Footsteps and echoes

I had an overnight stay at the One Pacific Hotel along MacAlister Road, accompanying my wife for a medical procedure—nothing serious, by the way—at the LohGuanLye Specialist Centre just across the road. While she was waiting for her check-up, I took the opportunity to go on a long exploratory morning walk around the area. It was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time, but never quite got around to, since we live on the mainland. 

I must say that the One Pacific Hotel—like so many others in this area: Grand Inn, Landison, Tropicana, Courtyard, Red Rock, Travelodge, etc—makes a very convenient starting point for people wanting to explore the lesser-known tourist spots around MacAlister Road. That includes the makan places too, with New Lane being the focal point for many. However, people should be wary of the numerous durian stalls lining both sides of MacAlister Road because these might be pre-season fruit, very likely from out-of-state. Let's get into my story now.

Exiting from the old entrance of the hospital, I walked the length of Logan Road and felt a bit saddened by all the high-rise buildings that have taken the place of the old heritage bungalows that once lined the street. Still, I came across two stately, refurbished buildings that had resisted demolition and are now repurposed as nursing homes. Several decades ago, there were maybe five or six similar bungalows along this stretch of Logan Road, but one by one, the owners sold them off and residential towers sprang up in their place—until only these two were left. One of my old classmates, Oon Hup, used to live at No. 3-G, now long gone, of course.

Turning left into Anson Road, I wandered into the Old Winston Coffee Garden and thought for a moment about having the beef koay teow soup for breakfast. Decided against it. I left through the back entrance, took a walk down the back alley and emerged onto Rangoon Road, where I bought a packet of banana pancake from the lady hawker. That done, I cut across the Old Winston again and, emerging back on Anson Road, continued walking towards Penang Plaza. 

Just behind the plaza was One Corner Café, where I finally settled on a bowl of hokkien mee for breakfast. It wasn’t bad at all. Different stalls have their own way of preparing this hawker favourite, and here, I could really taste the full flavour of prawns in the broth. Quite satisfying.

Instead of retracing my steps along Anson Road, I took the long stretch of Burmah Road all the way to the Pangkor Road junction. Along the way, I paused in front of No. 229-B, where another of my old classmates, Chuan Keat, used to live during our schooldays. It brought back a wave of nostalgia—so many memories, now tucked away behind a gate that hadn't been there before. 

A little further on, I made a short stop at the corner to snap a few photos of the Victoria Memorial, unveiled in 1930 by Cecil Clementi, then Governor of the Straits Settlements. The statue still stands proudly on its pedestal, surrounded by four stone lions and their Union Jack shields. It’s part of the grounds of the Chinese Recreation Club (CRC). Victoria Green, where the CRC is located, was a public field gifted by the Chinese community in honour of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. The CRC itself was founded in 1892. Facilities were developed around the green over time, and the club became well known for cricket, tennis, badminton and more recently, community events. It remains one of the island’s most historic and respected social and sports clubs.

Turning left, I continued along Pangkor Road, then Perak Road, making a short detour into Khaw Sim Bee Road to look at the former Rediffusion building, until I reached the junction with Logan Road. And that’s where my four-kilometre-long morning walk ended, as I stepped back into the air-conditioned comfort of the LohGuanLye Specialist Centre.

ADDENDUM: I've also included some photos of MacAlister Road which I had taken the previous evening when I walked down in search of dinner.

My old classmate, Yeoh Oon Hup, now deceased, used to stay in one of these old bungalows. This particular one is now used as a nursing home

A second old classmate, Khoo Chuan Keat, also deceased, stayed here. The low stone walls that surrounded the houses along this stretch of road have all disappeared. In their place are metal gates that have destroyed the unique charm of the old houses 

From January to April 1963, this building in Perak Road served as the temporary premises of The Old Frees' Association while the Northam Road premises was being built

The old Rediffusion building which was acquired by the Penang Christian Centre after it had remained empty for quite a while

Behind this pillar stands the Buddhist Tzu Chi Dialysis Centre Penang. This is at the corner of Perak Road and Logan Road

