Widely known as the Pearl of the Orient, Penang is one of Asia's most famous islands. Its natural beauty and exotic heritage have been attracting curious visitors for centuries. Penang today is very much an amalgam of the old and the new ,a bustling port, a heritage city and an industrial base.

For sheer variety of locals, cultures and foods, Penang is hard to beat. In it's capital Georgetown, modern skyscrapers rise from one of South-east Asia's largest collections of intact prewar buildings. Manufactures of sophisticated electronic goods compete for space with wet markets and old temples.

Where else can you find a century-old church, a Chinese temple, an Indian temple, and a Muslim mosque all within a five-minute walk from one another? Likewise, tall urban structures stand beside the red-tiled roofs of Chinatown and "Little India" is just across the road, while the Malay kampungs lie on the outskirts.