Visit to the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve with unexpected hiking

After spending 1.5 days in the capital Georgetown on Penang Island, today I went to Penang Hill. It is located about 6 kilometers outside of Georgetown in the suburb of Air Itam and, at 830 meters, is the highest mountain on the island. In fact, Penang Hill is a collection of several hills. The area is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

After wasting half of the morning sleeping in, reading, and having breakfast, I took the bus on the local public transport system to the cable car station at Penang Hill. Such bus rides sometimes remind me of certain moments that feel like social studies (anyone who has ever used line 61 in Dresden extensively knows what I mean), and the same was true here... so during the 50-minute ride, I not only observed the unknown area of Penang but also the activities in the bus, i.e., children loudly fiddling with their phones and scribbling, younger and older couples who were also loudly arguing (even though I didn't understand a single word, I felt I had identified it) and, of course, quiet folks who either more or less covertly scrutinized the foreign-looking guest in the bus...

When I arrived, I already saw the line in front of the cable car. I politely bought my ticket, during which I was given a number for my entry group, and then it was back to waiting until it was finally my turn to board the cable car. The whole process took about 1 hour until I found myself standing in the sardine can of the cable car. Once at the top of the mountain, there is a wonderful view of the island... if only there wasn't fog obstructing it, as was the case on the day of my tour, but at least I could sense the view... and it should clear up later...

However, Penang Hill has more to offer than just a great view over Penang and the mainland of Malaysia. For example, there is the Hindu temple Sri Aruloli Thirumurgan to discover, as well as the Penang Hill mosque, which was also built on the summit; in addition, there are other historical buildings. The truly interesting aspect of the area are the 'Nature Walk Trails' and the circular path around the mountain. Here, you can choose between several trails of varying lengths. You can imagine it as a large botanical garden where you encounter plants from various origins - with appropriate explanations - along the way. Besides, there are also various diverging hiking routes. I walked the longest route through the botanical garden, and then I wanted to try a small hiking path, the Moniot Heritage Trail, which has a jungle character, leading to a cable car mid-station. However, this trail turned out to be significantly longer than expected and wasn't well-marked, so the intended little stroll became a bigger hiking route, and when I eventually reached the cable car station, there was no way to board, so I had to make the complete descent into the valley as well. The path itself was fabulous, the foggy view cleared quite a bit during the walk, and surprisingly it stayed dry the entire time, but the humidity and mugginess were quite intense again. Therefore, the path itself was a wonderful nature experience, even though some warning signs about watchful dogs related to private property and their associated loud, unfriendly barking occasionally made me doubt whether I was still on the right path, which made me prefer other routes. Nonetheless, I encountered joggers and mountain bikers along the way, which made me think I must be on the right track, and I also kept an eye on the foot of the mountain from time to time.

Eventually, I found my way back into the city. Unfortunately, I missed my bus line, so I had to wait for a while before I could start my return trip to the hotel - two buses that Google suggested didn't show up either. After freshening up a bit, I went out again for dinner. I strolled around my area and heard Rammstein coming from a vegan place, shortly afterward Metallica played, and a sign tempted me that it was Tiger Beer Happy Hour. So many signs suggested I should settle down there. I enjoyed a delicious meal and soaked in the rock sounds on my last evening in Penang. However, I couldn't manage to stay up until three in the morning to watch the DFB Cup semi-final Stuttgart vs. Leipzig...