TROPICAL SPICE GARDEN

30/12/2013

Our second day in Penang began with a Malaysian breakfast - Roti Canai and the rest of the rotis flavours at the Restoran Kapitan. This is the first time for Eunice's parents and they are truly fascinated with the flipping and tossing of the roti canai! They also like the teh tarik even though it was a bit on the sweet side.

The first stop was to the Burmese temple -

beat the bell to announce our arrival at the temple.. 

a timid one from my niece!

I was amazed by the intricate and beautiful carvings in this temple... 

Opposite the Burmese temple is the Siamese Temple.... 

where you can see the Reclining Buddha.. 

According to my itinery, our next stop should be to the heritage sites of Georgetown to locate the wall murals or street arts so that we can beat the afternoon heat. However, our driver decided otherwise and drove us to the Tropical Spice Garden instead.

We were warmly greeted by the representatives here and were briefly informed of the layout of the various gardens and the walks available.  We decided to wander by ourselves and after being spritzed with the mozzies repellant (which smell wonderful) we ambled along the pathways.

The herb garden- lemongrass, tumeric and galangal etc.

Showed Eunice's mother how these stone grinders were being used.

Cat's Tails....

Making music with these bamboo and tin plates 

Freshly brewed herbal tea to quench our thirst on the way.

It was Misai Kucing tea for the day...can sit and enjoy the cool breeze here.  

There is even a waterfall ....

and take a minute to relive our childhood with the giant swing among these tall trees.... 

These are the giant lily pads....... I have seen photos of  these- can grow so big that you can sit on them!

a very impressive array of cakes and pies... 

we were told that their bestseller is Tiramisu - which unfortunately we did not try!

But we tried their bestseller Guiness Beef Pie and it was very good- none of the bitter taste!

the courtyard at the back of the cafe..

a separate bar room - 

While waiting for the food to arrive.... create your own masterpiece with the white paper that cover the table and the crayons available!

On the way back after lunch.... managed to came across these 2 street art only

Our next stop to the beautiful heritage site of Khoo Kongsi Temple.

And also the Chew Jetty

After this we went back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.   We had a yummy seafood dinner before a boat cruise to watch fireflies! These magical and mystical creatures literally lit up the mangrove trees along the riverside- just like Christmas lights!What a memorable ending for the trip....  

31/12/2013 

Woke up early and managed to catch sunrise at the beach opposite the hotel

After the late night, all of them managed to get back some rest and sleep. We checked out of the hotel and went for a dimsum brunch.  We did some shopping for Penang's special biscuits/cookies and sesame oil before departing straight to Kuala Lumpur.     

Farewell dinner - Bak Kuat Teh.