Fort Cornwallis & Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

What's this cat doing? I found it prancing around, getting very excited. Initially, I thought it was playing with the blue plastic bag. Well, I was wrong. It was staring intently into the sand... and it started digging. So, Penang cats think like dogs?? Soon, I got the answer! It was hunting for crabs! Not long after, it was enjoying it's crab 'crackers'. This is my favourite picture. ^.^

This clock tower was donated by Cheah Chen Eok in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The metallic structure on the left resembles a betel nut. Fort Cornwallis is located behind this clock tower.



Fort Cornwallis was believed to be the site where Francis Light landed in 1786. I was surprised to find horses nearby! They were blissfully munching away, oblivious to this human watching them. I didn't venture near them in case I frightened them. Anyway, they left heaps of 'landmines'.

After stopping by Fort Cornwallis, we took the trishaw to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion nearby. I was seated in front while the pedaller was behind. I guess because I was light, we wheezed by the busy traffic and in a moment, we arrived at the Mansion. Now I know how a baby feels in a pram. Only difference is that the baby faces human traffic while I've got to either face on-coming traffic or riding next to vehicles bellowing black, exhaust smoke...

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
This is a Chinese courtyard-style mansion that was designed according to good fengshui. Western features are also aplenty in this unique mansion that's painted in blue. As photography is not allowed within the premise, this website gives a really good writeup on the place. The bedrooms are for rental but I think they are too humid for me. A bit dark too, good for spooky walks at night to scare yourself.
http://www.tourismpenang.gov.my/article.cfm?id=36

On buildings and food in Penang

As we walked along some of the roads, interesting architectures lined the streets. They reminded me of some of the old colonial buildings along Padang in Singapore. Well, here are two of them with 'character'.

If you can spot them... the first building has a round disc at the centre, with a picture of the bumboat, while the second one with the signage "India House" has a head of the elephant.




I've heard much about some unique cuisines in Penang. Breakfast was mainly settled in the hotel. Hmm... I missed the fragrant salted fish that's supposed to be eaten with porridge. I had that with nasi lemak instead. Equally good! Another unforgettable dish is the fried rice noodles, or char kuay teow. It's unlike what my mom will cook at home. Our version is cooked with dark, sweet sauce with lots of beansprouts, greens, prawns, chicken or roasted pork and eggs. Penang's version is fried mainly with eggs and beansprouts but the noodles are very delicious!














Fans of Penang laksa asked me to give it a go. Well, I tried that at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel (a grand hotel that feels like the Raffles Hotel in Singapore). How do I describe the taste? For someone with a sweet tooth and used to the lemak (coconut milk) version of laksa, this strange sour and spicy new version takes a while to get used to. The first mouthful: the sour assam taste hits your tastebuds first, then the spicy chilli taste, followed by the sweet fragrance from the ginger flower (the same type that is added to rojak occasionally), the minty taste from mint leaves and the pungent raw, sliced shallots. You'll also be munching on thick noodles, crunchy slivers of cucumber and pineapple. As it is buffet style and the soup has gone a bit cold, I risked getting gastric pains and tried a bit more. I added some black, gooey shrimp sauce (not thick enough to be described as paste) but my poor tastebuds got so confused by then I don't think they could figure that out. Anyway, lemak laksa will still be my all time favourite! Apologies for the Penang laksa picture below. We were facing the breezy sea and the sun was very bright that day...













Lastly, I would recommend getting a box of tau sar pia/green bean cookies/tambun biscuits at the airport. I have no idea which brand's the best so I bought two different brands. The one from the airport turned out to be relatively better.

Penang Clan Jetties

I was told that such water villages were pretty common in early Singapore. Houses were built on stilts and rows of houses were linked by planked walkways over water. The first thing that hits you is the simple furnishings in the houses, mongrels lying around, enjoying the lazy sea breeze, and the unmistakable smell of the sea. Of course the hygiene level might not be good by our modern standards.

