A Peek at Penang, Malaysia

Pulau Penang is an island off the northwest coast of mainland Malaysia. The vibrant colony Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a multicolored pedigree of Tamil (South) Indian Hindu, Chinese Buddhist, and Malay Muslim mix, not to mention a touch of Thai and Singaporean spice. A brilliant cultural cacophony.

Let's have a peek at Penang, shall we?

Coke poster with Malay young people

April 2012

Georgetown, Penang

Malaysia

The sound of the mosque permeates the Indian/Chinese border of the Georgetown colony in the afternoon. La ilaha illallah. La ilaha illallah. There is nothing but God.

From time to time throughout Asia, I’ve stayed in guest houses jutted up against mosques with horrible singers. Today, I’m blessed. This mosque’s prayer-caller has a good voice.

A light rain speckles down as it is simultaneously bright with sunlight, giving the streets a glisten. I turn the corner into Little India as the heat rises up in a steam off the sidewalk. I chow down on a veg thali (south Indian vegetarian plate lunch) served up on a huge banana leaf. As I thrust the tasty bits into my mouth with clean fingers, I marvel that the food in this Malaysian Indian quarter is better than some places in the Motherland herself.

Here in Georgetown, Tamil Indians comfortably live their lives in this little nook. Tamil India (Tamil Nadu is the southeast state of India of which Chennia is the capital city) is a notably conservative region; yet here, the colonists seem much freer in spirit and expression – the Tamil women reveal a little more skin here and there, maybe even an ankle or two. I surmise this is likely because of the mix of Chinese, Malay, and even Thai and Singaporean cultures in the mix. In Little India, Tamil girls with short dresses (!) wearing tikka bindi blessing marks painted on their forehead indicate that, Yes ma, we’ve done our daily prayer.

The next block over, Chinese culture mixes with Malay-Thai street life and street walking. Ladyboys with rail thin, hip-less figures in skintight Lycra micro-minis stand tall and proud on the corner, with visible – ahem – packages on display, posing in their rhinestone bedecked CFM platform stilettos. Stick-straight, shiny black-bobbed south Asian hair, left hand raised and poised coyly with a ciggie, as the cars cruise alongside… Hi there...

Welcome to the World Heritage UNESCO colony of Georgetown-Penang, Malaysia.

Georgetown, Penang sunset

Facade Carvings, Georgetown, Malaysia

 

Arrival of Chief Minister, Penang

Arrival of Chief Minister, Guards

Chinese Buddhist Temple, Georgetown

 

And now for something fun -

a Bindi Girl peek at Georgetown's Little India!

(Click full-screen for better viewing.)