Penang Trishaw Ride (7♦)

Holiday in Penang will never be complete, if you do not take an old fashion ride in Penang trishaw. It is the best way to see and explore the city of Georgetown in a much slower pace. You will be able to cover every nook and cranny of Georgetown heritage trails using the eco-friendly mode of transportation that are fast gaining popularity among tourist.

There are about 200 trishaw in Penang which are mostly scattered around Georgetown area. Penang trishaw comes in many names, Rickshaw, trishaw, taxicab or locally referred to as beca.

The modern beca in Penang is a pedal-powered trishaw rather than one that’s pulled by runners. It ferries tourists through narrow lanes, offering them a closer view of the neighbourhood in an unhurried manner. The nostalgic feeling sitting on top of the three wheeled beca does indeed an unforgettable experience. Besides the novelty of traveling in this open-fronted three wheeled vehicle, trishaw allows visitor the opportunity of visit the sights at a more leisurely pace and stopping at any point to snap picture or to buy souvenir.

Beca riders are equipped with information about the interesting sights along the tourism route that they took, thanks to the state government initiative in providing training and the re-branding effort which includes beatification on the current old beca. This will makes a visitor's ride more interesting and at the same time raise the image of Penang trishaw riders which are one of the frontlines in making foreign tourist stay in Penang enjoyable.

三轮车

三轮车一度也从乔治市城内走向历史。然而，拜老城老街观光之兴，它又顽强的生存下来，尤其是旅行团一到，一出动就数十辆，浩浩荡荡的载着金发黑发、白肤黄皮的各国游客，招摇过市，游览槟城景点，给槟城带来一条亮丽的风景线。

槟城的三轮车，华人也叫“人车”，从人力车（黄包车）衍称而来。印度人叫Bechawandi, 马来人叫Beca (念Becha), 又保留更早交通工具”马车”（福建读音）之名。有趣的是，现在槟城三轮车后圆形铁制的车牌印的字都是Jinrikisha, 仍是日文“人力车”的发音。

据说槟城的三轮车约两百辆，你在在渡轮码头、商场、酒店等观光客出入地区都可以看到。乘三轮车的价码，市政府有订公价，每小时30元马币。不过为了生意，25元也有成行的例子。短距离的3元至6元不等，看你如何讨价还价。踩三轮车的，华人还是多数，大多是上了年纪的“人车伯”。平常等生意或没客人时，车夫最喜欢在人行道上下棋。车大多数的三轮车是租来的，有规模的出租公司就那三四家，最大的拥有七十多辆。为了招徕生意，一般车夫把三轮车打扮一番，插假花，装灯饰，或放迷你音响，一路走一路播放六、七、八十年代歌曲。你乘坐三轮车有时会陷入时光隧道，仿佛回到了从前。

槟城的三轮车很有特色，前两轮，后一轮，车夫踩踏在后面，乘坐的人在前面，乘坐有可摺收的遮棚，车夫顶上也有一把伞。据说，槟城的三轮车款型是袭自越南，不知真假。不过今天越南和柬埔寨的确属车夫在后踩。乘这类型的三轮车，饶有一番趣味，可悠闲地参观游览。它座位低，很贴近地面，由于没有那种车夫在前的遮挡，拥有一百八十度的全视野，就像坐在电影院里，徐徐推向你面前的是街景大银幕。还可随时停下来拍照，对我们搞摄影的人来说更是乐不得，是其他交通工具所无法提供的。

坐在三轮车上，迎着早晨的霞光，街道两旁各式英殖民古建筑，在海风中散发古朴沧桑的味道。这时，不自觉地想到了海口的老城当年华侨盖的骑楼。为什么我们的骑楼成为了历史，成为了城市的负担。而槟城的老建筑物修复得古意盎然，焕发了青春，灿烂而迷人。透过槟城三轮车的命运，我看到人们不同的思维方式，看到了民族个性的迥异，看到急剧改变的大环境下，政府和市民如何反应、适应。在三轮车还没有消失在你我视线之前，让我们捕捉它特有的魅力和风采。