Georgetown
Perhaps the main attraction to Penang is the old historic district of Georgetown. Here you'll find examples of colonial era straits architecture. Due to the many ethnic groups which settled here from the very beginning, there are examples of not only Georgian civic buildings, but also Chinese mansions, Indian temples and Achehnese mosques.
If you're into this kind of stuff, you can easily spend a couple of days looking around all that old Georgetown has to offer. At the very least, its worth an afternoon.
The place to start is the original fort constructed by Captain Francis Light soon after landing on Penang in 1786. Fort Cornwallis isn't much to look at. Only the outer walls, studded with a few cannons, remain. Inside, you can still see the magazine, a small church and some barracks. Most of the interior is taken up with a modern amphitheater used for performances on special occassions.
Across the street on the eastern side of the fort in the local Malaysian tourism office, where you can pick up brochures for walking tours of the Penang Heritage Trail and collect other information on the latest things to see and do. Next to the tourism office are a string of ticket offices where you can book an onward ferry to Langkawi, Medan and other destinations.
In the middle of the intersection near the tourism office is the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, an ornate 60-foot high tower built to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.
To the west of the fort is a large open field called the padang. These flat playing fields are a common feature of British colonial cities. On the other side of the padang from the fort are the City Hall and Town Hall buildings. The Town Hall was under renovation in mid-2003.
Further west from Fort Cornwallis are the court buildings and the state museum. Most of the other notable houses and places of worship lie along the streets to the south of the 'government' district along the north shore.
Among the other 'not to be missed' places in old Georgetown are the Khoo and Cheah clan houses, the indigo blue mansion of Cheong Fatt Tze and the Goddess of Mercy Temple. Another interesting, although slightly offbeat, sight is the cemetary where Captain Francis Light, among other luminaries, is buried.
There are many other significant smaller houses and sights around the old city, such as the Hainan Temple. They are generally well signed, so that you can easily just wander around soaking up the atmosphere of this old colonial town.
In this section
Hotel Penaga In recent years, a number of old buildings and mansions in the historic area of Georgetown have been converted into small 'boutique' hotels. There are options in just about every price range to choose from. What I've listed here are the ones that will appeal to travelers desiring full hotel type rooms, with private baths and most of the modern conveniences. There are, of course, many many more cheap options for those willing to forgo the mod-cons.
The Christian Cemetery on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, not far from the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, is an interesting place to pass some time in the cool shade of mature frangipani trees. The cemetery is the final resting place of Captain Francis Light, the founder of Penang, as well as many other community leaders from Penang's early years.
A shady lane of Frangipani trees through the cemetery It's interesting to note that many of these people died around the age of 30.
The Cheah Kongsi is in the block next to the Khoo Kongsi. The entrance is through a narrow alley off Lebuh Armenian. Although the compound is much smaller, the temple building itself is quite beautiful. It was fully restored around 2003 to 2004.
The main altar of the Cheah Kongsi Columns topped with British-styled lion heads support a balcony with an intricate iron railing. The main building is flanked by courtyards.
Some of the cannons of Fort Cornwallis in Penang. The stone walls of Fort Cornwallis are among the oldest parts of Geogetown. The fort stands roughly on the same spot where Francis Light first landed on the then almost uninhabitated island in 1786. The fort was originally constructed from wood, but around 1808 prison labor was used to rebuild it in stone. The fort was needed to protect the new city from the Dutch and pirates, although as it turned out it never saw battle.
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, formerly known and Pitt Street, was also called the 'Street of Harmony' because it was reserved for places of worship by the colonial powers. Along this street are also Christian churches, Hindu temples and one of Penang's oldest mosques in addition to the temple dedicated ot Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy, good fortune, peace and fertility. In English, the temple is generally simply referred to as The Goddess of Mercy Temple.
The intricate green granite front of the Hainan Tempe This large Chinese temple is on Lebuh Muntri, around the corner from the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion. Formally called Thean Ho Keong or the Temple of the Heavenly Queen, the temple was founded sometime before 1866. The current building dates from 1895. It is dedicated to the goddess Mar Chor, the patron saint of seafarers. When the Hainanese first came to Penang in the late 19th century, many occupations were already being filled by other Chinese groups, so the men from Hainan became sailors and cooks.
Historic terrace houses in Penang While the public buildings and religious structures of Penang get a lot of attention, there are a number of interesting homes and shop-houses along the streets of the heritage district. One of the best preserved streets to wander down is Armenian Street, where you can find the Syed Alatas Mansion, the house used by Dr. Sun Yat Sen, and other interesting buildings. A bit further away and over towards Beach street is the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, a beautifully restored stately home of a Baba-Nonya family.
Masjid Kapitan Keling Penang's oldest mosque was built by the Indian community around 1800. It served as the state mosque until the 1970s, when a new purpose-built state mosque was built. The Kapitan Keling mosque displays a beautiful Mughal style in warm yellow. It really glows in the late afternoon light near sunset.
In case you're wondering about all the "Kapitan Keling" mosques in Malaysia, they are not all named for the same person.
Among the many restored homes and mansions around Georgetown, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion is one of the few that has been restored as a home and opened to the public. It is definitely one of the most impressive places in the colonial city, and should be high on your 'must-see' list.
The courtyard and grand staircase The 'pink' dining room The mansion is truly that, a grand home that reflect both Chinese and Malay influences.
In Malaysia, Penang is famous for its food. However, what it's famous for is its street food, or 'hawker' stalls. This type of dining, with open-air, often temporary, stalls is for the adventurous to be sure, but if you have a local friend or guide to help you, they can be quite fun. There are several shop-houses that are basically overgrown stalls, selling Chinese and Indian dishes, all over the old town area, and at night these are joined by several temporary carts along Chulia street and elsewhere.
The house of Syed Alatas, an Achehnese merchant, now housing the Penang Islamic Museum Syed Mohamed Alatas was a wealthy merchant from Aceh on the island of Summatra, who traded between Aceh and Penang. He was a key figure in helping the Acehnese resist the Dutch seige of 1870 by smuggling arms to the resistance.
He lived in this house on Lebuh Armenian, near the junction with Lebuh Acheh, with his first wife, a Malay of royal descent.
The Victoria Memorial Clock Tower in Penang, Malaysia In the middle of the intersection near the tourism office is the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, an ornate 60-foot high tower built to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1867.
February 2012
This small hotel occupies an old building in old Georgetown, Penang. The rooms are rather nicely decorated with painted moldings around the ceiling and old fashioned furnishings. Floors on the first floor are tile while the second floor has wood. Some of it is original teak, while in other spots it's modern synthetics.
The bed in my superior room The bathroom was small, with a shower area that splashed into the toilet.
The Penang base of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, set in an arc of typical Penang row houses From 1909 to 1911, this indigo blue shophouse was the headquarters of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Tongmenghui party, the political party that lead the Chinese revolution against the Manchu government. The Straits Chinese of the time supported the movement and Dr. Sun Yat Sen.
The building now houses an exhibition on Sun Yat Sen and his time in Penang.
