Change of Plan

Had an enforced change of plan for medical reasons – high fever so stayed in Penang longer than expected. Will be seeing doc at hospital again tomorrow. Last time I saw him he wanted me to be admitted but I declined. Here are a few pre-fever photos from around the old Penang city of Georgetown.

This is a very famous, well maybe just regularly famous, cannon, at the Cornwallis fort in Georgetown. Made in the 17th century, it was originally used on vessels. And was actually put on a Japanese vessel in 1941. Its hard to believe that the Japanese might have actually used it.

It’s modern usage is as a fertility improvement device. Women put flowers into the cannon with hopes for improved results. I guess the symbolism is clear.

The Cornwallis fort was first established by Captain Sir Francis Light when he took possession of the island from the Sultan of Kedah in 1786 and. It was a simple stockade made from palm tree trunks, and its prime purpose was to protect Penang from pirates. In 1804, after the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, Indian convict laborers rebuilt the fort using brick and stone.