We landed in Penang after a short flight from Kota Kinabalu. We were so exhausted that we missed all that passed us by during the cab ride to the hotel (review of The Royal Bintang Hotel soon). It’s only the next morning that we got to really take in all the cultural sights that define Penang.

Our hotel faces the pier, so from our room window we could see no other buildings except the dock. We could see the medium sized ferry that connects Penang to the mainland, a large travel cruise ship docked on the side and also the large shipment boats far away in the horizon. Everything seemed quite modern. As we step out of the doors that opened to streets at the back of the hotel: SHOCK. Have we landed somewhere in the mid-century Europe?

The heritage buildings in Penang have been surprisingly well-preserved over the years. Exploring the street behind our hotel, Lebuh Pantai, we are surrounded by four or five storeys white-walled buildings with pale pink rooftops, typical of the pre-war British architecture.

Penang is truly the meeting point between Asia and Britain. As we explore the city, we discover bit by bit traces that the British, the Chinese, the Indians have left here. We can witness it through the different temples as a mark of diverse religious beliefs, through the multiple national languages that are spoken and also through the different gastronomical delicacies that are offered in Penang’s food scene.

Penang street art

Georgetown is also famous for its street art, most of them works of Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic. These paintings can be found on walls all around the old city. They depict the life of the children of Penang in their daily activities and games. If you ever spend a day or two here, make sure you grab a pamphlet with a list of all the street art of the old town and go on your own personal treasure hunt for these beautiful pieces of art. Some are famous enough so you’ll see lines of people waiting to take pictures. Others are little secrets that will pleasantly surprise you as you fall upon them as you turn the corner. We started our street art hunt quite late in the afternoon so we were unable to find all of them, but here are a few of my favorites. I apologize if some pictures are quite dark as the sun was setting and very little street light is present in Georgetown.

One big disappointment is the absence of this minion painting:

We looked back and forth on Lorong Soo Hong Lane and couldn’t find it. We then came to realize that someone must have painted over the bollard. So if you’re visiting Penang right now, don’t waste time looking for the minion that doesn’t exist anymore! For a more detailed list of the numerous existing street art, download this brochure. (From the Tourism Penang website).

It’s great to find that there are still places in the world that brings us back to eras we have never known. It makes us realize how important it is to preserve the cultural heritage that we have for future generations. But as we stroll on the boardwalk near the pier, we came across this sad view:

I think the same philosophy goes with the ressources that we are lucky enough to enjoy at this moment. Respecting the environment also ensures that we leave in our legacy the same beautiful planet we once lived on. Please consume and travel responsibly! One of the phrases etched on a wood board at the entrance of the rainforest in Kota Kinabalu will forever remain engraved in my mind: “Take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints…“