In early January 2019 I heard about a unique and somewhat eccentric place which, located somewhere up in the hills above Teluk Bahang, featured artwork set in amongst well manicured gardens. That tickled the ‘inquisitive Nige’ in me and I decided to set a Sunday aside to go and have a look.

Not being on the front page of  ‘things to do in Penang’  my expectations were modest, yet I was hoping there could be something a bit special and different about the place that would make the trip up the hill worthwhile. The drive there was, in itself, something of an adventure. The centre of Penang is still jungle, and the road up the hill through this jungle was windy but eye opening; amazing rainforest trees, waterfalls, palms, tree ferns and lianas. I didn’t expect to see this on a small island with a population of nearly 1.6 million people. (I posted some pics on my ‘Nige’s Place’ facebook page previously).

The directional signage wasn’t great, but I found my way there without too much difficulty. After a precarious park, and some pointing with instructions given in Bahasa by a local, I arrived at the private estate of Mr Fuan Wong.

There were several gardeners there to greet me, though none of them spoke any English. I was asked to buy a ticket for MYR 30, (about AUD 10.20) which, at the end of my tour, didn’t seem unreasonable at all, given the obvious upkeep that was required. The gardener/guide accompanied me the whole way around, a few steps behind me actually, pointing out the correct path to follow and giving me the occasional tip about where to look and what to see, all in Bahasa Malayu.

It took me about an hour to do the circuit of the garden, but I could have stayed longer. I’ve got to say, it was a real surprise and one that I will certainly add to Nige’s list of things to do while in Penang. There are some pictures in the gallery above, but they don’t really do justice to the actual site Well worth the trip up the hill.

I will be going there again.

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