Penang -- Week 12 -- Spice Gardens

SUNDAY
Today we're off to the Tropical Spice Gardens at the very north end of the island. It's tucked away in one of the tight curves of the scary cliff-edge roads (it's the traffic that makes it scary, not the cliff -- I'm not even sure I should call it a cliff). The gardens honor the region's historical role in the spice trade of centuries past. They are lush and thick with life, and there are little trails artificially carved into the landscape.

It's a lot like visiting the tropical green house at the Denver Botanic Gardens, but bigger, less enclosed, and fewer people. It's also a tad more impressive! It was funny though, because we saw some of the same plants that we'd seen in the Denver Botanic Gardens right before moving here!This cool tree was and is the site of some kind of animistic worship.
Following the spice trail, we see little pots of planted herbs. They're not so spectacular and I wonder if I should help them to grow a new sage plant as my luck in Colorado seems to have been a bit better than theirs.
We also pass spice trees of cloves and black pepper. They're not very exciting as they aren't baring any fruit at the moment. One of the major highlights of the day for me though is when I find this non-descript cinnamon tree.
I know I shouldn't, but I peel a tiny piece of the bark, where I see other tourists have done already, and put it to my nose. The sharpest cinnamon scent shoots up my nose as though I have just snorted crushed red hots. Incredible! My fingers have a delicious cinnamon scent for hours after that.

There is also a little museum filled with information on the spice trade, but it's kind of dull after walking out in the rainforest outside, so we aren't in there for more than a minute before we decide to leave.

There is lots of wildlife.
We see dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, a lizard, squirrels, and those Don King monkeys jumping from tree to tree, 30 feet above us in the canopy. The air is so hot and wet that even this thatched roof is sweating, it's not sweating as much as I am though.

At the end of all the walking, there is an amazing-smelling gift shop, filled with spices and such, and a cafe perched on a ledge that overlooks the sea below. We stay here an rest a while. The views are remarkable.

To see more of the photos from our trip to the Tropical Spice Gardens, see our photo album. Comments are in the photo titles.