Penang — Mika's Photos

Waiting in the rush hour queue to depart from Jakarta offered good views into the Garuda hangar.

Gaining altitude over a Jakarta whose residents have all just broken their fast.

Our digs for the next 3 days: the Eastern & Oriental hotel in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

George town was founded in 1786 and named after King George III; this hotel was established by the Sarkies brothers in 1885.

Needless to say, the hotel has strived to maintain its colonial feel.

One of the main corridors on the ground floor.

And a spiral staircase leading up to the 3rd -- and top -- floor. The hotel itself is one of the "Top 10" tourist attractions in George Town.

A view along the northern coast of Penang island, from the hotel's oceanside property.

Most of the rooms open onto the sea.

There are several seaside eateries -- I guess that's the attraction if you're not staying here.

The living area of our suite. Lucky that Debbie and Roz got a good discount for their wedding guests!

The monster bed in the bedroom. You can tell, from the bed frames relative to the photos on the wall, that it's normally a double room.

The room's view. (The wedding was directly below.)

Ornate glass doors enter into the bathroom.

Friday at noon was Debbie and Roz's wedding ceremony. Roz's mom (who's Japanese) made hundreds and hundreds of cranes to decorate. There was also a crane attached to each invitation.

It was a very small affair -- compared to most Chinese-style weddings in this part of the world!

The flower girl was Gigi, Debbie's niece. She got cold feet half-way down the aisle and darted back to the bridesmaids behind her.

The magical moment. (We were encouraged not to take our own photos, since they had 4 professional photographers snapping the whole event.)

This just in! (From Bangkok.) Now I have a partner-in-crime!

The evening cocktail started at 6pm, with drinks by the seaside.

The sun sets much later in Penang than in Jakarta -- which means, out of deference to the (fasting) Muslim guests -- that we had to wait until fairly late to sit down to dinner.

At the sit-down dinner, around 7:30pm. The stars of the day arrive!

It was a cozy, not-too-formal gathering of close family and friends. Roz's parents are the two on the right.

And the centerpiece on our table...

...fish!

There were some speeches from everyone -- even the reluctant.

And of course, the cake-cutting. Debbie's mom made this herself, and brought it all the way from Perth!

After the dinner was over, it was dancing into the night.

Fun as it was, I had to uphold my party-pooping reputation and couldn't stay past 11:30.

The next morning, breaking fast by the sea.

The best view in the house... was taken by other diners.

One of George Town's signature drooping fire hydrants.

The hotel displays photos of some of its more distinguished guests. Here's one of the more distinctive.

We went out for a Saturday morning stroll. This building is cordoned off, and destined for demolition -- to be the future site of new condos.

The Supreme Court Buildings -- home to the Penang High Court -- was built in 1809 and apparently very well maintained.

Windows on the side of a well-kept townhouse.

This is Town Hall, which was declared open in 1880 by Governor Sir Fedderick Weld, a Victorian architect.

Right next door is City Hall, of neo-Palladian architecture. It was completed in 1903, and is currently home to the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

This is a tree in the park across the street. They fence in their trees to protect them from the Penang hooligans.

Another view of the sea (and all the industry on the horizon).

This is Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower. It's 60 feet tall, and was built in 1897...

...to commemorate Queen Victoria's 60-year reign.

Don't know what this building is (or was) because it's not on my tourist map, but it fit right in with the rest of the architecture in the neighborhood.

This sign clearly forbids the selling of desserts on the back of giant tricycles. Ironically, there was one such vendor right across the street from this sign.

There were often trendy little shops on the bottom of otherwise colonial-looking shop houses.

Let's not forget that there's still lots of Chinese influence throughout the town: the Penang population is 46% Chinese, after all.

It's cleaning time at one of the more modern buildings in George Town.

One of the streets in Little India: the only part of the town that never looked like a ghost town over the 3 days we were there.

Dunno what this cute guy was, but he sure looks like an efficient way to transport a lot of people.

The Cathedral of the Assumption, which was established "not long after the landing of Francis Light." It's considered "as old as Penang itself."

A follower paying respects at the Cathedral of the Assumption.

This is St. George's Anglican Church: another congregation "as old as Penang itself." It was completed in 1818.

This is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, an estate that was built by one of Malaysia's wealthiest tycoons at the start of the 20th century.

Some of the abundant street art throughout George Town. This is made entirely of steel wire.

Another form of street art.

More fairly well-kept shop houses.

Naturally faded, but pretty nonetheless.

