masterwordsmith-unplugged

Penang Hill has a quaint rustic charm that some Penangites may take for granted. After all, we see it everyday when driving around. Nonetheless, my love for this tourist landmark was rekindled this evening when I went up the hill in the funicular tram with my cousin Hoy, Alice and Freddy Aeria.

As usual, I was late because of blogging - my feedburner for my post called THE BRAIN DRAIN
could not update in other blogggers' blogroll so I had to do the necessary a few times. By the time I reached Cantonment Road, the others were already calling me on the handphone to ask about my whereabouts.

I picked my cousin Hoy and Freddy and then swung by to pick Alice and off we went to Penang Hill Railway Station. The tram was stuffy and the air reeked of a potent mixture of sweat, body odor, perfume that had lost its essence, the musky smell of clothing that had not been aired properly, armpit odor ARRRRRRRRGH ...It was awful to say the least but the company made the torture chamber experience more bearable.

Upon arrival at the Upper Station, we strolled around marvelling at the panoramic view of the island while simultaneously lamenting its over development. Following that, we took many pics of the vista before us and then proceeded to David Brown's Restaurant and Teahouse where we made reservations for dinner. Then we walked to the exhibit of the original tram.

We were not too interested in the snake charmer's show nearby as Alice was stricken with fear at the sight of the albino python and the tame macaque so we made our way to Belleview Hotel where to my delight, I found a copy of Antares' book " TANAH TUJUH - Close Encounters with the Temuan Mythos". I had looked high and low for it in many bookshops in Penang, KL and Singapore.

The view from Belleview Hotel offered a different view of Penang than the one we enjoyed before and again, we were held spellbound that this is Penang - the island where we had spent more than four decades of our lives (except for Hoy who resides in US). The hotel is quite famous for its steamboat and the gardens are well manicured and the whole place well-maintained, including the large aviary housing a commendable array of birds. Soon after, I felt weak and feeble and persuaded the others to adjourn to David Brown's Restaurant and Tea Terrace. The maitre d greeted us warmly and we made our way up the red-tiled steps.

We were amazed at the ambiance of the whole place. Located on top of Strawberry Hill, the owner had done wonders with the place. Smack in the middle of the open area was an iconic lily pond with five-feet high water reeds standing in their resplendent beauty and the building had a quintessential charm of a British colonial Restaurant and Tea Terraces.


Freddy ordered Beef Stew and Dumplings and pineapple juice.


My cousin had Spring Chicken and ginger ale.


Alice and I shared a Grilled Salmon stead and I had ginger beer.
The homemade buns were warm and nice while the butter was certainly imported Australian butter - creamy, tasty and so silky in texture.


As we sat there, we watched the sunset and then slowly but surely, Penang lit up and when it was dark, the city seemed to be sparkling like precious stones.

Honestly, this place deserves a visit. The ambiance of the place is simply so romantic and the food is real good too. After a long dinner conversation, we made our way home.

The food and company were simply brilliant and I am truly glad I had such a lovely time with them. So, this weekend if you have nothing to do, go up the hill and have a lovely sunset dinner with your loved one. Believe me, once you visit the place, you will want to make another trip there. That's the stuff that unforgettable hilltop experiences are made of - the element that makes you want to go back over and over again, as if you can never have enough of the place.