14-07-2010
Day 3 Pulau Pinang:
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| The Komtar as seen from our room in Tunes Hotel |
Tunes Hotel is rather small for a family. Running on the same concept practiced by Air Asia, everything is pay per use ie. air conditioner, towels and tv and extra pillows. Not advisable for the claustrophobic. And yes, NO breakfast. Price is reasonable only if booked earlier, which is RM 70-80/night and cleanliness is good.
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| The buzzing business hub of George Town |
The iconic Komtar (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak ), for years the tallest building on the island, houses government departments,
commercial offices, shops and restaurants.The
65-storey complex also contains theaters, squash courts and a geodesic
dome which serves as a multi-purpose hall, while the 55th floor offers a
panoramic view of the city.
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| Cambell Street Market, built in 1900 |
As recognition of her rich heritage, George Town, together with
Malacca, was listed as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
Penang also prides itself as a blending pot of race, culture and
traditions, emphasized by the various worship centres and wide range of
eating places.
Traveller's guide and map in Penang
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| Fish mongers selling seafood at the junction of a road. |
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| Fresh prawns at affordable price. |
As we were looking for breakfast, or rather brunch to eat, we bumped
into Cambell Street. Characterized by the long white
building which is its wet market, it also has wet and dry makeshift
vendors and mainly traditional Chinese business shops along its street.
Shop owners ply their trades in hardware, gold and silver, food
products, traditional medicines, clothes, etc.
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| Chinese butcher selling non-halal meat. |
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| Tasty pork sausages are sold abundantly in this multiracial Muslim country. |
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| Tins of biscuits and cookies being sold according to old weighing scale. |
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| Modern Chinese herbal and medicinal shop in keeping with the old tradition. |
A little political story: In 2008 general election the opposition
coalition known as the Pakatan Rakyat wrestled Penang from then ruling
coalition Barisan National and formed te state government since. It won
29 out of 40 seats contested and consequently DAP secretary general YB
Lim Guan Eng was elected as Penang 4th Chief Minister until present.
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| George Town's well organized traffic system keeps jam to a minimal. |
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| Campbell Street. |
Along this street, you could find many Chinese hawker restaurant that starts business at early morning until late noon. Time and time again i stress that Penang has the best tasty yummy Chinese hawker food in the country and most probably Southeast Asia as well. To make dining experience even unique is the varieties of other home-grown favorite cultural food such as Indian Briyani rice, Banana leaf rice, Malay food and Baba & Nyonya cuisine.
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| Mutton Briyani from one of the shops customers would die to dine in. |
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Penang as a blending pot of race, culture and religion culminates in various areas of worship lying within close proximity to each other, even along the same street, further enhance Penang's reputation as UNESCO heritage site. Malaysia has been liberal in freedom of religion and education even since its precolonial era.
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| Kapitan Kling Mosque at Jalan Kapitan Kling |
Founded in 1801, it is the largest historic mosque in George Town. Named after the Indian Muslim merchant, the “Kapitan Keling” (headman)
Caudeer Mohudeen who built it in the early 19th century. It features an
ocher yellow facade and dome-shaped minaret reflecting Moorish Islamic
influence.
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| Sri Mariamman Temple at Lebuh Queen |
Penang’s oldest Hindu temple which was built in 1883, is filled with
colourful statues of Hindu deities. Among the priceless possessions of
this ornate building is a statue of Lord Subramaniam richly decorated
with gold, silver, diamonds and emeralds. During Thaipusam festival, the
statue is taken on a chariot procession by Hindu devotees.
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| Kuan Yin Temple at Jalan Kapitan Kling. |
Also known as the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, this popular Taoist temple was built in the 1800s by early Chinese settlers. It is believed to be the oldest among all the temples in
Penang. Kuan Yin
was a being who had attained Nirvana but stayed behind to save
those souls who did not escaped the world of suffering. The statue of
Kuan Yin as a serenely composed woman with 18 arms sits on an inner
chamber. Much restoration work is required for this dilapidated building.
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| Fort Cornwallis, earliest British settlement in the island |
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| Captain Sir Francis Light. |
Next stop was Fort Cornwallis, situated at the spot where Captain Francis Light was believed to have landed in 1786. It was named
after Charles Marquis Cornwallis, a distinguished Governor General of
India, and designed to protect the harbour from possible French attacks. Originally a wooden structure, the fort
was rebuilt between 1808 and 1810 with convict labour.
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| Nana could imagine how amusing she looked. |
On behalf British East India Company, Captain Sir Francis Light leased the island of Penang from then Sultan of Kedah in return of providing militiary aid. Subsequently Penang became a very successful international trading port and Light served as the Superintendent of the colony until he died of Malaria in 1794. His statue, which bears his name but has the facial features of his son William,
stands at Fort Cornwallis.
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| The famous Seri Rambai cannon of Fort Cornwallis. |
Today, much of the old fort remains, but its precincts have been
converted into a public park and an open air theater. It is still
guarded by old cannons, which were retrieved by the British from
pirates who had captured them from the Johor Sultanate. The most
famous of the cannons is Seri Rambai, which dates back to 1613.
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| Walking along the Esplanade, on the seafront promenade. |
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| War Monument to commemorate fallen soldiers |
Next to Fort Cornwallis is the Esplanade, a seafront promenade bordering an open field where festivals and events are often held. It stretches from the hawker stalls at one end to the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower at the other. Central in the Esplanade is the Padang, a huge
square of town green.
