Entree Kibbles

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Hin Bus Depot @ Georgetown on Penang Island [Malaysia]

With peeling paint on colonial shophouses, there is plenty of history one can experience in Georgetown on Penang Island. And with that in mind, plus proximity to St. Giles Wembley, we decided to drop by a community space steeped in bygone times.

Hin Bus Depot - built in 1947 in a rare art deco-style, it served as the main base of operations for Hin Company Ltd, until 1999, where it laid abandoned until 2014.

All thanks to Mr Ernest Zacharevic, the artist who painted many of the famous wall murals in Penang, like the Children on Bicycle. In 2014, he was searching for a place for his solo art exhibition, and eventually chose the closed depot.

A solo exhibition by cartoonist Azmi Hussin was held and we decided to pop in even though I didn't know who he was. The only Malaysian cartoonist I know by heart would be Lat.

The exhibition gave me an authentic Malaysian cartoonist vibe, which was similar to Lat, but I bet it could be different once you scratch the surface. Sadly, Mr Azmi Hussin passed away in March this year at the age of 40. :(

Stepped out of the depot as I remember seeing some shops surrounding the depot, which also happened to be part of the establishment. Unfortunately, I visited on the worst day on a weekday; Monday when most shops were closed!

Stepping in from the second entrance.

Again, a long line of dining and retail outlets that didn't seem to be open for the day. It was a pity as I absolutely love shops that showcase unique items other than those you can find in typical malls; a scenario that is now lacking in Singapore with all the high rental.

See! Want to go up also can't.

Saving grace was that the lack of visitors meant an exploration without crowd and photograph without many photobombs. Should you prefer more hype, visit on saturdays and sundays between 11am and 5pm when the Hin Market takes place.

Intrigued by this old school dental chair! As I was a dental assistant in army, this did bring tons of memories, including the time I had to clean the bloody filter from the spitting dish of a dental chair at CMPB!

A make-believe puppet performance stage!

Who knows, maybe it can really function!

Numerous animal art pieces.

The wood daschund appealed to me.

Relics from the olden days. Okay, maybe not that old since these items did appear when I was a kid, and honestly, I am still not THAT old, I think. As we age, it's fascinating how our perspectives would change, especially when metabolism drops, more wrinkles appear.

Hard to miss the art murals, which are synonymous with Penang, given how it burst into the scene and resulted in a big tourism draw; to the extent many other Malaysian towns started having their own mural street to pull in more visitors.

My favorite!

Main lawn and deck; according to the website, "Hin Bus Depot is a creative community hub in George Town and home to a gallery, arts & events spaces and creative business outlets".

Interesting toilets; where the colors were not your typical blue and red, and the stickers on them were mere distractions from the words scrawled on them; boys, and girls.

Green roof for sustainability!

Chanced upon a Japanese eatery that was open! But we were in Penang, the food paradise in Malaysia! Why would I waste the calories on non-Malaysian food?!?! Whatever the case, menu for your reference.

Write-up on Hin Bus Depot and some old photographs. I might not be young but those buses in the photographs are foreign to me too! As in I never had the opportunity to see them on the roads when I was a kid.