Penang: A past preserved
September 29, 2001 | 12:00am
The train ride from Bangkok to Penang evoked charm reminiscent of those days when privileged colonials traveled for pleasure. It helped that the Bangkok train station, Hua Lumpong, had elements of Victorian architecture such as the ironwork and louver windows. It reminded me of the old European stations that made train journeys memorable and pleasurable. Partly, I was being idealistic about this adventure. But my friend and I were not getting on the Eastern and Orient Express since our budget would not allow it. Rather, in the beginning, we both expected to rough it up for the 24-hour journey on the state railway. Romance was not part of the bargain.
We soon found out that the train ride was more comfortable than we imagined, including the basic amenities for the long haul travel. To begin with, the carriages had air-conditioning. The single, wide and firm seats were like open booths, sitting two people across each other. A table can be installed in the middle during meal times or on occasions when the passenger uses it for reading or writing. As in my case, I preferred having a table where I can put books and things on it. The seats were grouped alternately on either side of the carriage, allowing a little bit of privacy. It was better than we expected.
We passed through the great Kwai River when we reached Kanchanaburi. The film Bridge over River Kwai made this place more famous. I again imagined getting a glimpse of its stars led by British actor David Niven whistling that catchy march. But the darker side of its history included many prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation, having to work through starvation and sometimes to death. The real heroes were those who had been forced into labor to build the bridge we crossed. Viewing the sunset from the carriage’s big picture window made the occasion seem solemn.
After dinner, an assistant emerged, impeccable in his pressed uniform. He was assigned to our carriage to assemble a bed out of the seats. An upper deck was created when he unfolded a bed from the wall appearing like those gadgets that seem to have snapped out of nowhere. Then he attached pleated heavy curtains to partition each sleeping area. I took the lower deck where our seats had been and read for a while with the light from an overhead lamp. As the train gained speed, I felt more tossed about but soon this felt like being rocked to sleep. Morning appeared with the sun on the pane straining through the drawn curtains. The hilly countryside was peppered with Buddhist temples and shrines. We took our breakfast at the restaurant carriage but soon, regretted it. At various stops, food vendors came in waves bearing sumptuous sticky, sweet snacks and interesting dishes. Pretty soon, we were eating our way into Penang.
Before reaching Butterworth station, our final destination, we passed through the border of Thailand and Malaysia. At Padang Besar, we all had to take our suitcases with us for customs and visa inspection. We imagined the Malaysian authorities were searching for illegal drugs since the areas around the Thai-Burmese border were particularly suspect as its sources. After we settled back into the train, we headed for Penang.
Penang was "Pulau Pinang" or Betel Nut Island when Francis Light persuaded the Sultan of Kedah in 1786 to cede it to the British East India Company. First called Prince of Wales Island, the settlement that developed was named George Town after King George III. Penang formed part of the Straits settlement with Melaka and Singapore in 1832. Gradually, it became a major trading post for a lucrative trade in tea, spices, china and cloth. Up to now, it bears the mark of successive foreign influences. The British were a later power. Before them, the early Indian Civilization spread from northern Malaya and then the Portuguese and the Dutch arrived at Penang’s shores. It remained under British colonial rule for a hundred years until 1957 when it gained independence and became one of the states of the newly formed Federation of Malaya and later Malaysia in 1963.
Although it sounds posh, Butterworth station was nondescript. We wanted to get on a taxi immediately to ferry us across George Town, the capital of Penang. Taxi drivers are waiting around but passengers have to haggle for a price with them since meters are hardly used. After depositing our suitcases in a modest hotel, we walked to Komtar. This is a commercial district much like the Araneta Center in Cubao with a similar crowd and atmosphere. It was a big mall with all types of shops, including a basement grocery, fast-food stalls and Internet cafés. On the way, I could not help but make a quick stop at one of the teahouses for fried noodles and tea. I regretted yielding so soon to temptation. Along the streets leading to Komtar are hawkers’ centers that serve fresh cooked food. There are fruit stalls and other food shops. I had the impression it was like one grand buffet. In contrast to its main train station, central George Town possesses varied characteristics that made exploring its pockets interesting.
We wanted to get on the funicular railway to Penang Hill (locally called Bukit Bendera) but when we reached the station, the queue was a mile long. It turned out to be a holiday weekend to celebrate the King’s birthday. Since it would be nearly impossible to get on the train soon, our artist-friend Koay Soo Kao brought us to another famous site in Penang. Cintra Street is at the heart of the enormous China Town. We had brunch at one of the local vegetarian teahouses to accommodate my taste in food. It is one of the best compensations for missing the hill station.
