Sampling Some Colonial Heritage in Penang

On this repeat visit to Penang we thought we would indulge in a bit of the colonial nostalgia in its main city of George Town before it all goes the way of modern life.  Fortunately this is unlikely in George Town as the city is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.  Bob booked us into the 1926 Heritage Hotel, a refurbished hotel which had served as a home to the British colonial officers and local administrators.  The hotel was refurbished in 1999 and they retained the old, now slightly shabby, colonial furniture and style.  One could easily imagine the colonial clerk settling in for the evening in the easy chair after having had a stengah at the bar downstairs.

 

The Eastern and Orient hotel was another on the list of colonial indulgences.  Although we had completed the trifecta of having had a drink in all three Sarkies Brothers hotels (Raffles in Singapore, The Strand in Yangon and the Eastern and Orient in Penang) we thought we would actually have a meal at the Eastern and Orient.  We had a very nice roast dinner Sunday lunch just to complete the colonial theme.

 

Yes, the doormen still wear khaki and pith helmets

Pre-lunch drinks

We had a reality check on colonial life when we visited the old cemetery on Northam Road.  The cemetery was established in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, founder of the British colony.  The last grave was dug in 1892.  The cemetery now is an evocative cluster of lichen and moss covered tombstones.  Many of the graves were of those in the 20’s and 30’s, as well as many infant graves – a sobering reminder of the harshness of life in then what would have been mosquito infested tropics.

Grave of Francis Light

 

The Chinese make up over 40% of the population in Penang and dominate the trade and business throughout Malaysia.  (One of the things I like about Malaysia is that you get three major cultures in one, Malay, Chinese and Indian, as well as numerous indigenous ethnic groups, especially in East Malaysia.  They all seem to get along well together.  We noticed in the Thiapusum festival the Chinese were happily participating and helping out.  In fact the government has a big campaign of ‘1 Malaysia’ emphasizing ethnic harmony and national unity.  A lesson here for some Western countries?)  We had been to Chinese temples and clan houses in Penang on our previous trips but we thought the house of Sun Yat Sen was worth a repeat visit.  Sun Yat Sen was the founder of the Republic of China and a leading figure in uniting post-imperial China.  He travelled throughout Asia drumming up support for his cause and spent a lot of time in Malaysia.  In Penang he set one of the more than 50 reading rooms around Asia to serve as an information and liaison points for the revolutionaries.

Sun Yat Sen through the greenery

The meeting room

The Kitchen

Lovely pattern of tiles and inlay

Armenia Street, George Town

The caretaker of the museum insisted we he take an ‘artistic’ photo of Bob and I in the back room of the house.  It was rather nice and the name on the mirror especially apropos.