Our second full day in George Town was again spent in the historic part of town. True, we could have gotten a cab to the areas temples or mountains, but wandering through the historic part felt more…. like vacation.
We headed back out near the clan houses and museums for more downloading of the Straits Chinese immigration culture. At Cannon Square we dropped into the Khoo Kongsi, a beautifully restored clan house and museum, which artfully illustrated the early Chinese settlers into the Penang region.
A few museums were still closed from the holiday (and, because it’s Sunday) so we made it to the Batik Painting Museum, an art form that took shape based on the making of batik fabric design for clothing. My energy ran low, so at a suggestion for coffee “and maybe a light lunch” we ended up at the China House, a cafe and art gallery which would fit nicely at home. Coffee and a cold beer turned into brunch which turned into carrot cake, all of which I don’t regret at ALL (even though I’ll be feeling it tomorrow… but what else is vacation for, right!?).
To burn a few calories we walked back to the Sun Yat Sen Museum, which featured a beautiful courtyard and chronicled his time in Penang planning the uprising and revolution that resulted in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.
Afterwards, we weaved through more stores and back to the hotel to burn calories… by the pool. Reading is an exercise right?
The Blue Mansion is a must see in George Town. It’s a top-10 most beautiful mansions in the world according to Lonely Planet and has been featured in films and shows alike (most recently it was featured in Crazy Rich Asians, at the end, when the characters are playing mahjong). Due to health concerns, the mansion wasn’t running their normal tours, but we were directed to dine there to see the inside. Once arrived, a special tour was starting that we got to join in on, where we got a sneak peek into the family, the decay of the mansion, and the later 6-year restoration project. It’s just stunning what they’ve done to the place.
Dining there was also a wonderful experience. The most expensive meal on the trip (rivaling a dinner out in San Francisco) we dined on fresh seafood, chicken, and wine. As Auntie said, sometimes it’s nice to take a break from sitting on plastic chairs to enjoy a great meal.
Travels with my Auntie 