Penang Market

The shophouses along the market streets of Georgetown, Pulau Pinang.

The Passengers have just returned from a weekend in Penang. We spent two days exploring with friends the multicultural Malaysian trading island in the Andaman Sea. The place has been a stopover point for traders from Southeast Asia, India, and China for many years, and it all combines into a potent mix.

Local coffeeshops sell food during the Saturday morning market.

For a bit of local flavor we spent Friday night sampling the hawker stalls along Gurney Drive. On Saturday morning we joined a batch of our traveling companions on a wander through the morning market in Georgetown, the island's main city. Here's a few photos from the day. We started at 8:00 AM, before the sun became nearly unbearable in the afternoon.

 Credit Passenger H with many of these photos. I was too busy looking at the Straits architecture. I'll try to do a separate post on that later in the week. There are more photos after the jump break. Click the link below left to see more of market life.

Vegetable stalls in Georgetown.

The urban core of Georgetown on Penang was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique blend of culture and architecture. The city faces the strait between the island and the Malaysian peninsula. It is still an important port in Indian Ocean trading.

A dry goods stall inside the covered market area of Penang.

Dry goods stalls inside and around the market.

Like Singapore, Penang has long hosted an amalgamated population of Straits-born, or Peranakan, Chinese  plus Straits-born Indians. The life and habits of these trading families have combined with local tastes and practices in unexpected ways over generations. Here signs usually feature messages in Malay, Chinese, and English. Also like Singapore, Penang was an important port within the British Empire, a waypoint between the great domains of India and the Federated Malay States.

Looking onto the streets facing the covered market area in Penang.

We hope to return again to see more of the city.