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| The Padang overlooking the City Hall (right) and the Town Hall. |
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| Mummy, i know you love me alot, but you're smouldering me~~ |
Standing proudly beside is the City Hall, a
stately colonial building which is a fine example of British palladian
architecture featuring magnificent Corinthian columns and huge
windows. Built in 1903, this is the headquarters of the Penang Island Municipal Council.
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| City Hall of George Town Penang |
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| The Mansion of Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee |
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| The grand view greeting visitors at the entrance |
An excursion to Penang cannot be short of a visit to this Peranakan (Straits Chinese) Mansion located at Church Street. This old mansion, former home of Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee, showcases over 1,000 antiques and collectibles depicting the opulent lifestyle of the Straits Chinese, or Peranakan as they were locally known.
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| Antique furniture and decorations depicting the rich Peranakan Heritage. |
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| Mummy, is it just me or everything looks very confusing? |
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| Peranakan's rich electic interior designs. |
The Peranakans,
also known as the Babas and Nyonyas, was a prominent community
of acculturated Chinese unique to this part of the world,
especially in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and
Singapore) hence its other name, the Straits Chinese.
Adopting
selected ways of the local Malays and later, the colonial
British, the Peranakans had created a unique lifestyle and
customs which had not only left behind a rich legacy of antiques
but its cultural influences like cuisine and language are still
evident in Penang today.
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| Chinese craftsmanship at its finest. |
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| The electic dining environment with Western incorporation of Chandeliers and long dining table. |
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| Palace attire of the olden Qing Dynasty China. |
Built at the end of the 19th
century as a Chinese courtyard house, it became much like a
typical large Baba home of eclectic style, incorporating Chinese
carved-wood panels and English floor tiles and Scottish
ironworks. Having survived the many decades of neglect and
decay, the mansion has now been restored to its former glory of
a stately home, a good example of adaptive reuse.
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| Victorian sofa set with a backdrop of Chinese Art and display vase. |
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| The Malay Kebaya worn by the Straits Chinese aka Peranakan |
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| Scottish Ironwork which sums up the eclectic nature of Baba & Nyonya opulent lifestyle. |
The Peranakan culture has been gaining some popularity of late with regional collaboration of celebrities enacting Babas and Nyonyas in Peranakan-themed soaps series. As a result their cuisines and kuih (dumpling-like delicacies) are very much sought after especially in Malacca, where its easier to find.
Visiting hours of the Penang Peranakan Mansion are: 9.30am-5pm(Mondays to Fridays), 9.30am-3pm(Saturdays), closed on Sundays and public holidays.
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| This mansion has served as filming location to famous Peranakan soap series. |
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| The Kek Lok Si Temple erected on a hill at Ayer Itam. |
If you're not tired of following our adventure yet, how about a stop at one of Penang's finest attractions: Kek Lok Si Temple. Perhaps the finest Buddhist temple in South East Asia, Kek Lok Si in Mandarin means "Temple of Supreme Bliss".
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| A garden of Shrines with mini Pagoda. |
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| "Turtle" Pond that represents longevity. The over-populated tortoise are starvingly ferocious. |
The Kek Lok Si
temple stands majestically on a hill in Ayer Itam. Construction began in
1893 and was completed in 1905. Built in tiers, the beautifully crafted
“Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas” took more than 20 years to build and
was only completed in 1930.
The pagoda is considered one of Penang's most beautiful architectural wonders with its combined Chinese octagonal base, middle
tiers of Thai architecture and a Burmese crown. Take a sidetrack from here to find a 30metre tall Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) bronze statue erected since 2002.
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| The Pagoda of Ten-Thousand Buddhas |
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| The Buddha Clones begging for donations |
On the ascend to the temple there are souvenir stalls selling anything from T-shirts to figurines to deity masks. Business is a bit slow on non-school holiday esp. on weekdays. Shop owners are more willing to give in to bargains during this period. Walk-ways are old and rundown which requires make-over.
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| Finely sculptured wall leading to the Pagoda. |
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| The pissed gold-coated Guardian deities holding their eternal stance. |
The temple which features gardens, shrines and various beautiful sculptures would spring to life on Buddhist festivals such as Wesak Day or week-long celebration of one of the "Gods" birthday. Pilgrims or the faithfuls would throng here to pay homage as well as tourist alike coming to soak up the beautiful night scenes of this worship center.
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| Mummy, is that all? Nana want to see more. |
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| Aromatic and spicy Asam Laksa |
Finally, just to savor our trip, we had to stop by a buzzing hawker centre to tantalize our taste buds with mouth-watering Penang hawker food, which we could never get enough of. We actually took away packets of Penang Char Kuey Tiaw which can hardly be found elsewhere in Malaysia. Are we gluttons or just crazy for Penang food.
Enough of waxing lyrical, do try these food out if you ever decide to transport yourself here..Penang, the Pearl of Orient.
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| Tasty Fish Ball Kuey Tiaw soup |
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| And the King of all, but you already know it, Penang's Char Kuew Tiaw. |
And that's all folks, as we're leaving the island to mainland on a ferry, which transport cars and 2 wheelers as another traffic alternative to the Penang Bridge. The windy sea breeze ride takes about 15 minutes and Nana enjoyed every minute of it.
Thanks for joining us on our adventure. It was only made possible because Nana inherited our cool adventurous genes and was willing to go the distance with her tireless parents.
Its back to work for the both of us. :_l
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| The little Indiana Jones. |
