Malaysia Malaysia TravelExplore the Iconic Street Art of Penang – A Expert 2023 GuideDecember 25, 2022Asia / City / Guides / MalaysiaOff the northwest coast of Malaysia is the island of Penang. George Town is the capital of Penang and is known for murals and other art installations. These works are contributions from both local and international artists and are great fun to explore for a day or two. This guide provides tips to successfully explore the street art of Penang. by Jessica Dale Reading Time: 7 minutes George Town – A Brief History George Town’s history dates all the way back to the 18th century and was founded by Captain Francis Light of the British East India Company. Captain Light arrived in Penang during 1786 and created a settlement, named after King George III from England – George Town was originally a trading post for the British East India Company but soon grew to be a major trading port exporting tin and rubber mainly amongst other commodities. In the 19th century GeorgeTown received a lot of immigration from countries including China, India and middle eastern nations who came to trade in the area. This influence can be seen all over Penang even as you walk around today. The architecture and unique culture of this local area are what make Penang amazing. Over the 20th century George Town has had several key developments and changes, from Japanese control to gaining its independence from the British to suffering an economic decline in the late 80’s/90’s and even early 2,000’s. George Town has revitalised significantly as we have ventured deeper into the 21st century. The interesting thing about George Town is that it has only become an art-centric hub in the past 15 years. In 2008 it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and it wasn’t until 2009 that George Town received its first art project. The project was called Making George Town and consisted of metal-worked sculptures in a cartoon-style depiction, these still exist all over George Town today and are great fun to find them as you wander the streets. Following on from this first art project George Town has seen several other successful projects focusing on a variety of subjects and causes. From the lives of the local people to raising awareness of stray animals. George Town has seen some incredible artists contribute to this location and has become the art hub of Malaysia. Prominent Works of George Town and Where to Find Them As you saunter through the streets of George Town you will be hard pressed to miss the large amounts of artworks here but here are some of the more prominent works and where they can be found. The Best Known Artworks Little Children on a Bicycle “Little Children on a Bicycle” by Ernest Zacharevic This piece is done by Ernest Zacharevic and is one of two murals located on Armenian Street as part of the Mirrors George Town project in 2012. The mural depicts a little boy being taken on a bicycle ride by his older sister and brings a lovely element of joy to this street. Boy on a Bike “Boy on Bike” by Ernest Zacharevic Another piece by Ernest Zacharevic – this mural depicts a little boy on a motorcycle watching the traffic passing by on the street. Located on Ah Quee Street in Georgetown this artwork is next to the “Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur” piece also by Ernest Zacherevic. The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This “The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This” by Artists Against Stray Animals Located between Ah Quee Street and Beach Street this artwork may require a bit of searching to find it. The mural depicts Bruce Lee kicking two stray cats and was painted by the Artists Against Stray Animals (ASA) group. It is designed to help raise awareness about the large amount of stray animals in the city. For Walking Further “For Walking Further” by Julia Volchkova Located on the popular and bustling Love Lane. This artwork is by an artist who is no stranger to Penang. This piece by Julia Volchkova depicts a street busker with the sign “For walking further”. Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur Mural “Little Boy With Pet Dinosaur” by Ernest Zacharevic Another piece by Ernest Zacharevic – this mural depicts a little boy holding onto a leash attached to a children’s drawing of a dinosaur. Located on Ah Quee Street in Georgetown this artwork is next to the “Boy on Bike” piece – positioned perfectly so the two artworks compliment each other. Children on the Swing “Children on the Swing” by Louis Gan In an alleyway off Chulia Street lies a well known piece by a local artist named Louis Gan. The piece contains two children (Assumed to be brother and sister) on a swing next to a road sign (also part of the work) called Step by “Step Lane” An Army of Chinese Cats “An Army of Chinese Cats” by Unknown Artist Found on Beach Street this depiction shows an army of cats holding a variety of objects with Chinese cultural indications. It is unsure on who the artist of this mural is but it certainly makes for an interesting piece. Pieces to Spot as you Walk Around As well as enjoying the well known artworks I personally find the very best thing about Georgetown being the street art capital of Malaysia is that art can be found pretty much everywhere! Various Pieces from the Making George Town Project Across the city you will find various installations involving metal steel rods formed as cartoon style characters. These are found in a lot of different locations so keep an eye out and see how many you can spot. We especially loved walking through the bustling streets of Little India, these sculptures can be found in even the most obscure places which means trying to find them leads you down roads, checking behind buildings, looking both up to the tops of buildings and in the arches. The interactive nature of this project is truly fantastic. New Artworks George Town is a forever expanding, evolving and changing canvas, from the work done over the last 15 years it serves to