The Malaysian "Jalan-Jalan" (Part 2): The Treasures of Penang

- March 20-22, 2016, Sunday (evening) to Tuesday.

- Directly taking off from Part 1 (click here), I arrived in Penang International Airport in the early evening of Palm Sunday after an hour's flight from Kuala Lumpur via Air Asia (it would take 9-10 hours to Penang from KL by bus or car, and around 4 hours by train; taking the plane is a good option since plane fares from KL to Penang and back are almost the same price as or cheaper than the train ride, and flying would need a shorter travel time.) After getting my luggage, I rode a cab to George Town which was around an hour away from the airport. George Town is the capital city of Penang, and is located at the northern part of the state. This city, named after King George III of the United Kingdom, is one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Malaysia; this made George Town a must-go for me during my 10-day stay in Malaysia.

- I stayed in Siok Hostel (click here), located along the intersection of Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Leith, and Lebuh Penang. I was able to get a private room for myself, although all bathrooms are public. All the staff of the hostel were Filipinos, which may my stay there a bit homier. The hostel also provides a simple free breakfast at the third floor at the common area, where people can play some games or watch television.

My hostel. Yes, there's a Subway below/beside it.

- I had an early start the next day, since I realized that I only had a limited time in George Town. While the places to see in George Town are mostly within walking distance within each other, I wanted to make sure that not only would I be able to visit everything on my list, but I would also be able to have some time to appreciate and experience all the places that I'd be going to. I decided to pass by some of the places that would not require entrance fees or would have early opening times. These, of course, would be temples and churches.

- I passed by the Hainanese Temple (built 1895), Church of the Assumption (built 1786), the St. George Cathedral (built 1818), and the Goddess of Mercy Temple (built 1824). Most of these churches look better on the outside than the inside, so I mostly took photos of the facade. Also, it is interesting to know that these landmarks, although from different faiths, are located right beside each other, except for the Hainanese Temple.

Thean Hou/Tian Hou Temple (Hainanese Temple.)

The wall and window carvings are always worth appreciating. 

Church of the Assumption.

St. George Cathedral.

These incense sticks are taller than I am.

Goddess of Mercy Temple.

- While walking through George Town in the rather quiet morning (or at least it was as busting as Kuala Lumpur,) I noticed that most establishments are only two to three stories. This is because most of these buildings or houses have been preserved or restored from the colonial times, and then converted to stores, museums, new houses, or restaurants. I found this charming, as it added to the historical old-town feel of Penang. The historical sites and religious sites did not only make George Town a heritage site, but the whole town itself seemed like a big museum. Also, George Town is famous for its street art that can be found in almost every corner. These artworks are so popular that there are even tourist maps that are solely dedicated to these street art, for people who wish to see all of these street art within George Town.

Example of Penang's street art.

Old houses.

More old buildings.

The former India House, now used by many businesses.

- My first major stop for the morning was the Pinang (Penang) Peranakan Mansion. The mansion used to be an actual Peranakan house that was turned into a museum. The Peranakan people (baba-Nyonya) usually refers to Southern-Chinese migrants who have gone to Malayo-Singapore or Indonesia during the colonial times. These people have created their own fusion-style cultures, by using strong features of both Chinese cultures and Malayo-Singaporean or Indonesian cultures. This fusion of cultures can be found in their clothing, language, even food.

Old rickshaws outside the museum.

Exquisite dining hall.

Main hall.

Interesting. Mahjong with paper pieces instead of tiles.

A rich Peranakan's house.

- The mansion impressed me a lot because of the effort to reconstruct the Peranakan household without the house looking like a museum. What I mean is that walking through the house did not make me feel like I was walking through a museum, rather, I was just walking inside someone's house from a century or more back. Pieces of furniture, utensils, tools, clothes, game pieces, early appliances were all placed and arranged naturally, so much so that it made me feel that someone had been using them regularly.

Qing-style painting of a member of the household.

Wedding dresses from the 1930s.

Old camera.

More Qing-style paintings.

Nyonya kebaya.

Hello, it's me.

Old bed.

Old radio.

Trying to be Peranakan.

- Apart from the main house, there are special galleries on the accessories, costumes, and footwear worn by the baba-nyonya (baba is a term to refer to the Peranakan men, and nyonya for the Peranakan women). Also, the family temple located adjacent the house is also open for everyone to see.  

Imagine wearing somethingl ike that.

Kebaya.

More head/hair ornaments.

Wedding headgear on a mannequin on a piano.

Fake buns and plenty of hair accessories.

