From Rubbish Art to Masterpieces

Stains of dirt and residues of the rainwater dripping down these once-white washed brick and lime plastered walls are evident, stripping the pre war buildings and shop houses of their former glory.

Perhaps they were once majestic in their past; concealing the untold stories as they stand in their place, bearing witnesses to the many events and even tragedies which unfold before them.

Today their dilapidated state is a sure giveaway of their age and sorry states, as they stand in the bleak part of the town, casting gloomy shadows of themselves as they are no longer at the prime of their youth nor are they the center of the limelight, but instead they are today sore to the eyesight, and no one would even take a second glance at them.

They are only known as the old buildings; thrown into the background as urbanization and modern buildings step into take their places and the only attention they are getting are from the people who call them hazards to the society and placed them on the list of demolition, paving that way for their blueprint plans of sky high buildings adorned with glass windows and ceilings in their places.

There is no escaping that fate, and they are screaming, weeping tears in silent protest of their own extinction; pained by the cruelty of their fates and also the fact that their contributions, deeds and reasons of existence have been forgotten in that blink of an eye. They are no longer important; that message was clear and the recognition of their past (or lack of) is clearly almost nonexistent.

They were nothing but just remnants of trash to be taken out to clear out the backyard; all in the name of modernization.

Their futures are bleak and they moan their distasteful eviction from the present but no one heard their cries. Their existence no longer means anything.

One man changed everything.

With a touch of his brush and creativity, he gave life again to these walls.

He saved them with his grace of painting and brought back feelings of exuberance and reformation to the town.

With just one brush.

A joint effort between the municipal of Georgetown and this budding young Lituanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic took on the bold challenge to transform the historical town, also the capital of the famous Pearl of the Orient, the Penang island located on the north of Malaysia, with just a few paintings to inject that fresh breath onto the yellowish pages of the town.

It started with six paintings; and the local council granted the artist the permission to begin his project, painting, on, get this, the old street walls.

The old dilapidated walls are the artist’s canvas for him to unleash his talent and creativity.

It is a winning situation for many parties, if you come to think of it; the town gets another identity and an overnight sensation of catapulted fame, the local authorities reap from the boost in tourism, the artist gets to showcase his talent and a chance at fame, the owners of the shophouses, well, get a fresh coat on their sorry walls, and the walls, are, now, priceless and saved from their intended evil destruction.

It was a huge success, probably more than the original plan.

Ernest Zacharevic proved to be an incredible talent with his strokes, and he had painted realistic and remarkably heartfelt depictions of the local scenes.

His paintings drew the locals and tourists from all over the nation and worldwide to throng the island in droves.

It was amazing, the way his paintings; his street art or murals, evoke emotions and memories of the local scenes which is perhaps, the very reason for drawing his audience (art or even non-art enthusiasts) to flock to each location of his art like opposite sides of the magnate.

From the “Boy on a Bike” to the “Little Children on a Bicycle” and the striking “Awaiting Trishaw Pedaler”, the location of these walls became instant tourist spots and dot the traveler’s map, topping the list of the places to visit, or must visit in Penang.

Another piece, "Reaching Up" found on one of the walls and have been featured in one of the Hong Kong drama

Already a tourist destination in its heydays due to the crowns of “Food Paradise” and heritage status (Penang is recognized and honored as a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2008), along with its longstanding tiara of being nicknamed as the Pearl of the Orient due to its many wonders (nothing could be better than that; in fact the island is almost unbeatable in its fame compared to its minute size on the map), the island continues to enjoy more attention worldwide and welcoming visitors from all over the world.

The spike in tourism delighted the locals and businesses continue to prosper, and there is no longer a difference in weekends and weekdays for there are always foreign folks on the island throughout the year.

The locals were the first to pay homage to these artistic paintings, of course, though there were also many who have not been. It is always as such, for the locals are always the comfortable in their own backyards and believe that they are always going to be there.

After all, it is their hometown, isn’t it?

Tourists are excited to stalk the spots where the wall art are located, and it became sort of an activity of treasure hunt, or rather, wall art hunt, as everyone follows the trail, preying on one mural after another.

