Visiting Penang Museum and Art Gallery in Malaysia
Penang lies on the west coast of Malaysia. It’s known as the “Pearl of the Orient”.
It has some of the most beautiful beaches in Asia. Those beaches were some of the beaches hit during the tsunami that struck the area on December 26 of last year. Thankfully, tourism is coming back to this area, which is a ferry ride from the epicenter of the tsunami, Indonesia.
Besides the beaches, there are other attractions for one to see while in Penang. It’s located in the capital of Penang, Georgetown on Lebuh Farquhar. It’s the Penang Museum and Art Gallery. Like most of Malaysia, it’s inexpensive, only 1 RM(Malaysian Ringitt), which comes out to less than $1USD. The museum hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday. Since Friday is a holy day in Muslim Malaysia, the museum has staggered hours, 9am-12pm and 245pm until 5pm.
Like most of Asia, Malaysia was part of the British Empire and one can see British influences everywhere. In the courtyard of the museum, you come face to face with the imposing statue of Georgetown’s founder, Sir Francis Light, who named the city in honor of King George III of England. Once inside the building, you get up close and very personal with Penang and its people. Not only the clothes they wore or the food they ate and drank, but the furniture they sat or slept on as well.
You also meet the people who made up the population of the island at one time or another. Not only were they Malay, Indian, Chinese, and Arab, but also Japanese, British, Portuguese, Dutch, and Armenian, who immigrated after World War I. The presence of the Portuguese isn’t that surprising, actually. The British, Dutch, and Portuguese all fought over control of this area, which was known for its spices.
In many parts of Malaysia, you’ll find names that sound as though they belong to someone from Brazil, not Malaysia One of the amazing things about the museum is the friendly and helpful security guards. Not only are they there to make sure you don’t touch or steal anything, but they guide you from exhibit room to exhibit room.
When visiting Penang, make the Penang Museum and Art Gallery a stop on your must visit list.
