PENANG, MALAYSIA

From a tourist map, the island of Penang looks somewhat like a mink's pelt. Georgetown, its capital, sits roughly on the right arm of the skin, while the Muka Head Lighthouse would be on the left arm. Somewhere near the head lies a cluster of good beaches that have helped Penang develop a reputation as a resort destination. Penang Hill sits at the center, or heart, while the figurative legs are hosts to the international airport and the Batu Maung Fishing Village. Across the straits, Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley), the other territorial half of the State of Penang, is linked to Georgetown by ferry and the Fort Cornwallis marks the spot where Captain Francis Light first set foot on Penang on July 16, 1786. The hastily built wooden fort was later reinforced by convict labor. At the time no one predicted that a history gallery and a souvenir shop within the fort would become as well known as the Seri Rambai Cannon that was once salvaged from the sea. Echos of colonialism are found in the Town Hall and City Hall. The Padang Kota Lama, where many important local events are... more