July 21, 2010
We also took a tour of Pinang Peranakan Mansion where a beautiful "Nonya" gave us a tour. A Nonya is what Malays call a descendant of a Chinese merchant who married a Malay after they moved here in the 1800's. A whole sub-culture developed out of the Nonyas, with amazing food both spicy Malay and Chinese, combined.
We saw an old, restored mansion that had been owned by a Chinese merchant who married a Malay, leaving behind in China his unhappy mother (see photo above), skinny wife (since he didn't send her enough money), and his kids. Since he was a merchant, he had antiques in his home from all over the world -- Netherlands, Spain, and more.
See above that there is a bride who came to take photos for her wedding. And, there is a picture of a bat, among the many, on the ceiling. Bats symbolized wealth and luck. We all thought the bats peed a lot on the floor, symbolizing "Run! You're about to be peed on by a bat!"
