There is much to discover on a walk through George Town today. New shops and cafes pop up at a dizzying pace, and a good number of these outlets are opened by young Penangites, bringing a chic vibe to this old town.
Nothing ever changes in George Town, yet everything changes all the time. Old shophouses stand unchanged to face the test of time, but within them new shops and cafes pop up at a dizzying pace. A walk amidst its warren of lanes is often an exercise in fortuitous discoveries.
Since George Town entered the Unesco World Heritage list in 2008, its fortunes began to revive, and a chic lustre has returned to the old town. Well-heeled investors from companies to individual expatriates and wealthy Malaysians rushed in with plush funds to turn rundown shops into stylish boutique hotels and elegant restaurants.
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