The 218MacAlister building which houses the Tropicana and the Courtyard by Marriott

Soon-to-open 22 MacAlister Exsim which I suppose will be another hotel

This is the Ta Yuen Foh Thang (大圆佛堂), a temple run by vegetarian Mahayana nuns. It was established in 1883 which makes the temple 142 years old. I used to come here as a small boy, six or seven years old, brought along by my grandmother when she wanted to buy stuff. The place is filled with huge statues of Buddhist deities, with some arranged around a central dais in the main building. I used to tear around the gloomy prayer hall, completely unbothered by the stillness of the place and unfazed by the eyes of the statues looking down on me. Hardly anyone visited the temple back then, and I don’t think that’s changed much over the years—it still looks closed most of the time, quiet and undisturbed despite the presence of vehicles in the compound.

New life for an old workhorse

This is an occasion too significant for me to overlook. At around 1.22pm today, the iconic Penang ferry, Pulau Pinang, was successfully towed past the KTMB railway bridge at the Bagan Dalam Slipway, marking a key milestone in its transformation into Asia's first floating museum. For now, it is temporarily docked at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) while awaiting its final move to Tanjung City Marina.

According to Buletin Mutiara, people of all ages gathered along the slipway to witness this historic event. Some cheered with excitement, while others, overcome with nostalgia, bid the vessel a heartfelt farewell. Pulau Pinang, along with five or six other ferries, once played a vital role in ferrying passengers between the island and the mainland. Now, instead of transporting people, it will preserve Penang's rich heritage and carry the stories of generations who once sailed on it. Thank you, Pulau Pinang, for your incredible service to Penang. You’ve made Penangites proud, and we are grateful for the memories.

The yellow double-ended ferries that chugged across the Channel were once a crucial mode of transport to ferry both passengers and vehicles between George Town and Butterworth. Penang's ferry service was the oldest in Malaysia, introduced by local entrepreneur Quah Beng Kee and his brothers under the name Beng Brothers back in 1894.

The old iconic ferries, some of which were commissioned in the 1970s, were officially retired at the end of 2020 and replaced by faster speedboats. One ferry continued to serve vehicles, specifically motorcycles and bicycles, until July 2023. By August 2023, a fleet of four modern ferries, costing RM100 million and operated by Penang Port Sdn Bhd, took over the route.

As for Pulau Pinang, which belonged to the Penang Port Commission, it was leased to Printhero Merchandise Sdn Bhd for conversion into the Penang Ferry Museum. Its new role is no longer just about moving people, but about preserving the stories, history and legacy of Penang’s maritime heritage. (This picture from Buletin Mutiara's facebook.)

Tourism brochures

I recently had the opportunity to peruse some of the latest information brochures produced by Penang Global Tourism. Each brochure unfolds to either 16 or 24 pages of write-ups, maps and photographs. I must say they are all quite nicely produced. However, I do have one comment: we shouldn't be referring to our Baba-Nyonya heritage as Peranakan. That should stop. It's like Singaporean culture creeping into ours; very unlike Penang's! These brochures can be picked up from the Tourist Information Centre on the first floor of the heritage Whiteaways Arcade building on Beach Street, George Town. Happy exploring Penang's island and mainland!

Have a pint or two

Jalan Alor was mightily bustling when we dropped by for a visit last Tuesday. I haven't been here for eons! The road is now laid with interlocking pavement stones and purely a pedestrian walkway at night. With no vehicles allowed, food vendors have extended their stalls and laid their tables and chairs further into the road. The walking space is possibly narrowed to only about eight feet across. 

Anyway, the road was packed with people, mostly tourists who didn't mind playing inflated prices for their food and drinks. How inflated could the prices be? Well, I noticed some stalls selling coconuts at RM8 each, which must be pretty exorbitant even by KL standards. Musang King durian were going for RM58 per kilogramme. After seeing these prices, I didn't dare check the other food items. Presumably all would be similarly high too. 

