At the northwestern section of Penang island, just less than an hour drive from Batu Ferringhi, is the Penang National Park, all 1,213 hectares of protected land where visitors can trek through rainforest trails or luxuriate in any of the park’s comely beaches such as Monkey Beach. It has that name because of the crab-eating macaques that have lived in the nearby forest areas. Then, within the more inland terrains of northern Penang is Penang Hill, locally known as Bukit Bendera, the island’s highlands which, during colonial times, served as a popular retreat for British officials and expatriates because of its cooler climate.

We made our way up Penang Hill from Air Itam aboard the modernized funicular railway and, at the top, proceeded to The Habitat, a rather expansive nature park facility which showcases the biodiversity of Penang’s lush rainforests. I was totally impressed at how such unspoiled nature thrived so splendidly in such close proximity to the city and, moreover, at how a private environmental initiative was able to effectively put together such an outstanding establishment. The tour along the paved trails of The Habitat was truly educational, as highly knowledgeable nature guides pointed out and explained the ecological significance and the benefits to humans that Penang’s flora and fauna held.

“We hope to influence people in a positive way, to value Mother Nature and to value in particular this beautiful space that we have here; [for people to] realize what a wonderful world-class natural asset Penang [is],” The Habitat’s managing director, Allen Tan, enthused while discussing the history and operations of the place. True enough, they seem to be doing quite well in their objective. “We’re very much about conservation, education and research,” Allen added.

A CONFLUENCE OF HERITAGE
I only realized just how Penang was right at the crossroads of Asian civilization, and just how valuable and strategic a trading post it must have been during the olden times of European colonial expansion, when Beatrice Teoh, our guide at the Tropical Spice Garden, delved into the history of Penang’s spices. A former banker who found her vocation outside the big corporate world, Beatrice was a walking compendium of traditional pharmacological knowledge, informing us with such scholarly mastery of the geographic sources and medicinal values of the many species of flora found at the garden. Nutmeg from the Banda Islands of Indonesia. Turmeric and cinnamon from the Indian subcontinent and South Asian mainland. Herbs from China and the Far East. All these originations, in a way, reflected the confluence of heritage from various parts of Asia into the cultural melting pot that is Penang.

Mealtimes during our tour were likewise an exploration of Penang’s cultural heterogeneity. From indulging in asam laksa at Air Itam, to savoring dishes at Tek Sen restaurant in George Town and at Andrew’s Kampung in Batu Ferringhi, I was able to relish interwoven traces of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences in Peranakan cuisine.

Penang’s richly varied heritage is perhaps most noticeably observed when visiting the quarters of its capital city, George Town, the oldest portions of which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

At the city’s waterfront are the Clan Jetties, traditional stilt-house settlements built by early Chinese immigrants upon the area’s wooden docking quays. As these water villages grew throughout its history of more than a century, each jetty in the waterfront became dominated and identified by certain clans. The most popular among the six existing jetties is the longest of them all, the Chew Jetty, with its colorful rows of stilt-houses converted into waterside eateries, merchandise stalls and souvenir shops.

From the waterfront area, we walked onto Armenian Street and made our way into the core zone of the colonial quarters, where rundown 19th to early 20th century buildings, revived as restaurants, stores, ateliers and galleries, still stand. The whole place exuded a bohemian and almost festive élan as tourists and street hawkers selling artworks, trinkets and other curios mingled amidst a milieu of Old World architecture, splashed with enthralling street art. It was like standing at a crossroad in time where Penang’s foregone eras caught up with today’s modern society.

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
Penang, for me, has been a curious juxtaposition of sorts, and I found it hard to encapsulate the character of the place into a single cohesive impression. Getting to know Penang was like looking at an inscrutable piece of postmodern art strewn with a cacophony of shapes and hues that clatter and blend to yield an image that utterly both captivates and intrigues.

At the Penang Polo Ground, people spilled over the sprawling grass turf as music boomed from the main stage all throughout the open venue. Along the length of the northeast perimeter were numerous food and refreshment booths, while throughout different areas of the field, participating contingents in the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2017 slowly set up their balloons. As the late afternoon passed, billowing giants of various shapes and colors – some as fanciful as a lion’s head, an octopus, a hatched chick, and a rooster – soon rose and loomed over the now swollen and thrilled crowd. The event was a delightful celebration of diversity, much in the same way that Penang has shown itself to be.

Involved in overseeing the proceedings of the ongoing fiesta, Ooi Chok Yan, chief executive director of the Penang Global Tourism bureau, gave his own insight on what makes Penang such a special destination in Malaysia. “Penang has it all! We have something new, something old. Something East, something West. We have heritage. We have eco-tourism. We have food, culture, arts. So, Penang has the diversity! I think that is the unique part about Penang.”