Malaysia's second largest island,
Penang
is also its most developed, with the eastern coast dotted with high-rises and
crammed with holiday resorts. Travellers who have experienced beaches elsewhere
in Asia will probably be unimpressed with the most popular beach spots, but the
island's real attraction lies in its culture, history and cuisine.
The main city of
Georgetown boasts a meld of interesting architecture
stretching from the British colonial era to the colourful multicultural
present, as well as fascinating museums and places of worship. And the
food
is a fabulous blend of cuisines from around the world, spiced with plenty of
local specialities.
The bustling Penang of today is a far cry from that of yesteryear. Ruled by the
fractious Sultans of Kedah until the late 18th century, Penang's strategic
location by the northern entrance of the Straits of Melaka made it a beacon for
seafarers crossing the Bay of Bengal -- and for the pirates that sought their
wares.
Dutch, Portuguese, French and British traders vied for influence in the region,
and the 17th and 18th centuries were periods of wheeling and dealing as the
colonialists -- often trading opium and Indian textiles in return for minerals
and spice -- sought to gain as much influence as possible,
often at the end
of a cannon.
While the Dutch held sway in
Melaka
at the southern end of the Straits, it was the British, or more particularly
the
British East India Company (EIC), that garnered control over Penang.
Following the colonial practices typical of the time, the British merchant
Francis Light (later Sir) used cunning, deception and outright lies to take
advantage of a fragile political situation in Kedah and on 11 August 1786 he
took formal possession of Penang, naming it Prince Wales Island.
In return the Sultan of Kedah was to be paid 30,000 ringgit per annum along
with the promise of protection from marauding Siamese -- neither eventuated.
Five years into the deal, the Sultan suffered a severe case of seller's remorse
and tried to force the British from the island. He was rebuffed, with the end
result being a lease payment reduced by 80% and still no protection from those
tricky Siamese north of the border.
During those first five years, Light established a settlement on the island's
easternmost point at Fort Cornwallis and the settlement grew quickly with the
main area being named Georgetown, after the then-ruling King of England, George
III. The original four streets of Georgetown were Beach, Chulia, Light and Pitt
(now Masjid Kapitan Keling).
In the early days, Light is said to have filled his cannons with silver coins
and fired them into Penang's dense forests. He armed his crew and native
islanders with axes and had them clear the land -- any coins they found, they
kept.
This freewheeling style came to characterise Penang. In order to
attract business away from his colonial rivals (primarily the Dutch), Light
declared the island a
Free Port, sparking a rapid influx of
immigrants, especially Chinese, who were attracted by both the promise of new
opportunities and Light's policy of allowing new arrivals to claim as much land
as they were able to clear.
Light died of
malaria in
1794 and the population of Penang continued to grow, reaching more than 10,000
people by the turn of the century. Old customs records show that together with
the colonials, Indians, Chinese, Burmese, Thais, Sumatrans, Arabs, Armenians,
Persians and dozens of other nationalities passed through Penang's port.
Walking around Georgetown today you'll notice that many street names are named
after the peoples that once lived there. Lebuh Acheh, Lebuh China and Lebuh
Armenian to name just three.
Simultaneously the island had developed into
a substantial hub within the
opium trade between China and India -- with the EIC being the main
facilitator. Licences for gambling dens and the brothels and opium traders that
came with them eventually grew to account for almost 60% of Penang's revenue.
While this trade was ostensibly administered by the EIC, behind the scenes it
was really run by Chinese secret societies -- a state of affairs that
eventually descended into violence.
Penang's star rose through the 19th century, with its apex arguably in 1826,
when it was made
capital of the Straits Settlements, which at the time
also included Melaka and
Singapore.
It was the latter though that outpaced Penang in the longer term, with
Singapore becoming the capital just six years later.
Penang's star soon lost its lustre when in 1867 the
Penang Riots
occurred, nine days of violence between two Chinese secret societies that had
to be quelled by reinforcements sent from Singapore. Modern-day Lebuh Cannon is
named after either cannon placements or cannon damage (depending on the story
you prefer) related to the riots.
Through the remainder of the 19th and into the 20th century, Penang thrived on
the back of its tin and rubber industries and also attracted some
famous
visitors, including Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.
Penang fell to the Japanese on 19 December 1941, and they remained in charge
till they surrendered to the British on 6 September, 1945. While the Japanese
occupation resulted in the local population enduring brutal conditions, one
bright mark was that the island suffered almost no damage from aerial bombing
-- something that greatly worked in the favour of protecting the historic
character of Georgetown.
Penang's lost its Free Port status to
Langkawi
in 1969 and after a period of stagnating development and high unemployment, the
island re-invented itself as a
centre for electronics manufacturing --
eventually developing into one of the larger hi-tech hubs in Southeast Asia.
This industry -- and tourism -- are the mainstays of the Penang economy today.
From a tourist's perspective, the pirates and many of the trees have gone, but
there's still
no shortage of shiny coins worth digging up during a stay.
Penang is wrapped in a rich tapestry of history and culture with a wealth of scenery
along its beaches and capes. It's famous for its cuisine, which is as diverse
as its populace, and while the beaches are not world class, they're not half
bad either. And then there is the interior, boasting nature trails, waterfalls
and viewpoints to boot.
The capital,
World Heritage-listed Georgetown, is Penang's main
attraction -- a bountiful blend of interesting architecture, intriguing people,
eclectic shopping and cuisines. If you could imagine Laos'
Luang
Prabang, but three times the size, with traffic lights, busy morning
commuters and car ferries crossing the Mekong between oil tankers and fishing
boats, then you're heading in the right direction.
