{"id":547,"date":"2015-09-03T20:24:37","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T00:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jennsfootsteps.wordpress.com\/?p=547"},"modified":"2015-09-03T20:24:37","modified_gmt":"2015-09-04T00:24:37","slug":"georgetown-penang-a-little-bit-of-britain-in-malaysia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/?p=547","title":{"rendered":"Georgetown, Penang: A little bit of Britain in Malaysia"},"content":{"rendered":"

We landed in Penang after a short flight from Kota Kinabalu. We were so exhausted that we missed all that passed us by during the cab ride to the hotel (review of The Royal Bintang Hotel soon). It’s only the next morning that we got to really take in all the cultural sights that define Penang.<\/p>\n

\"Boardwalk<\/a>
Boardwalk near the Jetty Clan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pier\"<\/a>
Pier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our hotel faces the pier, so from our room window we could see no other buildings except the dock. We could see the medium sized ferry that connects Penang to the mainland, a large travel cruise ship docked on the side and also the large shipment boats far away in the horizon. Everything seemed quite modern. As we step out of the doors that opened to streets at the back of the hotel: SHOCK. Have we landed somewhere in the mid-century Europe?<\/p>\n

The heritage buildings in Penang have been surprisingly well-preserved over the years. Exploring the street behind our hotel, Lebuh Pantai, we are surrounded by four or five storeys white-walled buildings with pale pink rooftops, typical of the pre-war British architecture.<\/p>\n

\"DSC05062\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Colonial<\/a>
Colonial style architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"DSC05150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Penang is truly the meeting point between Asia and Britain. As we explore the city, we discover bit by bit traces that the British, the Chinese, the Indians have left here. We can witness it through the different temples as a mark of diverse religious beliefs, through the multiple national languages that are spoken and also through the different gastronomical delicacies that are offered in Penang’s food scene.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/a>
Chinese influence architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cendol:<\/a>
Cendol: a dessert with green noodles in coconut milk, red beans and shaved ice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Malaysian<\/a>
Malaysian Laksa: famous spicy noodles in a tasty fish broth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Penang street art<\/p>\n

Georgetown is also famous for its street art, most of them works of Lithuanian artist\u00a0Ernest Zacharevic. These paintings can be found on walls all around the old city. They depict the life of the children of Penang in their daily activities and games. If you ever spend a day or two here, make sure you grab a pamphlet with a list of all the street art of the old town and go on your own personal treasure hunt for these beautiful pieces of art. Some are famous enough so you’ll see lines of people waiting to take pictures. Others are little secrets that will pleasantly surprise you as you fall upon them as you turn\u00a0the corner. We started our street art hunt\u00a0quite late in the afternoon so we were unable to find all of them, but here are a few of my favorites. I apologize if some pictures are quite dark as the sun was setting and very little street light is present in Georgetown.<\/p>\n

\"Children<\/a>
Children on a Swing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"DSC05107\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Boy<\/a>
Boy on a bike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"DSC05103\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Child<\/a>
Boy on a chair\u00a0reaching up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"DSC05096\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Kids<\/a>
Kids on a bicycle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"DSC05137\"<\/a> \"DSC05133\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One big disappointment is the absence of this minion painting:<\/p>\n

\"Minion<\/a>
Minion bollard that doesn’t exist anymore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We looked back and forth on Lorong Soo Hong Lane and couldn’t find it. We then came to realize that someone must have painted over the bollard. So if you’re visiting Penang right now, don’t waste time looking for the minion that doesn’t exist anymore! For a more detailed list of the numerous existing street art, download this brochure<\/a>. (From the Tourism Penang website).<\/p>\n

It’s great to find that there are still places in the world that brings us back to eras we have never known. It makes us realize how important it is to preserve the cultural heritage that we have for future generations. But as we stroll on the boardwalk near the pier, we came across this sad view:<\/p>\n

\"Trash<\/a>
Trash in the ocean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the same philosophy goes with the ressources that we are lucky enough to enjoy at this moment. Respecting the environment also ensures that we leave in our legacy the same beautiful planet we once lived on. Please consume and travel responsibly! One of the phrases etched on a wood board at the entrance of the rainforest in Kota Kinabalu will forever remain engraved in my mind: “Take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints…<\/em>“<\/p>\n

<\/div>
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We landed in Penang after a short flight from Kota Kinabalu. We were so exhausted that we missed all that passed us by during the cab ride to the hotel (review of The Royal Bintang Hotel soon). It’s only the next morning that we got to really take in all the cultural sights that define […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dsc05088.jpg?fit=4912%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":242,"url":"https:\/\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/?p=242","url_meta":{"origin":547,"position":0},"title":"The three Koh’s: Phangan, Samui and Phi Phi","date":"December 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy Tuesday everyone! It's currently minus 5 degrees Celsius and snowing here in Montreal. How best to warm us up if not posting about Thailand on this cold cold day? Hope you enjoy reading! Choosing which island to visit turned out to be quite a task. It's a given that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dscn0442.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":311,"url":"https:\/\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/?p=311","url_meta":{"origin":547,"position":1},"title":"[Reviews] Bangkok, Thailand: Where to stay?","date":"January 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"During our three weeks in Thailand, we've visited so many places that we ended up making very short stays in multiple hotels.\u00a0In this post, I'll be able to tell you which hotels we have appreciated the most...and also which ones you should avoid. Let's start with the capital: Bangkok. VIENGTAI\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/dscn0241.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":88,"url":"https:\/\/www.jennsfootsteps.com\/?p=88","url_meta":{"origin":547,"position":2},"title":"[Review] Oasia hotel Singapore: modern luxury","date":"November 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Oasia is a new addition to the Far East hotel group. Barely two years-old when we visited, the entire place radiated cleanliness and modern luxury. To add warmth to the modern minimalist decor, the lobby has been decorated with raw wood furniture. The reception was friendly and efficient. 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