In Malaysia, Tourists Are Lured by George Town’s Colorful Past

BEHIND the Goddess of Mercy Temple in George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, a rebirth is under way. For as long as anyone can remember, the eastern end of Stewart Lane, which runs behind the temple, has been marred by the blackened shells of seven historic terrace houses. Several years ago a suspicious fire left the houses roofless. But inside, allusions to a grand past remained: skeletons of timber staircases, bits of terra-cotta tile, indigo patches of lime wash on walls rising 25 feet...READ MORE