This is what The Real Georgetown looks like: no pavements, typical Asian traffic and charming open-air sewers making their valuable contributions to the fascinating bouquet of disgusting smells. Welcome to Penang!
But it isn't all bad, especially when you head to the Historic City of George Town World Heritage Site (wow, UNESCO really hands these things out) where Malay, Chinese, Arabic, Indian and colonial influences mix on every street, and cultures from all over the world get together to celebrate their different, incorrect beliefs (don't you know Raëlism is the true faith? Stupid earthlings).
So plug up your nose, look upwards and share the wonders I've seen. (It's mainly old buildings and stuff). This is what happens when you give a detailed tourist map to a borderline obsessive person with an afternoon to fill.
Historic City of George Town
George Town esplanade: no esplanadetions needed
Town Hall and City Hall (different things, apparently) + War Memorial
Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower (1897)
and Weird Sci-Fi Egg Thing (2285)
Cathedral of the Assumption, I assume? (1861)
St George's Church (1818), notable for being constructed entirely out of origami
Pigeons come to worship at the Goddess of Mercy Temple (1800)
Mahamariamman Temple (1883).
Impressive name, sure, but it would score shit-all in Scrabble
Teochew Temple (Bless you. 1870)
Kapitan Keling Mosque (1801), the tallest old thing in Georgetown. Big whoop!
KOMTAR (1978), the tallest new thing in Georgetown. Whoopee-shit
Cheah Kongsi (1870s), a Chinese temple featuring British lion heads apparently.
I dunno, they all look the same to me
Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh Mosque (1808).
I cannot think of any disrespectful jokes about Allah or His prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Church Street Pier (1897). Its antique value is compromised slightly by plastering a gaudy ad banner for strippers on the front of it
Brilliantly ramshackle Chew clan jetties.
Where people still choose to live on water even though there's perfectly good land available
The Blue Mansion (1880s), famous because some rich dead guy lived there.
And for being blue
Check out which street it's on!
The Leith Walk of Penang. I thought the smell of heroinny vomit was familiar
Benggali Mosque (1803), complete with foreboding loudspeakers.
I'm just glad I don't stay near here, that's the last thing my recovering sleep pattern needs
Hey now, it's the Hainan Temple (1895)
Genuinely terrifying sign for a clumsy wanderer like me
Fort Cornwallis (1786)
Rickety old cannon
Lighthouse and massive cobweb
Dave loves war (I really don't)
Captain Francis Light's commemorative statue (1978)
Captain Francis Light's rotting corpse (21st October 1794).
This was a lucky find, as I only went into the peaceful cemetery to escape the sun and find some amusing period character names for the story I'm supposed to be writing
This was a lucky find, as I only went into the peaceful cemetery to escape the sun and find some amusing period character names for the story I'm supposed to be writing
...That's normal behaviour right?
(RIP btw)
