Sungai Ara to the Carpet

My favorite walking buddy Bobbi and me, myself, and I have been wanting to walk in the Relau hills area west of the pleasant township of Sungai Ara for some time. It's been raining a lot in Penang this past month and we were holding off for a day where it dawned clear and where the weather report gave little chance of rain till mid-afternoon.

One such day was last Sunday, when some friends were hiking to the Carpet from Balik Pulau, but we would have had to be there at dawn, 6:30 a.m., and at 4:30 that morning it was pouring down rain, and our friends Whatsapped that the walk was off. If you're walking on jungle trails they can get very difficult when wet, and even concrete paths can be slippery after a rain. But by dawn the day was clear and the people in Balik Pulau went anyway, too late by then for us to get our tails over there, since we live about an hour away from Balik Pulau, and they had a nice outing as we could see from their pics on Whatsapp.

They had also Whatsapped maps and route details from which we could see roughly how to reach the Carpet from our side. So a few days later we woke up to a day that fit the requirements, and Bobbi and I got a Grab (the local e-hailing service) to the spot marked Fig Tree Hill Resort on the map below, on the outskirts of Sungai Ara, and started out the rough concrete road heading due west, looking for the spot where we'd have to turn north and gain about 200 meters elevation to reach the Carpet.

You can see on the satellite map the KFC in Balik Pulau where our friends had wanted to meet us the Sunday before. They most likely drove a part of the way before jumping off for the track to the Carpet.

I had been tracking information on this walk in a Google Doc shared publicly. This link will take you to the Sungai Ara portion of that doc where you can see some of the information we had accumulated:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xKvAUrAPWVtrBY7ioiVflW1chqCbKu3Kkx6MBMhJD3A/edit#heading=h.65se2zeu0tl3

The jumping off point is just uphill from the public park with the big Sungai Ara lettering in it. The road circulates around the park where at the northwest corner you'll find a fine Buddhist temple which gleams in the sunlight. Just uphill from there along Lorong Kenari 8 you find a Hindu temple which I had read was under construction, and it still is. Turn right there and the walk starts at the poor road on the right just past the Hindu temple. That road takes you due west along the Sungai Ara (sungai means river in the local language).

This is the uphill side of the Buddhist temple, gleaming on the western side on our way back to Sungai Ara park as we ended our trek at the end of the day

The Hindu temple, taken by poking a camera through the locked gate

The turning for Fig Tree Hill Resort is to the right, just past the lamp post

This is the view looking back down the road back toward the Hindu temple

We knew that the walk we were planning followed a bike route, so it should have some kind of pavement the whole way to the Carpet. Indeed the walk west from Sungai Ara was straightforward. It's an easy, level, saunter along that road with the river gurgling on your right, and even a wooden bridge over it where locals like to park and have picnics, as there is a temple up a side road off to the right there. You just follow the faded signs for the real Fig Tree Hill Resort (I think the point marked on the Google map in Sungai Ara was place there by the resort so its clients can find the turning; the real resort appears to be further along that road.)

After a half hour you'll come to what everyone calls the "shed" but it's really more like an open air pavilion. There are a number of concrete tables and benches under the roof so you can't miss it, and there's a sign on it that points north and says "The Carpet".

The sign on the tree points to Fig Tree Hill Resort not far up the road

The red-and -white-on-black sign on the nearest upright points the way to The Carpet

So far so good. But unfortunately that was the last sign we would see pointing the way to the Carpet, and we had come on a week day so there was no one else around we could follow. We assumed we follow the concrete road which led us uphill about a half hour later to a green gate behind which there was a house under construction.

There were no road markings but there were more concrete roads heading to the north steeply up the hill from there. We followed the most obvious but eventually came to a metal gate blocking the road with signs on it stating clearly that its purpose was to keep people and bicycles out (i.e. a bike icon with a red X over it). So we went back down the hill and tried the two other ways. One went steeply uphill almost to the top but ended in someone's durian plantation. We pursued footpaths through the plantation until these too fizzled, but it was obvious no one would be biking downhill from here. So we went back down and tried an even steeper concrete road heading up, but this one joined with the road we had just been on, leading back up to the plantation.

We figured we must have missed another turning somewhere and indeed we had. But though we poked around concrete roads heading uphill, these either fizzled or appeared to be taking us back to where we had been before. Eventually we worked our way back downhill and got as far as the shed where we sat down exhausted on one of the benches. We had just spent an hour and a half in needless excursion.

The problem was there were many turnings and no signs on the possible routes heading uphill from the shed. This blog post https://www.penangcycling.com/2016/02/08/reverse-carpet-cycling-trail-at-sungai-ara-penang/ shows a "Carpet" sign (picture link: https://i0.wp.com/www.penangcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/wp-1454953544888-1.jpg?zoom=1.5&w=640) but this sign is (1) way up the trail from the shed, in the area of the clearly signposted hairpin turns 1-12, and (2) looks removable. It wasn't there when we passed that way. But it wouldn't have helped us find the first turn on the right (as it turned out) past the shed. Our problem was inability to find the way up to those obviously signposted hairpin turns when faced with so many unmarked junctions. We had chosen the more obvious "main" roads, but there turned out to be a secret way up.

