Read all about the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church (est. 1895) in the village of Pagar Tras on Penang’s mainland, the significant role it played in the growth and transformation of Hakka migrants, the contribution of French MEP priests to the community, and the reason this magnificient structure fell into ruins in later years.
Tag: Penang
Golden Glow: Cintra Street
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…
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…
The Blue Mansion, Penang (Video Tour)
The Cheong Fatt Tze mansion in George Town, Penang Island is truly an attention seeker – with its colourful porcelain shard work and brilliant indigo blue walls, which earned it the moniker – the ‘Blue Mansion’. Featured in prestigious travel magazines, TV series, popular movies like ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and even on London buses, this…
Food Trail: Penang Esplanade
In high demand always: Hameed Pata Mee Goreng, Penang Esplanade.
Breaking The Pattern
Sign of the times – boxes and lines on the beautiful tiles of the late 19th century Cheong Fatt Tze (Blue) Mansion. The beautiful geometric patterns of the tiles imported from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England have been marked with black tape to remind visitors to maintain social distancing as they visit the popular Heritage house,…
Stuff you take for granted …
Things you take for granted until it’s beyond your reach because of restricted movement. Our sweet treat just one month ago on a scorching hot afternoon along the streets of Georgetown – ‘Ais Bola’ drizzled with syrup, sarsaparilla and grape & Penang Heritage ais kacang. Ice bola is hard to come by nowadays, but it…
Sweet Bubble Treat
Never understood the fixation with Bubble Tea and it’s variants, but to each their own. So with apprehension, I agree to try a cup with our friend Sel who was raving about it! It was 10pm at night, and there was a line when we pulled up in front of Xing Fu Tang Bubble Tea…
Kek Lok Si Blooms
A hot and hazy afternoon in the hills of Air Itam in Penang isn’t exactly ideal. But we nevertheless decided to wander around the grounds of Malaysia’s largest Buddhist temple – the Kek Lok Si temple built on the slopes of this hill. Construction of this temple began in the 1890s, funded by a few…
Our Fading Heritage: Jerejak Island
My next read! Waiting to dive into the pages to find out more about our very own Ellis Island here in Penang, Malaysia. Sadly, the spot where more than a million migrants to Malaya landed between 1877 and 1957 is earmarked for development of a theme park and resort. Heritage groups are fighting to preserve…
Heritage Trail: Assumption Church, Penang
The Church of the Assumption on Farquhar Road in Penang was built in 1786, the year Captain Francis Light and British settlers landed on Penang island. They settlers set foot on this tropical island just off Butterworth/Seberang Prai on the mainland of Peninsular Malaysian on Aug 15th – the feast of the Assumption of the…
Place in The World: Home
Cliche but true – home is where the heart is.
Maria Dass the World 