PENANG ISLAND
PENANG HILL
Penang Hill, or Flagstaff Hill (Bukit Bendera) as it is officially known, rises 821 metres above sea level, providing a welcome break from the heat below. One of Penang’s most popular attractions, a trip up is a not-to-be-missed experience, providing visitors with breathtaking views of the whole island all the way to the top. The best way to reach the summit is to hop onboard the funicular train that travels all the way up in half an hour. Highlights at the peak include a pretty Hindu temple, church, mosque and even a snake show where you can take photos with a tame python for a fee.
KEK LOK SI TEMPLE
Amongst the largest Buddhist temple complex in Southeast Asia, Kek Lok Si Temple stands on top of a hill in the little town of Air Itam. Founded more than a hundred years ago, the complex is filled with beautifully-landscaped gardens and sacred temples. A striking seven-tiered pagoda called The Pagoda of 1000 Buddhas – which combines Thai, Chinese and Burmese styles in one structure – houses a stunning collection of Buddha statues made from all sorts of precious materials. Also found within the temple complex are the statues of The Four Heavenly Kings, guarding the four points of the compass – North, South, West and East – with the statue of The Laughing Buddha in the middle
CHEONG FATT TZE MANSION
The home of an influential Chinese industrialist in the early 1890s, the award-winning Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion represents the best of 18th and 19th-century Chinese architecture. Relying heavily on feng shui design, a team of master craftsmen from China took more than seven years to build the mansion, including its five granite courtyards, 38 rooms, seven staircases and 22 stained glass windows. Locals call it the Blue Mansion and it remains one of only three traditional Chinese mansions outside of China. In 1989, it was restored and converted into a 16-room boutique heritage hotel/museum combo best known for its indigo blue façade. Guided tours take place at 11:00, 13:30 and 15:00, with an entry fee of RM12 per visitor.
ESCAPE ADVENTURELAND
The few hours spent at Escape Adventureland Penang are likely to rank as some of the most thrilling and emotionally-charged moments of your life. After all, hurtling speedily through the open air, dozens of feet off the ground, is pretty memorable. A park specialising in zip-lining (or, as Australians call it, flying foxes), there are other fun activities here including a free fall from a 20m jump platform, an inner-tube slide and tree rope swing.
ADVENTURE ZONE THEME PARK
While on vacation, parents can find it a little hard to keep the little ones entertained while simultaneously having a good time themselves. The 10,300sqft, Adventure Zone Theme Park is Penang’s answer to that. Geared towards families, with plenty of offerings to keep youngsters of all ages occupied, it is home to more than 30 activities and is divided into three zones – the special features section, kids area and toddler sector with modular play equipment.
MADE IN PENANG INTERACTIVE MUSEUM
The Made in Penang Interactive Museum really helps shake off pre-existing ideas of boring, outdated museums, instead offering visitors a fun, exciting way to view artwork with exhibits that have clever 3D imagery features. For example, a portrait of the Penang Snake Temple, with a large 3D snake slithering out from the framework.