Penang is an eclectic mix of cultures - it was colonised by the British in the 1700s though the bulk of population is made up of ethnic Malaysian, Chinese and Indian people. Many of the buildings that are crammed into the narrow streets have been around since colonial times and are small, pretty and European in style, mostly occupied by Chinese and Indian shops/restaurants (though most things are also written in English and everyone speaks English). It's refreshing to see how the different cultures and religions all live (seemingly) happily side-by-side and mix harmoniously.

It was a long drive down from Thailand to this island off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia though the border crossing was very straightforward. When we arrived in Penang Nigel took us to a hawker market for dinner, which consists of plastic chairs and tables surrounded by loads of different food stalls to choose from. It was fun - I had 'century eggs' (I'm not exactly sure how they make them, something to do with preserving eggs in tea, they look gross but taste good), a bunch of deep fried bites (squid, battered prawn, wontons and suchlike) and a cup of delicious fresh sweetcorn.

In the morning I went to a roti stall for breakfast - the guy rolled a dough ball out (a bit like very thin pizza), sprinkled it with raw egg and onion, folded it up and cooked it on a griddle. It was cut into strips and served with a lentil dip and a curry dip, washed down with a mug of sweet tea made with condensed milk - so yummy!

I had a long day of exploring Georgetown city, starting with a wander around Chinatown, taking in a morning food market and the general ambience of the hundreds of Chinese character shop signs jostling for space.

I had a guided tour of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion - a supreme example of feng shui built by a Chinese entrepreneur in the 1880s as an ostentatious home and headquarters of his Malaysian business operations. It housed his favourite seventh wife and youngest son, who let it go to ruin after Cheong Fatt Tze's death - it was only after the son died in 1989 that the building was taken over and restored to its former glory. I ran into Caoimhe, Claire and Catriona there and we went for lunch with a sea view at the fancy Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

We then spent quite a bit of time at Penang State Museum which had exhibitions about the origins of the people living in the region and a small art exhibition; the highlight was a collection of photos and postcards of Penang over the past hundred years or so - I was amazed how some of the streets have barely changed in that time - and explanations of customs and culture particular to the area. It also had the last will and testament of Captain Francis Light, who colonised the island on behalf of the British - it was interesting and, among other things, left instructions as to how many bulls would be left to the mother of his children and how his various slaves would be treated after his death.

Outside the Town Hall and City Hall there were lots of people gathered and there seemed to be a few different events taking place, including a miniature motorbike race and a 'suped-up' car convention with a prize-winning Hello Kitty car that had to be seen to be believed! There were a series of cars with sound systems so loud that I could feel the vibrations in my bones - it was crazy!

We visited the beautiful Khoo Kongsi temple - a Chinese clan temple for worshipping the ancestors of the Khoo clan. It was a very well-maintained building - dripping with gold paint and packed with Chinese paintings, furniture, lanterns and ornate decorations, plus there was a large Chinese opera stage outside.

We stumbled upon the Penang Islamic Museum which was interesting - some general information about Islamic practices and culture and some specific pieces about how Islam came to Malaysia.

In the evening we walked around Little India - it's amazing how everything changes so much from one street to the next between Chinatown and Little India - the people, the food and the shops all look different. We went to a good Indian restaurant for dinner, after which we went up to the 60th floor of the Komtar Tower to look around at the city lit up at night, which was pretty although the windows were all steamed up so that detracted from it a bit.

I also managed to fit in two cinema trips while I was in Penang - You Don't Mess With the Zohan (silly, funny) and Mirrors (not great but very scary) - they were both heavily edited, the film would frequently jump from one part of a scene to another where bad language or something rude was cut out by the Malaysian censors.