attract new talent. Some of the original murals may have faded but new ones are popping up regularly. The Artists Behind the Works of George Town, Penang Over the years, George Town has seen a variety of artists contribute to its increasing art scene. The artworks seen in this amazing city are from local and international artists of which are: Ernest Zacharevic http://www.ernestzacharevic.com/ A talented artist from Lithuania commissioned to create Mirrors George Town. This project helped put Penang on the map. The Mirrors project depicted the lives of local people and featured 6 works. Zacharevic’s works are perhaps the most publicised works in George Town. Artists for Stray Animals Tang Yeok Khang and Louise Low from Malaysia combined their efforts with Natthaton Muangkliang from Thailand to form the group named “Artists for Stray Animals” – These artists have contributed towards many works in George Town including a project named 101 Lost Kittens. The works of ASA have been joined over the years with several unknown artists contributing and adding their works to George Town. Louis Gan Louis Gan is a local freelance artist who is both deaf and mute. He is self-taught and prefers to use watercolours and acrylics. He is best known for the mural – Children on the Swing. Julia Volchkova https://volchkovaart.com/ Russian born artist Julia Volchkova captures the soul in her artworks of George Town, her works focus on the roots of local culture and was originally drawn to the location as part of the Urban Xchange: Crossing Over project “The Boat Man” by Julia Volchkova Conclusion While I wish I could detail exactly where to find all of the pieces there are new pieces appearing on a consistent basis so I can advise to go for a wander in the popular areas detailed in this article. There are some of the popular ones but I personally found it to be more fun to see this article for myself and be surprised. I hope this article has helped give an insight into what George Town in Penang has to offer, we had a fantastic day of exploring. It was fantastic for keeping fit as well as discovering some amazing works by some very talented artists. If you’re looking for another amazing experience in this cultural hub of a city – read our review on the Penang Upside Down Museum, it really does go to show that perspective is absolutely everything!... Rainbow Lodge Review – A Great budget accommodation in LangkawiJanuary 16, 2023Asia / Beach & Island / Malaysia / Travel ReviewsTrawling through the booking apps to find accommodation to suit is exhausting. Who knows what the actual accommodation will be like but Rainbow Lodge did not disappoint. We spent a month there to see how this budget to mid range option stands the test of time. by Jessica Dale Our Rating Reading Time: 6 minutes Top 6 Insta360 Cameras Rainbow Lodge, Langkawi Rainbow Lodge is located in the Pentai Cenang area of Langkawi, it boasts a varied range of accommodation options to suit pretty much any weary traveler. It offers accommodation types including budget backpacker dorm rooms, private budget rooms, small chalets and bungalows. Rainbow Lodge is not a luxury paradise but is works as a long term option. Location of Rainbow Lodge The first thing you notice if walking to Rainbow Lodge is the small stretch of road leading through a rural setting to get to it. If you approach from the Jalan Pentai Chenang direction, the fields are on the right and are teeming with wildlife and the faint moo of a yak heard from a field further in the distance. This stretch of road is important because this is not only the main road to get to Rainbow Lodge, it is also the road you are likely to walk down and see the lighting flashes in the clouds far far above on a warm winter’s night. Accommodation is not just about the room after all. Speaking of location, Rainbow Lodge is perfectly situated within a short walk of the main center of Cenang (pronounced Che-nang) and as such only minutes away from the bustling scene. It is the perfect location of peace and quiet when you need it and the convenience of the action close by. The main night market of Cenang is also only a few moments walk away which is held weekly on a Thursday. First Impressions Rainbow Lodge as a whole is split into 2 main sections. This can be confusing at first when you arrive only to be informed you are at Rainbow Lodge Budget instead of Rainbow Lodge. RL Budget is predominantly dormitories and as the name suggests – budget basic rooms. Head up to the next turning and although part of the same business – Rainbow Lodge (Also known as Rainbow Lodge 101) operates a different reception. After finding the correct reception we were shown to the room, a semi-detached chalet with a hammock outside, the area was peaceful and you could picture yourself spending a lot of time relaxing in that hammock enjoying the 30°C (86°F) November heat of Malaysia. Entering the chalet, you are greeted to a rather large room. A larger than usual television, fridge and small table to the left. To the right a secondary yet un-needed single bed. Straight ahead was a standard size double bed. A small vanity table to the back of the room with perhaps the smallest almost comedic stool next to a wardrobe. The decor was rather plain and uninspired but bright. The bathroom featured a bath (albeit quite small but still useful) and in this part of the world the rare commodity of TWO rolls of toilet paper! After a quick shuffle of the furniture – This was home for the next month. Positive Aspects of Rainbow Lodge Rainbow Lodge is by no means luxury accommodation but this is not what we are here for. With that in mind let’s take a look at what things Rainbow Lodge is amazing for: Peaceful Area and Quiet This cannot be stressed enough, we have stayed in accommodation which doesn’t benefit from this quality and it has been sorely missed. Rainbow Lodge is in a great area and in the entire month of staying there, sleep was disturbed just the once by a huge downpour of rain. Rarely could