Day 22: Penang National Park! Penang, Malaysia (Friday June 2nd, 2023)

Today I woke up at 6:00 to keep with my routine and get to the national park early. I quietly gathered my things and got ready in the lounge area of the hostel as to not disturb my dormmates. I journaled and did a quick 5min of yoga to wake up my mind and body. Once I was ready, I was out the door by 6:35. 

On my way to the bus, I wanted to grab a quick breakfast. Not many shops were open yet, except for two street food stands. One had pancakes, so I got two to eat while I waited for bus. This was the perfect snack. I also stopped in 7/11 for some trail snacks and a coffee. 

I waited for the bus. Which wasn't at a bus stop or even a sign. Just standing on the side of the road. But there was another man standing there too, so I figured it must be the right spot. 

The bus came, and quickly went. Not even slowing down, let alone stopping. I watched it pass as I waved my arms in the air. I thought, I guess you have to wave the bus to get it here. Standing at the stop isn't enough. So I kept waiting. When I saw the next bus, you bet my arm was in the air. 

On the bus, we were flying. Which I appreciate the hastiness; however, the suspension was long gone. It was such a bumpy ride. I got picked up around 7:00 and it was 1:15 to the national park. I worked on my blog the whole way, and almost missed my stop because we arrived so quickly. We got there by 8:00.

I walked from the bus to the national park entrance, which was about 15min. I looked for more food stands along my way to have a larger breakfast, but nothing was open and what was didn't really appealed to me. 

Once I got to the park, I filled out my permit and paid my entrance fee. I was on the trail by 8:35. 

At first, there was a family of three ahead of me. Which made me feel better that I wasn't hiking through the jungle alone. They were going slow, but I figured I would just stay behind them. But then they were going so slow, too slow. I couldn't do that. So I went on my way. 

I was a little nervous about hiking through the jungle alone. I had food, water, a hat, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and a map. Not exactly the full ten essentials, but most of them. I also had my GPS running on my watch and phone and had told me parents where I was going. Plus, the national park required you to sign in. So I had done everything I could to ensure a safe hike. 

But my main concern was snakes. I had asked at the national park office about them, and they said that if I stay on the trail I should be fine. Just don't go into the jungle, which I had no interest in doing. I took it slow and watched the edges of the trail and trail. Looking for anything moving, round, squiggly, etc. 

But taking it slow was also helpful for my knees. I thought about my foot placement and how my knees were tracking over my ankles and my toes. I didn't wear my knee brace at first because the thought of a hot sweaty chafing brace didn't appeal to me. But about half way - for the down hill - I put it on. It was steep and uneven terrain. 

On my way there, I passed the family of three and two other people. It was nice to know that I wasn't out there alone though. Thankfully, I never saw any snakes though! Only several ant trails and the biggest ant that I've ever seen in my life. I also heard pretty birds singing and buzzards buzzing. 

Once I got to the beach, I was hot, sweaty, and desperately wanted to jump in the ocean. It wasn't a place to swim though with a steep bank and no one around. So I dipped my toes in instead. Enjoying the cold(ish) water on my feet and white sand between my toes. 

I continued walking down the beach to the turtle sanctuary. There was an outdoor enclosure for hatching, which nothing was going on because it isn't the season. But inside, there was one tank with a larger turtle and two tanks with baby turtles! They were adorable swimming around. They would come up to the glass in the tank to say hi and blow bubbles. It was sad to see them in captivity, but I also knew it was best for them. 

After the turtle sanctuary, I found a shady spot to enjoy a snack before heading back. I was dreading the hike back through the hot jungle. I always dread the hike back, but I was really dreading it this time. But at least I felt more confident. I had gone through the jungle once myself already and knew where I was going. Plus, I hadn't seen any snakes. 

