MALAYSIASECRETS
It took me two full
days to exhaust
myself of the
childish excitement
of discovering
something new
around the corner.
Georgetown offers
an opportunity to
wander around
and get lost in the
backstreets, while
exploring its hidden
secrets.The creative
street artwork gives
a modern twist to
exploring its rich
heritage.
Then there is the urban art trail called Marking
Georgetown; a series of 52 caricatured wrought iron
sculptures that are scattered on almost every street
in the inner city. It’s an ingenious attempt by the
tourism authority to provide pictorial anecdotes to
Georgetown’s history and cultural heritage. Some
more difficult to spot than the other, it’s surely to
bring the joy of treasure hunting back. There is one
on Chulia Street, in which an exasperated mother
holding a report card asks a scared child hiding
behind a grass hedge to name his preference of
thick, medium or thin. Just around the corner, you
can find a man escaping from a window via ropes. A
voice from the window seems to be yelling, “Where
is my husband?”Apparently, Love Lane got its name
after apartments that housed mistresses of rich men.
Rationalisation of why pawnshops have a high
counter can be seen on Carnarvon Street. An
appreciation of the policemen of Georgetown is also
present on Chulia Street, who doubled as firefighters
up until 1909, while the nearby Chicken Alley was
extensively used as a poultry market. My favourite
is a tribute to Cantonese housemaids called Amah
who refer to themselves as Yatkeoktet, which
translates to one-leg-kicks-all after their all-in-one
persona.
It took me two full days to exhaust myself of
the childish excitement of discovering something
new around the corner. Georgetown offers an
opportunity to wander around and get lost in the
backstreets, while exploring its hidden secrets.
The creative street artwork gives a modern twist to
exploring its rich heritage like no other town in the
world and is a must for any offbeat traveller.
Dr. Shozeb Haider is a scientist by
profession. When not researching
on Cancer, he is seeking ways to
travel the world in search of that
elusive wisdom from the adage—
travel makes you wiser. He is based
out of London and Lucknow.
September-October 2015 Travel Secrets 51