Penang - George Town

After a couple of days, we visited another city in Malaysia because we had the feeling that we hadn’t seen everything yet. As Naomi said, we first had to rest a little bit because all that travelling was pretty exhausting. The city that we visited was George Town, the capital of Penang. We went by car and drove about one hour. 

When we arrived, I immediately noticed the multiracial populace and the old but well-preserved buildings. Did you know that George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? We all decided that we wanted to see some heritage buildings.

First of all, we visited the City Hall. Currently, the local council stays there. It was the British Palladian architecture that made the building really special. Many years ago, Penang had been a colony of Britain so it’s no surprise that there are still some British buildings on the island. In my opinion, it was the most beautiful building that we saw.

Secondly, we stopped at the Cenotaph. It’s a memorial to all the deceased sailors and people who lost their lives during World War I. At this place, a couple of battles were fought.

Lastly, we visited the Kapitan Keling Mosque, one of the most popular mosques in Penang. The muslims use the mosque five times a day. Capitan Keling was actually the leader of the South Indian Muslim community. We saw this temple at dawn and I can tell you that it was absolutely magnificent. The lights next to the building gave the mosque a sort of creamy colour. Inside the temple you can see that the pillars and arches are immaculately made. When you want to admire Indian Muslim architecture, this is the place to be!  

To finish our day, we walked along the beach. Naomi, you were right about the beautiful beaches. In George Town, I was also struck by it. The golden beach and tranquil sea made me feel like I was in paradise. I didn’t know that Malaysia had such a beautiful nature. Can you imagine that all the trees and forests in Malaysia cover an area that’s almost as big as the United Kingdom? That’s absolutely amazing ! 

I can’t wait to visit our next country!

Ulrike

Sources:

http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/

http://www.penang-traveltips.com/kapitan-keling-mosque.htm

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/nationalparks.htm