Polaroid of the week: Tricycle rickshaw in Penang, Malaysia

Last Updated on October 8, 2024

. 

One of the things we love about Malaysia is the colliding of two worlds…ultra modern shopping malls cuddle right up to traditional fruit and veg markets and clothes stands. Five star dining, some of the world’s finest, can be an option one night and the next you can grab traditional Malaysian street hawker food for a dollar or two.

The same goes for transportation. We rode on a monorail high in the sky in Kuala Lumpur, and long-distance buses with seats so wide and comfortable, only three fit across side by side. Yet, if we had wanted, we could have taken a ride in an antique tricycle rickshaw (also known as trishaw). Much more popular until the 1970s, these tricycle rickshaws are still popular in places like Penang and Malacca where drivers decorate them with flowers, ornaments and sometimes even booming sound systems giving each its own personality.

Sometimes even more impressive is the strength of the drivers – how much leg muscle it requires to pedal two people and sometimes all of their market purchases in the merciless Penang heat…incredible!

Related posts:

Go Beyond…Bourbon Street, New Orleans Thaipusam in Penang: Incredible Images of a painful Hindu tradition Polaroid of the week: Chinatown at dusk | Penang, Malaysia Polaroid of the week: Sunset over Langkawi Island, Malaysia