The golden glow of yellow lanterns illuminates this five-foot way of century old shop houses on Lebuh Cintra, George Town, Penang. This street was once home to the Japanese ‘Karayuki-san’ or women of the night who left their homeland to escape extreme hardship. Many were sold off by their families and ended up as domestic…
Author: Maria Dass The World - Travel, Food, History & Heritage
Freelance journalist, travelling storyteller & heritage content creator.
Contact me at: mariadasstheworld@gmail.com
Gloomy Days: George Town
The city of George Town in Penang, on a gloomy afternoon – just before rain. The old quarter of town is visible right up to Swettenham pier, where two cruse ships are docked for the day. The gantry cranes of Penang port along Penang Strait are in the background, and further behind, mainland Seberang Prai…
Night Walk: Gurney Bay
Quite a hot and humid February in Penang this time, so a night walk made more sense. This time around, we explored Gurney Bay – a waterfront park along Gurney drive. It was a nice quiet spot – likely because it was a week night, with small groups or friends and people fishing along the…
Christmas Leith St Penang
Join in if you fancy … a daily feature at the Red Garden Food Paradise Food Court in Leith Street Penang. Christmas tunes included to celebrate the season! 🎄🧑🎄
Christmas @ Covent Garden
Christmas lights 2024. Thank you to the cousin Patricia Jasudason for braving the cold yesterday 🥶 to capture these twinkling lights at Covent Garden in London – especially for mariadasstheworld.
Mamma Mia! Here we go again … Annual Italian Food Fest Returns
Mamma Mia! Here we go again … Annual Italian Food Fest returns to celebrate the tadition, health benefits and flavors of the country’s 20 regions.
KL temple procession back after 63-year hiatus
160th Anniversary of Kuala Lumpur’s (KL) oldest temple – the Sin Sze Si Ya temple – was celebrated with the return of the Qi An Da Jiao parade last Sunday after a 63 year hiatus. The procession through the city was held annually for blessings, fortune and protection for the city, and its dwellers. The…
Kristang Style Proposal (Video)
Catch a glimpse of the unique intangible heritage of the Melaka Portuguese community – the arranged marriage proposal (video below). Kristang marriages begin with the ceremony of asking for a hand in marriage. The lady sponsor (kumadri) on the groom’s side visits the bride’s parents and asks in a circuitous way for the bride’s hand…
Weekend Indulgence
In the 80s, it as common to have mobile trucks and hawkers tooting their way through neighbourhoods – selling an array of food, from breakfast bites, to noodle soups, dumplings and ice-cream. One of my favourite vendors was the ‘tau fu fa man’ – as we know him and the silky white bean curd he…
Walking Tours: Klang, Selangor
Explore the Rich History & Heritage of Selangor’s Royal Town While many of us might be inclined to say that the oldest settlements in Peninsular Malaysia lay at the foothills of Guning Jerai on Lembah Bujang or even the ancient port city of Melaka, there seems to be some evidence of much earlier settlements in…
Winding Down The Week
It was a lovely and busy Saturday spent with family & friends, and we needed to wind down from a day of driving through heavy traffic and long distances. So we decided to make a date night out of getting all dressed up for the day – at a quaint neighbourhood restaurant in Lucky Garden,…
Copper Cup Brews
Rich, creamy & frothy tea and coffee served in shiny copper cups which have apparent health benefits. These special brews are among some of the more recent additions at Central Market Kuala Lumpur – once a tourist hub but nowadays an equally interesting place for locals, with a variety of pop-up stores and new products,…
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