An afternoon walk at Penang Botanical Gardens

Back to Penang for business trip for a week. Today is the IHEP Batch-5 Korean students Day-6 in Penang. After lunch I brought them to Penang botanical gardens for a walk. Despite the humid weather - well it's 2pm when we arrived, they enjoy the walk with beautiful landscape and fresh air. The only complaint probably is they didn't expect they need to hike-up a little when we go round the park. lol. From the Main Gate, we first ride on the tram and go round in the Botanical Gardens. Tram ticket is RM2 per adult. The tram will go round the park via the Lower Circular Route. Basically the park is divide into 2 circular routes: 

1. Higher Circular Route :-

Begin from the main gate, head straight until the two-way junction, keep LEFT and hike-up a little on a winding road, you will pass by the hiking route via staircases to Penang Hill, waterfall and reservoir. Keep going until reach a T-junction, keep left and you will pass by Orchidarium and various gardens along the way till you back to the beginning point.

2. Lower Circular Route :-

The garden tram's route - the ground is flat and less slope compare to higher circular route. Begin from the main gate, head straight until the two-way junction, keep RIGHT and head straight all the way and you will pass by the T-junction that connected from Higher Circular Route, Orchidarium and various gardens till you back to beginning point.

After the tram ride, we further walk via the Higher Circular Route for more views! There is a short up-hill part on the winding route however is not that tough as you think. It will make you breathing hard and sweat a little when you walk-up but you will find the view and landscape is rewarding! It is my most favourable landscape site inside Botanical Garden. 

Tips: Go clockwise (from the divide point) if you wish to avoid walk up-hill yet don't want to miss all the views along the Higher Circular Route. The up-hill will become down-hill which make the walking more easy. The route for both higher or lower circular is not entirely flat but you probably won't feel it much since it's going up gradually. 

Share with you another favourite spot of mine inside the botanical gardens - a hidden Lily Pond inside the lush jungle. Take the paver paths on the left or right hand side of Orchidarium (Rumah Orchid) and walk up a little and you will find this secret garden. 

Beautiful isn't it? I love to stop by here for a while to calm my mind and soul however the mosquitoes attack can be somehow disturbing.. especially when we sweat a lot due to exercise lol. Thanks to the students, I able revisit this place where I used to came for exercise sometimes after works. These pictures will preserve my memories of Botanical Gardens forever. 

Last but not least, one of the attraction point of Botanical Garden ~ Monkeys! Though I have seen monkeys regularly in the garden, I still wary of them as they can be fierce and often showing their "ready-to-attack" face and action when pass-by. Feeding the monkeys is not allowed so beware of monkeys especially you have food on your hand, they might steal from you.

How to get here:

Take Rapid Bus No.10 to Botanical Garden

Penang Botanical Gardens
Jalan Kebun Bunga, 10350 Penang
botanicalgardens.penang.gov.my/

Katsudon & Tonkatsu~ Takehana, Plaza Mont Kiara

One of the few long existed Japanese restaurants in Mont Kiara at Plaza Mont Kiara. Kind of hidden at the back of Block D where McDonald's or 7-11 is. If it wasn't because of the property agent aunty brought me here for lunch before, I probably won't know bout it unless I walk to the backside of that section. The male cook and lady boss are local Chinese but food is authentic Japanese taste - judge by the place has quite a number of Japanese diners everytime when I am here. They have this lunch promo where Japanese Ramen is only RM10, popular among the office workers around this area. Today I bring Ga-yoon here for lunch and two of us order a Katsudon (Japanese Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl) and Tonkatsu. Both are deep fried breaded pork cutlet. The different is, Katsudon is simmered with soya sauce, dashi, onions and eggs. While Tonkatsu is served with shredded cabbage and katsu sauce. Look at the thick cuts of pork cutlet~ juicy tender yet the fat is preserve. Perfect for me! Price around RM18++ for the don. Recommended to try on their donburi especially Katsudon. 

We Three~ Lighthouse Coffee, Logan Heritage, Beach Street

Coffee date with besties after back to Penang. Everytime I come back there's always a new coffee place to explore. Today we came to this Lighthouse Coffee housed inside Logan Heritage, recommended by bird. Coffee are good! The Rum cake are good too! The cafe usually crowded during the day, but seems like we had the whole place by ourself  that evening after the one and only male customer who was there earlier left not long after we arrived. 

Dae Jang Kem & Dae Bok Jang Korean Restaurant, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

A Korean Restaurant we have been go for Korean food especially Jajjangmyeon since 2009. The restaurant located at the first floor has two names, Dae Bok Jang and Dae Jang Kem. Both own by a same Korean owner and it is inked thru a door between a wall. Bae Bok Jang is Korean Chinese Restaurant selling Jajjangmyeon, Jjampong~ while Dae Jang Kem is a Korean BBQ places and Korean cuisine. But regardless where we sit, besides BBQ has to be sitting at the table with BBQ grill, any food from their menu can be order and serve.

Jajjamyeon usually serve with pickle radish, pickle green onion and chunjang only. If you go for Korean stew such as Sundubu jigae (Korean soft tofu stew), it is serve with white rice and banchan (side dishes). There are up to 8 banchan serve. After meal free coffee will be serve as well. Price is reasonable too. This is one of the reason we why we like to dine in here whenever we are in Desa Sri Hartamas.