Penang Island, 285 km2 off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is the oldest British settlement in Malaysia and one of its main tourist destinations.

Many consider its beaches as its main attraction, but what makes Penang is a unique enclave vibrant and mysterious city of Georgetown (400.000 inhabitants), located on the northeast coast of the island. This city is even more essentially Chinese than Singaporean or Hong Kong, and its oldest neighborhoods seems that time has stopped at least fifty years. Georgetown is a compact metropolis and is a delight to walk through its streets. You can start walking in any direction, certainly, you can see beautiful old Chinese houses, vegetable markets, temple ceremonies, trishaw, mah-jong games and all elements of the Asian street life.

In downtown of Georgetown could still be seen the worn walls of Cornwallis Fort, where in 1.786 he landed the first Briton, Captain Light, in what then was only an uninhabited island. Light established a free port and completed the construction of a stone fort a few decades later. Today, the fort houses a full park of guns, many confiscated from local pirates. Seri Rambai, the largest and most important, has a huge history that dates to 1.600. In Penang there are numerous kongsis (clan houses, which function as a temple and a meeting place of the Chinese belonging the same clan or with the same surname), and Khoo Kongsi is the most spectacular. The original building, extremely luxurious and elaborate, burned the same night that had been completed. This calamity was interpreted as a sign of excessive luxury, so they built a structure less luxurious. Today, looking at this building, with its impressive mix of dragons, statues, paintings, lamps, tile colors and sizes, one wonders what level of affluence would have reached the original. Kuan Yin Teng Temple in Georgetown's historic downtown is less imposing, but it is one of the most admired of the city, often believers can be seen burning in the ovens tickets and attend puppet shows at night or representations Chinese theatre. To enjoy the best view of the city and the island it is necessary to climb onto the funicular that goes to Penang Hill, which rises 830 m. above Georgetown and provides cool relief to the embarrassment of the lower zone. The view is particularly beautiful at dusk when Georgetown, far below begins to lighten.

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