Dumbo up the Hills - #12: A Nameless Path

One day, bored with the usual route up the Ayer Itam Dam, my uncle led me up another route - one of the many cemented paths used by the hill dwellers (mostly vegetable planters) as their access roads.



There was heavy rain the past couple of days, as evidenced by the small landslide seen in the following picture:





The Penang Water Supply Authority (PBA) has a small reservoir here to collect the streams and channel the water to the Ayer Itam Dam.










We saw a sign that said "Middle Way", and thought that it leads to the Middle Station of the Penang Hill funicular train; but it turned out to be a Buddhist meditation centre.


My uncle is a dog lover, so the following picture seems to be telling an interesting tale of man sizing up dog as would-be pet and dog sizing up man as would-be owner.



The following picture was taken at the highest point we reached before turning back downward.



We took a different path down...




In the following picture, there is a small cemented path on the right branching off the main cement path we are walking down. That smaller path leads to the Ayer Itam Dam.


Along the above-mentioned smaller path, we saw the evidence of another minor landslide...

Dumbo in the Kitchen - #17: Vegetable Stew with Toast

I can't remember precisely, but I think what you see stewing in the following picture are chunks of chicken breast, carrots, white radish, shiitake mushrooms and - floating and bloating there on top - two slices of bread (the end slices) to thicken the stew.


The vegetables that went in include: Broccoli, red peppers, yellow peppers, and tomatoes. Well, strictly speaking, the last three are actually fruits...


When the stew is almost done (with the two slices of bread fully dissolved)...


... pop in the vegetables and cook for a short while (not too long lest the vegetables are overcooked).


Make heart-shaped patterns on slices of bread with beaten egg (actually, egg yolk alone would do; but I hate wasting the white) and toast them.


Serve with vegetable garnishes and the heart-imprinted toasts...


A wholesome meal (for lunch that day) to tell my wife how much I love her. :-) It was not any special day that day... just decided to be romantic since I happened to be free that morning.

Dumbo up the Hills - #11: Route 84 Up Penang Hill - Attempt #2

Having scouted out Route 84 under my uncle's guidance, I talked the "Mt.K Team" into going all the way up Penang Hill via Route 84.

***

The following picture was taken a small stretch after "Area 84".



(Picture above) No, you are not seeing a pedophile molesting a little girl. Mr Cheah was pushing her daughter who was complaining about the steepness of the road and claiming to be completely exhausted. Anyway, she is not in the "Mt.K Team". She was just joining us for a bit of fun. And some fun it turned out to be for her. :-p

The picture below shows a beautiful mansion that seems to be telling hikers: civilization - hilltop - is not far off.

I didn't notice any, but according to our mates who went way ahead of us, the place was guarded by a bunch of very fierce canine watchers.




At the top finally... we took a rest at the food court, and a photo-shooting frenzy ensued...



My breakfast: Malay kampung-styled fried rice.


The old funicular train from way back then...


The road toward the train station - we would be taking the funicular train down, to spare our joints the stress of going down Route 84.



An expensive-looking restaurant was found on the way to the station...


Views down the track of the funicular train:

Dumbo up the Hills - #10: Route 84 Up Penang Hill - Attempt #1

One of the most accessible road up the Penang Hill is a service road called "Route 84".

It is very STEEP. Especially the first part. It is also used by the Jeep Service up Penang Hill (at the time of writing, this service is especially in demand because the funicular train is being upgraded).



Before long, my uncle (also my hiking coach) is way ahead of me...


That pavilion is a rest stop called "Rest Area 46" (or was it 48? I was still confused because the locals call it "48" but the sign there says "46"). More pictures of it on the way down.



After Area 46, there is an easy stretch lasting about 1 km or less.





The building in the following picture is a rest stop called "Rest Area 84", from which the road got its moniker. It is located around halfway up the hill.


After a short rest - and a cup of coffee (regular climbers prepare the coffee every day for other climbers to enjoy; all you have to do is drop some money according to your conscience into the collection box after enjoying the drinks) - we went back down.


More pictures of "Area 46". :-)




Actually, the pavilion is not the REAL "Area 46". The real thing is a small distance down the dirt road (off the main tarred road) shown in the following picture:


Going down Route 84 is very stressful for the joints. I decided that the next time I would climb all the way up and take the funicular train down (that was before they started upgrading the funicular train).



At the foot of the hill, finally...




These stairs lead to another route up Penang Hill. But my uncle said it was not safe to climb at that time because it was raining season and the route could be slippery.