Island in the sun…

I first went to Penang in December 1973 and I loved the place then. The trishaws ruled the road and everything was cheap and nice. I think it was a duty-free island at the time. I was staying with a friend in Pulau Tikus and I remember watching the dragon boat race at Gurney Drive, going up Penang Hill, trying my first Penang laksa (Yucks!)…and even going to Carmen’s Inn at Merlin Hotel (Now Bayview) to see the Alleycats.

The next time I went to the island again was in the late 80s when I attended a course at RECSAM. Everything had changed. The roads were infested by a multitude of motorcycles and cars as well and everytime I had to cross the road, I had to make a dash for it or else I would have to wait forever. I was there again with my family in the 90s. The traffic in the city was still as bad…and I think by then, KOMTAR was already standing tall – the tallest building in the country at the time…

Today, it is still part of the city’s skyline but the last time I was there, it was like a deserted, haunted house. All the shops had closed – gone bankrupt or moved elsewhere except for a few miserable ones with hardly any customers. On the other hand, the mall next door was bustling with life! 

But when I went last year, I found that the traffic had improved tremendously. There are now new roads everywhere but I would think that the shops need a new coat of paint to make the city centre look more presentable, especially now that the city has been made one of the heritage centres in the country. The other day, I walked around the vicinity of the hotel where I was staying and saw some old buildings that have been nicely restored and preserved…

This one houses the Indian restaurant “A passage thru’ India”, next to a Japanese restaurant. I’ve heard of the place though I’ve never dined there. I certainly hope to check it out some day. And this one has been turned into a pub…

…the Uptown Bistro. Another place that caught my attention was a cinema along Penang Road. From the posters, I guess that it only shows Indian (Tamil) movies and while a movie is on, you can actually hear it outside. That was reminiscent of the cinema in the late 70s in Kanowit;I was thinking then that those who were poor and could not afford to go and see the movie could at least, sit outside and listen to it. And they have this outside the cinema… 

I remember in my younger days, we had these stalls outside the cinemas and we would buy our sweets, chewing gum and tidbits before going in to watch a movie. This particular stall it seems, sells the Indian delicacies like muruku, kacang putih and so on.

I think we should try and restore and preserve those old buildings that represent our rich historical past instead of demolishing them…or redoing them so much that they are simply no longer the same (like in Singapore! Today it is more like one giant Disneyland, I would think!) Sadly, most of the old buildings in Sibu are gone. Sungai Merah no longer has any hint of what it used to look like. As far as I know, only the shops along Old Street (now renamed) have stood the test of time.

Unfortunately, I only had one brief evening to explore the areas around the hotel where I was staying in Georgetown. But I did manage to meet a few Penang bloggers that night – two, to be exact. This is Faizal of faisaladmar.blogspot.com… 

I think I ended up in his blog through a link in zewt’s or somebody’s, I can’t exactly remember. He has put up a post about our meeting-up that day, so you can all click the link and go over to have a look at our photos. Eyew!!! The two of them equal one of me!!! Gosh! Am I that huge? ROTFLMAO!!! Faisal brought along with him another blogger, Joseph – born in Kuching, grew up in Sandakan and working in Penang…

Just fancy that! Three strangers from three different corners of the country getting together and ending up as friends, isn’t that nice? Joseph’s blog, all4one-greatness.blogspot.com, it seems, is more politically inclined and if I’m not mistaken, he has more than one.

I could not get to meet Jenn of simplicity-jenn.blogspot.com but God willing, our paths will cross one day. And don’t worry, Faisal and Joseph! It was just a brief encounter no doubt, but I was glad to have made the acquaintance with you guys and we’ll meet again some day, won’t we? Cheers!