UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Colonial Malacca
By Tony on July 6, 2011 | No Comments »
A rather big name from the standpoint of colonial history, little Malacca is actually far smaller than its less known brother Penang. Despite its diminutive size, the little town has a long history and a certain flair derived from its time as the colonial hot potato that bounced from Malay to Portuguese to Dutch to British hands.
Interestingly, despite the fact that half of Europe seems to have passed through Malacca, the layout of the old city initially seems distinctly Chinese rather than European. Beyond first impressions, a walk through the backstreets slowly reveals remnants of the town’s complex past including the oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia, the oldest functioning Catholic church in Malaysia, the oldest traditional Chinese temple in Malaysia, and the oldest Dutch building in the entire East.
There is definitely some impressive, if somewhat subtle » Continue reading this post »
Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration
By Tony on February 16, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The tenth day of Chinese New Year saw Penang’s old city transformed into an open-air celebration of everything Chinese. The festivities were organized by the Penang state government to showcase Georgetown’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as to highlight the rich cultural heritage of Georgetown’s Chinese community, which includes large numbers of Hokkien, Cantonese, Toishan and Hakka.
The massive event featured 14 stages with live entertainment which flooded Chinatown’s tight lanes with crowds of visitors and, fortunately for us, » Continue reading this post »
Kek Lok Si Illuminated
By Tony on February 7, 2011 | 3 Comments »
To celebrate the year of the rabbit, Penang’s massive Kek Lok Si, the largest Chinese temple in Malaysia, has been decked out with 12,000 red and yellow Chinese lanterns as well as over 250,000 decorative bulbs. In addition to the temple, the newly constructed super-pagoda built to house Kek Lok Si’s 30 meter (100 ft) Kuan Yin statue is also being lit up each night. The twinkling complex sitting high above historical Georgetown gives a whole new meaning to the term “Buddhist enlightenment.”
Gong Xi Fa Cai
By Tony on February 4, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Gong xi fa cai, everybody. Congratulations, get rich. We are in Penang, Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year with my mother, Freda, and her husband, Ken. Close friends and family know that Penang is not just another random destination in our explorations. No, Penang, or more precisely nearby Butterworth, is Ken’s hometown. After more than 17 years, we will finally be meeting Ken’s family and experiencing a real, down home Chinese New Year’s celebration.
Ayutthaya – Temples and Elephants
By Thomas on January 19, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Riding an elephant was at the top of Lisa’s must-do-list. Since busy downtown Bangkok was not particularly suited for playing mahout and we needed a break from the big city, an elephant-friendly location in a quieter setting had to be found. Quickly, we decided on a 2-day trip to Ayutthaya, the former royal capital ninety minutes north of Bangkok.
Although Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese in the 18th century and many of the large monasteries and prangs were destroyed, there are still plenty of buildings and artifacts left to make it a worthwhile trip for temple lovers. Clearly, UNESCO thought so too, declaring Ayutthaya a World Heritage Site in 1991.
I have to admit that I’m not the architecture buff Tony is, but walking through this historical town, I could clearly see influences from » Continue reading this post »
