Life Received 3.6 Million Travellers
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| TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018 | THE STRAITS TIMES | D7 A travel series every Tuesday. The stories are also available in sgtravellers.com BON VOYAGE SPECIAL | SPH CONTENT LAB Gat Lebuh Armenian is a popular above ground and pedestrian-only zone lined with street art, is about 100m long. peddlers and performers. It is also the site of After gearing up a famous mural by Lithuanian artist Ernest with harnesses and Zacharevic, who arrived as a backpacker in ropes, my compan- 2011 and rapidly caught the eye of locals. ions and I stepped I was particularly taken with a band of out to the platform septuagenarian musicians playing instru- gingerly, under the ments made of recycled materials, and a watchful eye of two pair of globetrotting millennials performing instructors. acrobatics to fund their travels. The fi rst steps Hip cafés, hostels and speciality museums were the scariest as — such as the Ghost Museum, a spooky I saw just how high exhibit of phantoms from different cultures we were, and heard — dot George Town’s streets, sitting cheek-by- the distant roar of jowl with moneychangers, printing presses the traffi c below. and stores selling tuak (locally brewed palm My palms sweated wine) dating from the colonial era. and my heart raced Strolling past the usual tourist hot spots, as I battled an onset a visitor will see that the juxtaposition of the of vertigo. new and old, the touristy and the indige- Seeing the city nous, results in a harmonious co-existence. laid out before us was exhilarating, In the heart of nature and we could see To experience Penang’s natural heritage, I all the way across went to The Habitat, a 1.6km-long nature the cape on which trail on Penang Hill, the base of which is George Town is The Gravityz around 7km from George Town. built, from one shore to the other. course at The funicular railway up the hill, which In an hour — during which we gradually Komtar, once took 30 minutes to reach the summit, overcame our initial trepidation — we man- Penang’s now makes the journey in four. aged to complete a series of six challenges, tallest The Habitat is located a short jeep ride including riding on a zipline, sitting with our building. away from the hilltop funicular station. The feet dangling over the edge of the walkway PHOTOS: trail includes a 230m-long canopy walk that and leaning backwards supported only by JOSHUA WONG, offers close-up views of the rainforest’s fl ora our harnesses. KATHARINE GOH and fauna. By the end of it, I was wobbly-kneed but With the help of a guide, I spotted Langur very wide awake indeed. monkeys, edible berries (which I ate), and a non-lethal striped snake (which I didn’t touch). THE WRITER’S TRIP WAS SPONSORED BY What struck me most was the serendipity TOURISM MALAYSIA AND MALINDO AIR. of these encounters. I felt like a guest in the rainforest, glimpsing its age-old rhythms. The trail leads to the skywalk on Curtis GUIDELINES Crest, Penang’s highest point, which offers a Malindo Air fl ies from Singapore 360-degree view of the island at 833m above to Penang via Kuala Lumpur. The Triple sea level. airline offers spacious legroom, The shade and silence of The Habitat were in-fl ight refreshments and on-board a welcome change from the heat and the bus- entertainment, as well as 25kg of free tling streets of George Town, enabling me to baggage allowance. It fl ies to Kuala Lumpur fully immerse myself in the beauty of nature. four times daily, from which travellers can the treat take a transit fl ight to Penang. Hanging by a thread Penang is a food paradise. Try While culture and nature are available in assam laksa and char kway teow abundance, so too are adrenaline rushes. at Joo Hooi café, 475 Jalan Komtar, Penang’s tallest building, recently Penang, and Teochew cendol at Lebuh added three fl oors and now stands at 68 Joshua Wong discovers in Penang a delightful Keng Kwee next door. stories high. On the 65th fl oor, I mustered combination of heritage, nature and adventure attractions up the courage to take on the world’s highest Wear light clothing, comfortable ropes course challenge. shoes and sun protection. The Gravityz outdoor course is 239m Penang, tucked away like a pearl in a corner exquisite jewellery and garments adorned of the Andaman Sea, is one of Malaysia’s top with the fi ve-clawed imperial dragon — a tourist destinations. symbol of royalty that the exiled Taiping Last year, the state — comprising the turtle- rebels had claimed for themselves. shaped Penang Island and the Seberang Being a history buff, I enjoyed wandering Perai province on Peninsular Malaysia — through the mansion, imagining what life received 3.6 million travellers. would have been like as a wealthy Chinese Its capital city, George Town, was recog- kingpin when Penang was under British nised by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in colonial rule. 2008, and placed fourth on Lonely Planet’s The photographs of Peranakan families, list of top 10 cities to visit in 2016. elaborate early 20th century wooden fur- Throughout my fi ve days in Penang, I was niture and everyday items in the mansion continually impressed by its uncontrived such as dining utensils, playing cards and a nature. Though its tourist veneer thickens jukebox bear witness to a bygone era. year by year, a vibrant and authentic city full The clan jetties, houses on stilts built over of surprises still throbs beneath it. the water by Chinese immigrants sharing the same surname, are another popular Historical sights in George Town attraction. The long wooden piers leading One of the city’s most impressive heritage into the sea provide perfect backdrops for buildings is the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Instagram-worthy photos. a museum of Penang Peranakan Chinese Bar the odd homestay or restaurant, the culture that is preserved as though it were jetties mostly house families who have lived still a home. there for generations. Egg shells on the tips The mansion was once the residence of of pointy-leafed plants are a sign of this — Chung Keng Kwee, a powerful triad leader they prevent the sharp leafy blades from who fl ed China during the abortive Taiping hurting the children who live and play on Rebellion from 1850 to 1864. Interesting the jetties. elements in its interior include Venetian stained-glass windows, European statuary Old and new in harmony and mirrors that enable one to observe all While the trishaw is a common mode of the mansion’s entrances while seated at the tourist transportation around George Town, dining table. walking and cycling on a rented bicycle are It currently houses more than 1,000 better ways to explore its narrow streets and Peranakan artefacts, including an array of discover its famous street murals. 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