The Penang music and dance scene is mainly based on the Kristang who are believed to have been a creole Eurasian ethnic group of people with Portuguese and Malaccan decent based in Malaysia and Singapore.

And in Penang, you will find the Kristang music and dance known as branyok which is mistaken for Malay joget which is believed to have developed from branyok.

The adoption of western musical entrustments and musical scales by native (tradional) Malay and Indian orchestras suggests that a strong Portuguese influence “jingkli Nona” is the most popular tune and is regarded as the unofficial “anthem” for the Portuguese Eurasians in Singapore.

Fado, the Portuguese music, is not part of the Kristang culture, since it originated in the 19th century, after most cultural links with Portugal were cut off.
The Kristang culture tends to have more joyful expression than the characteristic melancholic mood of fado.

Malaysia is a land of surprises, a multi-cultural nation with both bustling business districts and tranquil beaches. It is home to thriving gay population which is still emerging after years of remaining underground.

Whether you are looking for Penang-Beach, gay friendly accommodation, like a 5 star hotel, great nightlife or perhaps something a bit more homely, www.wotif.com/penang, is the site you should visit.

When you are traveling through Malaysia, why not pamper yourself and stay in one of Penang Spa Hotels which offer an excellent range of facilities, expert staff and heavenly treatments, just visit the above site. The following are some of the gay friendly you can visit in Penang, G. Hotel, Jerejak Resort & Spa, Sunway Hotel Georgetown, the Bayview Beach Hotel, the Gurney Resort Hotel & Residence and many more.

Another website that will give you all the information you need about fitness and saunas for men or any other related service and activities, is www.utopia-asia.com. It is celebrating 16 years of service to Asia’s gay and lesbian community.

Gay life in Malaysia in general, as in any other Asian countries, is blossoming despite the conservative religion-based discrimination and outdated colonial-era laws.

Former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was famously removed from office by trumped-up sodomy conviction that was reversed by the Malaysian High Court in 2004.

Malaysia, like many other countries, has a large number of different tribes and therefore there are also many dialects. In Penang people generally speak Malay or Bahasa as it is main official language of Malaysia. People in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei speak Malay as their first or second language, like English and other languages in the world.

Penang has many other different dialects, ranging from Batavian to Keletanese, each dialect has its own way of sounding and a native speaker of the language can usually tell a dialect from another.

Bahasa is the medium or instruction in schools and in universities, although English is taught as a second language and is widely spoken and generally understood.

Many other Asian languages and dialects are also spoken in Penang and in Malaysia in general including Mandarin and other Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese. Also Tamil and other Indian dialects, Thai and Japanese.

Malay is an easy language to learn, as far as learning any language goes, it is deceptively simple in its structure, spelling is consistently phonetic and most sounds are pronounced in roughly in English.
For Example:

“If you can’t find it, bring another one”, in Malay is, “Ta jumpa, bawa lain” or literally “not find”, bring another one. That is the way Malay is spoken.

Penang and food, perhaps these two words don’t mean much to you but they certainly mean a lot to a real gourmet as Penang has been regarded as the food capital of Malaysia for ages. The amount of food is literally bombarding you while you are taking a walk along the most famous Lebuh Chulia (Chulia street, George town), where on each side of the street there is nothing but restaurants in the amount that your imagination would struggle to make up.

There are two great things that you will be astounded to know about Penang food, first is that the quality of food is flawless and the second nice thing is its variety, including cooking styles. Actually Penang is always referred to as a Mecca for food lovers when people talk about Malaysia.

Whether you are craving for something really exotic or just dreaming about making your belly as happy as it can possibly be Penang will do the job no matter what. Another great thing to know about dining in Penang is, whether it is a really fancy restaurant or just a little food stall on the side of the street it will cost you absolutely nothing to have a brilliant meal.

Since eating out in Penang is considered as the most favourite pastime you would certainly guess that most of the places are open 24 hours and they are. Local spices as well as imported are truly impossible to resist. A lot of tourists can end up eating even when they are not hungry, while just passing a little restaurant, simply a scent of local cuisine may drag you in for a while.