The island of Penang - and more Malaysia

Penang Suspension Bridge

This morning we dock at Georgetown - on the island of Penang. We are docked right in the city - and we pass a modern looking statue which represents a betel nut (the source of the name of the island) as the bus leaves for our trip to the orangutan sanctuary. We drive though Georgetown’s Chinatown, along the shoreline, and on to the Penang bridge, 13.5 Kilometers long. This crosses to the mainland, and is considered to be the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world. The island claims the title as “Pearl of the Orient,” but several other cities claim the title as well.

Lake Theme Park

Man-made Lake at Buket Merah

Mother and Child Orangutans

Jean at the Orphanage

Young Orangutan

 After an hour’s drive we arrive at Bukit Merah - a water theme park that has a 7,000 acre man-made lake. We will take a boat to the orangutan sanctuary.  The Sanctuary is a research and rescue facility, attempting to understand the declining and endangered orangutans. The sanctuary takes in young orangutans that are abandoned, injured, or ill. They have a program which helps the young orangutans through their infancy and childhood - teaching them the skills they will need in the rainforests of Malaysia.

We are back at the ship by 2:00 PM, so this is a more relaxing day than most. We have a few ringgit left, so Jean goes back to the pier and purchases a lovely handbag for our last 15 ringgit (about $5). Tonight we sail for Puket, Thailand.

Well, we though we would be sailing to Thailand, but at 5:00 PM, the captain made an announcement that the next port in Thailand had been canceled. The Thai security authorities in Puket informed the ship that before anyone could go ashore they would need a face-to-face contact with all passengers and crew on the ship! It was estimated that the procedure would take 4-6 hours and completely disrupt the tours that were planned for that port. They had tried to bring pressure, even using the British Embassy but the Thai security held firm. Cunard then decided, and arranged, for one more port in Malaysia. This meant that tours had to be arranged, and scheduled; port guides printed; and a new course set for the ship. 

Rice Growing Museum

Water Buffalo

Machincang Mountain Views

Water Lilly Views

Village at the foot of Machincang Mountain

The following morning we were in Palau Langkawi - the major island among the 99 islands of the archipelago of which it is a part. (Actually there are 104 islands at low tide, and 99 islands at high tide.) We went ashore by tender. Our tour this morning consisted of a visit to a garden and museum concerning rice growing. Malaysia still imports more rice that it consumes. The museum documented different strains of rice, as well as growing and harvesting techniques. Then we walked out onto the banks between the rice paddies, and saw a water buffalo that was tethered by his nose (not a problem for him) and happily munching grass in the paddy. Our guide told us that they have pretty much mechanized planting of rice paddies and no longer use the water buffalo. But, they keep them, they have plenty of forage in the paddies after the rice is harvested and then they eat the grass, preparing the paddy for the next planting. There are also other water buffalo turned loose on the island. Following the museum, we drove to Machincang Mountain and a cable car ride to the top (2,323 feet). Although there was distant haze, the views were spectacular as one could see across the island, and many neighboring islands as well. The cable car ride was 1 ¼ miles long, and took 15 minutes to reach the top. 


We are closing in on our overland trip to the Taj Mahal. We will spend the next two days at sea, and then Sri Lanka followed by Cochin, India. The next port in India is where the overland adventure will begin.