Alison

Searching for Street Art in Penang – Day Two

One of the things I wanted to do whilst in Penang was to look at all the street art that Penang is famous for. Although I had downloaded a map of all the places, my sim card was not activated properly! So we went back to the 7-11 where we had bought them and the very kind assistant sorted this out for me. I do exasperate Anthony with my constant stopping and starting and looking at my phone as to where to go! He tends to just walk randomly.

The streets were busy today as it Sunday and it seemed like everyone had the same idea.

We did find lots of murals and metal artwork along the way. The weather was cloudy and a nice breeze blowing, not at all what we expected.

Trombone Player by Gabriel Pitcher. An English born artist who has painted murals around the World.

Above are various street scenes from our walk

Humorous 3D artwork found on street walls depicting the life of long ago.

The Football Legend Pele
Early means of transportation
Racial Harmony Mural
Old World Bread Seller

It was almost impossible to walk on any sidewalk or the covered archways that lined the road. Walking on the road was the easier option, but with cars driving very close by you had better watch out for your hands and feet!

If I hadn’t glanced sideways I would have missed these cute kittens peeking out from these windows.

Two Owls painted on a pillar
Moi underneath a cat piloting a butterfly

Enough street art for one day, I have a few more and I know I’ve missed many. It was getting on for lunchtime and time to go shopping!

We took a “Grab Cab” to Gurney Plaza where there is a huge shopping mall. Grab is the equivalent of Uber in Malaysia and seems to be the only taxi service in Penang. Once you have the App it’s pretty straightforward and the good thing about it is that you can use cash to pay and no need for credit card details.

Lunch was just a quick snack in a European Beer cafe, pretty lousy to be honest! Then off to the shops to look for walking shoes for me as mine had now given me a blister and shorts and a backpack for Anthony to climb Penang Hill. Well we were successful in everything and mine were called “the most comfortable shoes in the world” and I have to say this is 100% true, I felt like I was walking on pillows.

Back to the hotel for a quick swim and rest before heading out for dinner.

Dinner at Kebaya Restaurant

I had seen a place nearby called Kebaya Fusion Restaurant. The chefs were Swiss trained so we were expecting some gastronomic extravaganza. The restaurant is in a heritage listed building called Seven Terraces and owned by Christopher Ong. The building has been lovingly restored with the most beautiful decorations and furniture. The tiles on the floors were imported from Vietnam. I didn’t realise it was also a hotel until I asked if I could look around.

The entrance to Seven Terraces
Inside the dining room
Enjoying a pre-dinner glass of wine

The waiter explained it was a set two or three course menu and it would be good to choose different dishes so we could share. Everything was mouth wateringly delicious.

CRISPY JO0 HOO CHAR ROLL and OTAK-OTAK
KERABU WING BEANS, HONG BAK LAMB and ACHAR
GULAI CHICKEN
PANDAN CREME BRULEE

Inside the hotel

The photos below show what an opium lord’s house would look like back in the day. Complete with opium pipes and snuff boxes.

After dinner Anthony suggested a nightcap in the bar, as we sat down I recognised the owner Christopher in the corner with a lady friend. When we left I went up to him and complimented him on his beautiful hotel. We stood and had a chat with him for a while about the renovations he had made.

Off to bed for a good night’s sleep after a very busy day.

22 comments

  1. What a fabulous trip you’ve been on! We could have spent days looking at the street art and people watching along the bustling streets. We will most likely never get there, so thank you for letting us fly on your coat tails. Looking forward to the next post!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. The streets are bustling, I do miss that particular SE Asian street atmosphere. The murals are always fun to search for and explore. I did think that the footballer looked more like Zlatan Ibrahimovic than Pele. The dinner is amazing and the hotel is just stunning!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Yeah that’s the strangest looking Pele ever!? Sounds like a lovely meal though…the food in Malaysia is a very mixed experience which varies from wonderful to dreadful almost without warning. Good street art tour too.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I had to smile when you said that Anthony gets a bit fed up with you consulting your phone about what route to take rather than just wandering, as that’s my husband and me to a tee! I love the street art, especially the racial harmony one and the cats 🙂 That footballer definitely isn’t Pele and I’m not sure he’s necessarily a footballer at all. A Google search found lots of photos of that piece but none of them described him as a footballer.

    Oh, and that dinner looks and sounds wonderful and I love the look of the hotel! It reminds me a bit of the one we stayed in in Hoi An.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I haven’t been to Penang in a while – it’s such fun to see that the street art is vibrant & renewed – those kitty kats sure are cute!

    You found another dinner venue filled with ambience, history and good food! You are so clever!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Wow it seems like they have new street paintings. And wow an opium lord house, thank you for this insight. My kid just had an exam about the opium war in Asia and I’ll be sure to show this post to him. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.