Hang pi mana? I Go to Penang: “My Malaysia” Photo Series (8) — PART ONE

“Kecil kecil cili padi."

“Little but strong."

(Malay Proverb)

Hari Merdeka (National Day). George Town. Penang, 31 August 2018

Without taking anything away from other states – everyone knows how much I love Kelantan and Kedah, which are among the places I have visited most – but Penang is my state: Pulau Pinang. I lived there for a year and a half:  a month in the heights of Balik Pulau and then at the USM University.

It's definitely the place that I would recommend to visit if you travel to Malaysia, especially close to the main festivals, during the year, there is something for all tastes: from Thaipusam to Chinese New Year, the National Day parade to the procession of Chingay, until the most important festival for the anniversary of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7th.

It's a city rich in tradition, famous for Street Food and Street Art, the beaches. It has many temples, Buddhists and Hindus, and one of the most beautiful mosques on the beach at the foot of the sea. Only following its history is the compass lost, between English fleets, Tamil settlements, Chinese Baba-Nyonya, Indonesians, Arabs, Siams and Burmese, for a total of almost 2 million people in an area of 1,048 square km.

I cannot enclose in a few lines what has been my life there and everything I have seen; it would take a whole book. So, I prefer to leave the story of these two years to my photographs, with the suggestion of some books that have made me a good company.  Welcome to Penang... in two parts.

Hang pi mana? Sat, sat... pi Pineng! (slang: Where are you going? One moment, one moment... I'm going to Penang!)

George Town is certainly one of the places where almost everything happens, and also among those that attract more tourists. One of the most anticipated moments throughout the year is the parade of the various contingents for the Hari Merdeka, the National Day, on August 31, the date of the Declaration of Independence in 1957.

I had the instinct to see the military arrive carrying the large flag that opens the parade, and bending they passed over me for a memorable shot (Photo 1), while the children open the various contingents. A day of rehearsals and then the big parade until the afternoon: unmissable!

Hari Merdeka (National Day). George Town. Penang, 31August 2018

 

For the celebration of UNESCO Day, the whole area of George Town is closed for two days from 7 July to show all its cultural and ethnic richness. Each street and square become the place for various performances from morning to night. One of the most photographed festivals ever.

Traditional dance performance during the celebration of George Town UNESCO heritage. George Town. Penang, 7 July 2018

The Chinese New Year offers a calendar full of festivals, being the Chinese community superior in number also to the Malaysian one in Penang, and they go on for the whole month of February, especially in the Padang Polo area.

Chinese New Year. George Town. Penang, 19 February 2019

While the Japanese Yosakoi Parade is celebrated in March.

Yosakoi Parade. Penang, 9 March 2019

In Balik Pulau, on the other hand, the Festival dedicated to this area is held in the highest part of the city, famous for its durian plantations, and for being one of the last strongholds of traditional Malay culture.

Balik Pulau Festival. Penang, 21 July 2019

Among the UNESCO heritage of George Town is the famous Chew Jetty, one of the entire neighborhoods of houses on stilts around the piers (jetty) in the Weld Quay area, inhabited by Chinese families divided by clans whose surnames give the name to the various tenements. From these places it is possible to see Penang overlooking the sea, with its colors and temples.

Chew Jetty. George Town. Penang, 17 February 2019

For me, as I said before, it was also my favorite place to go out alone and photograph, and Penang gave me some of the Street Photography shots that I love most.

Pasar Chowrasta. Penang, 1 December 2017

George Town. Penang, 5 February 2019

George Town. Penang, 6 October 2018

Little India is one of the places I love most to visit.

Little India, George Town. Penang, 6 October 2018

Outside the chaotic crowded city center, there is a more intimate and traditional area. Being Penang an island, one of its riches, besides tourism, is certainly fishing and it's very nice to visit the kampung nelayan, the fishing villages on the beaches. Teluk Bahang and Teluk Kumbar are among my favorites.

Kampung Nelayan (fishing village). Pantai Teluk Bahang. Penang, 14 December 2018

Young boy resting on the roof of a car on a beach. Pantai Tanjung Assam. Penang, 29 July 2018

The sea is always a rose with its thorns, capable of giving peace and joy but also melancholy and pain.

Pantai Teluk Kumbar. Penang, 1 December 2017

Father and son fishing early in the morning. Pantai Jerejak. Penang, 30 July 2019

In December 2004, the great tsunami that shocked Southeast Asia causing thousands of deaths also hit Malaysia, and Penang was among the worst hit. The sad fate of Zulkifli Mohamad Nur who on the beach of Pasir Panjang, that day, lost five of his seven children who were bathing just when the tsunami came, has gone down dramatically. This remains a beach full of pain.

Pantai Pasir Panjang. Penang, 24 June 2018

Teluk Tempoyak is one of the most recommended seaside places if you love to eat good fish, here I have devoured the best fried squid (sotong goreng kuning!) In Malaysia. I really miss being there with my friends and looking the boats cradled by the sea at night.

Teluk Tempoyak. Penang, 25 January 2019

This was a first love message from my city. We stop here for now. Leaving you with the panorama from the top of Penang Hill.

Penang Hill. Penang, 13 October 2019

Khoo Salma Nasution: “Chulia in Penang” (Areca Books, 2014)
Alvin Loh: “Images of Penang” (Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2015)
Khoo Su Nin: “Streets of George Town Penang” (Janus Print Resources, 1993)
Shukor Rahman: “69 Stories of Old Penang” (2018)
Shukor Rahman: “More Penang Stories” (2006)

Canzone consigliata: Uji Rashid & Hail Amir “Asmara Bergelora”

Italian version