A man sets out on (what seems like it will be) a long, meticulous journey.

Outside this Chinese temple were...

... giant incense.

And I mean, GIANT INCENSE!

Some shop houses have been maintained better than others.

Like this one, for example.

Look closely: both of these homes are lucky enough to have giant trees bursting right through their cores.

This was in a warehouse district.

Here's the Church Street Pier, which was built in 1897 and was an important spot along the channel in the first half of the 20th century.

The Church Street Pier is now part of the Tanjung City Marina.

And it's a great vantage point to see the giant cruise ships that come to dock on a daily basis.

Fishing boats in the foreground, and giant ferries that connect Penang Island to the mainland. The ferries used to be the only way to get between the two. (In 1985, the Penang Bridge was opened.)

The cutest little miniature palm with a full head of hair.

The Malayan Railway Building was built in the early 20th century, and is believed to be the only railway station in the world without tracks passing through it!

Georgetown Chambers -- apparently now vacant.

Another street in Little India; it has its Ramadan decorations up, too.

These rickshaws are still a popular way (for tourists) to get around.

Pigeons observing the pedestrian traffic below.

And here's where you can get your visa renewed.

A tastefully colorful old shop house.

These shop houses are on "Love Lane," which is home to many B's&B and home stays.

Another little "soi" -- like Jakarta, Penang has open sewers on the sides of the road.

Not sure what this building used to be. Now, it's a slightly run down hotel.

Another piece of street art, stating an obvious fact.

The shop houses extend over the sidewalks, so if you walk along the sidewalks, you often have to step up or down as you switch properties.

A Thai temple!

Debbie and Roz had one last lunch at the "Lone Pine Resort," a beach resort about 40 minutes from the city center. Seems like it's not just one lone pine, though.

Got to wear the sun dress (for a second time in as many years).

In the trunk of a giant tree -- which was probably there when the E&O hotel opened its doors in 1885.

Group shot!

Roz should be glad that his wedding didn't look like this!

Back on the road for some more sight-seeing, here's Fort Cornwallis.

The fort was built immediately after Francis Light landed on Penang island (in 1786) and was completed in 1810.

Apparently the fort used to be surrounded by a 9-meter-wide moat, but after a malaria outbreak in the 1920s, they filled it in.

A view from inside the star-shaped fort.

It has a chapel, that was built in 1799.

Even though the fort was originally built for the Royal artillery troops and the military, its function, historically, was more administrative than defensive. (Wikipedia.)

In its entire history, the fort had never engaged in any battle.

Now, the fort has a great view of the parking lot on the other side.

These bright red palm fruits were growing on the trees inside the fort.

Old cannons decorate the fort. (This one's pointed at the marine's local base.)

This is the Marines' light house. The giant thing that looks like a ship's mast is really just... an antenna?

This is the magazine that was used to store gun powder. Look how thick the walls are!

This sign introduces the Seri Rambai Cannon, the largest of the cannons, which was cast in 1603, and was a gift from the Dutch to the Sultan of Johore in 1606.

And what do the Japanese do?

Shooting a cannon, or a laser gun?

More old shop houses. Mr. Patel lives next to Mr Yeap Chor Ee.

A cute little sign indicating parking for cute little vehicles.

The vendors on this street are here as part of the Ramadan celebrations; toward the end of the day, people will come here to stock up on food to break the fast.

This is a new kind of roti that I'd never seen before! (Definitely not watertight!)

These giant creations seemed to be a popular snack. It's an omelette with some sort of meat (being cooked in the back), 2 of which get put into a giant roti and fried (in the front).

These are slightly more familiar snacks: meat samosas in the foreground, various vegetarian samosas behind them.

We decided to try a legume fritter. Looks like a falafel -- but was very crunchy!

The entrance to a Hindu temple, which was in the middle of a noisy ceremony.

Worshipers lined up to take part in the ceremony.

Colorful offerings.

A rather heavy pair of garlands.

The Kapitan Keling Mosque, which was built at the start of the 19th century in what was the Indian Muslim community of George Town.

A cute, well-kept standalone home.

If Penang weren't such a long drive from Bangkok, I think we'd be new car owners after stumbling on this guy.

This Volvo Amazon has obviously stood the test of time slightly better; unfortunately, he wasn't for sale.

Pretty in Pink?

One of the many Chinese shrines and temples throughout George Town.

Yap yap yap. The temple for chatty people.

A cute little soi (named Armenian Street) with lots of well-kept shop houses and artsy shops -- all of which were closed by the time we got there on Sunday afternoon.

