Monday, 17th June, 2024
Penang's humid embrace loosened its hold as we, the ever-restless entourage, finally stirred for our last walkabout 8:30 am. A 9 pm Singapore Airlines flight loomed (a carrier many consider the world's finest, though such pronouncements are best left to seasoned jet-setters).
YitPeng, often mistaken for a professional globetrotter, surprised many when revealing her former life as an IT whiz at BaxGlobal (now part of DB Shenker), a career she abandoned upon Shiqin's, our daughter, arrival. Today, she planned a breakfast rendezvous with colleagues, some retired, from those bygone days.
The rest of us – Carmen, Nadine, Ruth, and myself – opted for a pilgrimage to Armenian Street, George Town's famed art haven. Here, the murals of Ernest Zacharevic, a celebrated Lithuanian artist, adorned the walls. Time had left its mark, the colors a little faded, but that only added to their melancholic charm, a testament to the ephemeral nature of beauty.
Our artistic explorations culminated at Chew Jetty, the very same haven of Char Kway Teow I'd chronicled earlier. We settled in for a single plate, only to be met with Nadine's knowing murmur – a prelude to the inevitable avalanche of culinary delights. True to form, two plates of Char Kway Teow materialized, joined by a bowl of curry noodles and a scattering of other enticing morsels. We polished it all off, fueled by the free soft drinks pilfered from The Prestige's mini-bar (a testament to the Singaporean love for a good deal – well played, The Prestige, you scored brownie points once more).
Ah, the serendipity of travel! There, nestled beside the Char Kway Teow stall, a scene unfolded that tickled my writer's fancy. A photographer, all crisp lines and professional demeanor, was busy capturing the joy of a young couple's wedding photos. But wait, there was more! Another photographer, perhaps an amateur or a passerby seized by the moment, strolled by and snapped a picture of the entire setup.
Intrigued by this unexpected meta-narrative, I couldn't resist joining the visual dance. Two clicks of my camera – one capturing the fleeting contemplation of the passing photographer, the other his act of capturing the wedding scene itself. There you have it – a photographer taking a photo of another photographer taking wedding photos. A delightfully recursive tableau, a self-referential loop frozen in time.
Whether this linguistic acrobatics plunges us into the abyss of confusion, well, that depends on the viewer. But for me, it was a moment of pure, visual amusement, a reminder that the world is brimming with unexpected stories waiting to be captured, even within the most ordinary of settings.
Now, sated and slightly weary, we ventured down the jetty itself. It felt a touch tourist-trodden, but who are we to judge the locals' desperate attempts to eke out a living? The walk proved unexpectedly charming – an adorned cat basking in tourist adoration, the newlyweds flitting in and out of view, glimpses into the lives of the jetty dwellers, and the inevitable rows of trinkets vying for our tourist dollars.
Penang's final melody was a curious mix – artistic musings, the comforting hum of familiar flavors, and the clatter of commerce in a bustling tourist trap. It was a fitting farewell to an island that had surprised and delighted us at every turn.
#wheeteck #wheetecktravelogue #penangoncemore
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