Brayden 9Y22D
Bevlynn 4Y9M16D
We booked the train tickets up Penang Hill.
The train was going up very fast. Along the way up, on both sides, there were hillside zinc rooftop kampung houses. It must be very difficult for these residents to commute up the hill daily.
When we arrived at the top station, we were greeted with hot sunny weather. Our shadows were almost hiding right below us. The air was fresh and it was not too humid. We found some telescopes "RM1 for 2 minutes", we looked for buildings. Bev was pointing the telescope to the sky. "Are you able to see anything?" I asked. She said admittedly, "Uh-huh". Hmm, what were you aiming to see, Bev? Birds? Superman? Castle in the sky?
As we walked along the path, there were small huts selling souvenirs. One of the souvenirs was interesting, a ceramic bird whistle. The bird whistle could mimic the sound so well, especially when water was added to it. Bev and Bray took turn to whistle.
We slowly walked to the hawker center to buy some fruit drinks.
Afterwards, we explored the Bellevue Hotel. There don't seem to be anyone around the garden. It was Raya week so the kitchen was closed since the chef had returned to his kampung. We sat there enjoying the view and drank some English tea. Bev blew her whistle and many sparrows & some birds were constantly flying about. Did the sparrows find the high pitch sound of the "fake bird whistle" annoying or they loved it that they dance a formation in the sky? I do not know. But this I know, to share the view of Penang from on top the hill with the nature & birds with family is worth more than money can buy. Mom wanted to take photos. She was here many years ago with her friends.
As we walked out the corridor of the hotel, we saw some drawings of the history during the British colonial times. I explained to the children why Penang Hill was an important landmark.
We climb a short few staircases to the children playground and a Hindu temple.
There was a beautiful Lord Ganesha's statue in front of the temple. I was curious about the history of this temple, it must be of significance to those staying there in the past.
And I read up, it was one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang. It was set up in the 1800s by the Indian sepoys and sedan chair carriers. They were important early transportation mode to bring rich family up the hill before the funicular railway was built. How lucky we are in this era, we have a faster train yet we sometimes forget to appreciate it. We complaint when we had to climb a few short steps. Imagine those past transporters who had to climb from the base of the hill to 833 metres above sea level; carrying a sedan & people. Suddenly, our trouble felt so menial.
We decided to take a nice ride on the buggy. There were a few stops for photo taking. Sometimes, several monkeys would stand in the middle of the road to show who was boss. The buggy driver who was very familiar with this "monkey business"; would talk to the monkey like they were next door neighbours; as though they've known each other for a long time. "Eh, dah makan kah? Lu pegi sana"
Stood there, midway along the buggy track was a bright red Penang Hill Post Box. one of the oldest post box in Penang (made during the reign of Queen Victoria 1819-1901). It is kinda out of place at this spot. Usually, a post box would be located at a more obvious location. I can imagine Mr Postman in the 1900s, who would open up the post box and found just a letter to send out to a loved one in Britian. If I had lived in any of the bungalows back in those era, I'd find writing letters as my joy and connection to the outside world. This would keep my sanity at least. Nighttime must had been so dull and the talks with the monkeys would be a bore.
The next trip I am here in Penang Hill, I will bring along a postcard and post it in this Post Box.
Once we completed the buggy ride, we went to David Browns Restaurant. We sat in front of the nicely decorated pond and ordered some signature cakes. While we were talking, Bro Max dozed off. It was a long day for him.
While we walked down the stairs, Bray suddenly shouted and had a freaked expression on his face. There, hanging from a tree, a giant spider on its webs. It was motionless, waiting for its prey. We observed it from all different angles. It didn't occur to us that the spider would hop onto us, we just wanted to feed our curiosity.
We were back to the train station deck. It was almost sunset. We waited for the day to turn night. By darkness, we could see the beauty of Penang night life; a vibrant place, the lights outlined the streets. Some were on their way back home after a long day's work, some were on their way to their night shifts, some were keeping restaurants open late into the night, some were ready to switch off their lights,..... everyone was playing their parts to keep this place, a place we can call Home. Good night Penangite!
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