We walked to the end of the road and turned into Changkat Bukit Bintang, where bars were aplenty, lining both sides of the road. Plus, the presence of shops offering foot reflexology services to passersby. With so many choices to titillate the senses, we eventually settled at a less populated outlet for some quiet and drinks.

Land of the hornbill

A trip to Santubong in Sarawak wouldn't be complete without mentioning the iconic giant rhinoceros hornbill statue at Damai Beach, about 120 metres from the entrance to the Sarawak Cultural Village. This hornbill is known locally as the burong kenyalang, and the statue stands 23 feet tall and spans 29 feet across. Before entering the cultural village, we took a walk to the observation deck where the statue looks out into the sea. The sunset from here should be spectacular. However, it was searingly hot at 4.45pm, and my wife wisely chose to escape the heat and sun. As for foolhardy me, I noticed it was low tide and wandered down to the beach for a closer look around. Despite my brief time on the sand, I really enjoyed myself.

A Kuching break

Kuching isn't just about the Rainforest World Music Festival. There are so many other wonderful things to do here, which is why Sarawak remains one of our favourite places to visit. Despite the distance from Penang, we've been to Sarawak several times. I suppose part of the allure is that my paternal grandmother was from Sarawak. She married my grandfather, a home-grown Penangite, and moved to Penang, but she would go back to Kuching for visits. I still remember, as a kid, waiting at Swettenham Pier for her ship to arrive from Borneo. Back then, that was the main way people travelled between Penang and Borneo—by ship. I probably still have relatives in Kuching; the last I heard, they lived in Kenyalang Park. However, my last few attempts to track them down amounted to nought, so I've given up on reconnecting with them.

During this latest trip to Kuching, we didn't venture beyond Santubong, where the music festival was held. On our arrival day, we caught up with a friend at one of Kuching's best-known spots: Kantin at The Granary. This modern, open warehouse-style restaurant, located near the waterfront, offered a fusion of Western and local dishes. The food was fresh and tasty, with the pasta and rainforest rice standing out from the menu. The only downside was the online ordering system, which was a hassle for someone like me. Despite that, we were up for the challenge. After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll along the waterfront, soaking in the night air and enjoying the fountain show from across the Sarawak River. The illuminated Legislative Assembly building added a calming touch to our evening.

We spent the morning of the second day exploring the streets of Kuching's old Chinatown. Very little has changed since we were last here five years ago. Down we went along Ewe Hai Street to order a kolo mee breakfast at the Kim Joo coffee shop. There was just a small crowd when we arrived but by the time the food came, the place was packed. We must have brought in the crowd. Later as we strolled down Carpenter Street, a continuation of Ewe Hai Street but with a different name, what struck us was that Kuching, or at least this road, still retained much of its old world charm. Time almost standing still. At best, time was strolling along slowly, like us. Along both sides of this road, as well as the feeder roads, were countless old proprietary or family businesses such as the chhai tiam-ah or sundry shops, kay-see tiam or furniture shops, kim tiam or goldsmith shops, t'ng tiam or pawn shops, kah-chhia tiam or bicycle shops, teh-hiok tiam or tea merchants and t'ng-lang iok tiam or Chinese medicinal shops. Dotted among them were the traditional kopi tiam or coffee shops, modern coffee joints, Chinese tradesman associations and temples. Heck, we even saw a kua-chhar tiam or coffin shop tucked in there. Eventually, we reached the Lau Ya Keng food court and found the koay chhap irresistible. With our shopping, eating and exploring behind us, it was time to head back to the hotel and prepare ourselves for the bus ride to Santubong.

The morning of the third day was all a hectic rush. Absolutely no time to wander around Kuching again. Hastily repacking our luggage and the Buddha statue, we then grabbed a ride to the Kuching international airport for the next leg of our short holiday to rendezvous with our daughter in Kuala Lumpur.

Kantin at The Granary

Kuching waterfront at night

Kim Joo coffee shop

Ewe Hai Street

Lau Ya Keng food court

The Round Tower

Old Courthouse

India Street pedestrian mall

Along Main Bazaar Road

Kuching Waterfront