Hello again my dear Ramblers. I hope that all of you are doing well today. Oh, and that "Gee" in the title is "two" in the local Penang Hokkien language.
Anywho, today we shall continue with this series on the natural treasures of Penang, Malaysia. Last time, we visited the emerald sentinel of Penang Island, Penang Hill. Now, we move to the northwest corner of the island (the left arm of the "turtle"--a place known as Monkey Beach. Now close your eyes. With your imagination brush, picture a warm, secluded tropical beach replete with soft, white sand that feels like walking on soft powder.
Now picture placid, aquamarine waters gently lapping upon these powdery sands, tickling your feet as it rushes to and fro. Warm breezes caress your cheeks as you look on, greeting you like an old friend come to visit after many years. Lush coconut palms hang overhead, swaying in the breezes, shading you from the hot, tropical sun. A monkey comes along and eyes your lunch. Off in the distance, emerald-colored hills beckon you to come explore the wild jungle. Wait, did you say "monkey"?
Yes, yes I did. This beautiful place, of which I describe to you, is called Monkey Beach. It is located in Taman Negara Pulau Pinang (Penang National Park), next to the small fishing village of Teluk Bahang. It protects the northwest corner of Penang Island and prevents it from ever being developed like the east side. (I will get to why it is called "Moneky Beach" in a minute--patience is a virtue, dear Rambler).
To continue, as it is a National Park, you cannot drive directly to Monkey Beach. There are only two ways to reach this beautiful place:
By boat
Hike in through the jungle
I had the privilege of visiting Monkey Beach two years ago, the day after my wedding. We were staying at the Four Points by Sheraton, located in Tanjung Bungah right on the beach. One day, my new bride and I (along with my mother and aunt from the US) were on the beach there. There was a charter boat moored to the shore. "Captain Hook" was the name of the vessel operator. He offered to take us to Monkey Beach for a very reasonable rate. After paying the fare, the four of us boarded the watercraft and off we went into the placid waters of Malacca Strait with ensconces Pulau Pinang.
After a 25-minute boat ride (to which we were treated to a unique perspective of the beaches of Batu Feringghi and the small fishing village of Teluk Bahang).
We arrived to a scene described above. It was very quiet--the normal din of George Town nowhere to be heard. The only sounds were the waves gently lapping the shore and the breeze that blew in from the warm, tropical waters rustling the emerald palm fronds.
We were living everyone's computer screensaver!
They even had a tire swing hanging from one of the coconut palms lining the shore. My wife and mother got to swing on it, much like the namesake monkeys of this beach.
In 2010, Anthony Bourdain (you may know him from the Travel Channel program No Reservations) visited beautiful Pulau Pinang. One of his stops was this beach. On the show, he stated his utter disdain for all things monkey, as they were approaching their table while waiting for their fresh fish to grill. You were able to see these small quadripeds come up onto the table, without any trepidation. He was not "a happy camper" as they say where I am from.
In our case, there was nary a monkey to be found. We traipsed along the powdery sands unmolested, enjoying this side of Penang that we hardly get to experience "on the other side".
Beachside, there are a number of picnic tables with BBQs that you can grill your fresh fish that you get from nearrby Teluk Bahang.
We thought that a short jungle trek would be an interesting venture. However, that fizzled shortly into the hike. We ended up sticking to the beach. Who could blame us, right?
Further down the beach, there is a small creek that meets the sea. We had to wade across the knee-deep channel. One can imagine a scene much like this when Penang founder Captain Francis Light first stepped onto these shores in the late 18th century.
After we walked down to the far east end of the beach, it sadly, was time to leave this bucolic place. We rejoined our vessel and "Captain Hook" revved up the engines and we were on our way. Warm sea breezes caressed our faces as we made the journey back to our hotel.
Although we hadn't originally planned on taking this trip, the entire experience ended up being very rewarding. What most people have to travel thousands of miles for, we only had to travel about 20. Imagine, this jewel in our proverbial backyard. This experience surely heightened our appreciation for the wonders of Penang. Where will we sojourn to next? You'll have to join us next time as we uncover another Wonder of Penang!
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