touring georgetown

the island of penang has a colorful, multi-ethnic society that is dominated by three major races of malay, chinese and indian people. together these 3 groups make up 90%of the state's population and with their different historical, cultural and religious backgrounds have co-existed in harmony for generations. we took an extensive walk around the colonial city of georgetown and were able to experience a little bit of each of the cultures.

we set out from our chinatown guesthouse and start the day with some traditional chinese dim sum. the ginsing chicken with bean curd and the yam and bbq pork fritters were exceptional. after breakfast we continue on to our first site, the khoo kongsi, or clan house, which is a building that is partly a temple and partly a meeting hall for chinese of the same clan or surname. the elaborate temple was quite magnificent with its wildly colorful mix of dragons, lanterns, paintings and carved columns. we were also impressed by the downstairs museum that outlined the 27 generations of the clan. as we make our way through chinatown we stop at a couple more beautiful, but not quite as impressive
chinese clan houses.

the smells and sounds of india fill the air as we approach little india. we walk past shops selling beautiful saris and colorful gold bangle bracelets. we stop at a local café for some milk tea and waters. the set banana leaf lunch looked delicious, but we weren't quite ready for lunch just yet. the bollywood musical playing on the television made for excellent entertainment while we sipped our beverages. after a quick stop at an atm machine for some malaysian ringitts, we moved on towards the colonial district of the city. first we passed fort cornwallis, a legacy of the british presence in penang. as the oldest british settlement in malaysia, many grand colonial buildings can still be found in georgetown. we pass the beautifully restored town and city halls before arriving to the penang state museum. the museum's engaging exhibits depicted the customs and traditions of penang's various ethnic groups with old photos, costumes, furniture and other displays. we learned a great deal about the malay people and their culture.

malay = one who habitually speaks malay, is a muslim, and practices malay custom, or adat.

following the museum we made our way to a local indian restaurant for a late lunch of stewed mutton and curried squid - absolutely delicious! our waiter gave us a quick tutorial on some of the items on offer and some of the staple malay items like coconut rice - malaysia's "fast-food".

we met so many nice, helpful locals today and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the cultural diversities of georgetown. we've only been here for a couple of days and we can already say that we love the sights, tastes, and friendly people of malaysia!

alina