My Penang Journey: Pearl It Is

Playing with art

If the other post of my journey in Penang (Penang here refers to the Penang Island) made your mouth water, this post will not. Penang is also known as the Pearl of the Orient in Malaysia. We entered the island using the old bridge and left with the newly opened one. It was really hot while we were in Penang; nevertheless, it did not deter us from walking under the sun. Needless to say, an umbrella or cap, a bottle of water and good walking shoes would be nice.

With George Town listed as a UNESCO site, i was eager to dive in and immerse myself in the heritage-rich, a melting pot of culture, township. Pulau Tikus is a name to be familiar with while on the island- i actually thought we were going to another island ('Pulau' is Malay for island), or the island is occupied by rats ('Tikus' is Malay for rat). Upon further reading, well, it got its name from a rocky outcrop 2 km off the northern coast of Penang Island, just opposite Tanjung Tokong that shaped like a mouse. Pulau Tikus is also actually an upper class residential neighbourhood and popular spots like Gurney Drive, rather contradicting to its rat representation.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

My sister mentioned to visit the 'green house' and i realized how the name came about- it is a green house on the outside. I visited a Peranakan home in Melaka once but here, it was different. After all, the Peranakan in Melaka and in Penang do have some differences. For example, the clothings for Peranakan in Penang had Western influences. Peranakan is a mix of Chinese who came and married the locals.

They provided us a guided tour as we were a group of six (and later joined by other tourists along the way). James was well versed with the history of the mansion and the people who lived in. The mansion was large; consisting of several rooms for various functions and sections for visitors to explore. The items were organized, making the space uncluttered and easy to walk around.

Me in one of the rooms.

 

Guess what this is. Answer at the bottom of post.

 

Cooking up some delicious Nyonya meals! This kitchen was the set of the highly popular TV series.

Me fidgeting with the old TV in one of the rooms.

Admission fee was RM 20 per adult. Rather pricey but worth a visit to have a glimpse into the lifestyle and culture of a Peranakan home, at the same time know more about the Malaysian, particularly Penang, history. My only complaint (i did not see a suggestion box to comment) was that they should install or switch on air conditioning, especially on a hot day like our visit (and we paid RM 20 so our visit should at least be comfortable). Some sections such as the jewelry room was air conditioned so we spent more time admiring their beauty pieces. Better, plan your visit in the morning when the heat is still bearable.

Website? Pinang Peranakan Mansion

Wat Chayamangkalaram Thai Buddhist Temple and Dhammikarama Burmese Temple

I have been to many temples and i enjoyed my visit to these two, nearby places of worship. We were there late evening so they were closing (note the opening hours).

Serpents, dragons and Dewas guarding the entrance of the Thai temple. The reclining Buddha is placed inside this temple. It is said this position symbolizes complete peace and detachment from the world, the enlightenment or Nirvana.

The Burmese Temple was bigger. The compound included the Arahant Upagutta Shrine, Golden Pagoda Bell, Panca-Rupa (Guardian Protectors of the World; combination of elephant, horse, chimera, deer, fish and Garuda, guarding the globe) and a spinning wheel in a pond where you can throw coins into cups for different reasons: happiness, prosperity, harmony, good health to name a few, before the mural of the Great Renunciation of Siddhartha Gautama.

The walls of the temples are decorated with paintings of the many legends of Buddha. They are numbered so you can follow them one by one. Admission to the temples are free. Upon entrance to the temple house, you need to remove your shoes.

Where? Burma Lane, Pulau Tikus
Opening hours?
Thai Temple: 6am to 5.30pm, daily
Burmese Temple: 5am to 6pm, daily


Street Art Armenian Street
Finally, i saw the street wall paintings that created a buzz on social media- visitors posting their reaction and interaction with the playful and creative murals. We were there on a Sunday school holiday so we expected the crowd and the queue to snap pictures with the pictures, even under the scorching sun.

Colourful wall paintings and 3D art. The third picture: i speak Hokkien?

Some of the less popular sites with little to no queue, but no less interesting. We did not cover all the murals around Penang but saw those in Armenian Street. There are brochures with marks of each wall painting to ease you to navigate and discover them all. A good way is to rent a bike and explore.

 

Some children waiting for body art. A signboard to guide you.

 Taking a pit stop, we entered this shop that served egg tarts- freshly baked and still hot, herbal and soya bean drinks.

Clan Jetty
Match the visit to Armenian Street with the Clan Jetty. I enjoyed the combination of these two and liked the jetty ambiance.

Cute couple mural greeting us at the entrance of the jetty. Making my way through the wooden houses, with the residents keeping to their normal routine and souvenir items on sale, there was a pleasant charm that captivated me, which i cannot word.

At the end of the jetty, overlooking the strait with boats.

Traditionally used to catch fish: bubu.

Gurney Paragon Mall and Gurney Plaza
Time to cool off. These two malls along Gurney makes for nice stop over, if shopping is not exactly on your list.

Penang on 6 lets you walk through the Penang heritage quickly.

Straits Quay Marina Mall
This is a beautiful place to be. It does have shopping but i liked the feel outside the Mall, where the boats docked.

Beneath the colourful umbrellas.

In awe and admiration. I wanna have a boat like this too. And look what we found, a girl with balloons mural.

I would recommend visiting this place during sunset, when the sky is golden.

There are other places worth visiting in Penang such as the Kek Lok Si Temple (with its pagoda and 30.2m bronze statue of Goddess of Mercy 'Kuan Yin'), Penang Hill for a scenic view of the island and Batu Ferringhi beach front. We could not squeeze in these places in this trip, and as we visited them before so we prioritized other sites of attraction. I wanted to include the Penang War Museum but my family was quick to object- upon learning that it is one of the most haunted sites around.

So who is in, with me, for the next visit- and a scare at the museum?

My Penang Journey: A Foodie's Confession

My Penang Journey: Pearl It Is
Answer: It's a kissing chair.