Tag: penang

Penang Hill, Malaysia

September 28, 2011 / / 0 Comments

One weekend, we joined a local group of outdoors enthusiasts on a hike up Penang Hill, one of the highest spots on Penang Island.  The hike started getting hot and heavy in the beautiful Penang Botanical Gardens, built up to a climax at the Crag Hotel and rolled off at Flagstaff Hill, the destination of Penang’s famous Swiss-made funicular railway.

The Crag Hotel, pictured above, was built by the British in the 1890s and has lain abandoned since 1977 except for a brief appearance in the film Indochine.  Despite the years of neglect, the buildings and fixtures remain elegant, and the views of Penang Island are excellent.  If I had a million dollars…

Besides the Crag Hotel, the highlight of this hike was the wildlife –

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Betel Nut, Malaysia

May 19, 2011 / / 2 Comments
This isn’t a food porn site, nor will it ever be, but I couldn’t resist posting this picture of a delicious coconut I had in Bukit Mertajam (大山腳), a city in Penang State, Malaysia.  Just look at that thick juicy, layer of smooth, wet coconut flesh.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Another taste of Myanmar

April 23, 2011 / / 5 Comments

April 13 was the New Year celebration for Thailand and Myanmar, also known as the Songkran Water Festival.  Unfortunately, I was in neither Thailand nor Myanmar on that day, but I did the best I could – I visited Thai and Myanmar Buddhist temples in Penang, Malaysia.

Here’s an environmentally friendly reminder I noticed in the Thai temple:

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