other people even in the chalet next door be heard. Stable Internet Anyone that reads our articles knows the importance we stress on having consistent and fast internet. This allows us to do what we do and is essential in many things you do and use. Rainbow Lodge not only offers great WiFi speeds and coverage but the 4G speeds are great here too. For the entire month the internet didn’t fault once. From our experience with other accommodation in Langkawi, this is an extreme rarity so should be coveted. Rainbow Lodge offers traditional WiFi which is to say – you get the password and connect to the network. Nice and simple without any additional login screens. Why is this important? Any of you tech savvy people out there travelling with a Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick – this will work here! Bathtub Considering a lot of budget/midrange accommodation rarely comes with a bathtub we think this is definitely a positive for this accommodation. There’s nothing quite like a good soak after a day’s activities, especially when those activities include taking on the Thousand Memories Eagle stairs of Gunung Raya! Price Point Rainbow Lodge is priced around 70-100RM ($15 – $20) per night depending on the season. As a member of the budget category, We can say it’s definitely worth that price. Having stayed in other accommodations in Langkawi that costs a lot more and returned much less value for money Close by Bar with Pool Table This is quite honestly one of the best features about this accommodation. In one of the sections of Rainbow Lodge Budget is the Rainbow Lodge bar. This bar attracts everyone from locals to back packers and is a fantastic spot to meet new people and mix with folks from all over the world! The bar itself offers cheap drinks and a free pool table. Anybody who knows us understands the importance of a free pool table that is actually level and great fun to share a game over a drink with someone new! Klook.com The Negative Aspects of Rainbow Lodge Rainbow Lodge has a good amount of positives but like most accommodation- it’s not perfect. There are some aspects we think could be worth knowing especially when considering a longer term stay here. Cleaning Schedule When we first checked in we were informed that cleaning is only done once weekly. In our month-long stay we found we had to request cleaning otherwise they would forget. This issue only really affects those staying longer term and the reception staff are quite friendly but are not always there so it can be a bit of a game trying to find them. Rubbish can be left outside and will be removed accordingly (we were only informed this on week 2 however). Only a minor inconvenience but certainly one that is worth your consideration should you wish to stay over a week. Tin Roof When Raining Of course, depending on when you visit Langkawi rain can be a crucial factor. This issue only presents itself when it downpours, the roof of the chalets in Rainbow Lodge is a tin-like roof and as such when it rains very heavily you can barely hear yourself think. This only happened twice but one of those times was in the early hours of the morning and thus disturbed our much-needed beauty sleep. We were not happy. The Sliding Bed with an Uncomfortable Headboard This negative is probably our biggest gripe with Rainbow Lodge! The mattress on the bed was not overly attached to the base and as you can imagine it was all fun and games pushing the mattress back to the headboard frequently. Speaking of headboard, it was a faux leather style with solid pieces of wood running through the center. We found this particularly uncomfortable when sitting upright in bed. A pillow resolved this issue but it is definitely worth mentioning. Conclusion Rainbow Lodge delivers above-average for the price point for Langkawi accommodation, sure it has a few negative aspects but we have yet to find a perfect accommodation. With its local bar only metres away from the chalets and the quiet (and safe) area Rainbow Lodge is the perfect accommodation for anyone looking to stay both short and long term. We thoroughly enjoyed this quaint little site and after staying in a good amount of places in this area of Langkawi – we can honestly say this is the best of the bunch. We booked Rainbow Lodge through Hotels.com which has a brilliant rewards program as they reward a free night for every 10 nights stayed, Click this link here to book Rainbow Lodge for your next Langkawi stay.... Seeking Accommodation – Basic Checks and Best Advice For Warm ClimatesDecember 17, 2022Asia / Digital Nomad / Guides / Malaysia / Thailand / VietnamIt’s easy to jump onto any old booking site and go for the cheap and cheerful option but when it comes to seeking accommodation in a warmer climate, it’s worth taking a moment to consider a few factors that could make your stay a lot more comfortable. Below we have highlighted some of the most important things we have learned in our reservation and accommodation experience. by Jake Roswell Reading Time: 6 minutes Filters are your friend When Seeking Accommodation Most if not all of the big name booking sites have a comprehensive filter selection that can help you tailor your perfect trip, but some options you may take for granted are in there too and should not be neglected. If you’re not one to share bathroom facilities this is a key one to look out for, as the descriptions can be missing these nuggets of information. Important ones to keep in mind are ‘free Wi-Fi’, some establishments offer this in communal spaces only. ‘Facilities for disabled guests’, not always a given around the world and the older the hotel the more chance you have of running into problems. If the room you are booking is in a shared property, this is largely a concern to be found on Airbnb but always worth thinking of, if a room looks a little too cheap to believe (even with great reviews) this could be the case. Reviews Be them comprehensive, one worded or just a thumbs up. User reviews are the main weapon of