Strange, strange month in George Town, I had - I ended up roaming the city only after nightfall, like a vampire traveler.
Though I had long wanted to live this way. Just to be free. Not to care about time.
But not every city is cozy at night, not every homestay or hostel is night-regime friendly.
And that traveling-reasoned thought "you can't sleep until 2-3 pm in a trip" influenced me too, until I arrived in George Town.
Here, I stopped forcing myself with the "not later than" and quit dragging myself out of bed after 5 or 6 hours to pump myself full of coffee.
That’s how I gradually switched to living in the realm of night.
And here is my dark photo story.
Even when its streets get completely deserted at 11 pm or so, George Town looks neat and welcoming like a dimly lit midnight museum —
— a large open-air museum inhabited by creatures with soft tread and predatory eyes,
night critters speaking to everyone who is able to read their bodily hieroglyphs.
And it might be they are not the only ones creeping in the dark — who knows, who actually can guarantee...
A perfect rental for an ancient traveler... If you understand what I mean...
Plenty of offers on Airbnb, but true vampire travellers opt for squatting in abandoned luxurious properties — rotten floors and a colony of bats are considered the height of chic.
Dragging a coffin up a narrow staircase isn’t exactly convenient, but if you prefer sleeping bat-style, the second floor is no problem at all.
As for food options in beautiful old George Town, a plethora of Chinese, Malays, Tamils, Telugu, Malayalees, and Sikhs are available there — a heaven for travel foodies.
Enchanted by the walls speaking mysterious languages,
the traveler wanders along the ancient streets, enjoying the architectural lines,
where aesthetics intertwine with functionality.
I mean, there is nothing more functional than deserted arched passageways at night - and thrilling from the point of culinary, if you understand what I mean.
George Town's famous street food!
A midnight Indian cyclist, oversaturated with oxygen, greasy with fresh sweat, and soaked through with turmeric (after all those years of daily curries), reminds you how daring Asian cuisines can sometimes be.
A lone parking attendant is what you are craving for when you feel snacky after a long walk.
Typical crockery they serve parking attendants in is plastic chairs. And this is where hygiene concerns may arise — but sometimes it's worth tolerating, after all, you're not at home.
That's old George Town, a true gem for nocturnal travelers...
...It ended with me going to bed after 7 in the morning.
The daytime receptionist greeted me with "Good morning" when I crawled out of the dorm at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. The walls of their hotel have seen a lot, but someone waking up near the end of the day - that’s something else entirely!
But I’m actually not against giving people a reason to smile.
I would immediately sit down at my computer, dive into Hive, and drink cup after cup of black tea. I had dreamed about this for a long time - living at night, binging on black tea - heavily binging, sitting online, noticing nothing else, and strolling the streets when other people are preparing for sleep or sleeping.
Dreams come true in Penang.
No passersby were harmed during my walks. The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 by the author in June in 2025 in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
