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By Alan Teh Leam Seng. I CAME across this picture postcard recently when I happened to pass by a little antique shop in Campbell Street, Penang.  I realised that the card was sent by a traveller who had arrived in Penang by the renowned Peninsular & Oriental Steamer and wanted to send a Christmas greeting to a loved one back home. I guess that such greeting cards were few and far in between 80 years ago, so the sender had opted for the next most convenient way — sending a picture postcard. The card also allowed the recipient, who lived thousands of miles away in far off Scotland, to share the scene that the sender was witnessing at that time. How this card managed to find its way back to Penang and into my hands was beyond my imagination. What caught my eye was the contrasting scene of Air Itam (spelt Ayer Itam on the card) village 100 years ago compared to the densely populated area it is today.
Apart from several attap huts and an abundance of coconut palms, there were only two lonely souls on the road or should it be more accurately defined as a track. The oxen certainly appear undernourished. Fortunately, they were only pulling, apart from their handler, an empty cart. The rickshaw puller in the background did not seem to be as lucky as he had to do all the heaving himself. This scene makes us realise how lucky we are today with the modern comfort of motorised vehicles, complete with air-conditioning. Air Itam has seen much development and progress since those laid-back days. Today, tourists, both local and foreign, make a beeline here to visit the famous Kek Lok Si Temple. While some may be devout pilgrims, others come to marvel at the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. And on the way up, many stop to enjoy a bowl or two of the famous Air Itam asam laksa.
Air Itam is also where tourists start their journey up Penang Hill or Bukit Bendera. The Lower Hill Railway Station sits on the site of the demolished Chinese Mills, owned by a Hakka called Low Amee. In the early days, most of the island’s bread and flour came from here. Today all that is left of this enterprise are bricks and granite rocks littering the riverbed nearby.
Travelling along Jalan Air Itam, travellers will surely not miss Masjid Negeri or State Mosque, complete with its resplendent gilded domes. Other tourist spots nearby are the Anti-War Memorial, Sheikh Omar Basheer Mausoleum, Rama Temple and Suffolk House.
Coming back to the message on the reverse section of the postcard, I learn that the sender was wishing the recipient (apparently his daughter), the very best of season greetings and hoped that her wish to meet Santa Claus in person would come true! **Reproduced with permission. This article first appeared in the June 9, 2010 issue of New Straits Times.
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