Penang is a city in Malaysia where you have to constantly remember what year you’re in: the skyscrapers in Georgetown’s center and the modern hi-tech factories say “2006”, the pristine beaches at Batu Ferringhi are timeless, while in Old Georgetown you’ll feel like you stepped back in time 120 years or so.

Georgetown’s British colonial past is apparent in all aspects of daily life: be it in an English restaurant, in the banks that have done business in the same buildings for over a century, or at the splendid historical Eastern & Oriental Hotel, you will feel like in a bygone age, of Lords, Ladies, butlers and military officers…Chinese heritage can also be seen, in the shop houses and mansions that have been in the same families for generations, while throughout it all you will feel truly relaxed by Malaysia’s laid-back but highly civilized culture and hospitality.

A fun time can also be spent on Penang Hill, which you can reach via a lovely Swiss-made cable car. At the top, you may also visit a Hindu temple or a mosque, symbols of the cultural melting pot that is Malaysia.