By Katharine Chua.

Ombak Ombak ARTStudio continues to make waves with its recent portrayal of Penang’s history from Merdeka to the present day. The musical was a nostalgic take on Penang’s good times and bad times, with reverant nods to inspiring performers and cultural icons.

KO-TAI PENANG was the final act in a trilogy of community street performances directed and produced by Ombak Ombak artStudio which showcased historical events from Penang and the nation’s history from Merdeka to the present day. Ombak put on three free street performances throughout Penang; the outdoor locations created a wonderful atmosphere and lent authenticity to the stage shows.

By Leslie A K James.

AMONG the many attractions of the “Pearl of the Orient”, the Penang Hill Railway is almost unique in Asia and certainly the only one of its kind in South East Asia. This delightful funicular railway uses a simple principle to carry passengers and freight up very steep inclines. A funicular connects two railcars with a cable on a pulley, pulling one car uphill balanced by the second car descending. Funicular railways became popular in European Alpine resorts in the late 19th century. The Peak Tram in operation on Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island since 1888 uses the same technology. The word “funicular” derives from the Latin funiculus (thin rope), diminutive of funis (rope).

Penang Hill, really a series of separate hills on a ridge overlooking George Town, was the first hill station to be established not only in Malaysia but dating from the late 18th century possibly the first in all the territories of the English East India Company, even before the more famous hill stations of India such as Simla, Darjeeling and Ootacamund (Ooty). Before the Penang Hill Railway was built, access to the bungalows on Penang Hill was on foot, on horseback, by pony or by dooly (sedan chair) carried by coolies.

By Himanshu Bhatt.

SOON after the British East India Company established a port colony in Penang in 1786, with the intention of developing and controlling a new economic centre in the region, another island further south, and slightly larger, caught its eyes.

Unlike Penang, whose central section was dominated by a huge swathe of hills making development prospects more limited, Singapore’s topography was largely flat and bereft of hilly terrain. Its waters and coastal stretches were also deemed more conducive for large transshipments.