Visit to the Goat Farm

This is a small farm in the rural area of Penang Island.  Our guide took us to this place that is off the main road.  There are lots of green and fruit trees here and there.  A few cars were already there and families with children had also come to visit.

                                                            Banana and Rambutan

                                                                        Lemons

                                                                     Dragonfruit
The goats were penned and visitors were allowed to feed them grass.  The children liked doing that although some were not keen when the goats came up close.

 The goats that had full udders were released to the place where they would be milked.  The farmer let the goats run up a ramp and as the goats began to eat the food he had put into the trough, he brought down the bar which rendered them immobile.  This facilitates the milking process.  He washes the udders before attaching the lines to the nipples.

They were milked by a machine.
Once the milking was done the goats were released and moved back to their pen while the next lot of goats came up the ramp.

It was quite an interesting visit.

                                                              Mulberries

On The Tourist Trail, Penang, Part 2

The following morning we went on the island tour which took us to Batu Ferring which is a coastal strip populated by posh resort hotels.  People who want a holiday just relaxing by the pool or seaside usually check into these hotels which are far away from Georgetown.
We passed by Tg. Bungah where my former classmate stays and also Tg. Bahang.

 The guide took us to this place where there was a long rickety narrow walkway jutting out into the sea. At the end of this walkway were boats that would take us to Monkey Island where he said we could see monkeys.  I walked a short way but the rickety, uneven, wooden planks with gaps in between did not look safe to me.  So we turned back.  After all monkeys can be seen elsewhere too.



Then we drove along winding roads through green countryside and were told that it was Balik Pulau, home to lots of delicious durians, the King of Fruit.  Unfortunately it wasn’t in full season yet so it was very expensive.  However there were many varieties, some of which I had never heard of but which I’m sure must be very tasty too.

Durian tree-  can you see the fruits?

The King of Fruit!!

We visited the Nutmeg Factory along the way.  This was the first time I saw the nutmeg tree.

                                                     Male nutmeg on left, Female on right

                                                            Female nutmeg

                                                           Male nutmeg

 The lady explained about the nutmeg fruit and how to differentiate between the male fruit and the female fruit. The male has 2 lines which cross on its outside while the female has only a single line. When the fruit is cracked open, the male seed has 2 lobes while the female is a single round seed. Only the female seed can germinate.


We sampled the different types of nutmeg, the sweetened ones and the ones with liqorice added.

                                                            First Bridge
We saw the First Bridge which links Penang to the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia.  It is more popular than the Second Bridge which we were told is kind of “S” shaped and is close to the industrial area Bayan Lepas.

                                                               Second Bridge

The airport is also close to Bayan Lepas industrial area as we could see some aeroplanes in the distance.

On the Tourist Trail, Penang

We were able to take in two interesting temples but before that as we were walking along a narrow street, we passed by a temple, Chinese, I believe but we didn’t go inside.

                                                  Entrance to Chinese Temple

 The guide to us to two temples situated on opposite sides of the road.  One temple, which I think is a Thai temple ( I’ve forgotten!) houses a reclining Buddha while the other, a standing one.

The outside of the Thai temple displayed impressive pairs of Unicorns and Dragons, very colorful and shining.

                                                         Pair of Unicorns

                                                     Pair of Dragons

We had to remove our shoes and I had to take off my hat before we could enter the temple.  I believe this is a custom practiced by devotees and visitors.

                                                  The Reclining Buddha

 he Burmese temple ( again I believe it is as my memory is not good these days!) has a lovely garden behind it and it also has lodgings for its monks as I could see saffron robes on its balconies.

                                                       The Standing Budhha

It was very cool and shady in the garden and for the first time I saw a sea coconut tree.

                                                      The Sea Coconut Tree

 There are two other memorable temples which we did not have the time to visit but will definitely do so on our next trip to Penang, that is, the Kek Lok Si Temple which is a tall pagoda dedicated to the Goddess Kwan Yim ( I think) and the renowned Snake Temple.

Street Art, Penang

Along the narrow back lanes of Penang there are surprises in store.  Crowds of students and tourists alike pose for photographs and we were no exception. 

                                                       Hi  Goldies!!  Good to see you!

In fact this was what I wanted to see for myself, having seen pictures of the very famous one of a bicycle and a pair of siblings.




So here they are, those that our tour guide led us to, through the lanes near the Chew Jetty.
                                                       

                                                    Hey!  We want some pau!!

                                                     Bye, kids! Be careful of the cars!!

                                                    Hello, Puss!  Don't be so sombong!!

                                                 My!  What a big fella you are!

 

                                         You won't see me pulling this nowadays!

                                                 Louder please?  We're seniors!!

I'm sure there must be more but these were the ones our guide led us to that were in the vicinity.

Places of Interest in Penang

Our friend took us to Gurney Drive in the early morning. However the tide was out.  I was surprised to see so many high rises, both offices and private condominiums. Some of their designs were very attractive.

 Later our tour guide took us to Chew Jetty where small wooden houses with small businesses  erected on either side still flourish.

 He pointed out the barnacles growing on the pillars of the wooden houses and he said that they were oysters.

 Another place we went to was the Perankan mansion museum which is a treasure trove of beautiful antiques some of which are more than 100 years old.  I'm just showing some of the many photos which I've taken.

The above headgear and ornaments shown in the above picture are painstakingly woven from the feathers of the Blue Kingfisher pictured on the left.  These are more than 100 years old. It's amazing how they are as beautiful as ever, the color intact.