The lorongs of Penang are the back roads, and is also where the garden once was with a three meter wide access lane to remove the night soil. Obviously it is no longer needed for that, so we decided to turn it into our best feature.
By shifting the terrace walls back we widened the laneway enough to make an oasis of private green, so that all the back rooms, half of all in the hotel, overlook both this space and the beautifully restored tiled roofs of the adjacent buildings.
The granite pavement stones were brought from China, and made from ballast in the ships of the 19th century, along with dragon pots of salted eggs. The pots now decorate all the balconies, and are planted with Frangipani trees whose fragrance improves our tropical heat.
