Penang
Penang was established by Francis Light in 1786 as the first British
trading post in the Far East. Light had persuaded the Sultan of Kedah to
cede Pulau Pinang ("Island of the Betel Nut") to the British in exchange
for military assistance; though Light occupied the island, he withheld a
commitment to aid Kedah until the Sultan had ceded additional territory
on the adjoining mainland coast.
Penang or its Malay name of Pulau Pinang is made
up of a turtle-shaped island, a total of 285 square kilometers, and a
strip of land called Seberang Prai on Peninsular Malaysia about 48
kilometers wide. Widely known as the Pearl of the Orient, Penang is one
of Asia's most famous islands. Penang today is very much an amalgam of
the old and the new – a bustling port, a heritage city and an industrial
base.
Having a reputation as a food paradise, be it haute
cuisine, or cuisine bourgeoise (hawker fare), Penang offers a heady
and exotic mix of delicious cuisine to choose from. George Town, the
capital of the state of Penang, has one of the largest collections of
19th, and early 20th century buildings in Southeast Asia. It is a living
historic city, with inner city communities, places of worship, guilds,
wet markets and bazaars, traditional trades and retail shops, trishaw
peddlers and hawkers. You can find a century-old church, a Chinese
temple, an Indian temple, and a Muslim mosque all within a five-minute
walk from one another.
Although George Town isn't exactly a city that does not
sleep, night life on the island is abuzz with excitement until the wee
hours (longer on weekends). All hotels feature at least some form of
entertainment other. There are also numerous excellent and colorful
bars, nightclubs, discotheques, all-night coffee houses and restaurants.
We
provide a wide selection of properties - budget, business, tourist,
luxury, bed and breakfasts and apartments accommodation to suit your
every needs.
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