Tolin's 2024 World Cruise blog posts, Day 71 Mar 20, 2024, Georgetown Penang, Malaysia, Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island

-

 


George Town is the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang and the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's second largest metropolitan area with a population of 2.84 million and the second highest contributor to the country's GDP. The city proper spans an area of 118 sq miles encompassing Penang Island and surrounding islets, and had a population of 794,313 as of 2020.

Initially established as an entrepôt by Francis Light in 1786, George Town serves as the commercial center for northern Malaysia. According to Euromonitor International and the Economist Intelligence Unit, it has the highest potential for revenue growth among all Malaysian cities and contributed nearly 8% of the country's personal disposable income in 2015, second only to the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. Its technological sector, anchored by hundreds of multinational companies, has made George Town the top exporter in the country. The Penang International Airport links George Town to several regional cities, while a ferry service and two road bridges connect the city to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Swettenham Pier is the busiest cruise terminal in the country.

George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and its proximity to maritime routes along the Strait of Malacca attracted an influx of immigrants from various parts of Asia. Following rapid growth in its early years, it became the capital of the Straits Settlements in 1826, only to lose its administrative status to Singapore in 1832. The Straits Settlements became a British crown colony in 1867. Shortly before Malaya attained independence from Britain in 1957, George Town was declared a city by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the first city in the country's history. In 1974, George Town was merged with the rest of the island, throwing its city status into doubt until 2015, when its jurisdiction was reinstated and expanded to cover the entire island and adjacent islets.

The city is described by UNESCO as having a "unique architectural and cultural townscape" that is shaped by centuries of intermingling between various cultures and religions. It has also gained a reputation as Malaysia's gastronomical capital for its distinct culinary scene. The preservation of these cultures contribute to the city center's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.

Today we choose an excursion away from town.  This preserve is working diligently and hard to preserve Orangutans, an endangered species.







Who is the monkey??





Mama with young one





On this visit, we were in the cage!
























They will get partially into the water but not in the water to swim or escape


A lady left some sandwiches on a picknick bench we shared with her; she stepped away for several minutes.  This little guy bolted from nowhere to snatch a sandwich.  To rub sand in faces, the monkey sat just a few feet from the snatch to casually eat the sandwich!

Condos on the main island

Saw this walking back to the bus

Portion of the miles long bridge between mainland Malaysia and Penang island



Public housing

Expensive condos

We will sail overnight to Phuket, Thailand










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Days 1-2 - Intro 2024 Viking World Cruise/Santa Barbara, CA

-
Image
Snow pictures at noon Tuesday January 9, our original flight day at 3 PM. The pictures above were emailed to us by friends "back home."  We watched forecasts for over a week and did not like our favorite TV weather forecasters.  On Monday (1/8) we had an extremely rushed day!  We were to fly Tuesday (1/9) afternoon, however when our travel agent called Monday morning suggesting we fly that afternoon, we agreed but had to step on the throttle to get to KCI on time.  Part of our jumping thru hoops Monday morning was to cancel KCI hotel reservation.  Thankfully our travel agent made the LAX reservation when she changed our plane reservation from Tuesday to Monday, same times. A few days earlier we made reservations at a KCI hotel to spend Monday night then take a shuttle to the airport the next noon (3 PM flight).  This way our friend would not have had to drive to and from KCI in the snow.  But that all changed,  per paragraph above. ...
Read more

Tolin's 2024 World Cruise blog posts, Day 103, Apr 21, 2024, Dakar, Senegal, Bandia Reserve Safari

-
Image
  Dakar  is the  capital  and  largest city  of  Senegal . The  department  of Dakar has a population of 1,182,417, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.9 million in 2023. The area around Dakar was colonized by the  Portuguese  in the early 15th century. The  Portuguese  established a presence on the island of  Gorée  off the coast of Cap-Vert and used it as a base for the  Atlantic slave trade .  France  took over the island in 1677. Following the abolition of the slave trade and French annexation of the mainland area in the 19th century, Dakar grew into a major regional port and a major city of the  French colonial empire . In 1902, Dakar replaced  Saint-Louis  as the capital of  French West Africa . From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived  Mali Federation . In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic o...
Read more

Days 10-15, Jan 18-23, 2024 Five Sea Days + a Day on Bora Bora, a French Polynesian Island

-
Image
On the fifth sea day of this leg, the night before visiting Bora Bora, we were treated to a marvelous 'surf 'n turf" pool-side lobster tail and beef evening meal.   . Bora Bora  ( French :  Bora-Bora ;  Tahitian :  Pora Pora ) is an island group in the  Leeward Islands  in the  South Pacific . The Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the  Society Islands  of  French Polynesia , which is an  overseas collectivity  of the  French Republic  in the  Pacific Ocean . Bora Bora has a total land area of 12 square miles. The  main island , located about 125 nautical miles northwest of  Papeete , is surrounded by a  lagoon  and a  barrier reef . In the center of the island are the remnants of an  extinct volcano , rising to two peaks,  Mount Pahia  and  Mount Otemanu ; the highest point is at 2,385 feet. Bora Bora is part of the  Commune  of...
Read more