Technology has definitely helped to spread the reputation of these street murals; with the creativity of poses and postings to social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

The walls have definitely been restored to its former glory, though they have been reinstated with a new breath of identity altogether, with that coat of illustration and colors on their faces.

Well, at least, it did well to mask their fears and insecurities, and also the misery of their former selves.

The walls can now breath a sigh of relief, and continue to smile as they are now, right smack, thrown into the limelight and perhaps, they might now silently wish for a moment of silence, once in a while.

The surge in the overnight fame of the street wall art catapulted its artist, Ernest Zacharevic into stardom, as he rides on his new fame; holding his art exhibition on the island as well.

It probably also inspired many others to have a go at demonstrating their skills, transpiring the many more unknown paintings and murals to emerge on the street walls over time, and perhaps, at an alarming rate too. The growth of these murals makes it difficult for many to distinguish between the real McCoy from the decoys.

Perhaps there are many more Ernest Zacharevics out there, or they are just wannabes, trying their luck to be someone one day.

However controls are exerted, for unauthorized paintings on the public street walls constitute acts of vandalism and is a breach of public responsibility, and definitely, illegal by all means.

Once regarded as an act of vandalism; street paintings (or perhaps some form of beautified graffiti) on public street walls, are now given a new name in justice, with their contributions to the local tourism.

They are now known as Street Art/Mural.

Ernest Zacharevic has popularized street art, and given a fresh perspective to as he calls it, rubbish art, but he has definitely given them their due credit.

It is not just with a flick of brush, but it comes with talent and skill, and of course, that burst of creativity.

Let’s not forget about opportunity either, for there are so many talented people out there who remain unrecognized and perhaps underrated for they never had the opportunity.

Given the opportunity and the permission, rubbish or street art can become tourist and social media worthy of attention but remember, doing it on your own and without the right approval, it is still a crime and one is just asking for trouble.

Thanks to Ernest Zacharevic, these street art has unveiled the beauty of Penang to the world, through her very own eyes, or walls, if you may, of the simplicity and exuberance of the lives here, a secret well kept by the locals and now, proudly illustrated for the world to see.

What a coincidence when I captured this photo, definitely not planned in my "accidental photo shoot"!

**Most of the street art by Ernest Zacharevic are located in the UNESCO Heritage site of Georgetown; mainly centering in the Armenian Street enclave, bordering  Weld Quay and its vicinity. **

Lombard Street: The Crooked Street of San Francisco

If you have seen a shot of the above in any travel sites or books/magazines, chances are you have heard of and known of this famous street in San Francisco.

Dubbed "The Most Crooked Street" or "The Crooked Street in San Francisco", this is definitely one of the most unique and interesting landmark in the city; after the famous iconic landmark of the Golden Gate Bridge, that is.



Lombard Street is not purely this single street, as it spans from the east to the west of San Francisco, covering the major junction of US Route 101. The Street spans from the western terminus at the Presidio to the east; the Cow Hollow neighborhood and continuing from the Russian Hill to the Telegraph Hill where it breaks off to Telegraph Hill Boulevard; Pioneer Park and Colt Tower and picks up again at Winthrop Street. Its end point rests on The Embarcadero.

The famous point of this street is the Lombard Street's one-way block on Russian Hill, known for its steep and curvaceous gradient featuring eight hairpin turns; tightly so, is a challenge for drivers as one takes a plunge down this bend. For the local residents however, needless to say, they are just too used to the road that there is no longer any element of fascination in it; or maybe not so true.

The street's rising popularity despite its early establishment in the year 1922 is attributed to its unique twists and turns as a vehicle makes its way in a zig-zagging manner around the turns and bends of this interesting street. The street was in fact, a solution for the precipitous gradient of the hill itself; which at a 27% was too steep for the most vehicles, posing high risks to the safety of the drivers and even pedestrians, not to mention the danger it posed to the wheel chairs, making it uncomfortably hazardous to most of the users.
The inclusion of the bends and turns; while still appearing to be challenging, is designed to curb and minimize the risk of the vehicles taking a sharp dive as they brake and navigate cautiously around the bends.

