Penang

27 - 31 March

Stung by the painful bus journey to the Cameron Highlands (see last entry), we journied to our next destination, Penang, in the luxury of a 'Super VIP' class bus which afforded greater leg room, reclining seats, decent air-con and a far lower risk of any of the wheels falling off whilst the bus was moving.

'Pulau Penang' (Island of the Betel Nut) is joined to mainland Malaysia by the 13.5km Penang Bridge and has many attractions for today's visitor, including fine sandy beaches, exotic temples and various historic monuments to its British heritage.

We wasted no time in heading for Penang Hill, the highest point on the island, reached by a steeply climbing two-stage funicular railway rising some 380 meters to the peak.

From here, a panoramic view of the island can be had; however despite the sunshine a haze obscured the finer details of our surroundings.

Penang Hill boasts a treetop canopy walkway but - D'OH! - this was closed for safety reasons when we visited. Walking around the pleasantly landscaped hilltop was reward enough for us though and at lunchtime we decided to stop for a bite to eat at one of the hilltop hotels. We initially chose to sit in the hotel garden for lunch, as again this gave spectacular views. Then, however, we spotted this notice...

...and they weren't kidding!

The snakes perched just above us; this is the closest we have yet come to live, unfettered wild snakes. We hastily moved into the dining room.

That evening, we sought a suitable place to eat and drink us and - being adventurous - settled for a 'typical English pub', the Soho House.

Home from home...

Here, a somewhat 'well refreshed' Taiwanese sailor began chatting to us, whilst simultaneously lavishing his attentions on the young barmaid who served us. We ordered dinner, and managed to disengage from our new friend when it arrived. As we were finishing, the barmaid informed us that all our food and drinks had been paid for by the Taiwanese guy! Not wishing to be seen as the type who take advantage, we protested (reasonably) vigorously; but our new friend would hear nothing of it, instead buying us another round of drinks.
Some time later, as we all reeled out of the pub, he accepted a cigar in payment for the evening before disappearing in a taxicab back to his ship.

Rising at the crack of noon the following day, we set off for Penang's Spice Gardens - lush gardens and forest trails in which grow every spice imaginable. As well as the beautiful gardens, the restaurant here looks out over a golden sandy beach on the Penang coast. Although a long taxi trip from our hotel, the Spice Garden was well worth the effort.

Our last day in Penang was spent sightseeing around Georgetown, with another opportunity to enjoy the view from a high tower, this time the Komtar:

The windows on the viewing floor were a bit dirty, but hey! entrance was pretty cheap (7 Malaysian Ringgit each)

That evening we returned to the Soho House, slightly nervous that the man from Taiwan might be back, but instead we were able to laugh about our experience with the barmaid, Quen (pronounced, she told us, Queenie). We quickly became friends with Quen - she's lovely - so if you ever find yourself in the Soho House in Penang, leave her a good tip. Or at least a foreign banknote; she collects them.

Queenie and Sharon outside the Soho House, Penang