Penang - Malaysia

Penang - cultural capital, delicious food, great people and a steep climb

Here we were, on the largest island in the western part of Malaysia. Penang is connected to the mainland by 2 large bridges and is known as the cultural center. Here, the largest ethnic groups are the Chinese, Indians, and Malays. In the east of Penang Island, Georgetown is the focal point, and in the north is Penang National Park, but more on that later.

Our hotel was located in the center of Georgetown, so we tried to explore the city from here. Known for its street art, we started at the jetty in the harbor area and wanted to work our way up. The jetties are a city built on stilts where people live, trade and fish, and tourism has also made its mark on this place.

A little surprising, since you can look directly into people's living rooms here, laundry is hung outside, and the smell of burning cedarwood wafts through the narrow wooden alleyways.

Our path then led us towards the center to the first street art paintings, where we stopped at a small market. We actually wanted to buy some souvenirs, but in the end, we spent the whole day here. Here we met Chichi and Paige, who both have stands here. We talked about everything under the sun. Chichi comes from Borneo, the eastern part of Malaysia, Paige is from Kenya and studies art in Penang. We had coffee and had a good time. In the evening, she showed us a Chinese dish that was supposed to be delicious: Char kway teow

Fried rice noodles with vegetables and meat, wonderfully seasoned. Very tasty!

The next day, we wanted to be a bit more productive, so we set off on foot again. We explored the streets of Georgetown, had delicious coffee, and visited, for example, a former clan house. Georgetown slowed down our pace a bit and we really liked the atmosphere here. In the evenings, we spent time on Love Lane, a small party street in the center. Delicious beer, good food, nice people. What more do you need!

In the afternoon, we took a Grab to the higher parts of Penang Island, to Kek Lok Si Temple, a Buddhist temple with a huge statue overlooking Georgetown. Golden pagodas line the gardens of the temple and we strolled through them. After a short time, we got the idea to hike up to Penang Hill, the island's viewpoint. I should mention that it was a 700-meter high mountain, with a continuous slope of 15%, 32 degrees Celsius, and 80% humidity. Perfect conditions for hiking!

The torture began, the first section was so exhausting. Sweat was pouring down, the water was empty after 20 minutes, it was noisy, and rustling could be heard in the bushes next to me. The funicular railway raced past me and I cursed everything and everyone for not taking that train. I completed the first leg and Schleicher was waiting for me, laughing, and from there, we continued on to the final leg.

The path continued through these seemingly endless concrete stairs, past small waterfalls. Then, on my left, something rustled. A whole family of dusky leaf monkeys walked past me just 2 meters away. Luckily, none of them attacked me. Finally, I reached a paved road, so I thought it couldn't be much further. WRONG! I got so lost in the last 100 meters that I wandered around on a level below the mountaintop like a lost soul.

Eventually, completely exhausted, I arrived, the sun already setting, with an extra dose of hunger and thirst. I had to eat a Caesar salad for the sinful price of 15 €. Well, I had to face this fate.

In the evening, we went to eat at our Malaysian restaurant, completely exhausted but happy, where we had excellent local food.

Penang Taman Negara - Into the rainforest, past monitor lizards and monkeys!

Since today was our last day before leaving for Singapore, we wanted to rent a scooter again and go to Penang National Park. This rainforest is one of the largest in Malaysia. Unfortunately, we only got one scooter instead of the two we ordered, so Schleicher had to sit behind me. And so, we set off after about 20 minutes of driving, we arrived at the entrance to the jungle. We quickly restocked our water supplies (we didn't want a repeat of yesterday) and had a small breakfast.

The footpath led us past the rainforest on the right and the sea on the left at the beginning. Monkeys and a monitor lizard guarded the entrance to the start of the route, which would end at Turtle Beach. A large, deserted beach where you might be lucky enough to encounter sea turtles.

The track led us through the jungle in scorching heat, over rocks and stones. The vegetation here is something very special that needs to be protected. It is all the more sad when you catch a whiff of burning forest in the jungle. The locals illegally burn the protected forest to make way for illegal palm oil plantations. Just heartbreaking. The path stretched through the jungle, with roots as trip hazards and mosquitoes attacking your skin like assassins. We walked with a group of 2 Americans and a Frenchwoman to the beach.

A large but unspectacular beach, the trek through the rainforest was the real highlight. The way back was equally challenging, but once we were out, the climate felt cooler again. We spent the rest of the day with Paige in the small market hall, finished our postcards for home, and I drove like a mad person on the scooter through the narrow streets.

In the evening, we made our way to Love Lane again, had several beers with a German couple, and later went together to our favorite restaurant to eat delicious naan bread.

We were also recommended a very tasty restaurant, Kapitan. Here, we had delicious Indian food, including a fantastic tandoori chicken. It was great to eat with our fingers, the sauces here were simply amazing.

The next morning, we took our flight to Singapore and visited Mona, a mutual friend who is currently studying there. Unfortunately, we went to bed very late, so we only had a few hours of sleep.