Chemicals & Culture - 48 hours in Georgetown, Penang

In this episode we’re going to take you on a little journey to Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia. There’s so much to do this little taster covers a simple two-day trip and covers a few things to do for the tourist, be they sailor or landlubber. We start with a trip to one shop that every cruising yachtsman and woman in the know visits when in Georgetown, and one that other travel websites for the general public recommend worth visiting if only for the experience. Most cruisers come to Penang for two reasons: to secure a visa from the Thai embassy, and to visit Mr Ong of Liantraco….

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Penang lies south of Langkawi on the north-west coast of mainland Malaysia. Before Kuala Lumpur developed into the international capital it is today, Penang was the economic and cultural hub of Malaysia.

It was not only the original British colonists who shaped the island’s capital, Georgetown, much of the architecture and culture was influenced by later Chinese and Indian settlers. Some of the buildings date back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. When Captain Francis Light took possession of the island on behalf of the East India Trading Company n 1786, he named it after His Britannic Majesty, King George III. In 2008 it was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status because of its “unique architectural and cultural townscape [found] without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia”.

Tourists move from one side of the road to the other searching for shade under the covered walkways abutting Penang’s iconic Chinese shophouses. How many of them realise they are walking, in some instances, on the original tiles laid over a hundred years ago? As Penang’s fortunes faltered, some settlers moved from the old trades into more lucrative services and many of the present-day shops and guesthouses became gambling establishments or opium dens.

Voted in 2014 as Lonely Planet’s number 1 destination for food, Penang is equally renowned for its canteens, restaurants and ‘hawker’ food markets which feed locals and tourists well into the night. From cheap one-dollar street stalls selling scewered fish cakes, to more adventurous double-roasted pork dishes with fungus, food in Penang is spectacular.

George Town is fascinated with art and design of all kinds. In 2012 Ernest Zacharevic was commissioned to paint a collection of murals within the inner conservation zone. Since then, artists have been adding their work to an increasingly exciting showcase of urban street art.

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MUSIC

Like the music in this video? Support these artists by checking out their websites, liking their pages and/or sending a comment. They put a great deal of effort into making these tracks and, more importantly, release them under a Creative Commons license that allows us to use them in our clips. Respect to that.

00:00 – Followtheboat’s theme music: ‘Suddenly’ by Otis McDonald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y66Dh5lx4qY

02:17 – ‘Eastminster’ by Kevin MacLeod
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100719
Support Kevin on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kmacleod

07:31 – ‘Seeking Loot’ by Aaron Spencer
https://machinimasound.com/music/seeking-loot/

10:33 – ‘Finding Movement’ by Kevin MacLeod
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=010

12:25 – ‘You’re Free’ by CMA (Freedom EP)
http://cmamusic.bandcamp.com/album/freedom-ep

20:00 – ‘Vadodora (Chill Mix)’ by Kevin MacLeod
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=010