Penang Hill or also: "I've never sweated so much" :O :D (Day 128 of the world trip)

10.01.2020

So that we could enjoy our hike up Penang Hill comfortably, we wanted (or rather, I wanted :p) to start early, because the temperatures are still pleasant then :)

And so I randomly woke Jonas up "already" at around 7:00 am^^ But it was already 8:30 am when we finally set off :O Breakfast, preparing snacks, doing the dishes, and refilling water (which is free here at the hostel <33) took some time :D Plus, we still had to shoot a video because someone's birthday is today :)

On the way to the bus station, the bus of line 10 passed us and we were a bit disappointed that we missed the bus due to our "dawdling", but oh well ;-)

When we arrived at the bus station, we found our stop, but unlike other bus lines, there were no time indications for when the next bus would come... After about twenty minutes, I went to the information counter to ask. There are no bus timetables or fixed departure times here, but maybe he could give me an idea (every 15 minutes, once an hour, once a day :p)? ^^

There were only two people in front of me at the info counter, but it took over fifteen minutes until it was my turn, as the concerns of my predecessors seemed to have been elaborate ;-) When I asked about line 10, the employee told me that it runs hourly. Fortunately, he immediately took out his mobile phone and made a quick call before informing me that the bus would come at 9:40 am.

By now it was 9:20 am, and so Jonas and I took a little walk to withdraw some money. And almost exactly on time, the 10 arrived at 9:40 am!!! Wow :)

We paid for our tickets and took the 7 km journey, which took 45 minutes due to some winding roads, to the final stop - the Botanical Garden Penang.

To reach the 27th highest peak in Malaysia, which is a little over 800 meters high (yes, apparently they count very precisely ;-) ), there are three options.

Firstly, you can use the funicular, which is a kind of cable car. To do so, you go to the lower end of the cable car and can ride up and down for 8-10€ / person. This is obviously the most comfortable option but also the most boring, so it was out of the question for us ;-)

Secondly, you can start from the Botanical Garden. From there, fat trucks drive the 5 km up a super steep road (the incline looks like 45° :O

However, this option is quite expensive for two people, and it wasn't quite what we imagined for climbing a hill. After the Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we knew that it can be worth NOT taking the easy way up ;-)

The third option is simply to hike up, although "simple" is an understatement :p Because after all, you have to overcome 800 meters in altitude. There are a handful of hiking trails, some better advertised than others, but we chose the easiest one (by "we" I mostly mean me, but hey^^): You simply walk up the road that these jeeps/trucks also drive up :)

Said and done! As the only people standing at the foot of the hill, we set off on the road. I had read beforehand that the first kilometer is supposed to be very steep, and oh my God :O It was sooo intense!!!

We've already experienced quite a bit when it comes to hiking, but this was just a whole new level of steepness, with no flat parts whatsoever, just a continuous ascent without any respite :p

Not even the monkeys on the side of the road or the fact that the road is shaded because there is forest on both sides could help much :D :D

For "motivation", there are signs every hundred meters that show you how many kilometers you have already hiked. It should be a total of 5 km, but already after the first kilometer, I was about to give up and wave down the next truck ;-)

Even Jonas was sweating like you would in a steam sauna, and we were both breathing heavily and loudly until we finally took a short break after 1.5 km. Our heart rate came down a bit, we drank some water, and although I was still a bit demotivated, the mood gradually improved :p I finally believed that we could make it to the top today after all :D :D :D

Jonas looked at Maps.Me to see if we could cross one of the jungle trails because besides the steepness, the road itself wasn't particularly inviting as there was simply nothing to see ;-)

Fortunately, Jonas immediately found a trail that initially ran parallel to the road but was far enough into the forest that we didn't hear the honking of the trucks at the 180° turns quite as loud anymore^^

It took a few more minutes until I could fully immerse myself in it. Jonas started singing songs and tried to cheer me up. I told him that it's okay to exert ourselves, but there's a point where the effort stops being fun. Well :D

When we stopped because Jonas had a hole in his sock from his sweaty feet and needed a blister plaster, everything was fine again :) For almost a kilometer, we walked through the jungle, and to my great relief, there were also long stretches where the path was just straight without an incline! <33

At kilometer 2.5, exactly halfway, there is a small "rest area" with public toilets and a few tables and chairs. We only used the water there to wash our hands and cool our heads. Because even though it was less steep, it was still super hot and we were constantly sweating :D

After the rest area, you can either continue up the road or take the "Bridal Trail". This is a path that the British built and used during the colonial era to reach the hill. But we still couldn't figure out what that has to do with brides ;-)

This path takes slightly longer than the road itself, but it goes through the forest again, and there are occasional viewpoints <33

At the first one, we had a little break with bread and rolls while enjoying the first view of the city below :) Then we continued, and I have to say, the path was just to my liking :D There were long stretches in a straight line, and then there was always a short, super steep climb (almost 90° at one point, where I climbed up using the pre-made holes with my hands and feet) so it was quite bearable.

