City of Art Art and food in Penang is better than ever as Monica Majors found out on a recent trip to the Malaysian island. Photos by Monica Majors and Vinh Dao.
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n affordable plane ticket and a burning need to escape the motorbike traffic drew me to Penang, Malaysia. First the Chinese, then the Portuguese, Dutch, English and finally the Japanese, have all had colonial influence over the island-state. What they left in their wake is a veritable mash-up of culture and religion founded upon rich Malay traditions. In 2008 the capital, George Town, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage area, largely to preserve the Chinese shop-houses dotted throughout the city. I packed my flats, chopsticks and hand-sanitiser, ready for my next passport stamp. A reasonable six hours of transit later
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and I was sitting comfortably in front of my first bowl of wonton noodle soup, listening to a couple purr over their experience at a nearby cat cafe. My interest was piqued, and I couldn’t resist. Unfortunately the cats were already fully stimulated; the cafe was at full capacity, and I would either need to wait or return. The receptionist handed me a map, smiled, and said, “Why not check out the art around the corner?” Now normally I’m not a fan of maps. Firstly, I can never fold them properly. Secondly, I travel as invisibly as possible and maps are a giant, reflecting beacon of conspicuousness. But, as I dusted off the cat hair, it unfolded and I discovered that there was much more to George Town than I had known.
The Arts and Culture Festival in 2012 kicked off what would turn out to be an evolving creative endeavour for the city, curated by passionate locals and the Penang State Tourism Development and Culture Office. Throughout the historical parts of George Town are more than 50 murals and sculptures in residence, with plenty more in the studios. Travellers can see 52 welded iron caricatures that, according Penang Global Tourism, “blend humour and historical facts, describing the prevailing colloquial demeanour of the early settlement days that gave memorable moniker to the streets and landmarks that are George Town icons today”. Six wall paintings from Lithuanian artist Ernest
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If you’re keen to surprise yourself and peek about small streets, or aren’t averse to walking in circles, then I suggest you put down the map.
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Zacharevic are also spread across the old town, plus several more from visiting artists such as Julia Volchkova, Martin Ron and many others. Most taxis will drop off travellers at Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian), as the main concentration of murals is between there and the riverfront. One can easily navigate the streets without a map, but some of the best murals are tucked around corners. If you’re keen to surprise yourself and peek about small streets, or aren’t averse to walking in circles, then I suggest you put down the map and just walk in the same direction (or against) the droves of selfie sticks. This is how I stumbled upon some of the more remote art spots and was able to better glimpse slices of local life. I snaked my way through Armenia, Pantai and Victoria streets and up to Lebuh Ah Quee, snapping photographs of a wellpreserved, yet modernised, colonial city. Winding down an alley between Lebuh Ah
Quee and Lebuh Chulia I turned to see The Dragon himself, Bruce Lee, delivering a flying kick to a cat. Two, in fact! This cannot be, I thought to myself. Do not worry; it isn’t. An underlying sign in Chinese, Malay and English titles the project, The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This. It is the third of the 12 kitten murals painted by Artists for Stray Animals (ASA) as part of the 101 Lost Kittens project, and exists to remind the public to treat stray animals with respect. So, I saw cats after all (yay!). The larger-than life wall paintings of Ernest Zacharevic are equally as captivating. The Kungfu Girl and the Trishaw Man are too large to miss, but if your eyes are on the ground, you’ll walk right by. The Kids on the Bicycle or the Boy on the Chair make for some great 3D interaction, with travellers queuing to become part of the art itself. One can also opt to buy any number of the many souvenirs adorned with such paintings that have become the unofficial logos of Penang.
More important to a visitor from Vietnam is the delectable palate of food that garnered the island the title of “Best Street Food” from Time magazine in 2004 (an honorary title I am unofficially bestowing on them again today). Stop along your journey at any food stall for the best char kway teow or pop into many of the Mamak restaurants for roti canai, panang curry and nasi lemak. Don’t be afraid to get into any of the local spots; hygiene here is taken more seriously than in other parts of the region. Wash it all down with salted lime juice, a cup of teh tarik (milky tea) and don’t forget the mid-afternoon kopi (coffee). I’ve got plenty of great spots to recommend, but that’s another story entirely. With easily accessible flights, Penang’s blend of East meets West lends itself for the ideal long weekend getaway, so long as you’re keen on the human necessities of walking and eating. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of kopi to keep you going. AsiaLIFE HCMC 37