The tiny island of Penang, it used to be called an island of paradise. A food haven, recognized by many locals and tourists alike. The ease of traffic, local delicacies that everyone craved at a reasonable price, the very much laid back pace of this city once we used to enjoy; have now turned into one big pile of chaotic mess ever since it was listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Site. I loved the idea of having this city listed as it helps the local council in saving and preserving as much of the heritage buildings as possible. In the past, before this city was even being listed, most of the heritage buildings are pretty run down or eventually demolished to make way for posh and luxurious condominiums. It's a good call by the state government to eventually save this city from turning into a modern city.
It started positively for having this city listed in the heritage list, for many locals, it's the beginning of an extremely long nightmare. We do welcome tourists with open arms of course but somehow some of these visiting tourists made this place a feels like a living hell. Why would I say so? Why are we locals are so bias about tourists? Allow me to define my thoughts about this. Recently, I read an article on CNN that mentions how a Chinese tourists drew graffiti on the ancient old Egyptian relic that sparks international outrage. It prompts frequent travelers to be more verbal about how travelers these days are getting a wee bit more misbehaved while they are abroad. The locals are not asking much from tourists but to eventually understand what this city is limited of and by being a bit more understanding how they can help in order to make this place a livable one for many. There are a few things I would like to highlight for examples.
Number one: Traffic. Roads on this island are narrow and small especially within the heritage zone. Tourists abroad came with their vehicles and parked on the side of the road despite double lines have been drawn clearly on the both sides of the road with no parking signs erected in many areas of this island. It's understandable that parking spots are hard to come by and you have to be very lucky to get one. If you don't believe what I'm saying, try driving by the Burmah Road heading towards Gurney Drive around 11 a.m. everyday when Him Heang's famous biscuit store are open for business. An absolute traffic mayhem that is unnecessarily made all thanks to eager tourists who want to buy back loads of biscuits that can easily feed an entire village.
Number two: Jaywalking Pedestrians. Look! We know that you wish to snap pictures of those mosaics on the wall. This city offers plenty of scribbles on the heritage wall but the road sides lack of walkways and tourists end up walking to the middle of the road sometimes. We understand that you want to take a few seconds to snap photos and then clear off the road, but on many occasion, they don't. They just continue to stand there and calling for a bigger group of people to pose with the mosaic. There's also tourists who road hopping from the left to the right side of the road and back again in an instant. Some prefer to cross the road halfway then decided to make a U-turn. What are the risks of getting into an accident with the traffic as most of the roads on this island are pretty much used by traffic?
By making these 2 exemplary examples about how tourists made this little paradise island into a living nightmare, I would like to end this round of post to address my fellow readers to be a smart traveler wherever you go. Don't go irking the locals with the nonsense that you portray back home and do it elsewhere. Be considerate and courteous whenever possible. The roads doesn't belong to us, hence respect everyone else who uses it.
It started positively for having this city listed in the heritage list, for many locals, it's the beginning of an extremely long nightmare. We do welcome tourists with open arms of course but somehow some of these visiting tourists made this place a feels like a living hell. Why would I say so? Why are we locals are so bias about tourists? Allow me to define my thoughts about this. Recently, I read an article on CNN that mentions how a Chinese tourists drew graffiti on the ancient old Egyptian relic that sparks international outrage. It prompts frequent travelers to be more verbal about how travelers these days are getting a wee bit more misbehaved while they are abroad. The locals are not asking much from tourists but to eventually understand what this city is limited of and by being a bit more understanding how they can help in order to make this place a livable one for many. There are a few things I would like to highlight for examples.
Number one: Traffic. Roads on this island are narrow and small especially within the heritage zone. Tourists abroad came with their vehicles and parked on the side of the road despite double lines have been drawn clearly on the both sides of the road with no parking signs erected in many areas of this island. It's understandable that parking spots are hard to come by and you have to be very lucky to get one. If you don't believe what I'm saying, try driving by the Burmah Road heading towards Gurney Drive around 11 a.m. everyday when Him Heang's famous biscuit store are open for business. An absolute traffic mayhem that is unnecessarily made all thanks to eager tourists who want to buy back loads of biscuits that can easily feed an entire village.
Number two: Jaywalking Pedestrians. Look! We know that you wish to snap pictures of those mosaics on the wall. This city offers plenty of scribbles on the heritage wall but the road sides lack of walkways and tourists end up walking to the middle of the road sometimes. We understand that you want to take a few seconds to snap photos and then clear off the road, but on many occasion, they don't. They just continue to stand there and calling for a bigger group of people to pose with the mosaic. There's also tourists who road hopping from the left to the right side of the road and back again in an instant. Some prefer to cross the road halfway then decided to make a U-turn. What are the risks of getting into an accident with the traffic as most of the roads on this island are pretty much used by traffic?
By making these 2 exemplary examples about how tourists made this little paradise island into a living nightmare, I would like to end this round of post to address my fellow readers to be a smart traveler wherever you go. Don't go irking the locals with the nonsense that you portray back home and do it elsewhere. Be considerate and courteous whenever possible. The roads doesn't belong to us, hence respect everyone else who uses it.
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