This too was Georgetown

Georgetown in the early sixties was as quaint a city as any of that era where most shop houses and food stalls exist side by side and the back lanes or alleys were a myterious place for the general public's eyes. The back lanes as they were more popularly known back then were where the family lives took place.



Rope walk is still one of the most common attraction for all bargain hunters whether local or otherwise. Here one finds all sort of items that are sold as second hand items or simply as curios. Today the deals are no more attractive as it used to be as  most of the items worth seeking ang keeping has already been taken by modern day antique hunters. What is left is pretty much items like cheap wallets and used sunglasses, used DVDs and so forth. To find any rare valuable items one has to visit one of the upgraded version of the antique dealers that has taken roots along the Kapitan Kling mosque are or Penang Road area.





Most of these scenes of the old Georgetown are no more in existence today, however they are being replaced by somewhat simmilar upgraded version of what you see here and this is thanks to the United Nation Heritage City status that Georgetown has been accorded.  The Chinese characters that literally dominates all the advertising of this shophouse was later changed as the Malaysian Government insisted that Malay or Bahasa Malaysia, the National language be used alongside English as well as Chinese. 



Most of the streets all over georgetown back in the early sixties were not very well paved and had no parking zones as such. Traffic was alot less than it is today no doubt. People walked around with not much care about being run over and one rarely saw a policeman in the crowd or manning the traffic. Georgetown was like one huge market with all kinds of shops wet and dry markets scattered all over the city with coffee shops and sundry stalls at every corner of the main streets.




The date 1949 that appears on the shophouse above is the date that i was born somewhere not too far from this area. If one could add heat, smell and sound to these pictures one would have a taste what was once Georgetown and there was hardly any racial issues that was alrger than the act bargaining for the cost of a service or an item. Georgetown was in those days a truly One Malaysia City where all the races existed each depending on the other and like wise treated eachother with all due respect. There was no fear of being in danger of being in the wrong place at the wrong time due to racial discord.

 

These pictures are testimony to the old Georgetown a city that was in the process of growing into what she is today. For most who have lived here throughout those years would have a healthy respect for how far or how near we have come when comparing the good and the bad that has materialized due to what is called progress and development.