Penang Islands's west side villages, pt2

This journal, part 2 of the 2-part west side series, features the fishing village of Kg Pulau Betong located in the far SW corner of the island, a village that was badly impacted by the Dec 26, 2004 tsunami. From the photos, you will see that the village has mostly recovered & is vital again. The village is located at the junction of highways P237 & P239. Also featured in this journal are many more traditional Malay houses that we saw on our way back to Bayan Baru via highway P239.

"Kg Pulau Betong" - is an idyllic ... (more)

Kg PULAU BETONG - the new fish market
built after the tsunami, which badly impacted this village.

Another new building

Small food court

Nice new biffies

The long jetty to the left (lf) of the
fish market. During the tsunami, a churning tide of seabed mud &...

lf2 - looking back
The receding tide then dropped the river by more than a meter in...

lf3 - I never tire of looking at
fishing boats ;o)

lf4 - This area near the estuary
was submerged in at least 5 feet of seawater during the tsunami.

lf5 - working with the nets
The aquaculture industry in Penang was also badly affected by the...

lf6 - coming back in
One of the biggest challenges after the tsunami was to clear the long...

The jetty to the right (rt) of the
fish market. Fortunately, both sides of the estuary are swathed by mangrove...

rt2 - Note the new bridge in the
background. The tsunami waves washed away & destroyed the fishing...

rt3 - better view of the bridge
Here's a photo of the former bridge which was a local landmark:...

rt4 - The rubble that the tsunami left
of the former humped concrete-timber bridge which the villagers had...

"Traditional Malay houses"
we saw on the way back to the center of the island via P239. This...

This gem must have belonged to
someone important. Note the many carved features. We were there during the...

Basic but effective

A newer one built
in the traditional style.

This one looks abandoned
The traditional house was raised on stilts to catch winds of a higher velocity.

Nice gables, but the addition
doesn't match & spoils the look. waaaaaaa

They have replaced the wooden
louvers with louvered glass windows which aren't as effective for keeping...

Another abandoned one
Apparently, those sheet metal roofs are noisy as hell when it rains...

Likely abandoned?
This one has a higher gabled peak than most.

The stilts or posts
supporting the house above the ground allow for free air circulation...

Another newer one
in the traditional style, although 2 storeys & a front veranda on ground...

Looks homey & inviting,
must be the curtains ;o) This one has also been hiked up & the...

The yard is well worn
so it's likely not abandoned? Note the basic traditional layout with the...

May be abandoned?

Penang Islands's west side villages, pt2

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