Day 448: Penang

This was our walking tour of the sights of impressively multicultural Georgetown on Penang Island:

A clocktower, because the European contingent needed to know what time the ships were getting in?

A cannon at Fort Cornwallis, Britain's trading base on Penang from the 18th century

The Protestant cemetery, where most of the British people from the island were buried.

The Blue Mansion, built by a very rich Chinese merchant according to the principles of Feng Shui, and recently renovated as a boutique hotel.

A shophouse - this is still what a lot of the streets are lined with.

A local kid... Oh, no wait... that one's mine. This is where we had lunch, actually.

What you can't see from the shop house photo is that you walk along either in the street or along these arcades under the houses, depending which is most blocked.

One of many Chinese temples

The minaret at the mosque

Another street scene with houses and a small temple

A 'street' on the Chinese jetty.  These houses are built over water, with a whole Chinese clan originally owning one jetty.  Now they must be among the most peaceful places to live in Georgetown and are protected under its new World Heritage status.

After the architecture, the people.  This is a book I found in the coffee shop at the bus station.  It is a series of profiles of people who live in Penang.  Reading it made a great end to the day