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GEORGE TOWN (Oct 29): George Town of Penang has been named by Lonely Planet as the fourth most charismatic city in the world.
Lonely Planet – the largest travel guide book publisher in the world – said George Town has an "increasingly modern and arty spin", which was a "fascinating counterpoint to its historical Unesco world heritage streetscape".
It said the city has a compelling outdoor gallery of funky street art, such as the famed murals by Ernest Zacharevic and quirky cartoon-like sculptures; as well as versatile art spaces for avant garde art, film, music and dance.
It also accredited the city's superb hawker food scene and fabulous restaurants. The "Nazlina Spice Station", a well-known cooking school where locals and visitors learn how to cook Penang cuisine, and the Peranakan-French fusion restaurant "Kebaya" at Seven Terraces both earned mentions.
Lonely Planet also named Clove Hall, a restored Anglo-Malay mansion that was originally a clove plantation as one of the places to stay.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was "very interesting" that George Town made the top 10 list by Lonely Planet, sharing the honour alongside major cities Rotterdam (Holland), Mumbai (India), Manchester (Britain) and Rome (Italy).
"George Town is number four, placed higher than the other cities. We are at that level. This is certainly a very interesting piece of news for us," he said.
At the top three spots are Kotor in Montenegro, Quito in Ecuador, and Dublin in Ireland. Rotterdam, Mumbai, Fremantle (Australia), Manchester, Nashville (US) and Rome take the fifth to 10th spots. -- The Malaysian Insider
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