The Teddy Bear Museum

On our last morning on Penang Island, I took the bus to the Teddyville Museum, hosted by the DoubleTree Resort between George Town and Batu Ferringhi. As you may have guessed, this museum is all about Teddy Bears - but it also tells the history of Penang using Teddy Bears as the characters in a large number of well-done dioramas!

This 1905 bear is the oldest in the museum

The museum has many Steiff brand toy bears from Germany. Richard Steiff designed and sold his bears beginning in 1902. Meanwhile, Teddy Roosevelt inspired American Morris Michtom to make a small, stuffed bear cub to put in his candy shop window, after Roosevelt refused to shoot a small bear cub while on a hunt in 1902. Thus the "Teddy" bear was born and has since proliferated around the world.

Francis Light established George Town in 1786

Francis Light was a British sailor and explorer who established George Town as a trading hub/port in 1786. He leased Penang Island from the local Sultan to establish the first British settlement in Southeast Asia for the East India Company. Fun note: Francis was the father of Colonel William Light who later founded the City of Adelaide in South Australia in 1836. They are now Sister Cities.

Diorama showing the multiethnic active port city of George Town

The museum has so many dioramas I can only show a few of my favorites! If you read my post on the Thaipusam Festival this scene will make a lot more sense! The Waterfall temple depicted is the largest temple dedicated to Lord Murugon outside of India and thousands of devotees climb the 511 steps up to this temple during the festival and outside that time as well.

Thaipusam Festival in George Town

We also experienced both Chinese New Year and the beginning of Ramadan when we were in Malaysia. I love this country scene of the local Malay (mostly Muslim) celebrating with their families in their ancestral homes.

The Kampung House is a wooden village house elevated on stilts

Some of the diorama's have larger bears enacting important roles in Malaysian life. I'm not sure if Khalid from Mypintu Plate would welcome the comparison, but this is a hard-working bear cooking Malay food!

Cooking Malay street food for the other bears!

And here is a woman bear creating a Batik. Compare this diorama to the photo I took earlier of a real woman creating a batik in the Penang Batik Factory!

Woman hand-painting a batik cloth

Speaking of fashion, did you know that Jimmy Choo began his shoe apprenticeship at 11 years old under his father in Penang in 1959! Of course the Teddyville Museum commemorated that with its own Jimmy Choo bear.

I don't think Jimmy Choo would appreciate these shoes!

The Teddyville Museum has many more dioramas and darling displays - and then the gift shop has D.I.Y. dress-up for your mini-bears. Reminds me so much of our daughter and her friends and their very adventurous stuffed animals!

"Piggylet" and her friends would have loved to shop here!

I have a soft spot for Teddy Bears as I loved my mother's bear from her youth during my own youth. My mom's name was Theodora, but she went by "Teddy". I've been thinking of her pretty constantly as I write this post. Below is one last Teddy photo from the 3D Museum in the Oriental Village on Langkawi Island.

Feeling loved by the giant bear at the 3D Museum!

Malaysian Cooking Class

I took a delightful and tasty Malaysian cooking class before we left George Town. I wrote to Khalid at Mypintu Plate and he responded with an offer to join a class. Unknown to me until I arrived, I was his only student that day so I got all his attention! As he wrote in his description "The dishes taught are of Malay, Chinese, Indian and others influence reflecting Penang's diverse ethnicity and multi-cultural tradition."

It turned out we were making (and eating) three dishes!

Khalid is the wonderful cooking instructor at Mypintu Plate!

First up, under Khalid's great instructions, we made Malaysia's national dish -  Nasi Lemak. This is a coconut flavored-rice with sambal, a chili-based sauce/paste originating in maritime SE Asia. There are a variety of complimentary foods that go with the rice to create an easy and well-balanced meal. It is frequently wrapped in banana leaves so it can be sold as a quick and healthy street food.

Khalid's brilliant organization and preparation for cooking!

I am an indifferent (and sometimes hostile) cook. I love to eat and I enjoy baking - but I have never felt competent at making meals. With Khalid's tutelage I really enjoyed making these foods! He taught me and then quizzed me on the ingredients so I'd know what I was using at each step - though you can see he had prepared a lot of the foods in advance.

Mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients for the Sambal

While we could have used a blender, I decided to try the mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients for the sambal - there are a lot of ingredients and some didn't like smashing easily. Sigh. Khalid was patient with my decision to do it the hard way and we eventually got a wonderful sambal after some patient cooking to meld the flavors together.

We made the coconut flavored rice in a rice cooker - which I had never used before. It was such delicious rice! We made the sambal and the accoutrements for the meal while the rice cooked.

Then we put it all together. So yummy!

Nasi Lemak and accoutrements!

Second, using some of the sambal we made for the Nasi Lemak, we made an award-winning dish called Rendang. This dish won the CNN Readers Choice Best Food in the World Award in 2011! I believe it! I hope I have the patience (and can find the ingredients) to make it again...

The ingredients for Rendang except for the chilled chicken pieces

Rendang, the World's Most Delicious Food!

Rendang required a lot of ingredients, especially when you added in the ingredients for the sambal included in the recipe. But it really was an exceptional blending of wonderful flavors.

Our last dish was a quick stir fry Char Kway Teow (locally called CKT) which is a fried flat rice noodle cooked in soy sauce and seafood at high heat.