How ornate.

The two-toned paint jobs of neighboring properties could be executed in a slightly neater way.

Then we stumbled upon a positively bizarre market: everyone was selling heaps of random old stuff-- as if they'd raided the lost-and-found at schools over the past 30 years.

A uniform row of houses.

Don't seek shelter under here during the rain!

The artsy entrance to some old shop that was closed for the night.

The entrance to Cheah Kongsi temple, which was completed in the 1870s.

Its clan is one of the oldest in Penang.

Keeping an eye out over the streets of George Town.

Another piece of street art: this is by Ernest Zacharevic, a young artist from Lithuania who's been in Penang for the past year.

At a local street-side restaurant, everyone waits (impatiently) until the sun goes down and they can break their fasts for the day!

Our dinner was at an Indian vegetarian restaurant: we tried one Thali set and some other recommended dishes.

No man left behind!

Some neat building-side paintings in the evening.

The well-kept buildings -- like St. George's Church -- are lit up quite tastefully at night.

At Cathedral of the Assumption, the neon cross of God radiates throughout the night.

Even our hotel looks fairly tasteful in the evening.

The next morning, we're off on an adventure: at a bus terminal, to find a public bus to the base of Penang Hill.

This bus conductor was shocking: he spoke fluent Thai (along with 7 other languages, apparently -- including several Scandinavian ones).

After a 40 minute ride, we arrive at the base of Penang Hill (aka Bukit Bendera). The funicular opened in 1923.

The track is 2.2 km long, and originally it operated in two segments, where riders had to switch trains in the middle.

However, it got new rolling stock in 2011, and it's now one single ride.

Well, at least one of us was excited.

Back-of-the-envelope calculation says it moves at an average of 27 km/h, given that it took fewer than 5 mins to get to the top.

A view from the top; yes, it passes through the mountain at some points. I read somewhere that the average angle is 50 degrees.

The foliage is different on top of the hill -- which has an elevation of 833 meters.

A giant wall -- and requisite restaurant -- welcoming visitors to the top.

You can imagine the view of Penang would've been stunning -- if the "stupid people" from Indonesia hadn't been burning stuff. (Purportedly.)

Pretty flowers on the tops of the trees.

We misguidedly followed a sign to a "viewing point" somewhere along this road.

Unbeknownst to us, we quickly reached the viewing area (which looked remarkably identical to the faded sign).

But then, we continued walking for another 2km before realizing we'd likely overshot!

Group shot, at one of the many views we'd passed while "on the way" to the real viewpoint.

Natural ornaments that had been left to hang on one of the trees at an overlook.

You can try to imagine what it might look like an a clear day...

At the top of the hill, there was also a Hindu temple and a mosque.

These mythical guys stand guard over the Hindu temple.

There was also a man selling famous nuts, chick peas, and other tasty snacks.

We just copied the guy in front of us and tried this one, which is made-to-order. It was really delicious!

Back on the low-lying earth, we took an early evening stroll through the wholesale district -- which was all shut for the night.

The colorful buildings were still there, though.

Would you like some Economy Rice? It won't break the bank, promise.

An ornate column.

Dinner at a different Indian vegetarian restaurant: "fish" curry and tandoori "chicken" in the background.

Believe it or not, George Town has a movie theater! (Like other landmarks, I suspect this one is "as old as Penang itself".)

The world-renowned International Hotel!

This guy's gotten some attention and respect over time.

On the flip side of the coin, this poor shop house has gotten some neglect.

Sun setting over Penang as the weekend draws to a close.

The durian, I understand. But mangosteen?

On Monday morning, an innocent-looking Chinese vegetarian restaurant...

... has a real feast to offer once you step inside its walls!

A dog! In Malaysia! (He seems a bit confused, too.)

Bug-eyed door?

At the Clan Jetties, which were unique Chinese settlements along Weld Quay. The homes are built on stilts along the wooden piers.

The Clan Jetties jut out into the Penang Channel. They've existed since the 19th century.

There were originally 8 Clan Jetties (Chew Jetty, Koay Jettty, Lee Jetty, Lim Jetty, Peng Aun Jetty, Tan Jetty, Yeoh Jetty, and Mixed Clans Jetty).

Except this family, which appears to be Thai.

Another piece of street art in the Chew Jetty, by the Lithuanian artist.

Some less official street art on the side of one of the homes.

Would you like to use this fitting room on the side of the street?

A much more subtle piece of street art, looks wisely over George Town.