After the snack, Koay led us to 100 Cintra Street that is tagged as "a mini pocket cultural exhibition." It is said that the three-level building burned down many years ago and was converted into a house for the arts when it was rebuilt. The vernacular displays recreated the lifestyle of the Babas and Nyonyas or the male and female Straits Chinese who have been a major influence on the life of Penang. Architecturally, this is an interesting space with interiors that expertly incorporate scraps. For instance, instead of the usual wood flooring, thin strips of wood were used, making it a cheaper material compared to the cost of using planks. To maintain the permanent displays on level three, the ground floor area has shops for souvenirs and antiques. The most peculiar aspect of 100 Cintra Street is its distinctive blue color. This has resonance with another famous, older landmark in historic George Town, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
We then proceeded to another hilly side of Penang by car and went around the Museum and Art Gallery of the Universiti Sains Malaysia. For a science university museum, the building and its collection were big and well-maintained. Its collection includes art and ethnographic materials. The low-tech but elegant displays could accommodate children’s activities, such as the area where musical instruments could be played. It is one of the more popular places to visit in Penang despite its relative distance from the city center. With properly designed exhibitions and a wonderful, helpful staff, I could not help but imagine this kind of cultural institution to prosper in the Philippines. By the time, we finished the tour of the museum and exploring the shops in the local mall, we were all exhausted and headed back to the hotel.
The next day brought fresh expectations and another day of humid weather. By this time, Penang felt like one giant sauna. We braved it anyway and went walking around the historic district located on the northeast tip of George Town. There were quite a few heritage trails organized by the non-government organization Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) and we took on trail number two, Discovering the Streets of George Town. A big American credit card company sponsored among others the trail maps and information boards on each of the heritage sites. The map we obtained was useful because we wanted just to see certain places within the four hours we allowed ourselves to do the walking tour. We were able to visit the Penang Museum, the Hainan Temple, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Fort Cornwallis and smaller places of worship. The PHT has done quite a job at being able to restore and maintain these historic areas of George Town but at the same time allowing local communities to become stake holders in the program to make the city vibrant.
Penang is a curious place where high rises, especially in the Komtar area, transgress its skyline while at the same time over 13,000 heritage buildings are fought over by PHT to remain in their spaces. The local people seem to support PHT’s challenge of preserving Penang’s heritage for future generations. Their aim of "unifying a city fragmented by uneven development" is a great task in the face of its inhabitants’ openness and consumption of the various incursions of a global economy. On television are the Malay versions of the Hispanic hit soap opera Maria Mercedes and the syndicated popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. As this proceeds apace, the drive for "regeneration of the inner city and community-based heritage" becomes more intense. From our brief visit there, it seemed the PHT are succeeding in creating a condition for "urban revitalization as a strategy for people-oriented development" along with "sustainable tourism initiatives." It was well-worth travelling to visit Penang on a long journey by train.
Comments are welcome at aplabrador@philstar.com.
We soon found out that the train ride was more comfortable than we imagined, including the basic amenities for the long haul travel. To begin with, the carriages had air-conditioning. The single, wide and firm seats were like open booths, sitting two people across each other. A table can be installed in the middle during meal times or on occasions when the passenger uses it for reading or writing. As in my case, I preferred having a table where I can put books and things on it. The seats were grouped alternately on either side of the carriage, allowing a little bit of privacy. It was better than we expected.
We passed through the great Kwai River when we reached Kanchanaburi. The film Bridge over River Kwai made this place more famous. I again imagined getting a glimpse of its stars led by British actor David Niven whistling that catchy march. But the darker side of its history included many prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation, having to work through starvation and sometimes to death. The real heroes were those who had been forced into labor to build the bridge we crossed. Viewing the sunset from the carriage’s big picture window made the occasion seem solemn.
After dinner, an assistant emerged, impeccable in his pressed uniform. He was assigned to our carriage to assemble a bed out of the seats. An upper deck was created when he unfolded a bed from the wall appearing like those gadgets that seem to have snapped out of nowhere. Then he attached pleated heavy curtains to partition each sleeping area. I took the lower deck where our seats had been and read for a while with the light from an overhead lamp. As the train gained speed, I felt more tossed about but soon this felt like being rocked to sleep. Morning appeared with the sun on the pane straining through the drawn curtains. The hilly countryside was peppered with Buddhist temples and shrines. We took our breakfast at the restaurant carriage but soon, regretted it. At various stops, food vendors came in waves bearing sumptuous sticky, sweet snacks and interesting dishes. Pretty soon, we were eating our way into Penang.
Before reaching Butterworth station, our final destination, we passed through the border of Thailand and Malaysia. At Padang Besar, we all had to take our suitcases with us for customs and visa inspection. We imagined the Malaysian authorities were searching for illegal drugs since the areas around the Thai-Burmese border were particularly suspect as its sources. After we settled back into the train, we headed for Penang.
