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Published: July 19th 2009
Run for your lives
Dad is about to land usPenang is not a flat island. It has "hills" that are high and steep. We visit five attractions that are all "high points".
1. Beach rides
I am at the front so I get the wettest. We start off beach sports on a banana boat. We bump past the shore of Batu Ferringhi. We ride one-handed then hands-free. It is bouncy and fun. But there is something else we want more. Soon, we are flying high.
There is nothing below me but the open sea... twenty metres down. I am high above the Indian Ocean. This is parasailing! I have a parachute above me towed a speedboat. I dangle from a single pair of metal hooks. My Dad is also slotted in behind me. I can see jet skis and speedboats. I look down at the rooftops of cafes and resorts. The Arabic restaurant has a fez roof - it is tilted open today. Next door is a restaurant shaped like a sailing ship - including masts. I even spot the condo where we are staying.
It's time to land. A crowd has gathered on the beach below. They see us hurtling towards them. They shriek and
Cable train going up
With a luggage truck scatter. Dad pulls hard on a rope to swing our chute around. We glide down onto the beach and run as we touch the sand. A perfect landing. What a great buzz! Minutes earlier, I watched Dad and Benji flop face-first into the sand and narrowly miss crashing into a parked trailer. No wonder the crowd gave us plenty of room this time.
Mum reminds us that a tidal wave swept through here five years ago. There are no obvious signs today - except a place down the road called the "Tsunami Village Cafe".
2. Cable train ride
We stare down a sheer drop straight in front of us. It's hard to believe that our unpowered train has just carried us up Penang Hill. We watch the driver flick an occasional switch. This single-carriage train is hauled up the mountain by a cable in the middle of the tracks. It's an unusual, spectacular view over the city and hillside. We switch trains half-way up the hill. At the upper railway station, we get off and look around. It's a bit misty today at this height. Thankfully, there are cafes with goodies to give some relief from the
heat.
Young Rohan heads straight for a playground. We visit an Indian temple. People wave their hands about as if they are praying.
I spot a dragon lizard sunning itself on a garden wall. A spider floats in mid-air. It is dangling from a power line high above.
3. Buddhist tower
I see the temple in the distance. The pagoda tower pokes into the sky. I'm sizing up the climb at a Buddhist temple called Kek Lok Si. It looks a looong way up. And it is! We wind up past ten thousand Buddha statues and lots of decorations. Still, there are more steps to climb. Inside the pagoda tower there are resting places to stop and think. Or just to catch your breath before the next stage. Finally, we reach the top. We look over the whole temple complex and city buildings. A cool breeze blows through my hair. Any wind is welcome after such a tough climb on a hot day.
On the way down, we pass hundreds of souvenir stalls. They sell everything from incense sticks (cough, splutter) to "Tom and Jerry" stickers. Young Rohan jangles every set of wind chimes
that he sees.
4. Hilltop fruit farm
The hillside is dotted with tropical fruit trees. A guide identifies them all and says what they taste like. Soon, we are sampling them all from the fruit salad bar.
Durians are described as the "king of fruit". Mum is game enough to have a sniff but not a taste. "Stinks like hell, tastes like heaven". I keep a safe distance. Bananas are tropical enough for me. And they smell much better!
It's Arab season in Penang. Lots of people from Middle-Eastern countries visit Malaysia because it shares the Muslim religion. They escape the heat of the northern summer. We escape the chill of the southern winter. We share a shuttle bus with a group of Arabic people at the fruit farm. Many of the women are wearing all-black robes that cover their entire body from head to toe. They peer out of a slit in a head scarf. Often, an Arabic woman is with a husband dressed for comfort in shorts and a t-shirt. An Arabic man asks for a photo with blonde-haired Rohan.
5. Butterflies on the wing
So many different coloured butterflies are flying
Black butterfly
At rest in the Butterfly Farm around me. Some land on plants, some land on people. Hibiscus and other flowers are provided for feeding.
But there is more to this place than butterflies and shady nooks. It has a dark side. Benji's nightmare has come to life. There are lots of creepy crawlies. Giant scorpions, centipedes and snakes. Monitor lizards and other reptiles. Horseshoe crabs with spikes. A range of insect-eating plants such as pitcher plants.
There are also some more friendly creatures. Like leaf insects and ponds full of carp. Also a green iguana that may be kept as a pet. It is as big as a monitor lizard but much better looking and it doesn't eat animals.
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