72: AMAZING STREET ART FOUND IN PENANG

We found a mural of the coronavirus in Ta'an. Ready for the ferry city? With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the news that returning to school was delayed indefinitely, we decided to extend our Malaysian trip by visiting the island of Penang. It was an easy three-hour ferry ride in a mostly empty vessel, but the frigid air conditioning had me scrounging through luggage for my winter jacket. Upon arrival in Georgetown, we were handed a treasure hunt map to find the 15 most famous street paintings and 52 steel rod caricatures. What you doing, sweetie? What kind of map do you have there? I have a map of all of the iron. Oh, show it to us. Art installation, and we're checking them off one at a time. So wasn't this part of them becoming the UNESCO heritage site? World Heritage Site, yeah. All right, y'all, there they are. We're all obsessed. We are going through and finding each one of these. We're going to read them. It's kind of like a guide to history of the city in an art iron form. It's pretty amazing. It's cool. Yep, and I don't think anybody's done a video of this. So here you are, just for you. Yeah. Hey, if you like these videos, go ahead and hit that subscribe button. Hit the like button and share. And the bell so you know when we post videos. And remember, like my mom Hopi says, it's free and it's easy to do. Thanks a lot, guys. We appreciate you. None. Oh, you roll. As we walked around Georgetown, what truly amazed us was that while 67 famous sites were marked, we were unprepared for the ubiquity of street art surrounded by stunning architecture. The paintings or graffiti or murals may not have been named or deemed famous, but they were indeed beautiful. The historic town was a feast for the eyes and all of the senses. And we often submitted to our cravings as we meandered through the Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and Malay sections. Is this a famous one out here? Many of the art pieces allowed the viewer to participate, like sitting on this old motorcycle and with the kids on a bicycle or pretending to have angel wings. Oh, that's really cool. Where are we off to? We're going to see number our final painting. Of the day? No, of all the paintings. No way. Have we seen them all? We've seen all the street paintings. We haven't seen all the ironworks. We tried to walk down every alley or side street as we meandered through town because we were always rewarded with something special, even if it was as simple as a beautiful door or the faded patina of a house. Oh, cute little alley that's famous for a lot of artwork. Hey, kitty. In 2009, to physically brand Georgetown as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Penang government opened an international pitch for marking Georgetown. The winning idea was a unique series of steel rod caricatures which retell the history of the streets and stories of its communities, all from a local voice. Using wit and humor, the artists have created a timeless treasure. Look at the detail, the way they bend the bars. The roti bengali or the duck? No, roti bengali. I'm sorry. 32, 33. 2010, the artists started to create the 52 steel rod sculptures that exist today. This project and the street art has changed the landscape of Georgetown creating a whole new category of attractions. While all of the steel rod caricatures are worth noting, we have five favorites to share with you that tell a unique story. This is called May I Borrow Your High Heels by the Locals. It's a piece that pokes fun at a short man trying to reach the counter of a local pawn shop. The counter of the pawn shop is typically higher for security reasons. Cheating Husband is a popular caricature found on the wall of one of the houses at the start of Love Lane, appropriately named even as early as 1897. It's a comical rendition of a wealthy man hanging out of his mistress's window. Who hasn't heard of Jimmy Choo Shoes? Well, this caricature reminds us that although Jimmy was a graduate of London's Cordwainers College, it is said that he first trained as an apprentice at Hong Kong shoe store at the corner of Muntry Street and the shoe store still exists today. Mahjong is the favorite pastime in this mainly Cantonese quarter and this caricature is aptly named after the game. In this piece, neighbors shout in a local English accent, Hey, at this hour still play mahjong? in response to the noisy shuffling of mahjong tiles. In Chinese, the game was originally called Ma Kei, meaning sparrow. It is said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling resembles the chattering of these birds. You Only tells how the paper ablation business thrived on the Chinese belief that all pleasures of the material world, even bungalows and cars, could be sent to the afterlife by reproducing them in paper and burning them. We still see this tradition continue in our own city of Qingdao. After two weeks, our treasure map was well worn, and while we didn't accomplish the mission of visiting every painting and steel rod caricature, we thoroughly enjoyed the foot tour through the streets and history of incredible Georgetown. This is definitely a destination to add to your bucket list.