As the ferry approaches the shore at George Town, named after the 18th century British Monarch, the many reminders of colonialism can be seen in the trading houses and stretching away from the port the streets lined with the old stone built shop houses. Penang is one of the Chinese centres of Malaysia, which also has a big Malay and Indian population. We drove past colonial mansions and modern department stores all intermingled and jumbled together. Like many old cities the old and new seemed to blend quite happily together. On up through the rising valleys to pick up the rest of Joe's 'gang'.
Horse racing in Malaysia is a sight to behold.
Hundreds of vehicles were converging on the race course. Thousands of eager faces looking forward to the day ahead. Joe's brother Eddie is Marcus's father, he had joined us on our venture up through the valleys to today's race venue. The betting at Malaysian race meetings is through the Tote or Totaliser. It displays the odds on each horse depending on the level of betting already received.