A bit more about such jetties can be found in this website:
http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/penang-clan-jetties-weld-quay/

Here are some pictures I took along the way at the Chew Jetty.

Penang Hill

Spent half a day on Penang Hill. A super slow train took us up the hill and you get to enjoy a cooler weather with lush greeneries along the way. A macaque monkey peeped at us from a branch while a kingfisher flew by. It was an enjoyable ride.

Spotted this gorgeous looking flower and what I think is a betel nut tree (Pinang Palm).








A Hindu temple, Methodist Centre and mosque were found on the hill top. There is an aviary too!

We stopped at the Bellevue The Penang Hill Hotel for lunch, with a great view!

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

The mansion tells a history of the bygone days of how the rich and privileged Straits Chinese used to live. It was built at the end of 19th century. There are many examples of the co-existence of East and West designs, furnitures, sculptues, dining wares, etc. Pretty excessive for me but it shows how they could afford the best of both worlds.

http://www.pinangperanakanmansion.com.my/index.htm

This is another wonderful website to explore about this mansion:
http://www.tourismpenang.gov.my/article.cfm?id=77

Here's an example of a mixture of East and West, right at the entrance:

I realised that photogaphy is not allowed within the premise so you've got to go visit and experience the place yourself!

My favourite spot is the kitchen! It's very spacious, sunny and airy, fully equipped with all sorts of pots and pans, and heaps of tingkat (food trays). There's even a water purifier (pretty amazing!) made in England and looks like a porcelain water dispenser. Just nearby was what look like an outdoor bath tub, flanked by lush bamboos on both sides. An outdoor spa in those days?! Turned out it was used to collect rain water!

Chap Goh Meh

This year, I celebrated the 15th day of Lunar New Year in Penang. Many activities were organised for the day. This day is also known as the Chinese version of Valentine's Day. One custom which orginated from Penang is the throwing of tangerines into the sea, hoping that their future spouse will pick it up. Hmm...

Since some of the roads were blocked till 3am the following day for a series of celebrations, we went to the Evergreen Laurel Hotel and waited patiently for the Dandang Sayang entourage of well-dressed nyonyas to arrive.

The hotel was located near Gurney Drive. Along this famous stretch of road, many eateries lined the way and tall buildings sprouted around them. They include the Gurney Plaza (I was told that you can get your kebayas tailor made there), and luxurious condos facing the sea. Families and couples were seen enjoying the sea breeze or lighting sparklers to celebrate the last day of the Lunar New Year.


The arrival of a very decorated bus, bringing the nyonyas to the hotel...


This seems to be a yearly ritual. There were a few loyal 'followers' who waited patiently with the hotel guests for the arrival of the nyonyas who would sing and dance. Quite an interesting experience for me. I was impressed that ladies of all ages were enjoying themselves. I forgot to take more pictures!!

Summer Palace

This was my second visit to the Summer Palace. The first was in 1998, on a day when the place was not filled with a sea of tourists. I missed the peaceful walk along the Long Corridor, taking my time to admire the paintings above, depicting scenes from Chinese classical literature, and delicate drawings of popular Chinese flora and fauna.

It traces its history back to the Jin Dynasty and boasts of occupying 290 hectares, with 3,000 garden architecture. In 1998, it was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Major renovations were done during the Qing Dynasty and brought the Summer Palace to its height of glory. It's an irony that the finances used by Empress Dowager Cixi were meant for the defence of the country during that turbulent period of time.

Well, take a walk with me anyway!





A pair of Dragon and Phoenix near the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (I think)






Cluster of architectures on the Longevity Hill that resembles a Tibetan lamasery.





A handsome bronze ox overlooking the Kunming Lake.




Don't you think this Seventeen-arch Bridge resembles the Lu Gou Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge)? Got to return there one day to take a closer look.




Lastly, the trip will not be complete without a brief stopover to have a look at the Marble Boat.