In my interview with the Straits Times of Singapore last month, I told the reporter that it was the hippies who first inspired me to get into travel. I would see them wandering round the streets with a certain smile on their face, and I wanted to be like them.
I thought the smile was from happiness, I now know better.
Be that as it may, it’s interesting to discover that there is a new breed of hippies descending onto Penang. They are called the digital hippies and, like those before them, they are lured by the island’s laidback nature, its off-the-beaten-track feel and, increasingly, a small and growing pool of digiterati.
Curry Khoo – the man for all things digital and start-ups
They hang about in cool cafes like China House or the Narrow Bar, they wear shorts and T-shirts (which is anyway the usual dress code for Penang) and they speak in strange code.
The most connected of them all is Curry Khoo, who wears a beanie, and a diamond stud in one ear. He heads the Penang chapter for MaGIC, the Malaysian organisation which aims to empower entrepreneurs, creativity and innovation, and he’s also part of Google Business Group.
Curry is the go-to guy if you want to do anything with digital and start-ups on the island. His real name is Khoo Kah Lee. He decided to change it to Curry – “easier to pronounce for ang moh (foreign) people”, plus he knew it’d be a good talking point.
Curry tells me that on the nomadlist.io, Penang is rated eight in the list of places for digital nomads. “We’re becoming quite cool and why not? The food is good, costs are low and the environment is nice. Penang people are very nice and friendly,” he told me over Ice Milo Dinosaur at China House.
And a small but active start-up scene is blossoming.
I met two young start-ups, Mack and KoeKoe, who are into their second start-up. Their first is Catmoji, a Pinterest-like forum for cat lovers, and their current venture is PlayRally, a social platform for multi-player gamers to form clans, communicate among themselves and discuss strategies.
Mack said that the lesson he learnt from Catmoji was that it went viral too early and he couldn’t keep up with the demands and expectations that brought because he didn’t have enough funds and resources to scale that quickly. With Playrally, he intends to build out the product first before launching it into the market.
“A good lesson learnt,” he said.
Penang as it was, and is.
Curry tells me that despite the fact that tourism is Penang’s biggest source of income, very few start-ups have entered travel, which surely spells an opportunity, I asked.
“Definitely. We can goreng (fry) together,” said Curry, who like all good Penangites talk about food and use food analogy a lot.
I’ve always maintained that there needs to be an alternative in South-east Asia to Singapore for start-ups to establish themselves. Yes, Singapore definitely has its advantages but it’s expensive, its talent pool is small and limited and it’s pretty saturated.
Could Penang be that alternative? After all, the island has a strong reputation for IT – its Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone was among the first in South-east Asia to attract hardware manufacturers in the 80s and 90s – and now the state government wants to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in IT, particularly software.
Just this month, Wawasan Open University (WOU) signed a 30-year lease agreement with Penang Development Corporation to take over the historic building, Wisma Yeap Chor Ee.
Wisma Yeap Chor Ee to be transformed into an innovation centre. (Image credit: https://travel2penang.wordpress.com)
The idea is to turn the building, built in the 1920s, into a creative, innovation and education centre, housing the Penang Science Cluster on one floor. In a small island, rumours fly fast and furious and there’s lots of talk on what the other two floors will be used for.
There was talk of inviting Sony to open an animation studio but nothing’s materialised on that front thus far. There’s also talk of setting up an accelerator programme at the centre and the Penang government is keen to look to Taiwan and Singapore for examples.
According to those who know him, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has always maintained that for Penang to succeed in this field, it needs the three Ts – Technology, Talent and Tolerance.
Well, if there’s one thing hippies thrive on, digital or otherwise, it is tolerance and Penang certainly has that to spare.
Personally, I am pleased to see Penang taking a step in this direction. It’s carved out a good niche for itself in tourism – its food is its biggest selling point, followed by its arts and heritage – but now it needs to think of a future in which to create good quality jobs for young Penangites who then do not have to leave, like the hippies of old, for greener islands.
Mack and Curry tell me there is a younger breed of Penangites who are staying. Well, they must be given more reason to stay.
• Featured image credit (Wisma Wisma Yeap Chor Ee): https://travel2penang.wordpress.com
