Penang Street Art

It was the last week of 2015. 

I had taken off from work. Had initially wanted to spend the year end holidays overseas. But prices for overseas holiday packages have been sky high and every holiday destination which I could think of would definitely be crowded. I had no intention to spend my day offs huddled among hordes of people.

So, I decided to take a local trip. I had even planned for a solo one since my regular traveling companions have been unable to take off on those days which I did. But at the last minute, the sister approached for a short getaway. Great! Let's do one to Penang - Penang's street arts and murals have been on my travel list for quite some time now. Time to strike them off the list.

We were fortunate to be able to secure low priced flight tickets and accommodation, even during the holiday season. Armenian House is a lovely home stay, situated in the heart of Penang city, in proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Buffer Zone and even closer to the street arts and murals.

Armed with a map, off we went hunting for Ernest Zacharevic's famous murals and the work of other artists who followed in his footsteps. Street after street, lane after lane - Lebuh Armernian, Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Cannon, Lebuh Muntri, Love Lane, Lebuh Acheh, Lebuh Kimberly and all the way to the clan jetties. 

The murals were commissioned by the George Town Festival in 2012 and reflects the everyday life of Penang's inhabitants, both past and present. They were mostly painted on old buildings, on imperfect and crumbling walls, which brings out a sense of nostalgia in the images.

It was unfortunate that we missed some of the murals, as they have faded over time. But we were more than delighted to have captured the remaining ones. Well, to be exact, it was I who was more than delighted. The sister have not been very pleased by me pulling her around to roam under the scorching heat of the sun. Her complains of sun burns and tans and what not have been never ending.

 

 

Along the way, in some corners, in some back lanes, we spotted a number of steel-rod sculptures, depicting the street and social history of Penang, through witty caricatures. We had not planned to look for all of them. We just snapped whichever that we stumbled upon. One is able to learn about Penang's history through this way. No need for textbooks.

It was fun to play tourist in your own country. At least we wouldn't have to be worried about getting lost or not speaking the language. It was fun to laugh at "buffaloes" with the sister when they come stomping back into their rooms. It was fun to fool around along the streets and gawk at foreign hunks. And it was definitely the moment to remember when the sister lost balance on the stairs on the very morning of new year's day.

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Afternoon Tea at The Majestic

The girl friend and I have been searching for a place to sit back, relax and catch up on our recent life stories. It has been quite some time since we last did this, since both of us were pretty much occupied with our own schedules.

We weren't that interested in heading to the mall or those fancy coffee cafes. We have started to get bored of them, so, the idea of an afternoon tea came up. There have been quite a number of reviews and listings of all the best tea lounges in town lately. Seems like more and more are getting into this past time of sipping tea on a fine afternoon at one of the upscale lounges around the city.

And so, we decided to jump onto the afternoon tea band wagon as well. It would be fun to pretend to be a "Datin" or a "tai-tai" for once, having being served and waited upon. After all, back in those days, only the royals and aristocrats were doing this.

We had our eyes set on The Majestic Hotel, which of course is very majestic - as one of the remaining colonial buildings here in the heart of the city and one with a rich history. The Majestic Hotel's Orchid Conservatory was the go-to setting for fine afternoon tea. Why? Because as the name suggests, you will be having tea among rare and well preserved orchids. Imagine such a lovely ambiance. 

But unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to make it there. The Orchid Conservatory was fully reserved for the next one month. We have to wait a month for tea? Hell no! Even if they are good, it couldn't be THAT good. We didn't think it was worth the wait, so we settled for The Majestic's Drawing Room instead.

I personally think it was a much better setting than the Orchid Conservatory. Upon stepping in, it felt like we were brought back to 17th or 18th century England - with its high ceilings, armchairs, wooden furniture, rich tapestries, cushions and of course, the numerous paintings in the room. More so when we were seated next to the window, overlooking the gardens outside.

We were attended to by a very polite and friendly waitress. She explained our afternoon tea set menu. It comes with both sweet and savory delicacies. Basically, all their tea sets are of the same dishes. Only the prices varies according to the rooms. She mostly left us to enjoy ourselves, only coming back in to refill our teas. She always seem to know when our cups will be empty.

It was a perfect setting for a good conversation - quiet, relaxing and comfortable. We reminisced our schooling days and all the plans we had for the future then. We now laughed at the silliness of ourselves and how our plans didn't turn out the way we wanted. We looked at our regrets and wished we could turn back time and did things differently. We talked about the present and the future, and how we wanted to live our lives.

We truly had a wonderful time. We definitely could do this more often.

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