Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Georgetown is the capital of Penang, an island off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is home to various ethnic groups, which accounts for the different styles of dress and for the large variety of religious buildings throughout the city.

At one time, Penang served as a major port in the sea trade route between India and China. The remnants of the British-built fort and colonial buildings show the British influence in the area, and many of them were within easy walking distance of the cruise terminal.

One of the first places we visited was Fort Cornwallis, named for the Governor General of India at the time. It now serves as a museum. A large statue of Captain Frances Light, who in 1789 saw the value of the undeveloped land and helped carve the colony from the jungle, stands in the fort. Mounted around the perimeter of the fortress are photos of the surrounding area during its heyday. Many of the buildings remain, some in good order; others just a shadow of what they once were.

Fort Cornwallis Museum

Captain Frances Light

Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse

A cenotaph or memorial to those killed during the wars stood at the sea front.

Cenotaph

Colonial Building Now Used as Georgetown City Hall 

Further down the road we passed St. George’s Anglican Church, which is the oldest Anglican church in southeast Asia. It will celebrate its bicentenary in 2018.

St. George’s Anglican Church

On the same street stood the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. We had a delightful chat with an older man who sat on the steps of the church and welcomed visitors. He spoke of his deep love for the church. Since it was an extremely hot and humid day, we admired his dedication to greeting visitors. Fans whirled within the church trying to make the conditions in the church more comfortable for visitors. They didn’t help much.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower

Trellis Decorated with Paper Hot Air Balloons

Crossing the streets proved to be a real challenge. The traffic didn’t stop, even though we were in a crosswalk with a sign posted nearby that said to stop for pedestrians. Later we visited a major shopping mall in the downtown area. Our goal was to find a pharmacy to stock up on toiletries. The pharmacy was well stocked and we were able to get what we needed.

The shopping mall was interesting—much less like the modern shopping malls we had visited in other areas with their modern décor and western stores. The mall consisted of three separate buildings of six levels each, connected by ramps. Each level had at least two or three reflexology parlors, identified by a five-foot-tall illustration of a foot at the entrance of each parlor. The foot also showed a map of the pressure points on the foot. Some of the parlors also advertised massages and other services, which then had me wondering about their popularity.

One of the most interesting kiosks in the mall was the one advertising onsite mole removal. It felt painful just reading the sign and seeing some of the before and after pictures.

One day in Georgetown wasn’t enough time to do it justice. There were so many things to see there.

Sailing Away From Georgetown