Nyonya beaded and embroidered shoes.

Qing-style costume.

Worn by the nyonyas on special occasions.

Wedding headdress.

Kitchen.

Details from the family temple.

The Pinang Peranakan Mansion.

- After visiting the Pinang Peranakan Museum, I took some photos of the Jubilee Clock Tower (built 1897, aka Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower) before going to Fort Cornwallis. Unlike other forts, this late 19th-century fort named after Charles Cornwallis (the Governor-General of Bengal,) never engaged in war, and served more as an administrative area for the British. Today, this fort barely has anything in it apart from a few cannons, a small church  and some bunkers waiting to be turned into better exhibition halls; this reminded me of the Eternal Golden Castle in Tainan, Taiwan (click here to see.) The fort has gained some mixed to negative reviews from tourists, because the entrance fee is quite high, but as mentioned earlier, there is not much to see inside. I took my chance despite complete knowledge of the warnings, and sad to say, the warnings were correct.

With the Jubilee Clock Tower (aka Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower.)

Captain Francis Light, founder of the British colony of Penang.

Old cannon.

Small canon.

Quite a rip-off, but yay for history.

- I passed by the City Hall (built 1903) and Town Hall (built 1906) before visiting the House of Yeap Chor Ee, one of the prominent Peranakan philanthropists and businessmen. The museum was quite small, but there was a good small collection of items used during the late 1800s to early 1900s.

City Hall; it still functions as a city hall today.

Town  Hall.

Miniature replica of the Hoklo/Hokkien boats that sailed to many parts of Southeast Asia.

Old typewriters.

Reclining Buddha on a chair.

Three floors of exhibits. 

Old chair.

- I dropped by the Penang State Museum, a small two-story museum on Penang's history and culture, on the way back to my hostel. The museum also has an art gallery.

Old tram.

Old car.

The Malaysian keris.

Malaysian costume.

Various Chinese costumes.

Indian costumes.

Malaysian kite.

British-colonial style costume.

Queen Victoria.

- Before going back to my hostel, joined the tour of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion used to be owned by Mr. Cheong Fatt Tze, also known as "The Rockerfeller of the East." Today, it serves as a heritage site, with the two wings used as accommodations for tourists. All visitors must join one of the three tours (11am, 2:00pm, 3:30pm) to be able to go in; otherwise, only the facade can be seen. Cheong Fatt Tze was a poor Chinese man in Penang who lived in the 1800s. He worked hard until his Chinese boss was so impressed that he asked Cheong Fatt Tze to marry his only daughter. Cheong businesses grew, which allowed him to construct the blue house with materials and influences from different parts of the world. Craftsmen from China were also asked to come to Penang to built this house for him; the roofs for example, were done by gluing meticulously-broken shards of colored bowls to create shapes of dragons and other mythological creatures. The house is also unique because the house party resembles a Chinese temple instead of a usual mansion. However, after independence and the devaluing of the Malaysian riggit (formerly "straits money,") the inheritance left by Cheong Fatt Tze was not enough to maintain the house. This led to the mismangement of the house, until it was decided to be restored by the new owners who bought the house in the 80s. Today, the "blue mansion" remains to be one of the most iconic landmarks in George Town.

Scottish railings.

The qipaos of Cheong Fatt Tze's wives.

More qipaos.

Rickshaws.

The Blue Mansion.

These details were made with broken colored bowls. (The bowls were intentionally broken.)

The wings at the sides are used as accommodations for tourists.

Roofs.

- After the tour of the blue mansion, I had a short walk back to my hostel, rehydrated myself, and hid from the sun for around half an hour. When I was all set, I explored the southern part of Georgetown, as I mostly covered the northern parts during the morning. I first passed by the Kapitan Keling mosque, built in 1801 by Indian Muslims. Afterwards, I passed by the Yap Kongsi Temple (built in the early 1900s) or the temple for the Yap clan, and the Penang Base of Dr. Sun Yan Sen (built 1910), where Sun Yan Sen devised many of his plans to overthrow the Manchurian Qing rule in China.

Kapitan Keling Mosque.

The minaret.

Yap Temple (which actually includes the adjacent building.)

Saw this nice big opera mask.

Sun Yat Sen's Penang Base was owned by this person.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

This was Chng Eng Joo's company.

- I walked along Lebuh Armenia (and the street was called as such since there used to be a sizable Armenian population in Penang) and reached the Khoo Kongsi. It was hard to find since this family clanhouse was located inside a compound. One would have to go in a small easy-to-miss gate to enter the compound. Fortunately, I was able to find this, and I entered the compound with a minimal entrance fee. The Khoo Kongsi is the largest and most elaborate family clanhouse in Malaysia. Not only does it have the temple built in 1906, but the complex has houses for the different families of the clan, a school, a small government, a theater, and other small associations.

