The Europeans came to Asia looking for riches from spices and trade. The British created free ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang to get a share of the money of the Chinese traders. The first of these free ports was Penang, established in 1786.
Armenians, Danes, Germans, Jews, British, Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Arabs, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, Achehnese, Javanese and Malays flocked to this beautiful island and were richly rewarded for their toils and enterprise.
The umbrella of the British Empire ensured that property was protected by law and the thriving community build institutions and shared their food and cultures. We can see the cemetaries, houses of worship, clan houses, beautiful parks and beaches and taste the mouth watering mix of food and drink that uniquely defines Penang. This unique melting pot has resulted in the capital city, Georgetown, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a joint listing with its sister heritage city, Malacca. It should be noted that Penang's special home grown dish 'Assam Laksa' made it to the top 10 (at number 7) of CNN's World's 50 most delicious food.
This video by Alfred and Jasmin Grech from their holiday in Penang sums it all. Its a colorful montage of the various spots to see and things to do in this cosmopolitan creation of the British Empire.
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