Although we were lucky enough to visit many wonderful places on our travels, my favourite place was Georgetown, the capital of Penang which is a Malaysian island.
Georgetown has the most amazing assortment of cultures, languages, history and food. Originally a British colony, it has prominent Chinese and Indian communities with a long history on the island, and of course the native Malays. Walking around you'll see colonial architecture fused with ram-shackle buildings, walk past a hindu temple straight into a Mosque and then wander through a churchyard. So many people of different cultures, races, religions all living alongside each other - a real model for the world at the moment.
While the main part of Georgetown is a world heritage site, around the coast is the business district, hazy in the smog but the sky scrapers pointing to a very different way of life. We didn't venture that way, but it was interesting to gaze across the sea (very polluted - we didn't swim) at it. We humans are so bad for the beautiful planet we live on.
Just in the park opposite the water were these beautiful lanterns made by local school children, beautiful day and night
One of my favourite things about Georgetown was the street art - there are wrought iron caricatures all over the city which give you a glimpse into its multicultural history and heritage.
And elsewhere grass roots paintings have become a big tourist attraction, scattered in the most random places, here are some of my favourites. You had to look very carefully!
I really want to go back to this beautiful place, I'd also highly recommend anyone go if they ever get the chance :)
Wow, all those street paintings look so great! I love paintings like this, they are little pieces of art to me! It's funny to explore a different culture for the first time. I remember my first days in Bangkok and the Philippines. SO different from everything by new but I loved every little thing about getting to know it! You seemed to have a great a holiday! :)
ReplyDeleteThe street paintings are fascinating. I bet you could spend days exploring them xx
ReplyDeleteYour trip must have been a really interesting one. I love your street painting pictures. I have never been to Malaysia but good friends of mine live there and they complain about the pollution a lot. Not only the ocean but also the air is highly polluted, not to mention all the rubbish that is lying around. But it seems to be a really beautiful country, hopefully people learn to take care of our world soon. Have a nice week, Viola
ReplyDeleteWow, it looks amazing. I do love street art and I really enjoyed your photos. It looks very quiet in Georgetown. My only experience with South East Asia left me with the impression that streets are always bustling with people. Have a lovely week. x
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