Author: Will C

Sights in Penang : A Heritage Street View

A trishaw in Penang, locally called “beca,” is a traditional three-wheeled bicycle taxi mainly used by tourists to explore George Town and Penang’s heritage sites. The trishaw ride is a popular and relaxing way to see local street art, temples, mosques, and historic buildings around the UNESCO World Heritage Site area. Typically, rides cost around RM 40 to RM 50 per hour, with drivers often serving both as guides sharing local history and navigating the narrow and busy streets safely.

Trishaws hold historical importance since the 1930s and remain a cultural symbol despite the decline in daily local use, mostly catering now to visitors who want an authentic and leisurely tour experience around Penang’s charming spots.

Cafe in Penang : Senses Coffee

Senses Coffee is a cozy café located at 419 Chulia Street, George Town, Penang. It is known for its fresh brews, including coffee and matcha, along with a variety of refreshing drinks and delicious homemade treats. The café offers a chill and artistic vibe, making it a popular spot for both coffee lovers and those looking for a relaxing atmosphere in the heart of George Town. The operating hours are normally from 9:30 AM to around 7:30-9:30 PM daily.

Penang Isle : Fort Cornwallis Moat

The Fort Cornwallis moat in Penang has undergone a major restoration set to be fully completed and opened to the public by July 2025, featuring the reinstatement of its southern and western sections to form a 4,000 square meter water basin about 0.9 meters deep, holding approximately 3,600 cubic meters of water. Using traditional building methods for long-term stability, the restoration includes ecological enhancements like a mechanical sand filter and a vegetated bio-retention swale, aligning with sustainable development goals. The project, costing around RM23.4 million and supported by the Penang state government, Think City, and Hasanah Foundation, also includes landscaping improvements, new visitor amenities, and a rebuilt food court adjacent to the moat, designed to complement the historic site.

This restoration revives the fort’s original defensive features from its 1804 construction, enhancing heritage conservation and turning the moat area into an attractive green public space and educational site for both locals and tourists, particularly timed to coincide with the George Town UNESCO World Heritage celebrations.

Originally constructed by the British East India Company in 1804 as a defensive measure during the Napoleonic Wars, the moat was filled in 1921 due to public health concerns (malaria) and construction developments.

Bukit Mertajam Hungry Ghost Festival 2025

Bukit Mertajam’s Hungry Ghost Festival, locally known as Phor Thor or Yu Lan, has been a deeply ingrained tradition in the town for over 130 years, blending spiritual reverence with community spirit. During the seventh lunar month, believed in Taoist lore to open the gates of hell, a towering effigy of the hell deity Tai Su Yeah (measuring nearly 9 meters tall) is constructed from bamboo and vibrant paper and placed under a tent for worship. Devotees lay out offerings of food, paper money, and prayers for ancestral spirits and wandering souls, as traditional Chinese opera troupes perform nightly to amuse both mortal attendees and supernatural guests.

On the 15th day (which is today), the highlight of the festival unfolds: the effigy is paraded through Jalan Pasar and ceremonially burned to send the deity and the spirits back to the underworld, a ritual witnessed by thousands of participants from across Malaysia and beyond. The event not only honors tradition but also teaches younger generations about filial piety, ancestor respect, and cultural continuity.

Hungry Ghost Festival Walk in George Town

During this year’s Hungry Ghost Month, a local artist called Kopi Soh transformed a pedestrian walkway along a section of Jalan Gurdwara (Gurdwara Road), into a charming “Hungry Ghost Festival Walk,” featuring 10 adorable, comic-style illustrations of wandering spirits and deities, along with bilingual information boards about the festival’s meaning and traditions.

The display—adorned with fairy lights, lanterns, and colorful windmills—invites viewers to step into the festival’s true spirit of compassion, remembrance, and empathy, showing that the rituals aren’t about fear, but about honoring restless souls and helping them find peace. The installation was carried out by the Menara Perdana Phor Tor Society, with blessings from a temple and a medium to ensure the sacred art offered respect, not mischief.

More info can be found here: https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2025/09/01/sharing-the-story-of-compassion-behind-the-hungry-ghost-festival-through-cute-art/189300

 

Malaysia Independence Day

On 31 August 1957, while independence was declared in Kuala Lumpur, Penang also held its own Merdeka celebrations at the Esplanade (Padang Kota Lama). Thousands of people gathered there to witness the Union Jack being lowered and the new Malayan flag raised for the first time in Penang. The Esplanade has since remained a key venue for Penang’s annual Merdeka Day parades and celebrations.

George Town Street View : Hidden Flower Arches Alley

A small and somewhat hidden alley connecting M-Summit Hotel and the Gurdwara Road in front of Gama departmental store in George Town. The picturesque and Instagrammable alley is adorned with vibrant bougainvillea arches that stretch across the walkway. Its exact location can be found HERE.

Penang Street Art (The ‘Sad Art’ Cement Eclipses Tiny Figure Miniatures at the UAB Courtyard)

Hidden within the U.A.B Building’s courtyard, two miniature figures from Cement Eclipses can be found facing the courtyard’s mini garden.

For other figures and their locations, please refer HERE.

George Town Festival 2025 : A Debt of Time

From 2 August to 1 September 2025, visitors to the Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park can experience “A Debt of Time”, a poetic installation by artist Neoh Shin Yen that used projected words as its medium. The text only reveals itself when sunlight (or another light source) strikes it just so—appearing through the interplay of shadows and illumination. This ephemeral effect mirrors the fleeting yet persistent nature of memory and gratitude, inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and appreciate how meaning gradually surfaces and fades in life’s quiet moments.

Penang Town Hall during George Town Festival

Terang, meaning “bright” in Malay, is a projection mapping spectacle by the Malaysian digital art collective Filamen. The showcase reimagines George Town’s historic Town Hall by turning its colonial facade into a radiant display of digital artistry, blending light, motion, and colour to create an immersive visual experience. This event will end tonight, as part of the George Town festival activities.