SUPERmoon – Did you see the moon last night? The pro call it the supermoon, I’ll just call it big-round moon. Surprised that I can hardly feel the moon is bigger, but then with the presence of haze, the moon last night somehow look beautiful, and rounder. OK, OK, maybe it’s because of the supermoon.
If you have missed it, nevermind, I’ve took photograph of it. Check it out.
Tropfest Penang 2012 – Went to Tropfest – The World’s Largest Short Film Festival which was also the last event of the month-long George Town Festival 2012. It’s my first time checking out a ‘film festival’ and also watching film at the outdoor, so close the nature. It was held at the Quarry Park of Penang’s Botanical Garden. Seating were on the nature grass floor.
It’s a good experience, together with few hundreds people watching the professional short film from around the world. I thought it’s a projector screen but instead it was a very huge LED screen.
Tropfest was actually originated from Australia, where filmmaker showcases shortfilm in a small gathering in a cafe named Tropicana Cafe, sooner it’d became a annual festival for short filmmaker around the world, becoming Tropfest of today. If you’ve missed it nevermind, you can check it out again next year at this month.
Cycling At Balik Pulau, The Other Side Of Penang – Last Monday, I went to the other side of Penang Island, a more rural part of Penang, a more nature part, somewhere more relax, more greens and a totally different side of the urban developed George Town – Balik Pulau. Balik Pulau also means back of Island in Malay.
It’s a small town at the back of the island, with the presence of villages, padi field and many fruit and vegetable farms. I’ve read online that there’s bicycle rental service in Balik Pulau that allows you to rent a bike to explore Balik Pulau at the same time exercise some reflexes of the feet through cycling.
I called up the person in-charged Eddie who operates the bicycle rental service and meet him up in Balik Pulau. He brought 3 bikes, one for himself, and two for me and Arron. Besides renting the bike, Eddie himself was our guide around Balik Pulau that day. I didn’t think we would have a guide, I though we would be given a map and follow the trail. But then having a guide is better than following a map, Eddie was very friendly to guide us along the way, and introduced some cool places in Balik Pulau.
Our biking trail was designed by Eddie himself and the whole trip took about 2.5 hours through 20km of journey. We started about 5pm and ended at 7.30pm. Normally it’s 15km only but he told us that we were fast and he brought us to explore more.
Being in Balik Pulau doesn’t felt like being in Penang anymore because of the rural village and the beauty of nature. Our biking trail went through Malay village, Chinese Kampung Baru, river streams, padi fields, fruit farms, vegetable farms, fishing village, Malay’s cemetery and a little beach, as well as some major road in Balik Pulau.
It’s fun, it’s a good exercise, but sitting too long on the bicycle makes my ass hurts. After all, Arron and I enjoyed the cycling trip, only that we missed out the Hokkien Mee and Laksa alongside Kuala Jalan Baru which only available during the weekend.
Arron and Eddie in front. Cycling on a less-car road.
Arron Lim.
Well, the Bike Trail signage are actually set up by the government, though Eddie doesn’t recommend following the signage as the trail is long and doesn’t has much thing to see.
Eddie introducing a Chinese temple at Kampung Jalan Bharu.
He said that if you sees a Chinese temple presence, it means that the whole area is a Chinese populated village. Normally temple is set up at the entry point of the village as well the end point, which the Chinese god will protect the people.
A dirty stream
Typical Chinese village house.
A rice paddy field at Balik Pulau, unfortunately, those paddy has been harvested and resulted a not-pretty paddy field scene.
It’s me.
Luckily the weather was pretty nice that afternoon. Google Weather did actually reported that 70% chance of storm, but there’s no rain.
Cycling through the paddy field.
Arron.
Yes, this is Penang Island, doesn’t look like Penang right? It’s the other side of Penang, the more nature side.
A hut storing stuff.
Awas = Beware.
Our rides.
At the river mouth of Sungai Burong, where here you can get a great shot of Sunset. Unfortunately, we were still early at that time.
Looking at far, it’s Pulau Betong, a fishing village and at there you can find Pasir Panjang beach.
An abandoned house that looks creepy.
Locals playing sepak takraw.
Along the main road.
I’ve heard that Nibong Tebal has bicycle for rental for cycling trip too, guess it’ll my next destination. Cycling is fun and healthy way to explore places like this.
If you plan to go cycle at Balik Pulau, do give Eddie a call to book your bike and make appointment. He told me that there will be a Explore Balik Pulau Visitor Centre opening somewhere around May 2012 at Air Putih.
Explore Balik Pulau (by Avent Leisure Sdn Bhd)
Telephone: +6016-4522100 (Eddie)
Email: aventleisure@gmail.com
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 2pm – 6.30pm / Sat, Sun, Holiday 12pm -6.30pm
Rental: RM30/day with guided tour.
Hello people. How are you? Malaysia’s Day ahead, Happy Malaysia Day! Woohoo.
So back in Penang few weeks back, I went to Cherok Tokun, the famous recreational forest at Bukit Mertajam. It’s a really very very very very short trip. It’s not 5 minutes, but I guess about 15 minutes, include using the toilet and buying food.
I was actually curious about this place and have heard about it from friends and Internet, and I wanted to know how it looks like and how to go, so I went to check it out the place with Hueisean as my guide to the place.
It’s pretty easy to go and you probably can find it with a GPS. I don’t really know how to write the guide here. So sorry.
The place is in fact similar to Botanical Garden in Penang, though it has smaller entrance, and it utilize the existing forest area and turn it into a recreation park. There’s jogging track and hiking trail for park lover.
There’s also store selling fruits and drinks, as well as a mini tea-house that allow you to enjoy some Chinese tea, and light Chinese dish like tea egg, mee tiao noodle.
The mini tea-house is the best thing at this place in my opinion, which Botanical Garden doesn’t have. Enjoy light meal, chit-chat with friends and enjoy the beauty of nature at the same time. It feels so good.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try because I was in a hurry. Gonna go check back this place in other time. Have you been there before?