Penang, Malaysia Day 3
Bat Cave, Cheong Fatt Tze - Blue Mansion and Penang Hill
The Bat Cave Temple is not part of Marvel’s Batman and Robin, its a real temple of Tua Peh Kong built at the bottom of Penang Hill around two hundred years ago. The temple is famous because of the thousands of bats that live in the cave situated inside the Temple. At night they all fly out with their sonar on to find food mainly consisting of insects. During the day you can visit them haning upside down in the entrance of the cave. Upon entering the temple there is a 2 meter high granite statue of Tua Peh Kong (God of Prosperity) Tua Peh Kong is regarded as the patron saint of prosperities and good luck, I mostly enjoyed the cool air of the cave and getting out of the sun for a short break. The cost is free to enter but its good to give a donation or purchase something from their make shift shop. It takes 20-30 mins by car depending on traffic and 30 mins too take pictures is more than enough time.
The Cheong Fatt Tze - Blue mansion
Cheong Fatt Tze born in China escaped the Second Opium war of 1856–1862 between the Emperor of China and the British, looking for his fortune he became a water-carrier and then became a shopkeeper in Jakarta. After marrying, he established a trading company together with his father-in-law and gradually began to save his wealth through hard work and perseverance. In 1877, he expanded to Medan and his business was based on agricultural products such as rubber, coffee and tea but then branched out to the financial sector by acquiring a bank and then on to politics. The Blue Mansion was his house and where he conducted business. After his death his 7th wife lived in the house but had financial difficulties and then turned it into a hotel. It is the most photographed building in Penang, recently restored taking over 6 years and is now an UNESCO Historic Site in Penang. There are daily tours and you can stay in the hotel with a reservation.
Penang Hill has the steepest tunnel track in the world and the train is pulled by a cable to the top. The 2,007 m (1.247 mi) journey used to take about half an hour and the train made stops at intermediate stations upon request. Now upgrades to the system allows non-stop ride to the top in less than ten minutes. Its really fast, must admit I was a bit nervous zipping up 2,000 meters so fast but over 1 million people go to the top each year. In the old days the top of the mountain was only accessible by footpath or horseback and there have been many failed attempts in the past to build a rail system. There is an old Jeep Road on the back side but restricted to 4x4’s and only the locals can drive it.
Is it worth going to the top? Must admit that there is not much up their, There is a food court, Musk, India temple, an old british retreat building and a lookout over the island. The tempture is cool and refreshing, we stayed at the top to watch the sunset and had some way OVER PRICED drinks. The last train leaves at 10:30pm and we got caught in the massive crowd waiting for the one car train. We waited over 1.5 hours to get back on the return train and after those drinks standing in line with no toilet was not fun. They sell a priority pass for an extra $10 that gives you access to the priority lane for boarding. I highly suggest that you buy this ticket if watching the sunset. Good Luck!