Penang Day 2&3

Waking early has been a continuing problem for us as we made our way through Thailand and it looks to be continuing in Malaysia too.Sleeping with aircon means waking up with a dry mouth though.

We walked out on our first night touching Little India with all the noises and smells that go with it.

For the first time we start to see the remains of earlier western influences on the area with the British colonial buildings readily visible in Georgetown.Georgetown has been recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site so much of its best points will be preserved for future generations.

The island has a rich multicultural history full of Malay,Chinese,Indian and European influences.

Georgetown was named after King George the Third in1786 by Captain Francis Light in what looks to have been a bit of sharp buisness with the Sultan of Keddah who received a annual bounty and some defence treaty in return for ceding the island to the British East India Company. Light built a small wooden fort that was eventually replaced by a brick and stone edifice later on some say out of Light's own pocket when he couldn't get the EIC to pay up.This was completed in the early 19 century in around a couple of WEEKS by Indian convict labour.The fort was intended to protect against the Sultan of Kedah, pirates and the French during Napoleonic times but in its entire history was never involved in any battle.