November 2022 - Penang Monthly

Heralds of Dawn in the Heart of the City

4 min read

TEN MINUTES BEFORE the break of dawn, Mr. Radhi arrives at the doorstep of Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh to prep for the day. It is a Friday, so he is garbed in a s...

by Alexander Fernandez & Lokman Redzuan

Kompang Jidor: The Rhythm of the Nusantara

6 min read

ALMOST EVERY WEEK in Kampung Parit Madirono, Pontian, Johor, a group of 12 men congregate in a balai raya or a surau. Donning baju Melayu and samping cloth, the...

by Izzuddin Ramli

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

USM Research to Make Cars Lighter, Cheaper and Cleaner

3 min read

TAKE A DRIVE and notice how electric vehicles have now become a trend, and miniaturised and compact automobiles inhabit the roads. These vehicles are lighter, h...

by Assoc. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Baharuddin bin Abdullah

Assoc. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Baharuddin bin Abdullah

The Astounding Pitcher Plants of Peninsular Malaysia

6 min read

MALAYSIA IS A wonderland for botanists, naturalists and nature lovers. Blessed with some of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world, the Peninsula itself b...

by Gideon Lim

Why Do Digital Nomads Prefer Penang?

4 min read

YEARS BEFORE Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) launched DE Rantau, a programme aimed at establishing Malaysia as a digital nomad hub, Penang was alrea...

by Sheryl Teoh

Take the Train and Make the Journey Part of the Adventure

6 min read

THE YEAR IS 1885, and Malaya is under British colonial rule. A symphony of steam locomotives resounds from the bowels of Perak state – the land of tin mining. O...

by Samantha Khoo

Reinvigorating the Local Tourism Scene With the World’s Longest Zip Coaster

4 min read

“WHEN LIFE GIVES you lemons, you make lemonade,” Sim offers up the trite expression when talking about the curveball Covid-19 had dealt to the tourism industry....

by Joel Teh

The Sharp Turn from Tourist to Traveller

5 min read

HAVE YOU SEEN bus-loads of tourists disembarking at places where you, as a local, wouldn’t personally patronise? It usually has some tell-tale sign: an obscure...

by Timothy Choy

Timothy Choy

The Crag Hotel: The Beginning of Penang’s Medical Tourism

6 min read

 CONTRARY TO POPULAR belief that regards medical tourism as a product of the modern healthcare system, the beginnings of medical tourism in Penang can be t...

by Enzo Sim

How We Now Holiday, Post-Covid-19

6 min read

TRAVELLERS ARE SEEING green after the Covid-19 pandemic ‒ no, not green with envy, but in the literal sense with nature. When international borders shut after t...

by Rachel Yeoh

The Paradox of Tourism Growth in Post-Covid Penang

9 min read

THE OUTBREAK OF Covid-19 exposed the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign to significant risks. Three months into 2020, it was cancelled. Subsequent prohibitions on mob...

by Vikneswaran Nair