GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia -- High-rise buildings arrayed like a defensive wall along the eastern coast of Malaysia's Penang Island make it hard to imagine how this tropical outpost would have appeared to the British naval officer who landed on its shore in 1786.
Destinations
Footloose in Penang: Malaysian island looks to the future
Former colonial powerhouse is now a hot spot for heritage tourism
Visitors take in a sweeping vista from a viewing platform on Penang Hill, one of the Malaysian island's most popular tourist destinations. (All photos by Kit Yeng Chan)
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