Penang Island, Malaysia

The island of Penang blew us away. Not only because of the sweltering 37 degrees Celsius outside temperature and high humidity, but also because of the diversity of this place. Like the rest of Malaysia, it consists of a large Malaysian, Indian, and Chinese community, living according to Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu faith. The best part is that coexistence works well. The diversity is also reflected in the incredible variety of restaurants and street food stalls.

George Town, the main town on the island, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008. Its protected old town consists of many English colonial buildings as well as Chinese business houses, various temples, and mosques.

They have strongly promoted street art, including countless black and white comics that are illuminated in the evening and tell stories about life in Malaysia, or graffiti with real objects incorporated.

During our stay in Penang, Chinese New Year was just ending, which was naturally celebrated by the Chinese community. By chance, we came across a sightseeing tour during one of these festivities. Luckily, one of the spectators informed us in detail about the traditions and customs during Chinese New Year. One of them was balancing a long bamboo stick on the shoulder, head, or in the mouth. I was also allowed to try it, but had to be careful not to hit the mayor's parked car with the license plate number 1. :)

In the evening, there was another event in a park by the sea. There is a tradition where singles try to throw a mandarin with their name and phone number into a basket in the water. The mandarins are then retrieved, and the opposite gender can contact the respective person. Nowadays, they have modified this custom slightly, and anyone can simply write a wish on it and try their luck.

Text by Oli

Image processing by Rahel