Escape Adventure Park

During our last full day in Batu Ferringhi, we visited Escape Adventure Park. Think of a high-ropes course on steroids and you get an idea of what the park is all about. We started at Gecko tower, where we would harness up and then climb to the top of a small tower. Once at the top we would then self-rappel down. After this, the girls wanted to sky walk (aka jump off a 20m tower). Danielle was the first to go and she was so eager that the staff gave her a second jump for free!
After that it was off to "Monkey Business" which was a high ropes course that had three different levels of difficulty. We all completed level one and after that, Mel and Emily headed to level two while Danielle completed the second level one. The courses involved climbing, balancing and a number of zip lines; it was a physically demanding day!
When it was all over, we were all very tired and sweaty!

Penang Jungle Hike

We traveled to the national park in Penang to do a jungle hike and a canopy walk. While walking to the canopy walk we observed five monitor lizards, a giant squirrel, a silver leaf monkey and a troupe of macaques. The canopy walk itself wasn't long but it certainly provided some great views of the jungle itself. From the canopy walk we hiked for two hours through the jungle to Kerachut Beach where there is a sea turtle hatchery. We had to up and over a small peak to get to the other side and while some parts of the path were flat, other were quite steep requiring us to hold onto ropes as we went up or down. While difficult at times, we were rewarded with amazing sites and sounds that come with the jungle. At the end of our hike we relaxed and cooled our feet in the sea. Thankfully we hired a boat to take us back to the entrance of the park!

Spice Farm

The Spice Farm is another local attraction that we visited during the beach portion of our Christmas holiday. It's a beautiful place that has three separate areas to explore: ornamental, jungle and spice. The spice was especially interesting as we learned how Penang developed as a spice growing area of Asia. We learned the origin of many of the spices we take for granted and everyone found it fun to handle and smell the many spices found within the farm. To top it off, it was an amazingly peaceful place to spend the afternoon.

Penang Hill

We headed away from our beach-front location and headed inland to visit Penang Hill. This peak just outside of George Town is the perfect place to get a great view of the capital city as well as the straight between Penang and the mainland. A funicular railway took us to the top (approx. 800m up a very sharp incline) and from there we wandered around and enjoyed the views. There is also a hotel at the top which would have been great to stay at.

Butterfly Farm

We've been out in nature as much as possible in Penang, exploring the incredible flora & fauna that is found here. While the Butterfly farm is enclosed, it gave us an idea of how diverse the butterfly population is in Malaysia. On top of butterflies we also observed many insects (beetles, millipedes), and amphibians (frogs) that share the island. The girls especially enjoyed the experience as butterflies willingly would sit on the hand or otherwise land on them. Danielle made a friend with one butterfly (named Arnold) the she proudly carried him around for twenty minutes.

Christmas Day

Our Christmas day was divided into two parts: the morning, when we opened presents and checked our stockings for goodies. Much to Danielle's relief, Santa did make his way to Penang! The late morning and afternoon was spent exploring as we hired a boat to take us fishing and then to a secluded beach where we could walk, swim and watch the monkeys. Everyone caught a fish except Jackie and Danielle won the contest as she caught the first fish (a catfish). Other fish we caught included a balloon fish, a helicopter fish (?) and a silver fish (name unknown). We also had a BBQ lunch on the beach consisting of satay, chicken, fish, prawn, hot dogs and hamburgers. Afterwards, the girls played in the sand and did some swimming while Mom and Dad had a nap while laying in the sun. Tonight we head out for dinner and will check out the night market as well.

Christmas in Penang

It's hard to believe, but this is our fourth Christmas overseas. It's a bit weird when the only thing white(ish) on the ground is sand!
We departed Macau on December 23 and flew to Penang, Malaysia from Hong Kong. It has been a well-deserved break as we were busy moving to a new apartment from Dec. 20-22. More on that in another post...
Christmas is always a happy/sad time as we are usually somewhere nice and warm and yet we are away from our family in Canada. Wherever you are, may you have a restful and enjoyable holiday season. All the best from the Varga family.

Tis the Season

The Christmas season is here and even though there isn't any snow on the ground, it's still a busy time of year for all of us.  As a member of the school choir, Danielle is the busiest, traveling around to all of the major hotels and resorts to sing at tree lighting ceremonies or to take part in other festive activities.

Last week the choir traveled to the Wynn Resort in Macau and the students and parents were treated to an amazing buffet dinner after the performance. The setting was the beautiful il Teatro restaurant which gave everyone am amazing view of the light and water show out front.