The 229 Penang Hill

Since I had already seen most of the old town yesterday, I decided to go out of the city today and hike on the nearby hills. After I bought fresh fruits and water in Little India, I headed towards the mountains along the coast.

During my hike, I also crossed "New Town" with its many skyscrapers.

But when I reached the foot of the mountain range, a sign told me that the hiking trail was closed. Shortly before I traveled to Penang, they had heavy rainfalls with floods here. One consequence of this was that the hiking trails were washed away or blocked by fallen trees. So I had hiked the 10 kilometers in 35°C for nothing. Well, it wasn't for nothing, I saw more of Penang and not just George Town.

At the foot of the mountain range, there was still the Botanical Garden, so I decided to visit it. I strolled through the garden and found a nice spot in the shade to eat my fruits.

As I found out, I wasn't alone. As soon as I took out my bag, monkeys came from left and right, hoping to have some of it.

So my little picnic was ruined. When I put away my fruits, the monkeys also left and found something else to eat.

When the monkeys were gone, I was visited by a lizard that was looking for food in the fallen leaves. It didn't bother me at all.

Since I couldn't hike in the hills, I made my way back to George Town. I spent the afternoon in one of the many cafés where I enjoyed a refreshing milkshake or iced coffee.