Not that our legs didn't start burning at some point, but it was similar to jungle trekking in Laos, so we were familiar with that ;-) Oh well. The vegetation in general reminded me a lot of the Laotian jungle, so it wasn't that spectacular, but it was definitely a pretty nice path :)

Finally, the last stretch went over an asphalt road (but not the one for the jeeps, but the one for staff and a hotel) or stairs, which took a little more strength, and then we were almost at the top.

There's no real "top" somehow because there's a kind of plateau at the top, but we walked around a bit, took some great photos, and briefly checked out the funicular from above.

By the way, only one young man overtook us on the way up. Otherwise, we didn't see a single person until we reached the top, which was pretty cool ;-)

After another break in a small pavilion with a view, we eventually started our descent.

Here, for the upper 2.5 km, we took the jeep road because it seemed the easiest, but even then, it really took a toll on our knees :D And this time, Jonas could feel it too, so I can't (only) blame it on my age :p ^^

However, from the rest area onwards, we took the jungle trail again, and from the point where we left the road on the way up, we took a different path through the forest all the way down.

This one was longer than the 2.5 km and started off quite promisingly. I was wondering how we would manage to get back down with all the altitude we had gained, but then I got my answer: it felt like forever, going downhill over roots and such.

Descents are not my favorite type of hiking anyway, but oh well, we had to get down somehow :D It wasn't comfortable, and even though I was initially happily singing songs, for the last half hour or so, we walked in complete silence :D :D You had to concentrate, and I think we were both looking forward to reaching the bottom :p

When we finally arrived at the bottom, I treated myself to an iced tea at the cafe (I actually wanted ice cream, but it was sold out :( ), and then we briefly considered how to get back.

The line 10 only runs once an hour, so if we were unlucky, it would take a whole hour for the next bus to come.

Therefore, Jonas checked Maps.Me to see how far it was to other bus stops where more than just line 10 stops, and after a short grimace, I trudged somewhat tired and unwillingly behind him :D :D

I just wanted to sit, put my feet up, eat, and drink, but I also didn't want to be too cranky, so I pulled myself together, and we walked about 1.5 km along the road until we coincidentally saw line 101.

We had already taken that line yesterday to go to the Floating Mosque, so we knew that it would take us back to George Town. We made a mini-sprint across the road and made it into the bus safely and without waiting time ;-)

When we arrived at the hostel, we were both completely exhausted. The first thing we did was refill our water bottles. The second thing was to take a cold shower. And the third item on the agenda was dinner.

Since Jonas wasn't satisfied with his meal last night, he agreed to go to the vegetarian restaurant that I had chosen for today<33

When we arrived there, it looked really hip, and they sell lots of organic products. All dishes are prepared fresh without artificial additives or flavor enhancers, and they are either vegetarian or vegan. They don't even serve white rice; everything is whole grain. I was in heaven :p :D :D

Not that I placed a lot of emphasis on it at home, but now I really appreciate getting something without MSG or greasy oil ;-)

Jonas and I each ordered a soup with noodles and vegetables. I had a carrot cream soup with cauliflower sprinkled with cinnamon, and woooow!! That was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten <333 That and the bento box from Kuala Lumpur are my current culinary highlights^^

As drinks, they have smoothies, milk, tea, and water, but no soft drinks. We ordered a glass of filtered tap water for the equivalent of 0.10€. An absolute steal :D Anyway, we paid less than 7.00€ for both dishes including drinks, and when we left the cafe, Jonas agreed that we could come back again sometime<33

I especially like that because I could hardly decide what to order. There is really a lot of variety, and all the "exotic" dishes are also explained and so on. If we really go there again, I'll be very satisfied :D :D

But after accomplishing so much today, Jonas got some rolls at the 7-11, and then we returned to the hostel, where we're now chilling in our usual way and ending the evening :)

Tomorrow, depending on how we feel in the morning, we will either hike in the national park again (but without a big ascent^^) or we'll have a beach day. Or maybe we'll do something completely different :D Who knows?

In any case, I'm really looking forward to putting my feet up soon ;-) :)