The brainchild of the property owner, Carl Henry, the street was then constructed in 1922, is one-way traffic road heading downhill (naturally so), with a length of 600 feet (180m).

Paved with red bricks and decorated with the beautiful garden blooms, Lombard Street's Russian Hill neighborhood where this sloped-driveway is located, quickly became the most prominent neighborhood streets with its unique attributes and catapulted into stardom in the world; drawing tourists from all over the globe swarming the neighborhood hoping to catch a glimpse of this much-acclaimed street.

The neighborhood is no longer enjoying their quiet moments, definitely, I can attest to that, as tourists, and people are all just crowding around the area to snap a few shots of this unique street which is definitely one of its kind in the world.
If the street is not occupied with its own nicknames to fill its own guest book, there is one more to add to the list as one of "The Crookedest Streets in the World"; and not just in San Francisco or United States alone.

The best way to experience this famous downhill slope way of Lombard Street is to take a drive in your car to navigate around the eight hairpin turns; taking each one at a time to delve in that surreal experience but it was definitely worth it.



Taking a good shot of the street can be a challenge; wrestling the crowds and also the angle (which, provided you can disperse the crowds hovering impatiently near you as you take each shot).
An aerial view would be ideal; or from afar, to get those cables out of sight (as mine had so unfortunately included). One of the best location, and most recommended would be from Colt Tower which provided a complete and ideal view of this one-way drive.

Flowers in bloom, cars appearing like miniatures on the bends, and the red bricks make this part of Lombard Street seem like a fictional and imaginary land which only exists in story books; but this is as real as can be and is definitely well worth the time and value to be included in any sightseeing list while in San Francisco.

 

It is definitely a picturesque location that one can walk away and bring home proud, to stash in the collection of one of the postcard locations in San Francisco (and the world); and of course, a tick off the travel bucket list for unique locations around the world.

Taiwan Travelogue: Tamsui (淡水) Old Street

To the north of Taipei is the little township of Danshui(local Mandarin pronunciation), or Tamsui (English name), known for the many attractions and historical past and a perfect location to boast of for the stunning views of sunset. These are just the few to name of Danshui's offerings, which did well to attract her own share of visitors as compared to the other top ranking tourist spots in the country.
Danshui 淡水 (in Mandarin) or Tamsui (translated to English term) literally means "Fresh water".
It was initially known as Hoba, in the aboriginal Ketagalan (who were the earlier settlers in this location) which means 'Stream's mouth' and was then adapted into the local Taiwanese language to be known as 'Hobe'. When the Spanish arrived in the early 17th century, they named the place Casidor and the Tamsui River Kimalon.
The development and urbanization of the town maintained its name; though today the government has emphasized that the name Tamsui is used to refer to this town in English, rather than Danshui as seen in most MRT and guides.
However, it is still not uncommon to see the two words being used interchangeably in the context of referring to this quaint little town.
(For official purposes, I will use the official term to refer to the town; Tamsui).

Formerly a prime location as a commercial shipping hub in its heydays, Tamsui was slowly replaced by Keelung in the early 20th century. While the town owes its past to the shipping activities, today it continues to flourish as a tourism hub with the picturesque scene overlooking the harbor; or the ferry pier and the fisherman wharf located downstream and reachable via a ferry ride.
The history from the colonial ages of both the Dutch and Spanish stayed on the town and is evident from the styles of the buildings and the Tamsui Old Street.





The Old Street of Danshui or Tamsui Old Street, is a long street filled with shophouses and stalls beckoning to the daily visitors to this town with their local products and merchandise.
There are many to see and do here; just like most of the streets or markets in Taipei, there are just so much food and drinks, and apparel on sale here.
Take in the lively scenes on the streets; filled mostly with tourists rather than locals (or perhaps Taiwanese on weekends).
Browse through the stalls on the side of the streets, and also some of the shops; confectioneries and eateries which offer things unique to this little town.







