Street art has come along way from simply being graffiti, tags and the like. Most cities now boast some form of street art, many having beautiful wall murals. This popular form of artistic expression has become increasingly popular. Furthermore, as a tourist attraction the open air galleries, large public displays and annual street art festivals are bringing in the tourists!
The year 2016 was a busy one! We managed 4500 sea miles, 603km by train, 14700km by plane and 3115km by automobiles (including 1065km on scooters!) Have a look at our journey in photos!
How do you see beautiful Penang on a tight budget? You see and do all the free things. You eat at the markets, and you jump on the free bus. Getting a good look at Penang – on the cheap – is simple because most of Penang’s temptations are free! Yes free! For instance, the street art, a major drawcard for Georgetown, is free. The stunning national park and turtle sanctuary, is free. Furthermore, those that are not free are cheap. The food in Penang, also a leading attraction, doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it is the hawker food which attracts all the foodies that flock to Penang to taste her delights!
Our favourite feature of Penang is the street art! Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has the majority of the art, but street art can be found throughout many other parts of Penang as well. The street art, which is now a prominent tourist drawcard, is a relatively new addition to this charming historic town. The idea of art to “mark” the UNESCO – Georgetown, was developed in 2009 with a competition which lead to 52 metal caricatures depicting the area’s history. Further to that, in 2012 the government asked a young Penang-based artist to paint some wall murals to brighten up the town… and the rest, as they say, is history. We have spent many an day, roaming the convoluted streets of Georgetown, vigilant to locate the street art. We have not seen it all yet, however the following photos will give you an idea of what is artistically on offer in the streets of Georgetown.
Our first year cruising outside of Australian waters has included Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Some countries we sailed to and others we flew to; we even rode into one and caught a bus into another. This blog is a recap of our journey in 2015….. Thank you to all our followers. I hope you will continue to cruise with us in 2016, and that I will be able to carry on entertaining and informing you about the wonderful, exciting and sometimes bewildering places we visit.
Penang’s streets weave, often oneway, through the eclectic array of new and old buildings, giving Penang a chaotic but charming feel. Beaches, resorts, markets and malls; this place has everything.