Botanical Garden - R & R

Place to rest and relax

Penang Botanical Garden has forested hills and wide collection of lush green tropical trees, plants like the Cannon Ball Tree, Candle Tree, Baobab Tree, Argus Pheasant Tree, Ebony Tree, various flower plants and ferns. There are also many plant houses, nurseries, waterfalls and lily ponds. The 30ha. garden is famous for its numerous mischievous Rhesus monkeys roaming freely in the Garden. The garden is popular with the locals who use it for jogging, picnics, wedding shoots, Tai Chi, Xi Gong and line dancing.The Botanical Garden of Penang is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

And the Waterfall stream still run through the garden.Already in the early days of Penang, the Waterfall has been a tourist attraction. The stream was one of the important water sources for Georgetown. But nowadays the Waterfall is out of bounds for securities reason due to the location of the waterfall is in a water catchment area.

Island of Penang

Alcatraz of Malaysia.

Pulau Jerejak is a little island off the Penang main island, teeming with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Some of the amazing sights here include tropical trees, lingering lianas and exotic orchids. Birds such as the White-Bellied Sea Eagle hunt for prey in the surrounding waters. For an island that used to house a penal colony, Jerejak truly has some amazing scenery that doesn't befit its history. Pulau Jerejak is quite accessible from Bayan Bay or nearby fisherman jetty and is truly a haven for nature-lovers after virgin sights on an island jungle.This island, though not as famous compared to other islands in Malaysia, has had its fair share of auspicious historical events.The island also boasts of an ancient emerald environment, older than the equatorial forests of the Amazon, thus producing a marvelous ecosystem that is both inspiring and engaging. Equally intriguing is the island's history as a penal colony - a mystical touch to the surrounding pristine nature.

Pearl of the Orient

A place to Rest & Relax..

Malaysia's 'Pearl of the Orient' carries a natural beauty and cultural splendour like no other place. Every year, thousands of visitors come here to experience the unique cultural heritage and scenery. It is also a very cosmopolitan city, perhaps the second busiest in the country after Kuala Lumpur. The city of Georgetown is Penang's capital city and the place to go to in search of historical sights and shopping adventures.

Many cultural temples line the streets while certain areas are famous for their sale of antiques, artefacts, electronic goods, souvenirs and other commodities. The most beautiful of Penang's beaches and islands are located on the northern area of the island.  However, some vestige of precious rainforest is still preserved for locals and visitors to remind themselves of the importance of nature in a developing world. Rich is history and sights, Penang offers a large variety of places to visit, from cultural temples to ancient buildings. As the island is a small place, you can cover many different sights in one day. 

Penang - the developement

How Penang was establish...

Before 1786 Penang was covered with jungle. The place was nothing more than a swampy, malaria infected island then. Nobody wanted to live on this impenetrable island.Thanks to the English captain Francis Light of the East India Company the island developed quickly. He had chosen Penang as  harbour for ships on their way to China. On that long trip to China, where they got tea and opium, they could get fresh food and water in Penang. The soldiers of the East India Company, who had to clear the island from its jungle, complained about the site, which Francis Light had chosen to build a settlement. It was hard work to undo the island from its trees and of its thick undergrowth. To clear the place Light loaded the guns of the ship with silver dollars and fired them into the jungle to encourage a faster clearing by the labourers. Now the work was quickly done and in August they could already use Fort Cornwallis. To encourage settlers the port was given a duty free status and new arrivals were allowed to claim as much land as they could clear.

The original four streets of George Town were Beach Street, Light Street, Pitt Street (now Masjid Kapitan Keling Street) and Chulia Street, all of which still form the main street in Penang.

Penang Island

Pulau Pinang Kampungku....

Penang or its Malay name of Pulau Pinang is made up of a turtle-shaped island, a total of 292 sq. km and a strip of land called Seberang Prai Peninsular Malaysia about 48 kilometers long. 
Penang is one of the 13 members of the Federation of Malaysia. It is on the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. 
It is bounded on the north and east of the State of Kedah, on the south by State Perak and west of Malacca Strait and Sumatra (Indonesia). Penang consists of the island of Penang and a coastal state strip on the mainland known as Province Wellesley. The island covers an area of 285 square kilometers, is separated from the mainland by a channel. 
It was the 16th century that the Portuguese named the main island 'Pulo Pinaom', literally meaning Betel Nut Island. This later became Penang, which means 'palm tree.' Probably at that time there were areca nut palm trees in abundance in the area. In the 17^th century, the island become a popular hideout for pirates raids started on passing ships from the ports hidden.