Georgetown, Penang in Photos: Fascinating Colonial Architecture!

Ah, Georgetown! Frequented by foreigners on a Thai visa run, home to countless expats, and popular hang out spot for hippies with either really long beards or really long dreadlocks that can be wrapped into a turban…

I spent over a week in Georgetown, during which time I managed to eat far too many tandoori sets at Restoran Kapitan, and drink way too many mango lassis at Kassim Mustafa. I also made some time to visit the Temple of Supreme Bliss (the biggest Buddhist temple in Malaysia!), and the Weld Quay Clan Jetties where communities live on stilt houses above the sea.

A little rough around the edges, Georgetown is not a place I loved at first sight, but it eventually won me over with its amazing Indian food, friendly stray cats, tiny archways and uneven sidewalks.

Here are a few of my favourite photos from my time there:

Long past its glory days but still alluring! Much of Georgetown is painted in pastel colours that brighten up the town. The walls of many homes and storefronts reveal old layers of paint, while in other sections the plaster has completely come off to expose the bricks. The signs of age add a little charm to this place.

This photo goes to show that I am both travelling with a red haired giant and that Georgetown’s archways are made for someone who is, shall we say, petite. The thing with these arches is that they were probably the right height when they were built a few hundred years ago. However, as construction has taken place over the years, and people have tiled and re-tiled the area in front of their shops, many of the sidewalks have risen and the arches have lost their height. If you go to Georgetown, watch your head. ; )

An early morning breakfast (up before sunrise!) at a dim sum restaurant. The large white steamed buns are called ‘bao’, and come with various fillings such as barbecued pork, vegetables, sweet bean paste and yellow custard. This meal is best enjoyed with a big pot of Chinese tea. And the reason we were up for breakfast so early is because some restaurants only serve dim sum for a few hours in the morning; so if you show up too late, all the best dumplings are gone!

Wandering around town early in the morning I came across a stack of tables and chairs. Hawker food is big in this city and many street food vendors set up plastic tables so that their customers have somewhere to enjoy their meal. We were just a little too early for the action.

I made friends with lots of cats when I was in Georgetown. This city seems to have the friendliest stray felines. I would stop to scratch them for a few minutes, and often times I’d have a cat following me down the street for several blocks. This particular looker was often lurking around our hostel so I got to know him pretty well.

A blue bicycle leans against the wall of a home with pale blue doors. It is a common to sight to see people’s windows and doors open to allow a breeze to flow through their homes. Sometimes as you walk past you may see families watching TV, a man taking a nap, or children playing with their toys on the cool floor tiles.

Walking around Georgetown is a treat for the eyes because you just never know what you’re going to find. You may spot a Hindu temple with colorful deities next to a half burned down structure, and further down the street there may be a sketchy watering hole adjacent to a former colonial mansion turned 5* hotel.

That’s Georgetown in a nutshell. Still evolving and growing into a modern city, while trying to maintain its culture and history.

For more info on travel in Malaysia, you can check out my 1 month Malaysia travel itinerary.

What do you think?
Does it seem like the kind of place you’d want to visit?