Eugene Quah

is an independent researcher and writer who is working on a book tentatively called “Illustrated Guide to the North Coast of Penang”. He rediscovered the joys of writing after moving back to Penang.

36 posts

Mount Palmer and Pulau Betong: Penang’s Forgotten Southern Flagstaff and Watering Place

7 min read

AS ONE VENTURES further southward of Paya Terubong, the mountain pass brings one onto a winding hill road. This road climbs to a height of 316m, offering breath...

by Eugene Quah

General on the Great Hill: US Civil War Hero Visits Penang – Part Two

7 min read

IN PART ONE, the 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, arrived at Penang and was hosted to a dinner at Government House on Flagstaff...

by Eugene Quah

Seeing the World in a Plate of Mee Goreng

7 min read

MEE GORENG MAMAK is the perfect metaphor for cosmopolitan Penang, the undeniable love child of unfettered multiculturalism. Penang, as an entrepôt, had always b...

by Eugene Quah

When Einstein Cruised into Penang

8 min read

THE CRUISE SHIP, Spectrum of the Seas, a behemoth 18-storeys high and a third of a kilometre long, sailed into Penang’s Swettenham Pier on 2 July 2022 guided by...

by Eugene Quah

Pepper Estate: The Untold Story

11 min read

RESIDENTS OF Tanjung Bungah would sometimes use, as a shortcut, the well-shaded and narrow winding hill road that snakes around the Guillemard Service Reservoir...

by Eugene Quah

FUN on Mount Pleasure: The Life and Times of Uncle Templeton

8 min read

ON THE MORNING of 9 September 1940, a Friday, Police Constable (PC) Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Rahman was on duty in front of the Penang Swimming Club. It was the sec...

by Eugene Quah

James Dollery Fettes and Penang Waterworks: A Legacy of Public Service (Part 1)

8 min read

JALAN TANJONG TOKONG, the main thoroughfare leading to the tourist beaches of Batu Ferringhi, is often clogged with traffic during public holidays. Torrents of...

by Eugene Quah

General on the Great Hill: US Civil War Hero Visits Penang – Part 1

9 min read

Enter the GeneralON FRIDAY, March 28, 1879, the 1,615-tonne schooner, S.S. Simla[1] of the British-India Navigation Company (B.I.S.N. Co) – a swift, “pleas...

by Eugene Quah

A Quaint History of the Mystical Islet We Call “Pulau Tikus”

9 min read

IT IS SAID that Francis Light, after negotiations with the Sultan of Kedah to take possession of Penang, anchored his three ships off the islet, Pulau Tikus, an...

by Eugene Quah

Hong Seng Estate: The Urban Kampung by the Hill

7 min read

JALAN MOUNT ERSKINE, the busy thoroughfare beyond the western-most end of Jalan Burmah, cuts through vast tracks of Chinese cemeteries and links together the su...

by Eugene Quah

Mount Erskine: Penang’s Forgotten Flagstaff Hill – Part 2: The Pulo Tecoose Boat Establishment

11 min read

THE MOUNT ERSKINE signal station was built for “the purpose of obtaining earlier communication with vessels entering the harbour”. Previously, incoming ships co...

by Eugene Quah

Mount Erskine: Penang’s Forgotten Flagstaff Hill – Part 1

10 min read

TANJUNG BUNGAH, an affluent suburb on the North Coast of Penang Island, is known for its international schools, well-established neighbourhoods, mid-range beach...

by Eugene Quah