Old Cemetery Visit In Penang

My friends and I were talking about visiting an old cemetery in Stafford, England (near Stafford Castle) one crazy winter night but we decided against the idea due to potential danger. However, the idea was stuck to my brain till today. When I told my sister about it, we decided to visit an old cemetery of the early British settlers in Penang during Chinese New Year. I had always been curious about the tomb of Francis Light - the British founder of Penang. I didn't even know his tomb was in Penang till our visit to the cemetery.

The look of the Protestant Cemetery which was located near the Jetty looked eerie from the outside. Upon entering the cemetery, we were surprised to see a sleeping caretaker. We were the only visitors and eventually we were joined by a tourist. Three of us walked almost blindly around the cemetery. With a map near the entrance, I kept looking out for the tomb of Francis Light which was located almost in the centre of the cemetery. It was not that difficult for me to find it because I found it by chance when I happened to stand right in front of it. Maybe something invisible was guiding me, knowing that I was keen to pay the late Francis Light a visit.

Honestly, the condition of the cemetery is very poor for a historical site. Perhaps Malaysians are generally not interested in any cemetery. I personally feel ashamed that the government did not do enough to maintain the historical site. It could definitely be a very educational site to learn about the early settlers in Penang. From the various tombs, we can learn about the hardship of the early settlers. Majority of the people in the 19th century did not live beyond 50 years old. Many perish due to disease such as Malaria. Francis Light passed away due to Malaria and he was only in his 40s. There's even a tomb with children ages just a few days old from the same family. Life was very fragile those days.

My advice to those adventurous enough to visit cemetery is:

1. Wear proper shoes. No sandals.
2. Long Pants is encouraged.
3. Beware of snakes
4. Beware of insect bites

I didn't see anything paranormal on that day. Neither my camera nor my eyes captured anything suspicious unless you can help me to spot from the photos....do let me know...