I left at 11:00 and arrived back by 12:00. I felt like I was flying compared to the way there. I didn't think about my fear of snakes. Which shows what you can accomplish when you don't let your fears take over your thoughts. There was a lot more people on the trail now too. I probably passed ten people on my way back. Although I was surprised to see so many people starting out so late in this heat. I did see a salimander and beautiful butterflies. Thankfully the salimander was the only slimy thing I saw. The butter flies were like my guiding light, leading me through the jungle. 

Once I was back, I was desperately hungry for lunch. I walked the streets back towards the bus stop looking at street food along the way. Most things were closed, I think due to the heat. Of what was open, it was mostly curry, which didn't appeal to me in this heat. I finally found an open air restaurant that had more variety. A gentleman who spoke English approached me and asked what I wanted. So I ordered fried rice with chicken and vegetables and a lime juice. 

The food was delicious and hit the spot. It was just what I needed to refuel. After lunch I realized that the Batik factory was across the street. I went inside to check it out. I don't know why, but I was thinking it was a museum. But when I asked the lady, she offered to give me a tour! All of the women were on their lunch break, so the area was empty. She explained each of the steps to make batik which was fascinating! All of the fabrics are absolutely beautiful. 

The steps were:

1. Start with a white sheet of fabric and hand paint the design using hot wax 

2. Color in the design 

3. Stamp the background 

4. Color the background 

5. Boil the fabric to remove the wax 

I wanted to support them, but was also running low on cash since I was leaving tomorrow. So I bought a small souvenir. 

After the batik factory, I caught the bus to Batu Ferringay Beach. It was only 15min away by bus. But once the bus dropped me off, I didn't exactly know how to get to the beach. Everything was fenced and gated. I walked down the street a little ways and found a Starbucks. I figured they would have an exit on the other side towards the beach, and they did. I used the restroom to change and then headed out the back door to the beach. 

The sand was hot and the water was cool(ish). There was no one else on the beach in front of Starbucks, so I walked down a little ways to where there was more of a crowd. I figured that must be the public entrance. I setup a spot under a tree and jumped in the water. It felt so good after being hot and sweaty all day. 

I lounged on the beach going in and out of the water for about an hour and a half. But eventually, some clouds rolled in and I wanted to be clean. I paid RM1 for a rinse off shower, which was worth it. It was honestly colder than the ocean and felt more refreshing. 

Around 3:30, I took the bus back to Georgetown. On my way back to my hostel, I stopped by 7/11 again for some road snacks for my trip tomorrow. But while I was inside, it started to downpour! I waited for it to let up a little bit, but thankfully I had my umbrella with me and just wanted to get back. 

Once back at the hostel, I took a long cold shower. I hung out on my bunk for a little bit to chill and regroup. But I was really hungry and wanted to find dinner. 

Originally, I was going to go down to chew jetty for dinner. Which is a hawker market that was recommended to me. But it was a 15min walk and since I had just showered, I was trying not to get sweaty again. So I just went to the same spot I went to last night. I browsed all of the options and decided on Mai toew koey (check spelling). The street food stand had some tables out front, which I sat at. But it was also next to a juice stand, and they made me buy a juice for RM3 or pay RM1 to not order a drink. So I got a guava juice. 

The portion was a little small for how hungry I was after hiking, so I went to find a snack. Little India wasn't too far away and I hadn't been yet, so I ventured down there. The streets were also bustling with vendors and people eating. I found a stand that was selling baggies of snacks and sweets, which was perfect. I watched three people buy these orange balls, so I figured that they must be good and I should buy some too. So I got some coated peanuts and orange balls to go. It would be a good snack for now and tomorrow during the long van ride. The peanuts were good and the orange balls were almost like a sweetened mashed sweet potato.

After a snack, I headed back to my hostel. It was about 7:30 now and I needed to pack for tomorrow and wanted to have some down time before bed. I packed my things, chatted with my dormmates, and worked on my blog. I went to bed around 10:00 and was getting up at 4:00 the next day. Not exactly the 8 hours of sleep I've been aiming for, but that happens on travel days.