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I’d planned to write a long blog about Georgetown today, but there’s been one problem. I’ve spent too much time exploring it and now it’s late. I’ve been wandering the streets since this morning and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It’s such a fascinating place, full of life and with so much to see and experience. I’ve always loved the town and today’s reminded me why. I took off this morning with no particular plan or destination in mind. I was literally getting lost, getting to a crossroads and then suddenly deciding to go left or right, just to see where I ended up. I’ve no guidebook to tell me where I ‘must’ go so I’m unconstrained. Half the fun is not being told where to go and discovering things.

Georgetown in such a vibrant, artistic place I was bound to fund street-art everywhere and the old town’s an UNESCO world heritage site, so there’s plenty of old temples and shrines to find, but I’m fascinated by the everyday architectural styles and the way the old Chinese shophouses developed. There’s such a mish-mash of architecture here it’s brilliant. Then there’s the shantys. Places that have no style as they’re organic, being put together out of whatever the occupant could find. I will do a long blog about the place as I’ve been taking photographs and collecting material all day, but for now, here’s a few pictures to show what I’ve been up to.

One of the classic pieces of street art that appears on T-shirts and bags. This is in Lebuh Ah Quee, only a few minutes walk from where I’m staying. Street-art is everywhere and a lot of it is very inventive.
A lot of the buildings here carry their date on which they were built, which is incredibly useful for gauging the age and development of the town. This is a 1940 version of a Chinese shop-house. I wonder if the occupants had any idea what was coming the next year?

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One of the many delights of Malaysia is the way so many people work open to passers-by. This man’s a Chinese calligrapher and carver who was sat outside his shop. Deep in concentration, he didn’t even see me.
Believe it or not, this is was passes for parking in Georgetown. This is Lebuh Chulia, one of the main arteries and bus routes, but abandoning your car like this whilst you go to a shop is OK, apparently. To the right you can see one of the many local ‘Wombles’. People who eke out a living by collecting and recycling plastic, cardboard and cans they collect off the streets.
Who needs a car when you can fit all this on a scooter? Georgetown’s a photographer’s paradise. All you have to do is stand on a street corner and wait…

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