Looks like a normal temple from afar.

Details on the roof will show otherwise.

Too amazing.

From the walls to the ceilings, the building is a marvelous piece of art.

Heavenly gods painted inside the prayer hall.

The lanterns add a nice touch.

A unique feature of the temple: statues of Indian men "guarding" the temple despite the temple being Chinese.

- After visiting the magnificent clanhouse, I walked along Lebuh Armenia to find the most popular street art of two children on a bicycle, painted by artist Ernest Zacharevic. I took a few more snaps of the other interesting street art along the way before having lunch at a hawker center. I was so frustrated because the only stall selling popiah and asam laksa (two of the popular dishes in Penang) was closed. At the very least, I was able to have a small plate of rojak, which is a kind of salad made with fruits and vegetables showered with a savory sauce made of fish, shrimp, and other ingredients.

More colorful old houses. 

The most sought after street art.

This cat was huge; it was taller than I was.

More cat street art.

Rojak!!

- Near the hawker center was one of the clan jetties, the Chew Jetty; I also heard that this was the most tourist-friendly jetty. The clan jetties are small coastal villages, with each jetty inhabited by a specific clan (i.e. the Chew Jetty is inhabited by families with the surname of Chew.) The other jetties include the Lim, Tan, Lee, and Yeoh jetties. These jetties have houses on fortified stilts as they are houses on water; the walkways connecting the houses are made of wood as well.

Sights from the Chew Jetty.

Dragon boat.

It's not the Queen Victoria Clock Tower.

Wooden walkways.

Everything on stilts.

- I realized that I had finished too early in the day since I moved rapidly within the small city. I tried to kill some time in Penang's Little India, but then it was still too early. There wasn't much to see in Penang's Little India, thought still vibrant and colorful as most Little Indias around the world are.   

Minion street art on the way to Penang's Little India.

- Instead of going back to my hostel, I decided to add to my day's itinerary, since the afternoon was just half done. I hailed a cab that brought me to Wat Chayamangkalaram, a Thai Buddhist temple built in 1845. This was supposedly given by Queen Victoria to the Thais to strengthen British-Thai relations. For me, the most striking features of the temple were the mosaiced nagas that glistened as the sunlight touched the shiny mosaic pieces.

Temple entrance.

Bought me back to Thailand.

It was an incredibly hot day.

Reclining Buddha.

Temple walls, with carved Buddhas.

The wonderful rainbow-colored nagas.

The golden stupa.

Temple guardians.

- Just across the street from Wat Chayamangkalaram is the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple, built in 1803. This temple is what's left of what used to be a big Burmese settlement in Penang. Since I haven't been to Myanmar, this was the closest first-hand experience of Burmese culture that I had in my life so far. Though it may not seem apparent to an untrained eye, there were several aesthetic qualities that made the statues of this temple different from statues in other Buddhist temples like Thai, Khmer, or Chinese temples. Of course the Burmese writing scattered through the temple added to the Burmese vibe. My favorite part of the temple was the giant golden Buddha statue, and the sea of golden roofs from all the halls in the temple.

Temple entrance.

Golden roofs.

Giant golden Buddha.

Garuda.

Buddhism around the world.

Have y'all met my brother??

Golden everything.

- I ended the day still quite early, but just right for an early dinner. After arriving at my hostel, I realized that my skin turned fiery red, and later on, three shades darker, I couldn't believe that I had finished the main bulk of George Town in a day, and I had one more full day to spare the next day before flying back to Kuala Lumpur.  

- The following morning, I walked from my hostel to Komtar, a multipurpose complex housing offices, shopping centers, and my purpose for going to Komtar - the main bus station. My agenda for the morning was to go to Kek Lok Si (aka "Temple of Supreme Bliss,") a massive Buddhist temple complex finished in 1930. People can take buses 203 or 204, since they both stop in front of Kek Lok Si. Kek Lok Si is not anymore in George Town, but a town called Air Itam.

Saw this on the way to Komtar.

- Upon arriving at Kek Lok Si, I had to go through a long line of souvenir stores, most of which haven't opened or were starting to open as I arrived early in the morning. I had to go through a lot of stairs before reaching the entrance to the temple complex. Of course, in the temple complex, I was greeted with what else - more stairs!!

