PHOTO GALLERY: QUIRKY PENANG PHOTOS

2012/03/05

Kitch mural at temple in Penang

PHOTO GALLERY: QUIRKY PENANG PHOTOS

Penang is a small island just a stone’s throw off the coast of Malaysia. It’s main town of Georgetown achieved UNESCO World Heritage City status in 2008 due to its large neighborhoods full of colonial-style shops, Chinese row houses and government buildings dating from the old Asian trading route days of the mid 1800s. In fact, Georgetown boasts the largest such community in the world.

fancy trishaw in Penang – Malaysia

Georgetown’s free port status during its heyday attracted merchants, traders, laborers and entrepreneurs from all over Asia and Europe. They set up shops & businesses, established churches & temples, married into the local Malay communities, grew fabulously wealthy and built huge stately mansions around the lush tropical island.

Many of the original buildings have been lovingly restored over the years, particularly since the UNESCO World Heritage status. Not surprisingly, Penang has become a popular tourist destination, both for domestic and overseas visitors. Luckily, the town has managed to retain its original character and charms.

For Malaysians, Penang is even more famous for its delicious street foods and is considered the best place to eat in the entire country.Visitors can feast on an astonishing variety of traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines.

As a result of its unique mix of multiple cultures, old and new, Penang is also full of amusing, stunning, unexpected and down-right bizarre scenes lurking down its many winding town roads and more remote countryside regions.

These Penang photos present 26 nutty views. Come enjoy these quirky Penang sights… cheers, Lash

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