses not only Penang Island (George Town location) but also land on the Malay peninsula. The 2 sections are connected by the Penang Bridge and recently to decrease the traffic congestion, a second bridge was built. Rather boringly, it is called Second Penang Bridge. The state of Penang encompasses about 400 sq miles with a population in excess of 1.7 million people.
Archeologically, Penang has been inhabited for the past 5,000 – 6,000 years based on tools and human remains. The modern history of Penang starts in the late 1700’s when it was discovered by the British. The British were looking for port locations that would help establish their presence and decrease the presence of Dutch and French ambitions in the area. In early 1800 they also secured the mainland area that Penang includes today.
The history then becomes like many of the other smaller southeast asia countries. British rule continued for decades. Relatively unscathed by WW I, Penang was occupied by Japan during WW II. The British actually abandoned Penang and relocated the European population to the mainland. When Japan started the invasion of Penang, there was absolutely no resistance, no battle. Historians have referred to the (lack) of a true Battle of Penang as the loss of moral conscious for Britain – far worse than the Battle for Singapore in the same time period.
Japan was not kind to Penang during this time period. The economy collapsed, many Chinese were rounded up and summarily executed with multiple mass graves on the island. Due to poverty and starvation, women were often consigned to sexual slavery.
With the Japanese surrender in 1945, British was able to regain control. However, the area was troubled by immigration, political unrest and concerns of Chinese communist infiltration. Eventually the Federation of Malaysia was founded, and Britain moved these smaller countries to that group and granted independence in 1956.
A variety of economic downs and ups transpired as the states learned to work together and create a new government. Today the Federation of Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy. It is a muslim country. While the federation is staunchly protective of its multiethnic and multicultural population, homosexuality is illegal. Government corruption is widely acknowledged.
Because Penang is multiethnic, there was a lot to see from various cultures and religions. I did want to stay within the old town but it is also a modern city with skyscrapers, tech businesses, shopping malls and a wide range of housing options.
George Town also was affected negatively in the beginning of the Federation. The town lost some of its favored financial status and the historical buildings were razed and replaced with modern buildings. George has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site – well the historical area of George Town but has helped preserve the history in the city.
First stop is the Chew Jetty. In 1888 Chinese immigrants to Penang built a series of jetties over the water. Each jetty consisted of boardwalks over the water with buildings on both sides, all built on stilts. Each jetty was inhabited by families of a specific Chinese clan. Jetties could have multiple boardwalks with 100 + families living in stilted wood buildings.
Chew jetty is the most preserved jetty and about 75 families still live in the buildings. There is a small temple on land at the start of the boardwalks and if you are walking on wood, you are over the water. The main purpose for building communities over the water was to avoid land taxes on the houses. If you lived on the water, you paid no taxes.
The boardwalks are wide enough for people to pass but be aware. Scooters use the boardwalks as well and you have to be prepared at times to jump out of their way! Today the area is a heritage site and well visited by tourists. There are cafes, quick food, ice cream stores and souvenir shops at the front of the building off the boardwalk. The buildings are rather long and the residences are behind the shops.
George Town is also a considered a cultural and arts center of Penang and is well known for street art and murals from a wide variety of artists and styles. At Chew Jetty a Chinese artist has painted one of these murals ‘Folklore by the Sea’. This is one of some 50+ murals throughout the city.
I was interested in seeing some of the street art of a Lithuanian painter – Ernest Zacharevic who was hired in 2012 by the city government to paint a series of murals depicting life in George Town. He was given topics and locations to create his murals. I saw four that day. I was told that every once a while, someone would freshen up the paintings but it looks like that had not happened for a while. But they were still delightful to see.
A rickshaw driver relaxing as he waited for his next customer.
A man navigating his boat on water.
Some of his murals contain real props that invite people to participate in the picture. Children bicycling
A little boy trying to reach into a window.
Some of the places visited where in a small area so it was easy to wander streets as we walked to different sites.
Well decorated shop houses.
Alleyways
A shop selling Durian fruit – the stinkiest fruit on the planet. I took their word for it as no one was disagreeing with that statement.
This is another example of a completely different style of street art but I admit I was actually enamored by the roof lines and weathered appearance.
Of course, there were temples everywhere but some of them were really interesting - quite ornate.
A Chinese Hainan temple
A mosque
There was a square filled with rickshaw drivers but at this point it is mainly for tourist use.
There are 2 very famous temples in George Town. First is the Wat Chayamangkalarm or Reclining Buddha temple which contains the second or third largest reclining Buddha in the world. Built in 1845, the reclining buddha (not to be confused with a sleeping buddha) is gold plated and the open eyes emphasizes its serene and watchful presence. It is a Thai temple. Outside were beautiful dragon statues made from reflective colorful mosaics.
The Buddha is 33 meters (a little over 108 feet) long and a little difficult to get it all in one clear picture.
Right across the street is the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple that was founded as a monastery in the early 1800’s. It contains a very tall standing Buddha.
The hand placement of standing or sitting Buddha statues are very significant and these statues will have hands placed in 1 of 4 options.
This standing Buddha statue has the right hand raised and the left hand extended outward. This hand placement conveys a powerful blend of protection, fearlessness, compassion and serenity. It invites contemplation and inner peace.
We also toured the modern area of the city with many buildings of British influence, skyscrapers and multiple very large and very tall modern luxury condo buildings. Swinging by the Botanical Gardens we could easily spot the Long Tail Macaques. Pro tip - as you cannot help but smile at these guys, do not smile in a way that shows your teeth – they get very upset by that and will show you their teeth - just not in a smile.
Heading back to the ship, we passed George Town's Speaker Corner. A couple of times a week people can come to the corner and say whatever they want, with only 3 rules:
1. You can't say anything negative about the British Royalty
2. You can’t say anything negative about any religion (that is actually illegal in Penang)
3. I forget #3 because 1 and 2 were so surprising.
The guide was adamant- freedom of religion is guaranteed by law. Anyone even saying negative things about religion could be arrested. “Everyone needs to respect other’s beliefs and stay quiet.” He was very proud that different religious buildings existed on the same street or block without any tension.
Last was the clock tower dedicated to Queen Elizabeths 60th anniversary of her reign. 1 foot for every year, it is 60 feet tall.
It was an interesting time for sure and I saw and learned things I hadn’t even imagined.
The next stop is Colombo, Sri Lanka which ends the original itinerary and starts the rerouted itinerary around Africa. Hopefully some interesting adventures await.
Jumpa Lagi !
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