When we went to Penang Island in November 2024, we intended to find a place on the island to retire. I had done the research, hired a visa agent, and contracted with a real estate agent to sell our house in Eugene, OR. We planned to sell almost everything we owned and send our artwork to Malaysia as our final retirement destination. But shortly before this trip to find a specific area we wanted to live, the Malaysian government dramatically changed its foreign retirement program. They now required that a retirement visa applicant purchase a home and not sell it for ten years. Yet, the initial visa was only five years. I was also approaching 70, and odds are I wouldn't live another 10 years, leaving Glenna stuck with a house she couldn’t sell. So, this trip ended up being just a vacation. With no pressure, we just had fun. I could easily have retired to Penang, but circumstances just didn’t break in our favor. We did, however, sell our home and move to Bangkok, with plans to retire to Canada.
Our first hotel was the Campbell House in old George Town. A great restored building with an excellent Italian restaurant. We highly recommend it.
It was in the heart of downtown, surrounded by old buildings, stores, outdoor markets, restaurants, and religious temples and mosques. Very cool
It was a two story suite with lots of antiques
Around every corner was an awesome little historical and colorful street
You don’t need to be a good photographer to take excellent pictures here
The culture, architecture, and vibe are so diverse in old George Town