Penang was "Pulau Pinang" or Betel Nut Island when Francis Light persuaded the Sultan of Kedah in 1786 to cede it to the British East India Company. First called Prince of Wales Island, the settlement that developed was named George Town after King George III. Penang formed part of the Straits settlement with Melaka and Singapore in 1832. Gradually, it became a major trading post for a lucrative trade in tea, spices, china and cloth. Up to now, it bears the mark of successive foreign influences. The British were a later power. Before them, the early Indian Civilization spread from northern Malaya and then the Portuguese and the Dutch arrived at Penang’s shores. It remained under British colonial rule for a hundred years until 1957 when it gained independence and became one of the states of the newly formed Federation of Malaya and later Malaysia in 1963.
Although it sounds posh, Butterworth station was nondescript. We wanted to get on a taxi immediately to ferry us across George Town, the capital of Penang. Taxi drivers are waiting around but passengers have to haggle for a price with them since meters are hardly used. After depositing our suitcases in a modest hotel, we walked to Komtar. This is a commercial district much like the Araneta Center in Cubao with a similar crowd and atmosphere. It was a big mall with all types of shops, including a basement grocery, fast-food stalls and Internet cafés. On the way, I could not help but make a quick stop at one of the teahouses for fried noodles and tea. I regretted yielding so soon to temptation. Along the streets leading to Komtar are hawkers’ centers that serve fresh cooked food. There are fruit stalls and other food shops. I had the impression it was like one grand buffet. In contrast to its main train station, central George Town possesses varied characteristics that made exploring its pockets interesting.
We wanted to get on the funicular railway to Penang Hill (locally called Bukit Bendera) but when we reached the station, the queue was a mile long. It turned out to be a holiday weekend to celebrate the King’s birthday. Since it would be nearly impossible to get on the train soon, our artist-friend Koay Soo Kao brought us to another famous site in Penang. Cintra Street is at the heart of the enormous China Town. We had brunch at one of the local vegetarian teahouses to accommodate my taste in food. It is one of the best compensations for missing the hill station.
After the snack, Koay led us to 100 Cintra Street that is tagged as "a mini pocket cultural exhibition." It is said that the three-level building burned down many years ago and was converted into a house for the arts when it was rebuilt. The vernacular displays recreated the lifestyle of the Babas and Nyonyas or the male and female Straits Chinese who have been a major influence on the life of Penang. Architecturally, this is an interesting space with interiors that expertly incorporate scraps. For instance, instead of the usual wood flooring, thin strips of wood were used, making it a cheaper material compared to the cost of using planks. To maintain the permanent displays on level three, the ground floor area has shops for souvenirs and antiques. The most peculiar aspect of 100 Cintra Street is its distinctive blue color. This has resonance with another famous, older landmark in historic George Town, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
We then proceeded to another hilly side of Penang by car and went around the Museum and Art Gallery of the Universiti Sains Malaysia. For a science university museum, the building and its collection were big and well-maintained. Its collection includes art and ethnographic materials. The low-tech but elegant displays could accommodate children’s activities, such as the area where musical instruments could be played. It is one of the more popular places to visit in Penang despite its relative distance from the city center. With properly designed exhibitions and a wonderful, helpful staff, I could not help but imagine this kind of cultural institution to prosper in the Philippines. By the time, we finished the tour of the museum and exploring the shops in the local mall, we were all exhausted and headed back to the hotel.
The next day brought fresh expectations and another day of humid weather. By this time, Penang felt like one giant sauna. We braved it anyway and went walking around the historic district located on the northeast tip of George Town. There were quite a few heritage trails organized by the non-government organization Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) and we took on trail number two, Discovering the Streets of George Town. A big American credit card company sponsored among others the trail maps and information boards on each of the heritage sites. The map we obtained was useful because we wanted just to see certain places within the four hours we allowed ourselves to do the walking tour. We were able to visit the Penang Museum, the Hainan Temple, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Fort Cornwallis and smaller places of worship. The PHT has done quite a job at being able to restore and maintain these historic areas of George Town but at the same time allowing local communities to become stake holders in the program to make the city vibrant.
Penang is a curious place where high rises, especially in the Komtar area, transgress its skyline while at the same time over 13,000 heritage buildings are fought over by PHT to remain in their spaces. The local people seem to support PHT’s challenge of preserving Penang’s heritage for future generations. Their aim of "unifying a city fragmented by uneven development" is a great task in the face of its inhabitants’ openness and consumption of the various incursions of a global economy. On television are the Malay versions of the Hispanic hit soap opera Maria Mercedes and the syndicated popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. As this proceeds apace, the drive for "regeneration of the inner city and community-based heritage" becomes more intense. From our brief visit there, it seemed the PHT are succeeding in creating a condition for "urban revitalization as a strategy for people-oriented development" along with "sustainable tourism initiatives." It was well-worth travelling to visit Penang on a long journey by train.
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