Tuesday March 7th, PENANG

 We are in Penang today. The ship is due to dock at eleven and is scheduled to leave after 7:30 pm which is when all aboard is planned.. Penang is conveniently located in Malaysia's northwest peninsula in the strait of Malacca. Penang was an important trade route for Europe, the Middle East, India and China.

population ...1.65 million 

Climate..typical days are usually hot and humid with temperatures averaging around 35C and it cools down to about 25C in the evenings. Humidity remains fairly constant between 70 and 80 %

Language  : Bahasa Malay but English is widely spoken

Currency : Malaysian Ringgit ( MYR). USD is widely accepted with the current exchange being about 4 to one. A ringgit is worth about 25 cents US.

We will be docked at Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal 

This disembarkation went as smoothly as it could go. Everything went like clock work with no crabby immigration agent to try to make lives miserable.

When we left the ship, on time I might add, the bus was waiting for us. It was a beautiful new bus complete with air conditioning and velvet draperies. Our guide was Elaine and she was Chinese but spoke perfect English, clear and easily understood by all.

We drove around the island on our way to the farm and Elaine pointed out different important structures.

Our first stop was Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm. I was not sure what to expect but it was truly amazing and surpassed any expectations I might have had. 

There were hundreds of butterflies living in this amazing garden. There were hundreds if not thousands of trees and plants in the dome. The sunlight poured in and the butterflies were enjoying it. They landed on people for amazing photos. There was a wonderful waterfall and the water cascaded down to a beautiful pool filled with large Koi of many colors. There were winding paths and different levels and everywhere you looked provided a delight to the eyes.  

But that was not all ... There was a building that contained so many displays and so much information. Any question you could have asked was answered. 

They also had a gift shop and I was able to get a decoration for the Around The World Christmas tree.

Our next stop was the Batic Factory.  Much to our surprise it was almost next door. We watched a demonstration of how the craft is done. After the demonstration and explanation we were able to look and if we wished purchase some of the finished goods. Their work is truly lovely . I passed on the purchases.

We drove around the rest of the island and Elaine recounted the history as we traveled. The road was VERY NARROW and had lots of bends and curves. At one point we stopped along the side of the road so we could shop for spices. I purchased peppercorns, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. The scent of these fresh spices was really amazing.

As  the bus completed the tour Elaine thanked us all and she and we sang Till We Meet Again.

It was a perfect ending to a wonderful excursion.

Because this excursion began around noon and was 5 hours long we did not return to the ship in time to go to dinner in the dining room. We went to Horizon court and got something there. It was not as nice but it did suffice.

The rest of the day was routine except for the fact that the entertainment in the theatre was great. The Soul Brothers sang so many of the Motown hits that they had the audience singing along with them for most of their performance. It brought back so many memories.