Ready to make some CKT!

One of Khalid's friends came over as we were making the CKT and waited while we finished the quick recipe and ate the yummy result.

Char Kway Teow

Khalid was generous to let me take some of each meal home to Darrell in our trusty leftover container.

Darrell's lucky dinner!

Then Khalid's friend took a photo of us at his front door - Mypintu means door in Malaysian!

Khalid and I handcuffed to the door

I'm sure Khalid would welcome you to his door for his wonderful cooking classes! You get wonderful conversation along with cooking lessons and eating the unique food! He took almost all the photos I included in this post, and sent them to me, along with his Malaysian Recipe book, after the class. I highly recommend a class and conversation with Khalid!

The Chinese Clan Jetties

The old town of George Town, Malaysia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 for the variety of architectural styles from both East and West influences. The diversity of religious temples and churches from many religions is also legion.

My favorite styles, forgoing elegance and frills, are the Chinese Clan Jetties. Immigrant Chinese from the 1880's on were landing at the waterfront and assisting in loading and unloading cargo on the jetties. Simple housing built on the jetties (to avoid taxes from building on land) evolved into each clan having a unique jetty with diversified work.

Two of the original nine jetties were destroyed during urbanization, but having UNESCO status and increased tourism has helped save the other seven jetties. The information comes from signs in front of each jetty.

Ong Jetty - was never a residential jetty - it is now just a long pier at the beginning of the series of residential jetties.

Lim Jetty - Was once a large settlement but was destroyed by the Japanese in 1941. The homes were slowly rebuilt.

Home with fishing equipment at end of Lim Jetty

Chew Jetty - The largest and most touristed jetty is now lined with shops, food stalls, and homes.

Fun art on the side of a Chew Jetty residence/shop

Tan Jetty - The ancestors of this clan were fisherman and oyster harvesters from a coastal village in China. This is one of the most scenic jetties.

Tan Jetty has a scenic long tail into the bay

Lee Jetty - The ancestors of Lee Jetty came from impoverished villages. The ferry terminal is now at the site of the original jetty so it was moved in the 1960's to its present location.

Lee Jetty had decorative arches and newer homes

New Jetty - Also called Mixed Jetty because it is home to people of various backgrounds and clans. Many people moved here from other jetties when this one was built in 1960.

New Jetty had neat houses with small alters on the wall next to each door

Yeoh Jetty - The ancestors of Yeoh Jetty made a living by transporting goods ashore. The jetty was bombed during WW2 and many of the residents never returned.

View of the Floating Chinese Temple from Yeoh Jetty

It was very fun seeing all these jetties and gaining a better understanding of their history. If you are intrigued, you can read much more in Wikipedia!

Happy Thaipusam!

I have never witnessed as dramatic a cultural event in my travels than the 3-day Thaipusam Festival in George Town, Malaysia. I'm relying on Wikipedia and the Penang Website for my information about it - so you can read more at those sites if you are interested.

Thaipusam began here in the late 18th century via Indian immigrants that now make up a little more than 6% of the country's population. The devotees are seeking blessings, fulfilling vows, and offering thanks to Lord Murugon, the Hindu God of War. 

The festival begins with a day-long procession of two chariots. The gold one, pictured below unless there was another more grand gold one I missed, is carrying the Vel (sword) symbolizing what Lord Murugon used to defeat the demon. The silver one, beginning at a different Temple but then joining this route, carries the statue of Lord Murugon.

The gold chariot carrying the vel (sword)

Hindus are lining the streets, and in the streets, waiting for the chariot to arrive so they can deliver their offerings.

Waiting for the chariot

There are food stalls offering free food and drink for the attendees and also entertainment in the street.

Dancing figures in the street

There are also piles and piles of coconuts lined up. Many are from local Chinese companies that are honoring the festival and its participants - at least that is what it seems like to an outsider like me. There are also some Chinese devotees of Thaipusam. The coconuts get smashed at a later time that we missed seeing. I hear it is dramatic though!

Piles of coconuts line the procession route

The procession stops at Hindu Temples along the route and I'm guessing more offerings are made there. We didn't feel comfortable walking into temples as outside observers.

Hindu Temple along the route

The procession went on and on, but we retreated from the 89 F heat into our air-conditioned room. We  went out again the next evening to experience more of the Festival.

Unsure of what was happening, we followed the noise of drums toward the Waterfall Temple that devotees walk up over 500 steps to reach. We were in throngs of people marching alongside (and some supporting) the devotees that were carrying heavy Kavadis (burdens). It was so loud we maneuvered our way back and found the less crowded, but still ongoing lines of devotees heading toward the temple.

Prior to Thaipusam, the devotees have cleansed themselves, remained celibate and fasted. The burdens are carried as a ceremonial act of sacrifice, and to beseech Murugan for assistance, the healing of a loved one, or to balance a spiritual debt.

Devotee carrying Kavadis

This Kavadis was the largest one we saw

Some devotees are ritually pierced with a vel skewer. Just a warning that the photo below may be a little shocking. It was certainly hard to witness.

Darrell watching a devotee pass by

After we returned to our room, we watched a video on Malaysia that said public holidays are rotated among the religions. There was a public holiday for Thaipusam the next day (Monday) but I'm not sure if that is every year here or if it rotates. In any case, it shows how multiculturalism is widely accepted here. Bravo for Malaysia!