Google maps shows it best - the long, rickety piers on the NE side of Penang that are home to six clans. They're called the clan jetties and they've been around since the late 1800's.
We visited the Chew jetty, whose original inhabitants emigrated from Fukien province in China. They were a maritime clan so they settled near the water upon reaching Penang. They built houses on stilts far out into the water. Some of it is still original though a huge swath was bombed by the Japanese in '41 and had to be rebuilt. Water and electricity didn't arrive here until 1957.
Almost everyone worked as sampan-men, ferrying people and goods between the cargo ships and shore.
I'm guessing that these remaining sampans are used for fishing more than anything else.
This shot, looking back towards the shore, highlights the thin stilts upon which the entire jetty rests.
Stacks of traps. Perhaps for crab or lobster?
A very gaunt fisherman loading up on supplies. This shot looks south. The bridge in the distance is the main span from Penang on the right to the Malaysian mainland on the left.
The chosen form of transport seems to be bicycles though I didn't see anyone riding.
A unique and interesting part of the trip.
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