Pedalled hunt

Pedalled hunt

WHAT better way to explore George Town than by trishaw, a living heritage icon of the inner city?

With that in mind, the Heritage TreaShaw Hunt was organised as part of the George Town Festival 2010, which saw 30 teams of two participants each treasure hunting around the streets on these human-powered vehicles.

The teams, all sponsored by the corporate sector, were flagged off by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in front of the Town Hall at the Esplanade at 9.25am yesterday.

They were given two hours to complete the hunt which required them to answer questions or collect stamps and stickers along almost every single road they passed.

First stop was the Fort Cornwallis, where they had to count the number of cannons there and name the largest one — the Seri Rambai. Then it was off to the King Edward roundabout where they had to name the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower and record its height — 60ft to commemorate her 60th year of reign.

The clues also took the participants to collect spices at Little India. They also had to note down the number plate of a Scammell Scarab vehicle at the state museum and look for several specific places of business in the inner city.

While most of them wore the event’s T-shirt, a handful of participants took the trouble to dress up with the heritage theme in mind, out of their own initiative.

Cititel Penang front office assistants Nurul Nashita Mohd, 28, and Michelle Ong, 23, were dressed in matching Malay and Nyonya kebayas with batik sarong and wore beaded high-heeled slippers which they put aside during the hunt in favour of comfortable sneakers.

“We wanted to dress according to the theme and even though we may look formally dressed, we found that the cotton material of our outfits suitable for running around. We feel quite cool while some others look hot and bothered,” said Nurul Nashita.

PBB Group Bhd marketing and promotion executives Loo Ai Leen, 26, and Tunku Elisha Faitullah Tunku Usham, 25, were dressed in a cheongsam and kebaya respectively.

“We are used to being at the organising end of events but this is the first time that either of us are taking part in such an activity.

“We joined for the fun of it and found ourselves enjoying the hunt, which ended too soon,” said Tunku Elisha.

The Best Dressed prize went to Bayview Hotel Georgetown human resources assistant Stewart Choong, 22, and front office concierge Nazri Abdul Shokor, 29, who wore a red samfu and white samfu respectively.

“Being in the hotel industry, we felt we should promote Penang’s culture and heritage and so we chose to don traditional attire for the hunt,” said Choong.

The winning team with the most correct answers and best slogan — comprising Focal Concepts Sdn Bhd founder and creative director Susan Chyntana, 46, and party planner Khaw Bee Khim, 27, — was also the fastest to complete the hunt, reaching the finishing point at Bayview Hotel George-town within 54 minutes at 10.19am.

The pair, who are no strangers to treasure hunts, attributed their success to good team co-operation, including their trishaw pe-daller known as Ah Leong.

In second place were Tan Kai Chia and Tan Shing Yee of Mun Thong Crystal Sdn Bhd, while Lai Wei Siung and Choo Kam Fuat of Sentral Technology College came in third.

The Heritage Trea-Shaw Hunt was organised by Penang Global Tourism in collaboration with Impact Management, Koperasi Pelancongan (Kopel), Bayview Hotel Georgetown and Zarika Travel Sdn Bhd.

-News courtesy of The Star-