George Town’s charm lies in its people and its air of old world decadence. However, it is at risk of losing its appeal unless better ways of promoting tourism are implemented.
One Wednesday evening, I walked down Lebuh Armenian to Little India to hunt for spices. I was inspired by a story over a hearty dinner at Jawi House in George Town by Dr Wazir Jahan Karim, an anthropologist turned restaurateur, who told such spicy stories about spices that it whetted our appetite to hunt for some.
Lebuh Armenian was heaving with people, and I wondered why. It turned out to be... nothing. There was nothing special going on there, just hundreds of people straggling along the picturesque street, clustering around the abundant wall murals to take photographs.
This being my first visit in months, I was surprised I could barely find a wall left untouched. Even shop doors are now painted with cute images. As we strolled towards Lebuh Victoria, makeshift stalls selling T-shirts and souvenirs of George Town called for our attention.
It left me with mixed feelings, especially as this scene has been replicated in many other places.
