I have been living in George Town, on the West Malaysian island of Penang, since 2009. Back then, I fell in love with Penang's scruffy old-world charm, sun-battered shophouses, multicultural heritage and relaxed way of life.
When I first saw George Town in 2008 it had just earned a UNESCO World Heritage listing, jointly with the Malaysian mainland city of Melaka. The island's economy was largely dependent on the factories of multinational corporations in the coastal district of Bayan Lepas and across the narrow stretch of water that separates Penang Island from the rest of Penang State on the Malaysian mainland.
