My 2014 Visit to Penang Hill

Penang Hill Lower Station (1 November 2014)


I make a trip up Penang Hill on 1 November, 2014, to see the development up there. My last visit was on 26 January, 2012, when the Astaka Bukit Bendera was newly opened. Now it has also been given the name Cliff Cafe as well. I want to find out how it looks like since then.

We parked our car at Car Park A near the Jade Emperor Pavilion. There are two open car parks, namely A and B. Car Park A is the nearer one. From there, there is a footpath that leads under the train railway tracks to the Lower Station. The area is beautifully landscaped with various tropical plants and is generally well kept. There is also a small bridge across a drain that channels hill water down the slope.

Here I am on the footpath, Penang Hill Lower Station (1 November 2014)


The landscaping at Penang Hill Lower Station (1 November 2014)


At the time of our visit, the new Penang Hill Multi Storey Car Park has been reconstructed following the demolition of the former structure, dubiously nicknamed Kancil Car Park. It hasn't yet opened, but I suppose will be, any time soon.

Penang Hill New Multi-Storey Car Park (1 November 2014)


The train ride up Penang Hill costs RM30, but MyKad holders enjoy a discounted fare of RM8. This being a weekend, the station was quite crowded when we arrived. There were half a dozen tour buses parked along the Hill Railway Road. They brought pupils from schools in neighbouring states.

We joined the queue to purchase the ticket. At first the line was a bit slow, as in front of us were the tour leaders from those tour buses. A Caucasian couple in front of us, who had probably been waiting for quite a while, called it quits and left the queue. But once they left, a second counter opened and then the queue moved briskly.

Lower Station, Penang Hill Railway (1 November 2014)


Penang Hill Railway ticket counter (1 November 2014)


Penang Hill Railway Tickets (1 November 2014)


Our tickets are scanned for boarding the Penang Hill furnicular train (1 November 2014)


I realised that if they had not enhanced the speed of the trains going up the hill, the system would not have been able to cope with the increased number of people wanting to visit Penang Hill. Having riden on the new trains at least twice before, it wasn't something new to me. However what was new on this visit was that they have changed the location of the access to the Upper Station. It is now on the left side when you exit the train (previously it was on the right side). In so doing, it skirts the other side of Strawberry Hill on which is David Brown's Bungalow.

A new facility that is now available is the Audio Tour of Penang Hill. You rent the headphone from the kiosk (you can see the signboard as soon as you disembark from the train). Various points on the hill bear numbered stations. Press the number to hear the narration. There is a total of 30 audio tracks.

The new access takes you through an elevated corridor, where you get a view of the new three-storey Cliff Cafe. It leads to the square in front of Cliff Cafe. When we arrived, the square was absolutely crowded with visitors. Yet it was generally well kept with very little trash. (I don't believe the visitors don't throw rubbish about; rather I believe the trash is removed swiftly.) From there you can visit the food court, go down to the Owl Museum, or go up to the rooftop Love sign. The rest of Penang Hill remains as it was before.

Elevated walkway, Penang Hill (1 November 2014)


Penang Hill Square (1 November 2014)


Visitors to Penang Hill (1 November 2014)


We brought nasi lemak and economy bihun up Penang Hill for a little "picnic", though we ended up eating in the food court. My wife ordered the ais kacang, which is very nice. Later that same day, we had ais kacang again, but at Lotus's Penang, and it was surprisingly nice too!

Cliff Cafe, Penang Hill (1 November 2014)


After our lunch, we visited the Owl Museum, and then make a leisurely stroll to the view point. We saw that during this visit, they are in the midst of constructing a new circular viewpoint, and we look forward to its opening in the future.

My general opinion is that Penang Hill Corporation, which manages the facilities and train, is on the "right track", so to speak. Despite the high number of visitors, the place is much better maintained today than it was ten years ago. At that time, the former Penang Hill Hawker Centre was a crumbling affair. Kudos also for the landscaping and good maintenance of the plants.