If anyone is in Penang, don't miss the Kek Lok Si Temple. Way more than a 15 minute stop for sure.

My daughter and I were there with Silversea in the mid 2000's, and loved taking taxis from the ports. It was in the daya when no excursions were included with ANY line. We hired a taxi driver for about $7 per hour (no kidding) right off the dock.

He drove us up the hill (high) and we wandered around for a long time. This is a very special site for the city, trust me, and google it.

A bit foggy in memory, since so long ago, but I know in several ports in this area, we hired the driver in the morning (I particularly remember Langkawi, too), came back to the Shadow for lunch, and they would pick us up in the afternoon for another go round. I would choose our destinations straight out of the Silversea excursions list. Really no need for a private guide if this is still available at the port. But then, I'm adventurous, and trust I'll be in good hands. In Penang, as I remember, after lunch, the driver took us to a place in town that was a museum of sorts, with big diaramas of life in years past.

We had some great conversations with our taxi drivers, all family men with grown children.

I was also with Dena with the person she recommended for Bangkok. We did an absolute 3 day marathon with that company. A long way from the port to the city, and they made sure we saw it all to the max! We all loved it, as well as the hotel we chose.

Anyone can PM me and I will send you the pictures from my time in these areas.