- The architecture of the temple was interesting to me, since it was a mix of Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian architectural styles. For example, the Kek Lok Si pagoda had a Chinese-style base, a Thai-style (corn-shapred) body, and a Burmese-style (conical) tip.

Main prayer hall.

The Kek Lok Si Pagoda; yes you can go up that pagoda.

Not sure what it is, but it was definitely old, as the date on this thing said.

Chinese at the bottom, Thai at the center, and Burmese at the top.

Look how dark I am now.

- Within the temple complex are more souvenir stores (both Buddhist and Malaysia/Penang-themed souvenirs); these mushrooming souvenir stores in the temples have sparked some annoyance by tourists and devotees, saying that these stores defeat the purpose of the temple and Buddhism itself (i.e. not having any form of desire to release from suffering.)

- The temple has an even higher level that is reachable by an  inclined elevator (that has awesome air-conditioning.) The higher level lies the giant bronze Guanyin statue, and the giant pavilion that gives shelter to the massive statue. It also had more wishing trees, where people would donate one ringgit per ribbon with a specific wish (ex. good health, more wealth, etc.), and hang it on the tree. I had a few ringgits to spare, so I just wished for some things for the fun of it.

Up the inclined elevator.

Not sure why there's a peeking Guan Yin head. Yes, it's just the head, the statue doesn't have a complete body.

The massive bronze Guan Yin statue.

Serene, and full of compassion.

Some of my wishes are here.

Foggy view of Penang.

On the way down.

LOL.

Saw this salamander in a stream.

Kek Lok Si from afar.

- Before leaving Kek Lok Si, I went to a nearby hawker center and had asam laksa (sour laksa) for lunch, and a mug of sugar cane juice. The asam laksa that I had didn't seem like the best asam laksa, but as mentioned earlier, all the good food that I wanted to try seemed to be avoiding me for some reason. Well, though the asam laksa that I had wasn't probably the best one around, at least I got to try it, unlike my situation with the popiah the day before.

My good-enough-but-not-the-best asam laksa, and my mug of sugarcane juice (no that's not Carlsberg; it's just the mug.)

- Since my flight back to Kuala Lumpur was going to be in the early evening, and I finished Kek Lok Si around 11:30AM, so I decided to visit the Penang Hill or "Bukit Bendera." I honestly didn't include the Penang Hill to my itinerary in the first place because I'd just go up the hill and see the view of Penang (which didn't really interest me,) though most tourists say that it is a must especially for first-time visitors though other argue that it's just a tourist trap. I thought of giving it a go since I had much time to spare. I waited for the 204 bus outside Kek Lok Si to bring me to the base of Penang Hill, but no 204 buses were passing by that area. I had no choice but to hail a cab to the base of the Penang Hill station. Seeing that the ticket lines were not full (since they normally are, according to other travelers,) I bought my round trip ticket to the inclined tram that would take me up the hill and back down. The original inclined tram was opened in 1923, but of course they have been using a newer one these days.

The inclined tram.

-  Up the hill, the temperature was significantly colder, which was a big blessing to me. However, the view of Penang from the top was a bit foggy, so I wasn't able to take nice photos. Apart from the scenery, there are other things to see, such as a Hindu temple, a mosque, a lovers' lock area among others. Honestly Penang Hill was not much for me, though the colder temperature on top of the hill plus the cendol I had for dessert did give me some time off from the killer sunlight of the lowlands.

Foggy.

Bukit Bendera.

Tram going down.

Old tram.

Giant spider.

Old cannon.

Hindu temple on top of the hill.

Cendol!!

There were some monkeys there. Do not irritate the monkeys!!

- I rode the inclined tram back to flat ground, and rode the 204 bus back to Komtar. I took some time to shop through the streets near my hostel, before finally arriving at my hostel and waiting for my cab that would drive me to the airport.

- I arrived at KLIA2 around 8:30 in the evening, and got back to Nathalie's place. I told her about my food-related frustrations in Penang (i.e. my want-to-try food seemed to avoid me). As a consolation, she brought me to this small hawker center in the middle of the mall (Hartamas Plaza) across her place. To my joy, the hawker had popiah, char kuay teow, and mee rebus. I had a happy dinner just after going back to KL.

Char kuay teow, mee rebus, popiah, and iced tea (literally cold tea.)

- After dinner, I had a good rest for my next out-of-KL trip, and probably my most-awaited leg of the trip - Malacca!! Malacca is known for its cultural heritage (both traditional and colonial) and many Malay friends have told me that it would probably be a place that's perfect for my personality and preferences. (Don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here!!)