Perang Penang — Day 5

Day 5 took us up Moon Gate with one question hanging over the climb, down Penang Hill in five minutes, then to Makan Pagi and one last evening before packing.

Off to Penang Hill

0840 hrs. Adina and I got a Grab to Penang Hill.

I still could not decide whether to take the Heritage Trail or Moon Gate Trail. The expected completion times differed by roughly an hour.

Eventually I picked Moon Gate.

“Picked Moongate. Let’s see if got shortcut.”

Moon Gate

0920 hrs. We arrived at Moon Gate and started the hike.

Here we go.

Adina at the Moon Gate entrance before the hike — At the Moon Gate entrance before starting the hike.

Before starting, we had checked the PSI reading and decided to proceed because it was below 100. Alhamdulillah.

I thought we had started late and the sun would already be out, but it had rained earlier that morning. It was cooling, and the foliage gave us good cover.

Still perspiring!!!

Then I realised I had forgotten to pump my Ventolin. Pfft.

Damp forest steps on the Moon Gate trail — The damp forest trail after the morning rain.

View towards George Town through cloudy and hazy conditions from the trail — George Town through the cloudy, hazy conditions.

Adina’s “Last Hike”

1018 hrs. We were nearly halfway through when Adina stated that this would be her last hike.

I was sad, but I told her I would respect her wishes.

Hiking is something we did together. I suppose she outgrew it.

Before reaching the peak, I thanked her for all the hikes we had done together. I thanked her for being there, and for all the riddles and nonsense dilemmas she would give me while hiking.

One was something like: “In a chess game, one person can read minds and another knows the future. Who would win?”

After I thanked her, she replied that she would consider hiking again when the time comes.

I told her she was saying that now because we had completed the mission.

Penang Hill

1238 hrs. We reached the top of Penang Hill.

We had started at 0920 hrs, so the climb took us 3 hours 18 minutes.

Ahmad and Adina together after completing the climb up Penang Hill — Mission completed. Adina and me after the climb.

While having our drinks at Astaka food court, I told Mrs that Adina had said this was her last hike.

Mrs smiled.

Apparently Adina had already told her about it the day before and told Mrs not to mention it to me.

Now Adina softened her position again. “See how,” she said. She might change her mind.

Perhaps the door is not completely closed after all.

Lily Ice Kacang

After reaching the top, we hydrated and finally got the Lily Ice Kacang that had been on our Penang itinerary.

Another checklist item completed. Alhamdulillah.

Lily Ice Kacang stall at Penang Hill with Since 1986 sign — Lily Ice Kacang at Penang Hill. Since 1986.

Hydrating after the Penang Hill climb — Hydrating after the climb.

Adina with Lily Ice Kacang at Penang Hill — Adina with the Lily Ice Kacang.

Five Minutes Down

1340 hrs. We were waiting for our funicular down.

Waiting at Penang Hill Upper Station for the funicular — Waiting at the Penang Hill Upper Station.

1354 hrs. We were down.

About three hours up and just five minutes down. Pfft.

I later compared the route recorded by Runkeeper with the route we had downloaded beforehand. Runkeeper turned out to be extremely useful, and it is FREE. I had almost forgotten to start it.

Google Maps was also running, but it became much less useful in the forest because it did not contain the track I actually took.

A Short Rest

After returning, I had a short but restful nap.

I also had to do some work involving residents’ messages about payments and resolved some issues.

Makan Pagi

1735 hrs. We left for dinner at Makan Pagi.

We had passed the restaurant the night before and it had a long queue. It was busy in the morning too, so we deliberately left around 1730 hrs to reach it when it opened at 6 pm.

1800 hrs. We arrived exactly when it opened. We were third in the queue. Alhamdulillah, we beat it.

The place looked rustic and nostalgic. I love it.

Rustic shophouse exterior and Makan Pagi signage — Makan Pagi, just as it opened.

A couple of Grab drivers had recommended Makan Pagi to us, as had my cousin who was staying here.

The ordering system is simple once you know it. You queue, look through the menu, decide what you want and order at the rostrum in front. The lady then tells you your table number.

Because we arrived right at opening, we followed the people in front of us and went straight inside to sit. We were given menus but were blur about how to order. I eventually went back to the rostrum to place our order.

The seats filled up quickly. Inside felt nostalgic too, with nice slow rock songs playing.

Inside Makan Pagi as tables began filling at opening — Inside Makan Pagi.

Roti Jala Was Ahsanta!!

The roti jala was the first order to arrive.

Roti Jala was Ahsanta!!

It was nice and warm, with a homemade taste. The curry tasted like real curry. You could taste the curry powder and spices, and it did not taste diluted.

Warm roti jala with curry at Makan Pagi — Warm roti jala with proper curry.

The Rest of the Table

We also ordered Char Kway Teow, Chinese Hainan Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak Telur Ikan Bilis and Sago Gula Melaka.

The Char Kway Teow was good. It was better than the other two Char Kway Teow dishes I had eaten earlier on this Penang trip. Alhamdulillah.

But I would not rave about it.

Char Kway Teow at Makan Pagi — Char Kway Teow. Good, but I would not rave about it.

Mrs had the Chinese Hainan Chicken Rice. It came on a blue plate with the typical Chinese-style presentation.

The chicken portion was huge and there was a good amount of rice, with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. The kicap and chilli were magnificent. The soup was nice, with that familiar Chinese-style taste.

Unfortunately, some portions of the chicken were reddish inside and appeared not to be properly cooked.

I still finished what I ate and appreciated the protein after the hike.

Chinese Hainan Chicken Rice served on a blue plate at Makan Pagi — Mrs’ Chinese Hainan Chicken Rice.

Three Teh Ais

Adina had a teh ais. I tasted it and thought it was nice, so I ordered another because I wanted a little myself.

Unknowingly, Adina finished that one too. Pfft.

So I ordered a third.

I really only wanted to taste it because I am not keen on sugary drinks.

It was very good — and sweet.

Teh ais drinks at Makan Pagi — The teh ais was so good we ordered three.

Overall, the food was good, the atmosphere nostalgic and the restaurant filled quickly.

Alhamdulillah, we finally got to eat there. Another Penang checklist item completed.

The total bill was RM76 for the three of us.

1st Avenue

After Makan Pagi, we went to 1st Avenue.

Adina did ten minutes on a massage chair while I browsed Hot Wheels.

I bought myself a toy.

I have a soft spot for vintage cars — basically all things vintage. Pfft.

The Hot Wheels appealed to me because it had a metal bottom, like how they used to make them.

Hot Wheels Premium Vintage Racing toy car bought at 1st Avenue — My Hot Wheels Premium Vintage Racing purchase.

OldTown and Recovery

2040 hrs. We were resting and quenching our thirst at OldTown in 1st Avenue.

Perhaps Makan Pagi used plenty of Ajinomoto. Pfft. Just my joking speculation after feeling so thirsty.

Drinks at OldTown in 1st Avenue — Resting and quenching our thirst at OldTown.

I also bought magnesium at Watsons. I keep forgetting to bring my magnesium and salt.

I took a magnesium pill, hoping it would help with sleep and recovery after the hike.

Sad and Happy

2120 hrs. We left 1st Avenue and headed back to the apartment to pack.

We leave Penang tomorrow.

Sad and happy at the same time.

Sad that this relaxing, no-worries holiday is coming to an end.

Happy to go back and see my two other children, the cats and my in-laws.

May Allah continue to protect and bless them.