A trip to Penang National Park.

Sometimes, things just go wrong but that does not mean happiness cannot be ours. Tough no doubt but there are still times and places in between which makes life interesting.

Yesterday, a Sunday, after trekking round Bukit Semarak for an hour, I felt an urge to go somewhere and make the day different. So, I phoned a friend and asked her what plans she had for the day. She had none but was eager to join me if I had any intention to go anywhere. Then, all of a sudden, she suggest Gunung Jerai or Kedah Peak, a mountain in the central part of Kedah State. Why not! So we decided to meet at nine-thirty that morning. I packed an extra set of clothing so that I could have a change of dry clothes at the end of the day. Then some water and food, and I was ready for the trip. However, when it came to mu camera I found that the shutter had been damaged. What a clumsy fellow I am!

Unfortunately, she discovered that it was raining at Kedah Peak. So, we changed our plans and headed for Penang National Park at Batu Ferringgi, Penang Island. When we reached the place at about 11 o'clock we had to register ourselves. We were asked whether we were there for trekking or camping.

From the starting point we could choose one of two paths. We chose the one leading to Pantai Kerachut and Teluk Trampi. The path to Pantai Kerachut was straight-forward and there was no way anyone could get lost. There was a lake and according to the information given on a signboard it is one of a small number of such lakes where the higher density sea water is below while the lower density fresh water is above the sea water. It was a beautiful lake and it was then that I wished I had my camera with me. My dear friend pacified me and said one camera was enough. (She di have her camera with her.) There was at least two places marked as turtle crossing. Further along that beautiful beautiful of soft, beige coloured sand was a turtle sanctuary with nets and a white stick stuck in the sand to indicate where the eggs were. There was also a long jetty for boats to take any exhausted tourists back to the starting point.

As it was still early, we decided to head towards Teluk Trampi. The path was not as clear as the previous one bit we managed to reach the place after slightly more than an hour. There were no tourist met along the way, only found a few boatmen having some food. Nothing much of interest there, so we made our way through the forest. Then as we reached the top of the hill, we were lost. But we could hear the waves crashing onto the rocks. So we made our way towards those rocks. Oh, no! The tide was coming in and Teluk Trampi beach was a little distance away. So we were forced to climb from one rock to another to reach the beach. It was precarious but that was where I had my thrill of overcoming the obstacles.

Again, we headed up the path towards Pantai Kerachut. And of all things I experienced pain in both my legs, both thigh muscles threatening to cramp. I knew it must never happen. So I slowed down, massaged my legs while my poor friend, Boey, had wait. When my legs recovered slightly, I used the better leg to carry the weight of my body, allowing the weaker leg to trail behind. After some time, I had to give the stronger leg a rest while I put more weight on the weaker leg. It was quite a torture having to bear the pain, yet move along up the slope. Again, we lost our way and this time we went on taking a new direction from the previous path. Well, we have never gone through many thorns and vines; yes, vines that held onto our legs and body, entangling us with such strength that I could not break apart any of them. They made us stumble and fall a number of times. Fortunately, again by heading towards the sound of waves, we managed to reach Pantai Kerachut again. Then it was back to the starting point, the Penang National Park's office. It was already closed by then as it was about six o'clock in the evening.

Luckily, Boey could drive as the minute I stopped moving and sat down on the car seat, my muscles cramped. As boey drove us back to Sungai Petani, I massaged my legs and got the muscles to stop pulling and cramping.

We ended the evening with a bath and then to Chennai for banana leaf vegetable rice, fruits and watermelon juice. The food, fruits and juice were tasty and it was a happy ending to an adventurous day. What an experience. It is most memorable.