Penang Hill

I ran up, and down Penang Hill today, having first taken a taxi to the Botanic Gardens (MR12 from the Cathay Hotel). To Bukit Bendera - the lower peak it took me about 45 mintues, and another five to Western Hill. It is a climb of about 800m in just under 6km, so I wasn’t too displeased although I would like to have done it without resting. After tea at the Bukit Bendera Hotel, which has one of my favourite views, I ran down again - in 27 minutes, without a single stop. I was a complete sweat ball by the time I reached the entrance to the Botanic Gardens again, so I was surprised that any taxi driver was prepared to take me back to town. Monkeys - long tailed macaques - are everywhere in the park. They looked at me with contempt, but as local walkers kept passing complimentary remarks and giving me the thumbs up, I didn’t mind a bit.