Georgetown, Penang

I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog and I better get started. Back in March, Joseph and I had the opportunity to go to Georgetown which is a British colonial historical city in Penang, Malaysia. It was the main colonized city in what was called the Straits--meaning the strip of coast down Malaysia into Singapore. Since I love British colonial architecture, it was a great place to see so much of it. Eventually, Singapore replaced Georgetown (named after King George III) in economical and political significance in the 19th century, so Georgetown is a bit of a ghost town with a lot of run down buildings and big plantation homes that would be stunning if they were all restored.

Below are the government buildings. They seemed to be totally empty. It was kind of strange that such beautifully restored colonial buildings were not really being used. Georgetown is just a small part of Penang, and the big business district is a ways from the old town.

The iconic clock tower. I think the Dutch actually built it? I'll have to check my facts on that one.







The Suffolk House--a pepper plantation first settled by Francis Light. He first came as an officer in the military. When he retired, he returned for commerce and set up this plantation which became the home of later governors and such throughout the history of Georgetown.





Now for the Chinese aspects of the trip. We learned of how the Chinese came down also for commerce and integrated into the Malay culture creating a whole new culture as they Chinese men married the local Malays. This influenced the style and language. Joseph and I stayed in "The Blue Mansion"--a restored home of a wealthy Chinese man known as the Rockefeller of the East. It was a fun and interesting place to see and experience the Chinese version of a home with open courtyards, balconies and rain in the house.

Below is the Chu Family Jetty--a very extended Chinese family that lives on houses out into the water and probably used to be fishermen.

Our rickshaw escort who took us all around Penang.


A very large, traditional Chinese temple that is privately owned by a large Chinese family. In a way, it is ancestor worship, as they send their ancestors on with lots of gold (fake) for their afterlife. It is also to please the gods, and for good luck to get to heaven.