The island of Penang was long known as "Pearl of the Orient". Founded in 1786 by Francis Light (father of William, who founded Adelaide), it was a trading post for the British East India Company and was one of the three Straits Settlements, along with Malacca and Singapore. We had spent three happy years working and living there in the 1970's. At that time the island and its capital, Georgetown, was showing its age and looking a little run down - the pearl was losing its lustre. On this short five day visit we saw a different Penang. This island, along with the rest of Malaysia, is booming, but progress comes at a price. It has certainly lost its quiet provincial feel with towering condominiums and smart hotels lining many of the foreshores where formerly Malay
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