Penang's cultural and heritage celebration

This was the first time that I wandered into the Chinese New Year cultural and heritage celebration. This year's celebration was very meaningful as it would be the first such big-scale celebration after George Town had attained world heritage status last year.

So today, I had to park along Fish Lane, walk along Toh Aka Lane, take a shortcut through a backlane sandwiched between Carnarvon Lane and Acheen Street (it would have been almost 40 years since I walked in this backlane) before emerging from Lumut Lane into Acheen Street and thence into the Armenian Street sunshine. The whole place had an air of festivity and was abuzzed with people, both locals and the out-of-towners. Some, like me, were very simply attired while others were strikingly well-dressed.

Armenian Street. Quite a number of people were already there in the afternoon

Visited Dr Sun Yat Sen's southern headquarters for the 1911 Chinese Revolution at 120 Armenian Street

Popped next door into the original home of the Kwong Wah Yit Poh newspaper

Fearsome dragon's head

But playful lions

After that, walked to the Pitt Street junction and visited the Hock Teik Cheng Sin (Tua Pek Kong) temple

Not forgetting the Khoo Kongsi at Cannon Square before I headed home

Sun was too hot; perhaps if I had visited in the evening it would have been cooler. But then, I would guess there'd be more people too. And less opportunities to take good photographs.