choice when it comes to picking your abode abroad, and some sites also enable reviewers to upload their own photos which can tell the story of a thousand words. Something to consider while getting a consensus from the masses is that the dark times of Covid 19 have left a black spot in the running narrative of user reviews. If you like to base your choice on not just the first one or two. If you’re looking to see what people are saying about something specific such as the quality of the Wifi, reviews can suddenly jump from the present to way back in 2019 and further. What was offered then may not be anymore and lots of places have yet to fully recover and or will have undergone remedial works in the meantime, so before you disappear down the rabbit hole of reviews keep one eye on the date posted. When Seeking Accommodation always Inspect the Room Photos Aside from the general look and feel of the hotel, the photos are a fantastic tool to inspect the details of the room but it is always wise to double check the validity of the photo. Is there a photo filter applied to make the pool look that bit bluer? Is the brightness pushed up to make the dim room look bright? Has the photo been taken with a fish eye lens? As well as the booking sites it is good practice to check Google reviews and photos from real people. They tell a better story of the real world experience than somebody with a fancy camera and a good photo editor. Next check the contents of the room photos and use them. They may mention a TV in the description but is it a modern one or a classic CRT? Is the air conditioning unit right above your bed? Why is the mini fridge doubling up as the bedside table? As most hotels now offer a plethora of photo documentation of what they have to offer, you can get as good a scoop on the facilities as much as the reviews and see for yourself if things are up to date. Location, Location, Location You’ve found the ideal hotel with a cheap room and all the extras you could ever want! But on arrival you have the unpleasant surprise of it being next to a nuclear fallout zone. A bit extreme but the point is if you do set your heart on a hotel do some extra research outside of the booking site on the area in which it is located, local history and current affairs. There may be a Facebook page for the area or even just throwing the name into google and seeing what info comes up in the news feed is a good shout. Some types of accommodation can be miles from anywhere, they can be in the middle of a field and therefore more prone to bugs and insects, the location of accommodation is definitely something you need to be aware of when booking. Air Conditioning Quite possibly the number one thing to look for when seeking accommodation in a warm climate. As a rule, you will find a good amount of places will have air conditioning units installed and listed in the amenities but there are a fair amount that still operate with just fans only. Fan only rooms can have free standing fans or ceiling ones which (we have found out from experience) are manageable for a couple of days but any longer and you can become somewhat sticky to say the least. Even if the aircon is listed in the description of the room you’re looking at, it’s always good practice to inspect the room photos to get an idea of the age of the unit just in case. Amenities When Seeking Accommodation Other than the basics, ask yourself: What is it that I want from the room?What are my daily habits and does the accommodation include the amenities I need? As an example you may like to make yourself a morning coffee – In our experience not every room comes with a kettle. It’s such a small thing but can be super inconvenient to have to run to the nearest coffee shop every morning just for the sake of a kettle. These little things are very easy to miss. Even with glowing reviews, if people do not have the same requirements as you – you can find yourself coming up short. Common amenities I would personally suggest looking for when seeking accommodation: Kettle – For the morning coffeePower outlets by the bed – To charge phones, tablets and other devicesNumber if power outlets in generalAdditional seating in the room or outsideThe presence of a window and/or view- This is not always stated or guaranteed. (As we found out one time in Phuket, Thailand where the curtain opened to view a solid concrete wall). Bugs By their nature, warmer climate countries have an abundance of creepy crawlies that will be delightful for you to meet when making your morning coffee. One to look out for in south east Asia especially are ants, both small and large. If you are keeping food or tea and coffee in your room we strongly recommend keeping these in air tight sealed bags and off any surfaces in the open as these pesky critters are extremely resourceful when it comes to getting into anything they want. I still mourn a pack of noodles I was looking forward to before discovering it had become an ant farm. Encounters with bugs are almost inevitable but the amount can be down to luck, we have stayed in bungalows with a garden in a semi rural environment and seen few then been on the third floor of a hotel and seen many. Type of Accommodation Accommodation types vary wildly. Some are little more than somebody’s house where others can be glitzy resorts with pools and gyms. Some can be treehouses and others are basically an amusement park with noise 24/7. The point I am making is that before hitting that book it now button always check who the main audience is in the hotel. An example of the importance of this would be:You like to swim and you book a hotel with a pool and you prefer a quieter environment. On arrival it looks more like a water park, there’s a constant noise of people and the pools are always crowded. The moral of the story is that It’s advisable to double check what kind of hotel you’re going to be stopping in, user reviews are always a good indicator for this as you may not always tell from the booking site description....
