I snapped these pigeons on the pavement directly beneath the open windows of the cinnamon colored shophouse in the photo above them…somebody’s pets, no doubt, (and it looks as though PC and I only just managed to avoid being pelted by stale roti falling from the sky, ourselves.)
I would love to be able to buy, do up, and live in an old Georgetown shophouse…there’s something so quaint about their narrow but deep rooms, the inner courtyards open to the sky, wooden stairs climbing steeply up to the second or third levels. But even if I could find one for sale (owners are not parting with them easily, now that Georgetown is one the World Heritage list) it would probably cost more than I’d manage to save in a lifetime.
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural buildingtype that is commonly seen in areas such as urbanSoutheast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region. —Wikipedia.org
photo by Daniel Berthold
I subscribe to one enviable blogging couple, Robyn Eckhardt and David Hagerman, that has taken the leap into restoring an old shophouse…for their love of Georgetown and all things Pinang. How jealous I am that they get to call this year-round carnival town of flavours, colors and cultures Home! And that they eat, write, travel, stroll around Penang, and take photographs for a living! Sounds damn near perfect, don’t you think?
Related articles
- A Streetcar Named Desir* (smallestforest.net)
- around Georgetown with PC (smallestforest.net)
- Penang for the New York Times (davidhagerman.typepad.com)
Filed under: Inspirations, life, travel