For instance, Iron Eggs is something to look forward to here.
Made of quail eggs or normal chicken eggs, the Iron eggs is a home-developed recipe by an old grandma, Grandma Huang, who, during the earlier days of her business, struggling in the ominous times had to
re-cook the eggs she had on sale several times to last through the days.
The result ended in the slightly harder and chewy textured, dark-colored eggs which have shrunk at least half of its original size which then became an innovation and boomed as an interesting product known as Iron Eggs today.
While this can be seen and found in many stalls along the street, the most famous and original shop is the Grandma Tiedan/Grandma Huang's Iron Eggs.



The Tamsui Fish balls are supposedly famous; fish paste balls stuffed with minced meat and garlic.







Tamsui Old Street at a glance 












There's even an outlet from the famous Naraya, all the way from Thailand!


Tamsui Old Street is truly a delightful window to the blend of history and modern living with the colonial-inspired buildings as part of the background and fronted by the hustle bustle of the jovial contemporary crowd; filled with the locals making a living amidst the eager tourists and visitors every day.
One could easily lose track of time when taking a walk down this street, it is that enjoyable~







The Old Street runs along the Tamsui River, with a pier overlooking the harbor and across to the Fisherman Wharf.
It is indeed a romantic stretch to walk down with the breeze blowing in your hair and with mesmerizing views of the waterfront





To be continued....to the next part of Tamsui...

Taiwan Travelogue: Off the Beaten Path with a local Night Market

Night markets are aplenty in Taiwan, and there is just an endless list of the popular recommendations of the night markets to check out when in the city of Taipei. Occasionally we would love to stray from the tourism path and take the road familiar, or probably even unknown to the locals themselves.
It is part of exploring the inner circle of the place to get acquainted with the local culture, which is best done when you go off the beaten path, and that was exactly what we did, when we took note of this particular night market near our hotel, where it is tucked away in a residential area and hailed by the landmark of the local Sanmin High School in the Luzhou district.



It was the last stop on the train heading in Luzhou's direction, and as you can see, it was a relatively isolated station, probably due to the area being mainly a residential area which would only be crowded in the peak hours when the folks head to work or school.



It was not too hard to locate the night market, which was approximately 10 minutes walk away from the station, but it may seem as though one may be unsure when faced with the quiet neighborhood and the narrow roads with only the occasional passing car, and even a pedestrian.
Yes, the streets were rather isolated at night in this neighborhood.



The Sanmin Night Market is a total spin off from the usual buzz and crowds in the far more reputable Shilin and the other night markets on top of the list, that one might be inclined to think that this was just an ordinary street lined with stalls at night and hardly one would call a night market.
It is not unexpectedly so; since this is located within a discreet neighborhood and intends to cater to the communal needs of the vicinity.

What not to expect: Crowds and major brands of tourism filled with a wide variety of choices plastered over the places, or folks replying to your questions and conversing in English
What to expect: An everyday spectacle of the residents going about their habits; with the after schoolers and blue/white collar workers making beelines to the food stalls for their snacks, or perhaps  a pick of their dinner choice from the array of choices available; with a sporadic appearance of families with young offsprings enjoying a slow evening walk browsing through the stalls.



An apparel stall set beside the alley into a temple 


Deep fried Sweet Potato balls for a snack 


A typical bread and pastries stall; just like ours back in our own markets with the daily freshly baked pastries from their own ovens or neighborhood confectioneries.



A children's apparel stall


Spotted this little stall ran by an elderly woman, selling the Egg Waffle which I have been looking for; Gai Dan Chai (which I have tried, once in Hong Kong and back at home)








It is not hard to find this Tokiwado everywhere in Taiwan's night markets, which is simply quite delightful as it was quite a harrowing task locating them in my own backyard.
These are mini top-hat pancakes (thicker flour dough) with red bean paste in the middle (conventional flavor). Some of the innovative vendors would be offering a wide variety of the flavors, keeping up with the ever changing tastes and trends of the modern society.


Sanmin neighborhood Night Market may be a far cry from the hip assemblage found in Shilin or even Raohe, but a taste of the distinctly unique and definitely quieter resident street market is quite a
riveting change in the itinerary, away from the hustle bustle of the rowdy city scenes.
This would be interesting for those looking for an unconventional, off the beaten path and a glimpse into a district townsfolk-run night market.


