Penang Heritage

A day walking by in the World Heritage City of Georgetown, Penang does not enough. As a backpacker, all you need in your backpack are some survival kits that are needed while you travel in this city. You need a bottle of drinking water because the weather in Penang is hot. Besides that, a map of Penang is useful as you will be lost in this city if you do not have any communication skills.

          However, communication skills are very important especially basic English language because the Malaysians especially the Penangites can speak English fluently as most of them have learnt English in school. That is why tourists are advised to ask directions from the locals as they can help to guide.

Light Street where official state government buildings are standing in this street.

          From the photo on the left shows Lebuh Light also known as Light Street. This street is dedicated to the name of the first Englishman who settled Penang in 1771 named Francis Light. He was one of the settlers which contributed in  the Penang island modernisation and named this island as Prince of Wales Island. During the colonial era of the Great Britain, Penang became the busiest port in Northern peninsula of Malaya due to many settlers and traders came to do their business and servicing their ships in that time until nowadays. Now, this street is located on the Esplanade.

A mural on the wall of The Grand Swiss Hotel entrances featuring Marilyn Monroe.

          Other that Light Street, about 10 minutes by walking distance, you can find a street called Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street) where there are a variety of Indian and Chinese shophouses along the roadside. This road is quite happening and there are a bunch of hotels for tourists to stay for a night including the Grand Swiss Hotel. These hotels in Chulia Street are based on Baba & Nyonya concepts which are a unique ethnic in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and also Singapore). To describe Baba & Nyonya, they are a group of Chinese ethics which practising Malay tradition culture including clothing, food and language used in their daily lives.