India, Aug. 19 -- Penang's capital, George Town, is dotted with reminders of its multicultural past and present. Our writer finds the most befitting symbols of this character in the city's architecture, specifically in two gloriously restored mansions.

The multicultural fabric of Penang's capital, George Town, is visible at every turn. Quirky street art displays the area's history, with steel caricatures of everything from designer Jimmy Choo's origins in Penang as an apprentice, to the British explorer Francis Light, who established George Town as a trading hub in 1786. Biryani drummed out of bamboo cylinders and crispy samosas share culinary pride alongside hawker stalls doling out the popular char kway teow (stir-fried flat noodles),...