My friend dropped me off at the base of Penang Hill. He had strongly recommended I climb this in the early morning, but the night before we were out until nearly midnight enjoying the Chinese New Year festivities. Borrowing his umbrella, a lifesaver from the hot tropical sunshine, I set out on the Heritage Trail. This path, founded in 1890, led nearly straight up the mountain, climbing some nearly 800 meters to the top. It followed the funicular which whisks visitors up in less than 10 minutes.
The first half of the hike is along stairs, reaching the mid point with stellar views of the surrounding forest, nearby temples and the buildings of Penang, far below in the distance. I met a student from China who was also ‘crazy’ to hike this difficult path in the middle of the day. He brought a tiny water bottle which was already empty by the time I met him on the lower part of the trail. I gave him some of my last water.
We both met two hikers who easily passed us by. But not before they stopped to say high; they have climbed Penang Hill together 2-3 times a week for 10 years and as a result were in exceptional shape. They pointed out several items towards the top of the hill including old buildings dating from when Japan occupied the country during World War II.
We reached the top and the amazing Cliff Cafe. It was super crowded due to children’s holidays. Because we were with these two Penang Hill veterans, we were treated like rockstars. Despite others waiting for drinks, once they found out we had climbed the hill and were with these two men, they served our drinks asap and also discounted them over the normal pricing. Cliff Cafe is known for their giant desserts – each one appeared to be the size of a meal and also their tropical fruit drinks including various smoothies. We satiated our thirst with large sour sop smoothies.
Other attractions at the top include several skydeck lookouts – each delivering remarkable views, the abandoned Crag Hotel, a rainforest walk and a restaurant. Having no energy to hike down the mountain, I jumped on the high speed funicular and reached the bottom in almost exactly 3 minutes! For comparison, it took me 2.5 hours to reach the top.
The night before we visited Kek Lok Si Temple; during Chinese New Year this massive (largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia) dazzles with thousands of lights at night. We spent about an hour stuck in traffic and then had to be dropped off by a friend and we walked the final distance to the main entrance. Located across several elevations one can access its various levels by foot, car, or on the lower level – an elevator funicular.
During out visit thousands of people were here; all available parking was completely filled and cars were being turned away. A major new parking lot was still under construction, although I’m not sure that would have accommodated all the visitors this evening.
We stayed in Georgetown, a mix visitors from around the world. We ate at hawker markets of which there were plenty. I spent $18 USD/night for a tiny room. My friend spent $20 USD/night for a large room and a rooftop pool. Obviously I need to spend more time researching hotels during my next visit.
Penang is an island – we made sure we visited several beaches including near the airport and Monkey Beach in the national park. We leave you with these photographs of the ‘chill’ life.
I hope I can join you for another hike up the hill next time you are in town. Hopefully the weather will be nice!
Thanks Teh! I look forward to visiting again at the soonest 🙂
Perhaps on our way down to Dili.
yes