Pulau Pinang – Day 1

Our nine day trip to Malaysia and Singapore started with an early morning Christmas Day flight from Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur (a.k.a. KL) where we caught a short flight north to the island of Penang. By noon we were checked into our room in the Penang Sheraton and ready to explore the island city of Georgetown.

Western contact with the island of Penang, Pulau Pinang, was made in 1786 when Francis Light founded a British trading post. By the late 1700s the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British had “discovered” much of Asia and were busy establishing their eastern empires. Penang would later join with Malacca (Melaka) and Singapore to form the British crown colony called the Straits Settlements. The Straits Settlements ceased to exist by 1946. Malaysian independence from the British emerged in 1957.

Yet despite the pull of the 21^st century to modernize, Georgetown has made an effort to retain its colonial charm. That charm was in full bloom, although a bit worn, 30 years ago when Jay completed his university studies in Penang. As we walked the streets of Georgetown we could see renovation underway to restore crumbling building facades and retain the historic beauty of the city.

However, much has changed from Jay’s first visit. The once-spry 1,000+ penarik beca (pedicab drivers) that were the backbone of the city transportation system are now aged men in their 60’s who slumber in their trishaws waiting for the occasional tourist fare. Malaysian-built Proton air-conditioned taxis are the new transportation backbone along with a dizzying array of private vehicles.

The sixty-foot high Victorian Clock Tower built in 1897 to honor the queen's Diamond Jubilee has weathered time remarkably well, but now shares its landscape in the historic section of Georgetown with a modern metal sculpture.

We walked through Little India. The swirling pungent aromas of Tamil food mixed in the air with Hindi songs blaring from open store fronts gave us a chance to be “home” again. We even recognized the Bollywood stars plastered on street posters.

The fort, situated on the northeastern tip of the island, was originally constructed by Francis Light. The fort is a well maintained tourist attraction with a RM (Ringgit Malaysian) 3.00 (75 cents) adult admission. We walked the ramparts and inner parade grounds. Old barracks rooms were converted into air-conditioned display rooms that covered the history of the island and fort. One display brought home why the orient had such an enticing pull on the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British. Stacked as they would have been at the time of Francis Light were sacks of lada putih & hitam (white & black pepper), jintan putih (cumin) and the other exotic spices such as kayu manis (cinnamon). Imagine French toast without a healthy topping of kayu manis. Our world really went “flat” long before Tom Friedman “discovered” its flatness.