We start our tour of Georgetown by boarding a trishaw, a typical wheeled cart, for a ride along the capital's colourful streets including Chinatown with its winding roads disseminated with traditional temples and shops and Little India with its sandalwood and spicy aromas to the tune of Hindi music in the background.
We continue our trishaw excursion with a stop at the Khoo Kongsi temple, the most sumptuous in all of Malaysia whose walls, pillars and roofs are decorated with carvings representing the marks of Chinese master craftsmen.
The temple was built around 650 years ago and was rebuilt in 1920 after a fire. It has an enormous historic and cultural value and used to be the meeting place of a Chinese clan. The Chinese term “kongsi” in fact literally means “company” or “meeting hall”. These facilities had a number of functions and services both for families belonging to the same clan and to facilitate relationships between Chinese migrants, to celebrate civil and religious ceremonies - especially those relating to the cult of the ancestors - and to foster business relationships.
We then move to visit another of Georgetown’s gems, the Baba Nyonya museum, also known as “Pinang Peranakan Mansion” or “Chung Keng Kwee Museum”, as it used to be the private residence of the Chinese Chief of the Hai San Secret Society. The building, a magnificent eclectic villa, is a true architectural marvel. The late Victorian influence is particularly evident in the profusion of cast-iron decorations, among the few in Penang to have survived the Japanese occupation. The splendid antique furniture and magnificent woodwork will leave us truly speechless.
After visiting the Baba Nyonya Khoo Kongs museum, we will take a stroll walk to Armenian Street, is a narrow street within the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located within the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site, the road has gained popularity in recent years for its rich cultural offerings and street art.