TRAVELLIVE 5-2016

HAND DRAWN BATIK
enang Batik Factory
is a must-visit
destination for
those who love
exploring culture.
Nowadays, fewer
and fewer people
use hand drawn fabric since the
textile industry is developing faster
and faster. However, batik has always
been an important heritage for
Malaysians.
I visited Penang Batik Factory one
hot day, but the weather was nothing
compared to the atmosphere inside
the factory where workers and
craftsman were melting beeswax.
Established in 1973, Penang Batik
Factory has specialized in traditional
hand drawn batiks. In old times, only
aristocrats and the wealthy could
afford to wear batik outfits with their
sophisticated patterns. Now, they
use Batik to make everything from
clothes, scarves, to bed sheets and
table linens.
To make Batik fabric, artisans use
beeswax to embroider cloths. The
embroidery stage is always done
by the factory’s most skillful and
experienced artisans. Artisans often
use a tool like a small pipe with a
wooden or metal handle to contain
the moltened beeswax and needle
like pen to draw sophisticated
patterns and lines. After that, the
fabric is dyed and dried before being
soaked in a solvent to dissolve wax.
The lines covered with wax are not
dyed, creating batik’s signature
white patterns. Artisans use printing
plates, brushes, or even salt to create
different patterns.
Watching artisans sweat while
meticulously moltening wax,
drawing, and dying fabric, I know
that batik is not merely a handicraft
but art, a distinctive cultural symbol
of Malaysia.
Chá thÜp C¬M CendOl
Cendol lµ mÈt m„n tr∏ng mi÷ng yu th›ch cÒa
nhi“u ng≠Íi khi du lch Malaysia. Cendol gi∏ rŒ, chÿ
t«m 2-3RM, lπi th¨m ngon vÌi n≠Ìc cËt dıa, b∏nh
l‰t h≠¨ng d¯a, ÆÀu Æ·, vµ Æ≠Íng thËt nËt. MÈt sË
n¨i cn cho thm thπch rau c©u, kem hay gπo n’p.
Tr≠a n„ng ®n ly Cendol Æ∏ bµo Æ” gi∂i nhi÷t, buÊi
tËi ®n ly Cendol Æi dπo bi”n, cn g◊ tuy÷t h¨n!
CendOl, Mixed sweet sOup
Cendol is a favorite dessert for travelers in Malaysia,
and it’s quite cheap at 2-3RM for a bowl. The
sweet soup is made with pineapple rice flour
jelly, coconut milk, and palm sugar. In some
places, jelly, cream, or sticky rice is also added.
What could be better than cooling down with a
glass of cold cendol at noon or enjoying the dish
while walking along the beach in the afternoon?
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TRAVELLIVE