Old House

Day 3 of Courts of Malaysia.

The state of Perak is one of few states in the country with more than one (read two) high courts. One's in Ipoh the state capital, which I covered yesterday, and the other is in Taiping, a quaint town that is still pretty much in the 70s (???). This is because of its historical significance during the British administration here. Taiping is also home to an important prison, having housed several noted and famous personalities.

After capturing pictures of the boring new courthouse I went in search of the old one. I think it's sad that Taiping residents (surely they've lived here all their lives) can't give me proper directions to it. While on my failed search for the building I passed this abandoned house. This is typical of a house from the past: half on stilts half on the ground, walls and floors constructed of wood and zinc roof. I actually grew up in a house like this. I doubled back to snap this. Behind it is a row of spanking new houses yet to be inhabited. Houses built today have a completely different sensibility: no ventilation, no backyard, narrow and unnecessarily tall.

I then drove up to Penang. Drove my car into the ferry onto the island. I've not been here in over a decade! A world away from the rest of the country. No wonder Rob liked this place. Must come back with good, fun company. No sightseeing though, I had a job to do.

The Penang High Court is an historical building 5 minutes away from the jetty. A gazetted world heritage site it still retains all aspects of its original self: timber floorboards that squishily sink under your feet, moorish lines, large halls and courtrooms with high ceilings (just like the old Ipoh ones) and very importantly a dome made of stained glass that was just recently discovered. Apparently it was sealed off and forgotten! I'll post a picture of the dome tomorrow (check back here if interested). An exhausting and hot day over, drove home to Ipoh. This time via the bridge. Faster.

Added: My colleague tells me this is a typical Perak Malay house. The peacock motif in the dome (extra) is supposed to be a symbol of the British East India Company.