A stroll along Armenian Street, Penang

Remember these two photos?

I took my family to Armenian Street in the old heritage enclave of George Town on Wednesday. Normally, the road would be a little bit more - not much but a wee bit more - bustling but because it was a public holiday, it was rather quiet. Suited me a lot. The old Hokkien name given to this road was pak thang-ah kay (Copper Workers' Street) because there was a braziery there in the mid-19th century that sold all types of copper and brass items.

Armenian Street is quite a lengthy road as can be seen from the Google Map. But it is also very narrow. The two ends of Armenian Street are its junctions with Acheen Street (A) and Beach Street (C). Somewhere in the middle is the intersection with Pitt Street and Cannon Square (B). From the Beach Street junction, Armenian Street extends into Armenian Street Ghaut which ends at the Weld Quay (D) junction.


Anyway, all we covered was just a small stretch of the road: from the Beach Street junction until about halfway up the road towards the Pitt Street junction where we had lunch at the quaint Edelweiss Cafe. That alone, it took us about two hours to cover. I was rather pressed for time or else we would have spent more time here.


This is the Armenian Street junction with Beach Street. I don't know what is this old, abandoned building but it was a photographer's delight. Rich saturated colours here.


Making nyonya beaded shoes is a dying art but if you are still interested in getting a pair made, here's the place in Penang. It's not going to be cheap because threading the tiny beads is a time consuming and exacting art.


The entrance to the Cheah Kongsi. Like most of the old and grand clanhouses, the entrance is very modest. All that shows is a narrow alley with an archway. But once you go inside, you'll be greeted with a vast expanse of space and imposing buildings.


Some of the old buildings we saw along the way. Almost all were built in the late 19th century or early 20th century at a time when Armenian Street and the adjacent Acheen Street were the hotbed of secret societies like the Red Flag and White Flag societies which were trying to draw their boundaries of control in Penang. Most of the buildings are still in habitable condition but there will always be some that had obviously been abandoned.


The Edelweiss Cafe which was our destination for lunch. It has been opened for several years now and all this while, it had eluded me. Not from not knowing about it but because I had no opportunity to go into this part of George Town. But once I stepped inside this establishment, I knew for sure that my trip here has not been in vain. Edelweiss Cafe, as it's name suggests, serves alpine food (Swiss and German) but there are also local dishes. More about this restaurant later.


Final photo. I took this as we walked back towards the car. As you can see, the road is deserted. But...there were a lot of people going to the Edelweiss Cafe for lunch. It was never empty whilst we were there.