I went to Malaysia last weekend with three other friends from INSEAD, to visit a friend on the island of Penang. She spends some three weeks at a time in Malaysia every 6 weeks or so. She is based in Silicon Valley. In her company, they have long-term visitors and true expatriates. Some of the expat have left their family behind for a few years, to experience the golden cage of their condition – or the freedom of action and free spirit of a pioneer.

Penang offers the strangest mix between some heavy manufacturing operations, labor intensive that companies send off to a cheap country with more forgiving environmental laws and tourist activities (restaurants, bars, beaches and an incalculable number of temples, like the rest of the country). Whenever you talk to a taxi driver, Penang has the tallest Chinese Pagoda in the region, the biggest this and the most famous that but none of these monuments or sights feature in your Lonely Planet book. On the other hand, what they don’t mention is very present in the guide…

We had a very active schedule and often worked in two groups: the leisurely group and the touristy group. On our list
- Tour around the old colonial center of town on foot (about 3 hours): fort, city hall, Mosques, Chinese temples and family houses, etc…
- Chinese Pagoda
- Snake temple with a lot of vipers more or less dormant in the vapors of holy fragrance
- Botanic gardens (full of animals of all species)
- More Asian food courts
- Swimming pool and beach
- An interesting restaurant where you can just point a finger at a fish ‘your victim” and then have it prepared the way you want it (pure vegetarian are also catered for and the experience is a lot less oppressive for them)
- More and more temples (my TPA, Temple Point Average is still very high, I think that I have reached Dean’s List standards)

A small group – including your sporty author – walked up a little hill where we were greeted by dozens of monkeys, extremely curious. They all wanted to get close to the hikers and offered expressions that were so close to a human face that I can understand why Darwin’s theory is so popular. The hike could be offered by Singapore Sports Academy. It is organized in three steps, presents stunning views of the islands and of the rain forest and has full catering services – and hygienic support services – at each step of the way. Any dangerous portion is equipped with little steps to reinforce the natural path and some fitness equipment can second your training – if walking up hill does not do it for you.

We got seriously rained on as we walked down – dripping wet…but that's the kind of dangerous existence we, pioneers of MBA travels, lead in these remote countries, at the mercy of pirates and head hunters.