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After our visit at Penang Butterfly Farm at the morning, we went to Tropical Spice Garden during our way back to the hotel, as we had planned earlier. And it is just 3km from Batu Feringghi where we stayed, it is within a jungle valley that is both educational and enlightening."
The Tropical Spice Garden is a privately-funded agro-tourism project endorsed by the Penang state government. It is open to the public since November 27th 2003, the garden is landscaped on original jungle terrain covering roughly 8 acres.
Actually from so many attractions and activities in the Garden, we just managed to walk thru the Garden Trails, and managed to explore one of the 3 designated trails only - Spice Trail. Others are the Jungle Trail and Ornamental Trail. We had spend about a nearly 45 minute walk. It is approximately 500 varieties of tropical flora specially selected from all over the world landscaped on natural jungle terrain.
And throughout the Garden are different themed Garden Rooms featuring special plant collections such as Spices and Herbs Terrace (plants valued for medicinal and culinary uses), Water Garden (marginal and aquatic plants), Bamboos Garden (clump-forming plants), Crotons Wall (plants with attractive foliage and inconspicuous flowers), Cycad Room (palm-like plants up to 280 million years old), Ferns Walk (non-flowering plants with spores up to 400 million years old), Gingers Walk (plants with stunningly beautiful flowers), Banana / Heliconias Bank (plants with large leaves and colourful flower bracts), Jungle Trails (tropical rainforest plants), Ornamental Valley (flowering plants, trees, shrubs and herbs) and Sugar Terrace (sugar-producing palm trees), with educational signage displaying the names and uses for each plant.
Transition points in between the Garden Rooms are created in the form of numerous child-friendly Garden Features such as stream crossings, doorways, hammocks, gazebos and pergolas.
The Garden was designed in such a way that one should be able to hear the relaxing sounds of running water at almost any vista. The stream that runs through the core of the gardens is based on perfect feng shui principles - the water flows from top to bottom to the sea and the mountain is at the back.
Water features provide the relaxing sound of running water at waterfalls, ponds and streams, providing a cooling and soothing sensation. The use of waterways provides an alternative habitat for a more diversified ecosystem and also serves as an irrigation network.
Pavilions, gazebos, gateways, bridges, benches, steps, sign posts and decking have been constructed out of a variety of Malaysian seasoned and mature hardwoods including chengal batu, meranti and teak, salvaged and recycled for use from demolished warehouses and pre-war houses in Penang.
Benches built with more than generous proportions and deep seating are strategically positioned throughout the Garden for visitors to relax and fully take in the sights and sounds.
We did not go to the Visitor Centre which is located in a picturesque Straits Colonial holiday bungalow - Lone Crag Villa - overlooking the sea, with a built-up area of about 5,500 square feet. As we did not know it it is located at the hill top. It corporate a Cooking School which accommodate kitchen and cooking class facilities, dining facilities. Visitors can do a booking to learn the Malaysian recipes.
Besides that, Three Monkey Restaurant which set on top of Lone Crag, offers an unparalleled panoramic view of Teluk Bahang bay. Dine alfresco enveloped by jungle trees or find shelter under the double tiered 'alang alang' roof whilst you enjoy a fresh serving of the best Thai-Asian delights or simply enjoy a cool lime soda after a walk through the garden. We did see the signage but did not go up, we thought that was just another ‘expensive restaurant’…
There are a Gift Shop and a Garden Shop too, which we did not go as well. Actually, by end of the trip to the Garden, all of us are very exhausted already, and hungry too. Two consecutive Farm and Garden in a row. Mummy can feels that Annabelle is tired already. But never the less, great outing for both.
Resources: http://www.tropicalspicegarden.com
For this year Christmas we have a white Christmas tree with little blue twinkling tiny light bulbs!
It was a surprise to both of them, when they waked up in the morning on the Christmas day and found 2 nicely wrapped Christmas presents underneath the Christmas tree.
They were eagerly unwrapped the presents. Issac got a big foot monster truck with remote controller and Annabelle had a train set.
