Penang, Malaysia : a pearl of the Orient

Penang is a beautiful island in the north of Malacca Strait.  It enjoys a year-round warm and sunny Tropical weather.  The months of December to March are less rainy and are ideal for recreational visits.



(House overlooking the Malacca Strait)


British came to Penang in the eighteenth century.  Together with Singapore and Malacca, they formed the Straits Settlements under the British colonial administration for more than a century.  Nowadays, you can still find many Victorian style buildings in the island.

(Penang City Hall)

When I visited former British colonies, including Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Christchurch, their botanic gardens were my favourite spots. I enjoyed seeing their beautiful flowers, trees and birds in the gardens. Let me share with you a few photos that I took in the Penang Botanic Gardens.


(Flowers of Cannon Ball tree)



(Water lilies in the pond)

(White-throated Kingfisher with a frog in its month)



(Black-hooded Oriole)

Penang has many churches and temples for different religions.  It is also a good place to study the lineages and customs of migrant Chinese and Indians.  Last time, I had an enjoyable morning walking around the streets of George Town and talking photos of its temples.

(Chinese temple built by migrants of Fijian province)

(Chinese ancestors temple)

(Hindu temple)