Besides, who would say no to a jostling-free environment where you could take a slow stroll and enjoy each and every stall at your own pace, in the cool breeze of the evening?

Taiwan Travelogue: Scenes and Snacks from the Raohe Street Night Market

One of the oldest night markets in the Songshan district and just within walking distance from Wufenpu, is the Raohe Street Night Market.


If you are coming from Wufenpu, you would be able to get here in an approximate of 10-15 minutes walk (do confirm your directions with the locals), or alternatively, take the train straight to the Songshan station to reach this night market.

Raohe Street Night Market is another night market to add to the list of night markets in Taipei, which courts tourists and locals to its estimated 600m long street filled with the familiar scenes of an intermix of food, drinks and clothing stalls. Originally a busy area thriving on business centers, the rapid development and implementation of the modern transportation system has driven the limelight away from this Xikou area; making Raohe street a secondary road, taking a backseat in their crowds and also the prosperity of the businesses here as they make way for development.
Taking note of the declining popularity and the effect in the local economy, the government stepped in and established a night market for the locals as a source of income, which is today flourishing as one of Taipei's most visited night market.



Like most of the night markets in Taipei, the streets are filled with the local sights not to mention the familiar aroma of food cooking in the stalls set up neatly along the walkway. The night markets, as I have previously mentioned are similar to our local version of pasar malam, and that being said, it also means that most of the locals can be found on these streets as this is just simply part of their lifestyle.
The best place to probably get a glimpse into the Taiwanese street culture would probably be on these night markets, which are all over the city.





The signature Oriental-styled archway entrance and exit at both ends of the night market, and also commonly graces the other night markets in Taipei too (especially the government-established night markets).


Scenes from the Raohe Street Night Market



It amazes me how there are little stalls set up complete with tables and chairs for customers to enjoy their food on the spot, right beside the stall and straight from the stoves and woks.











Found a stall run by a father and daughter selling the fluffy egg cakes; and they used the cute moulds to make the little Bearmina egg cakes as advertised on their banner.









Look at this adorable little Bearmina Egg cake!~ ❤ ♡❤ ♡


To bite or not to bite, that is the question!




Another delectable cakes stall run by a jolly-looking European chap, selling such colorful and attractive-looking sweet treats~
Just looking at them is enough to make one swoon over the cakes, with its bright colors screaming for attention~







Another stall which caught our eyes, located towards the end of the night market is a stall with a banner, "Frying Milk"
(How on earth does one fries milk? In the same way one fries ice cream, I suppose?)



Upon closer look, he confirmed my suspicions as I watched him coat the milk with flour in a half-solidified state to form little cubes on skewers., before dipping them into boiling hot oil.






Another stall buzzing with a large crowd is this stall selling Dorayaki.
Like the egg cakes, this is another fairly popular snack. In short, I have noticed that the Taiwanese definitely love their sweet eggy pastries for snacks.



Dorayaki certainly comes in different flavors, and even shapes.


I am old-school on this one, and I stick to my favorite red bean flavor, with a couple of green tea (matcha) dorayaki, just for the taste, and oh, I opted for mini dorayaki, which just seemed so cute!



Cleanliness is taken very seriously here on the streets in Taipei, and in Raohe, I have spotted a man picking up the trash on the street along the 600m long night market. It is a good thing to be enforced here, though I do find it rather hard to find a trash can around on the streets in Taipei (to my surprise) and yet, there is no trash spotted on the streets or roads for that matter.
I am impressed with the civic consciousness and awareness levels among the Taiwanese in that aspect.


Raohe Night Market turned out to be a rather enjoyable place for me; and truly, this came from a person who does not even go to night markets of any sort even in my own country.
Perhaps it was the cool weather, or the ease of walking, or the lesser crowd, or the night market was just pleasant for a visit. I personally enjoyed the better organized market, with the more systematic manner in which the stalls are arranged and the wider space for the patrons to walk.

I also find the folks here more friendly and hospitable (the stall vendors), and in my personal opinion, I would prefer this over the more famous Shilin Night Market (which I find, a little overrated), anytime of the day...