Southeast Asia has no shortage of wonderful places: Thailand and the Philippines are famous for their beautiful beaches, Singapore is an inspiring, futuristic metropolis, Cambodia's Angkor tempts with monumental ruins, and Bali with beautiful temples and nature. Against such strong competition Penang might seem like an “ordinary island”. Nothing could be further from the truth!
We've visited all the places mentioned above, but Penang seems the most amazing to us, and that's exactly why we decided to settle here. Why? Because Penang is Asia in a nutshell!
For over 200 years the cultures of two continents have mingled here. Settlers from China, India, Europe and all over the world moved here along with their culture, religion and culinary traditions. While in their homelands these customs are fading away, here they have always been cherished. The effect is astonishing – living on Penang you can very easily witness ceremonies and traditions that are slowly falling into oblivion in other parts of the world.
In a single day you can visit a Chinese temple full of incense smoke, a Hindu sanctuary echoing with tabla and mantras, and in the evening come across a procession organised by one of the local communities. A few streets away, mosques, churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples stand side by side, and residents of different nationalities and faiths have lived here together for generations.
It's also a true paradise for history lovers, like me ;) Colonial George Town has preserved hundreds of historic buildings, clan houses and temples, and as we explore them we discover the stories of people who came here from the farthest corners of the world. Every little street hides its own tales, and uncovering them can keep you hooked for years.
Learning history brings a lot of satisfaction, but above all it helps you better understand the present. Today one of the island's key hallmarks is art and craft. Prestigious art schools thrive here, and you'll find their graduates in every major company in the region. Working in Singapore, I realised that most of the computer graphic designers had come there precisely from Penang! Another interesting example of art's contemporary role on Penang is the fact that this is the home of the fifth prize winner of last year's Chopin Competition – Vincent Ong. Local traditions and family crafts are also very strongly cherished. Penang is famous for its so-called “heritage brands” – companies that have made their products in almost unchanged ways for generations. Whether crackers, juices or chilli sauce, walking through the city you'll find workshops using recipes that are hundreds of years old. It's the same with traditional fabrics – workshops still produce traditional batik, hand-decorated with hot wax and natural dyes.
But Penang is not only history and culture. It's also surprisingly wild nature. Just a dozen or so minutes' drive from George Town and you find yourself amid dense tropical jungle covering the island's hills and highest peaks. It's there that Ada will take you hiking along wild paths off the beaten track. The green slopes hide waterfalls, forest trails and viewpoints from which you can admire the Strait of Malacca and the distant mainland. It looks wild and… it really is! We've already learned that jungle expeditions require very specific safety rules: there's no question of leaving the trail or exploring on your own.
What has always made an incredible impression on us is that the nature here isn't confined to national parks. Heading to the beach or walking through the suburbs, we've many times come across families of otters playing in the water, huge monitor lizards basking in the sun, or one of the friendliest monkeys – dusky langurs with their distinctive golden young. For us they're almost everyday neighbours; for our visiting guests, an unforgettable encounter with wild Asia.
And finally – the cuisine! Penang is the culinary capital of Malaysia, a mecca for food lovers from across the region. A blend of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences has created one of the most fascinating cuisines in the world, where almost every meal becomes a journey through different cultures and traditions.
The island tastes different at every time of year. On a local fruit farm you can try dozens of tropical varieties – from juicy mangosteens and rambutan, through achacha, camu camu and santol, to the famous durian, whose flavour changes with the season and the variety. Every visit is different, because the fruit-ripening calendar is constantly changing and each time lets you discover something new.
An equally sensory experience is a visit to a spice garden. It's not just a walk among exotic greenery, but also a journey through the scents and flavours that for centuries drew merchants from all over the world. Here you can touch cinnamon leaves, breathe in the aroma of fresh nutmeg, see how pepper, vanilla and cardamom grow, and understand why it was spices that changed the course of history in this part of the world.
What we like most about Penang is that although it doesn't dazzle at first glance, it's perfect for discovering slowly, layer by layer. The better you get to know it, the more it fascinates. It works on all the senses at once – it delights with its views, smells of incense and spices, tastes of fruit and street food, and all the while keeps surprising you with stories hidden around every corner.