Chasing Street Art In Georgetown Penang

After a couple of weeks in chilly Nepal where the weather was getting colder each day we were very excited to arrive in sunny Malaysia on the charming island of Penang. The main attraction here is Georgetown an old British colonial town (now a UNESCO heritage area) bursting with character and colour. 

Various walls in Georgetown are covered in fantastic Street Art by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic and they definitely rival those of Banksy in London. We grabbed a free map from our hotel, dotted with the exact spots of each piece of art and couldn't wait to get started on our 'graffiti treasure hunt'. 

"Mmm, coconut milk ice cream!"

"Everybody wants Chanel!"

Most pieces are walkable distance to each other within the streets of Georgetown itself, but for those a little further out you need to rent a bicycle and there are lots available. Unfortunately we missed out on a tandem!

"Ne naw! Ne naw!"

We spent a full day chasing the Street Art of Georgetown at a leisurely pace and were pretty pleased with our photographic bounty (we've included them all in this post!). 

"I smell a rat!"

We think we may have missed a couple though - definitely the mural of protesting cats as that street was closed. 

Shooting some B-ball...

"Too adorable!"

There are a few key themes to the Street Art: cats, children, Despicable Me minions and Kung Fu. So quite an eclectic and fun mix!

"Definitely not lost!"

It was a few days before Christmas when we visited Penang and most hotels in central Georgetown were full. Luckily we found a room the day before we arrived in the new Glow Hotel. It was a little bit outside of where wanted to be but we were delighted to learn that Mama's restaurant - a favourite of Rick Stein was located on the road opposite. Obviously we had to call in for dinner and were not disappointed, the Beef Rendang and Crab Spring rolls were divine and the staff were lovely.

Cooling down with a refreshing rose syrup ice ball.

Malay cuisine is one of our favourites and you are spoilt for choice in and around Georgetown, there are many food courts with stands offering cheap, tasty Malay and Chinese dishes from Laksa to Mee Curry, and Dim Sum to Tom Yam. The Dim Sum restaurant down the road from our hotel served the hottest Tom Yam soup we've ever had, our faces almost melted - luckily you get free ice creams to cool down your tongue afterwards!

Another great restaurant we discovered was Beach Blanket Babylon at the Mansion 32 Hotel, it has a gorgeous outdoor terrace overlooking their private beach which is ideal for an al fresco dinner and cocktails. We highly recommend their 'Local Favourite' dishes especially the Crab Laksa and Mee Goreng Mamak (squid noodles). There is so much fresh seafood in Penang its rude (and stupid) not to try it! 

We also went on a half day trip to Penang Hill, it's very easy to get to without a taxi, we caught the local bus by the mall and it took us straight there. After a couple of hours patiently queuing for tickets and our turn on the funicular train we enjoyed a steep, fast ride to the top of the hill. We rewarded ourselves with a couple of chilled Tiger beers as we admired the stunning views over Penang. 

"Career breaks are tough!"

We loved our city break in Penang and definitely recommend a visit!

"Where shall we go next?"