The inner city is a fascinating place to wander about, with plenty of
tree-lined streets and tiny little crisscrossing lanes. Historical buildings,
art galleries and a myriad of temples are among countless other attractions
that share the space with good shopping, restaurants and people hanging up
their laundry in front of their houses. Religious diversity has played an
important role in the development of Georgetown -- around Lebuh Aceh and Lebuh
Armenian for example is an old Indonesian mosque, yet in the same street a
couple of houses down you can find old Chinese clan houses like Choo Kongsii
and other temples. Every area has its own mood yet everything is neatly linked
together.
When it comes to history, some of the
must-see sights include Fort Cornwallis,
Town Hall with its accompanying cricket field and the very informative Penang
State Museum. On Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling -- 'The road of four religions' --
are St Georges Church, Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple, Kapitan Keling Mosque and
the fascinating Goddess of Mercy Temple, one of the island's oldest shrines.
Whole villages built on stilts called Clan Jetties jut out into the sea -- each
jetty belongs to a different clan. On the outer edges of town are some larger
temples and sights like Penang Hill Funicular Railway, the Botanical Gardens
and the impressive Wat Chaiya Mangalaram, a Thai Buddhist temple.
Penang's main beach strip --
Batu Feringghi, or Foreigners Rock, is
arguably the island's most swim-friendly beach and one of Malaysia's bigger
holiday resorts, located about 15 km west of Georgetown along a winding coastal
road. This once-sleepy beach village didn't see much change until the 1970s,
when locals started to rent out their bungalow homes to a few wandering hippies
for next to nothing. During the economic boom of the 1980s, hotels and resorts
started to appear and it's been more or less downhill from there.
Today, especially during high season from December to September,
hordes of
tourists converge here, filling the high-rise hotel chains and resorts that
jostle for space among the too-many seafood restaurants and trinket shops. Take
a ride on a jet ski, go banana boat riding, try paragliding -- this is not the
spot for a quiet beach holiday, though the long yellow sand beach stretching
along the bay affords an impressive view over the mainland coastline and you
could choose to just absorb yourself in a few good books in a deckchair.
You can rent a motorbike or hop on one of the frequently running buses to one
of the more peaceful spots, such as
Shamrock,
Moonlight or
Miami
beaches, some of Penang's better coastal spots. Moonlight for instance
stretches some 10m below road level, and boulders litter the fine-grained sand.
The beach takes its name from the lovers who have long taken night walks here.
These quieter beaches typically have a few cafes or Malay restaurants set up
and are a pleasant retreat from Batu Feringghi's madness.
Just 5 km west of crowded Batu Feringghi,
Teluk Bahang is a quaint
little village populated mostly by Muslim fishing families, wedged between a
small strip of beach and pristine jungle. A stop here is an easy way to escape
the bustle of Georgetown and the usual Penang beaches and lets travellers enjoy
a glimpse of old-style Malay living.
Life here seems to pretty much go on in the same way it always has. The old
cafe and bungalows from the hippy years have disappeared, with only a trickle
of backpackers generally making it here these days, staying in one of just a
few places left. The best of an average bunch is the
Hotbay Motel (Lot
358 Jalan Teluk Bahang, T: (04) 881 9555 F: (04) 881 9559) -- while the staff
might prefer to have a snooze than check you in, Hotbay is a good hideaway spot
for those looking for some down time. Rooms are reasonably priced, but small.
They are equipped with big sturdy beds, a micro TV that shows Malay channels
only, together with attached, slightly damp, Asian-style bathrooms, where the
sink, toilet and hot shower combination couldn't have been put together in a
worse way. Staff are friendly. Standard rooms go for 90 ringgit, family ones
for 120 ringgit. The big, ghostly
Mutiara Hotel up the road heading back
towards Batu Feringghi is another option, but much pricier.
If you happen to find yourself here on a Monday night, don't miss the
night
market which is packed with locals and will tickle your taste buds. Try the
fried crab Thai curry or the seafood steamboat at Tai Thong Seafood, some 100m
up the main road from the pier. The Chinese couple that owns it may appear
pushy but prices are reasonable. If you'd rather try some local Malay dishes,
Kedai
Melati is a good choice, located just past the seafood place around the
bend. They serve mainly pre-cooked, help-yourself dishes for lunch on plastic
chairs and simple tables painted with fruits and vegetables.
On the right side of the roundabout you'll find a small road next to a newish
restaurant called
End Of the World -- this is not the much-romanticised
original of the same name. Follow that road and it will lead you towards the
beach, passing by the police station. Once there you can easily cross
somebody's backyard to get right to the beach.
Continuing up the road you'll see a row of Chinese and Malay coffee shops, then
you'll hit a bridge over an inlet where fishing boats take shelter. Passing the
bridge north follow the road until the end -- this is the end of the world for
most people around here and where the old restaurant stood until it was
demolished a few years ago to give way to the
Penang State Park
Headquarters.
At the end of the car park by the park headquarters a fishing pier juts out on
wooden stilts for nearly 100m over the water. On a good day you can enjoy a
rather beautiful view out to sea. Apart from taking a trek through the park
there's really not much to do in the village centre other than bumming around
the beach or having a chat with the fishermen as they come in with their catch.
Aside from just hanging out, a few minor points of interest are worth checking
out. About 300m up the road from the roundabout is the well-signposted
Penang
Butterfly Farm. Another popular spot for tour groups are the
two batik
factories, open 09:00-17:30. Admission is free.
Tickets to the ferry are sold inside at Ferry Line Ventures counter, the first
in a row of five. The ticket to Langkawi is 23 ringgit for adults and 17
ringgit for children. A signboard will tell you when the next boats leave.
Don't get confused by the different names of the boats: they are the same ferry
service and will all go to Kuah Town in Langkawi. 
