Khoo Kongsi and the other corners of George Town, Penang.
I’ve done photowalking here several times but its incredible charm never fails to lure me.
I keep coming back.
After I hopped off the bus and brought out my camera to start capturing some things I fancy, everything seemed to have occured in the past. It was somewhat like deja vu but not quite. Simply because this time, my photowalking got a volunteer companion; none other than the love of our lives, Gabby! 🙂
I thought I would stroll the laterals of GeorgeTown alone again but to my surprise, our 8-year-old kid decided the last minute to come with me. It was cleared to him that I would take long walks and multiple steps from one street to another but the boy was determined to transformed his weekend to an entirely different one from his Monday to Friday routine in school. He really wanted to tag along; I could not be happier!
So while we left his lovely mom who did some amazing household chores at our apartment (she always does it best without us around!), this wonder boy was with me for few hours goofing around one of Malaysia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites…
Bus, ferry and another bus ride and we arrived shortly to Jalan Penang. We finally saw the largest of Ernest Zacharevic‘s murals in GeorgeTown. Beautiful, is it not?
Few little steps and our feet brought us to Muntri Street. Let the photowalking begin! 😀
GeorgeTown literally inscripted its history, culture and traditions on almost countless iron rod sculptures installed in various alleys and streets. Creative, whimsical, informative and educational, these art pieces surely are eye-catching; a lot of tourists drop by to photograph them. One of them actually asked me, “Do you want me to take photos of you and your son with your camera?”
One of the firewalls of a shophouse in Muntri Street has another Zacharevic’s mural painting -a Chinese-Malaysian girl in kungfu outfit (or is it blue PJs?) whose hands appeared to be pressing on window shades. It’s definitely not my favorite but quite fascinating too.
More installations in Muntri Street…
Yeah, right! Get a Life!
From Muntri Street, Gabby and I lazily walked towards Love Lane…
I wonder why the Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharervic painted a broken heart on two public phones when in fact they’re installed in Love Lane…
Blink and you will miss this on the wall across 711 and the broken-hearted-payphones…
Quaint gestures of recycling on warmest greetings…
Do you have the key?
Meanwhile, at Ah Quee Street, art needs resuscitation… 🙂
Alas, another Zacharevic’s masterpieces!
Something pink in Armenian Street…
Something weird?
Or it’s just me. I imagined walking through Armenian Street at midnight with this sight of a voodoo doll on a drift wood, would you not be afraid to death? LOL! 😀
OK, it aint weird but…unique (for the lack of better adjective, hahaha!)
What about a pair of shoes on a giant frog’s mouth? Art? Recycling fun!
Can’t blame us if we craved for Starbucks…
Talking about craving, long walks need refueling of course. And the wonder boy wanted to eat in one of our favorites in George Town. Believe it or not, it was Gabby who wished to eat in Restoran Kapitan again for some Indian dishes. So we had Boneless Buttered Chicken, Garlic and Cheese Naan, Mango Lassi and Chocolate Ice Blended. Solb!
Our last stop was a bookstore for the little boy also craved for his favorite pocketbook series.
We enjoyed our weekend. Yet another special one. And you? 😉
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This blog’s other posts with George Town’s street arts include :
beyond toxicity @ docgelo.com 
wow. those street art is just so so amazing to see, i wanna live in that neighborhood. and that cop with a cup is so badass! really nice post Doc!
thanks! there are only selected few who appreciates the arts in whatever form; most are too busy and preoccupied with wordly things 😦
i really enjoy these murals when you show them. i wouldn’t be surprised if the tourism bureau has a map/route DIY tour mapping these murals. if they don’t they should.
the weekend was fun, weather wise it was back to summer again. we ended up walking up and down the waterfront from embarkadero (ferry bldg) to pier 39. feeling tourist kami ni mister with our camera hanging around our necks.
they’ve come up with a map already to facilitate tourists and local people in spotting those murals around georgetown however, i’m too lazy to google nor to get one from penang state tourism board, haha!
so you’re having summer in california, and you’re in san francisco? nice! here, it’s summer all throughout! kidding! it’s been raining here lately.
– Was it your son who cooked up those poses in the photos? I love them! Such a creative mind. => Your weekend activity was a good opportunity to exercise the mind too!
– Are those Geronimo Stilton books? My son loves those too!
– Thank you for reminding me to take a walk. I used to do that but somehow, it got lost in my adulthood. I might just do that real soon.
– Have a great day!
Oh, yes! I didn’t direct him on his poses; they’re were not on cue as he made it himself. that’s why some of the photos are grainy because it’s hard to pass up a moment particularly when he’s already smiling and all. 🙂
like your son, gabby’s into geronimo stilton books and diary of a whimpy kid. at least he has reading as one of his hobbies.
nakaita ko yung iba dyan pero dami kong namiss,to note na along/around love lane lang pala sila.dejavu nga.miss Penang! 🙂
hello, theprobinsyano (what do i call you, btw?)! thanks for dropping by my blog.
nakapunta ka na pala ng penang; how’s the experience?
Nice pictures =D
thank you! 🙂
Marvelous photos!
thank you, marion! 🙂
Ang kulit ng mga pictures ni Gabby! Hahahhaa… Nice. I would love to have a photoshoot with the kids, something like this kind. Nice to drop by here again. Just busy, sorry! Hehehhee
hi sheng! thanks for dropping by here; ill visit your site soon too! like you; i’m cramped with deadlines at work. i only get a chance to reply to your comments in between work and whatnot just to show i value them of course; to blog hop is another thing. but no matter how busy i am, i try my best not to spoil our weekends.
I think I saw some of these in a previous post you did. Still, I’m amused how one artist can turn the mundane into something extraordinary. They’re truly thought-provoking! Good that Gabby gamely tagged along, he’s going to learn how to appreciate art no matter where it is – whether it’s in a museum or a street. And of course, nothing can beat your quality time together!
my thoughts exactly, dennis -nothing can beat your QUALITY TIME together! 🙂
ang galing nung paintings! they make me want to go there!
by the way, great shots sir! 🙂
Thanks!