~ history too ~
“The 28-sq-km Pulau Penang (Betelnut Island) is the oldest British settlement in Malaysia, predating both Singapore and Melaka. It's one of Malaysia's major tourist attractions and has been a must-see stop on the Asian overland trail for years. With it's colourful, historically intriguing capital of Georgetown, superb food everywhere and easy-going kampung atmosphere, who wouldn't like Penang. On behalf of Britain's East India Company, Captain Francis Light sailed up and gained possession of the virtually uninhabited island in 1786, allegedly firing silver dollars from his ship's cannons into the jungle to encourage settlement. Aided by free-trade policies, Georgetown quickly became a prosperous mecca for merchants, dreamers, rogues, dissident intellectuals and artists".
"Sun Yatsen planned the 1911 Canton uprising in Georgetown, probably in one of the local Hainanese coffee shops. Unmistakably Chinese, it's one of the most likeable cities in South East Asia, with bicycle rickshaws pedalling by atmospheric shophouses, temples and old building full of colonial grace”. [Attribution:2001: South-East Asia: On A Shoestring;11th Edition; Footscray; Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 2001:475-77].
I just love going for walks and snapping what turns up, rather than setting out to photograph"a something famous". Still tired from the train trip, I take a walk and a few snaps of buildings that instantly catch my eye. Here's a good example: post-modern mosques?..or maybe it's originally rather older. Didn't do the research to find out...even the name...or location for that matter.
The well-known Sri Mirriamman Temple on the corner of L.Chulia and L.Queen in Little India, Georgetown, Penang. Most of the 'elaborately sculpted and painted pyramidal gateway tower (L.P. guide)' would have been in the darkness anyway.
Georgetown is, of course, renowned for its buildings...in particular the temples (Chinese/Indian). But it's the juxtaposition of old and new that strikes me first off. I'm not sure what but I just like these four...two of earlier and two of later vintage and their relative positions in the frame.
As I discovered on the first night, the room, on the main backpacker street, Chulia, at SKY hotel, is used as a short-time place by girls that hover outside around the corner, in the shadows, under the sidewalk overhangs after midnite...so it's a bit on the noisy side...from motorcycles and conversation... and general traffic. I sort of knew it was gonna be like that, but I like it because although it's on the main drag, there are no backpackers. It's RM25 a night and I can pick up the free wifi too.
On the second night at the Sky, I'm really tired...but can't sleep. So I check out 'puter...then there's a loud violent argument at the next room...prostitutes, pimps, customers...and violence. Anyway...that dies down...and then the landlady...drunk as a skunk... violently just about knocks me door down...tells me to get out now...I didn't pay the rent today (for tonite) like I promised. I give her the RM25... she'd probably run out of firewater... and now I do get some zzzzzzzzzs.....