Navigating Malaysia’s melting pot of cultures, noodles, and stinky fruit.
Head to Pulau Penang. Penang is both an island and a province stretching along Malaysia’s northwestern coast, but it’s the island—Pulau Penang—that draws nearly four million tourists each year. From the mainland, crossing the channel is a 10-mile journey over aquamarine water with ample time to admire the approaching cityscape of beachside high-rises set below mountains of uninhabited jungle. It’s only eight miles wide and 16 miles long, but as I tell guests who visit the durian farm where I’ve lived and worked as a tour guide and durian sommelier for the past five summers, Penang is like Mary Poppins’ magic bag: more fits in its small dimensions than seems possible.
Continue reading
Access this and all our other premium articles by joining our membership program. Plans start at $6.50 per month and include twice-weekly digital features, access to in-person events, and more.