While resting and drinking water we discussed what to do. We thought maybe to continue on to Fig Tree Hill Resort and maybe take refreshment and talk to the people there about where to go. We were just reconnoitering and we were out for some exercise and we figured we'd get there eventually but maybe not today. But just then a bicyclist appeared, the only other cyclist we had seen that day, and made the turn to the carpet. We hailed him over and he stopped for us.

He was very friendly. His name was Lee, and to make a long story short, he showed us the way.

Bicyclist Lee makes this run up to the Carpet and back every day, he says :-)

Just 100 meters or so up the hill from the shed, you make the first right turn. You take the high road and not the one marked private property.

Here is what the first turn looks like

The structure just up the road in the picture above looks like this. 

If you pass it you're on the right path, for now.

At this point in the trail I was able to keep up with Lee and see where he was going

Not far from there you come to your next junction. Don't be fooled by the bike tracks in the road ahead, or by the pile of tire tubes in the bushes to the right. If you go that way you'll find it soon dead-ends in the jungle.

Bobbi is pointing the right way in the picture below

We had actually found our way this far on our own just "poking about" before we ended up back at the shed and luckily encountered Lee. But the way from here requires a guide. Lee realized this because though he rode on ahead, he waited for us at the next critical right turn.

Here it is, ten minutes up the trail from the previous junction. Incidentally, there are a lot of dogs in this area. You can neutralize them by carrying a stick.

When you get to this turn you take the LOW road, the one marked Private Property.

Then you come to a gate and pass around the gate on the right to continue uphill.

Maybe 50 meters beyond the gate you find a path going up to the left. Dead ahead you see a reddish shack. Go left up the path.

Now you find yourself in the most pleasant part of the mountain. You're on small pistes and the lefthand path leads you into this pleasant area, pictured from above:

Lee continued up the trail. He told us we couldn't get lost and he'd meet us at the top

Now we were on the trail with the signposted hairpin turns. Here is one of the most radical.

Nice views of the thick forest from here

And of Jerejak Island and Perai when you reach the top

So here is the Carpet, a much smaller space than we had expected. There were half a dozen dogs here who greeted us loudly and aggressively. We showed them our sticks and after a minute or so they calmed down and went to rest in the shade. We did the same. We were surprised that the clock on one of the sheds gave the correct time, a quarter to the hour when we arrived, 3 pm when we left. When we left the dogs let us pass without further incident.

Metal chairs and swings are strewn here. Below, we are relaxing in the shade:

We were exhausted when we finally arrived here. It took us an hour and a half to get back down to the Hindu temple and it should have taken about 2 hours coming up. But we had trekked up and down for an extra hour and a half on needlessly taxing Sisyphus trips. Next time we come it will be a breeze because we'll know the way.

And if you're reading this, you'll know the way too :-) Good Luck!

Easy walk to Kerachut Beach and the meromictic lake in Penang National Park

We were in monsoon in Malaysia/ Rains occurred frequently this October, but Sunday the 13th dawned a teasingly sunny day in Tanjung Bungah so Bobbi and I decided to skip breakfast and scurry down the road to Hillside where the 101 buses stop every half hour or so. The ride around the northeast corner of the island goes along some dauntingly narrow roads, seascape on one side hemmed in by steep hillsides on the other. The traffic is made more precarious by the constant presence of Sunday cyclists traveling in packs along the winding road. 

Here’s a map of the area: https://www.screencast.com/t/VzEjTBiL8G

Being part feline herself, Bobbi had wanted to visit Cat Beach on the north coast of Penang, on the beach near the "Fishing Village Seafood" restaurant on the map above. The two of us could get there for less than a dollar on a bus, but for the same price the bus went all the way to the National Park, less than a 30 minute walk from Cat Beach. I thought we should go to the park first because if we wanted to hike we'd have the best chance of dry weather if we went there in the morning. It often rained in the afternoon these days in Penang.

It was still sunny when we arrived at the park so we decided to push our luck for a hike. Park entry is free but you need to report to the park headquarters and fill in a form telling them where you intend to go. Here you get information on park etiquette and also on what trails are open. On this day we could walk along the north coast as far as CMCS, the Center for Marine and Coastal Studies. It's a nice walk along a jungle trail with frequent ocean views, but the trail from there to Monkey Beach had been closed for some time. Partly because we had done that one before, we decided to go on the only other trail that was open that day, the one across the center of the park to Pantai Keracut , a.k.a. Kerachut Beach. 

Before setting off we thought we should get some breakfast, since we'd left our house that morning without. There are not many restaurants along the main road, that near the park, and they seemed to be catering full meals for westerners for twice what we thought we should pay. One of the owners said we could look further, but what we might find would be 'dirty'. We've never encountered that in Malaysia at the most rudimentary restaurant, never a problem with the food. So we walked back to the main gate where there were kiosks offering boat rides to Monkey Beach (since you couldn't get there on foot due to whatever was closing the trail), We then noticed if we turned right there, there was a local nasi campur restaurant on the corner that served food buffet style, and had fresh coconuts, and tasty fried bananas for a fraction of what the "clean" restaurant was charging, so we filled our stomachs there, and smacked our lips in spicy delight, 

We returned to the park and walked to the small kiosk at the trailhead just inside the gate where you were supposed to stop and show the permit you had filled in at the park office. The idea seemed to be to keep track of who entered the park and who returned the same way. But the kiosk was closed, probably because keeping track of who was there would have been impossible because of the touts who often convinced tourists to hire those boat taxis from the jetty atTeluk Bahang, either one way or both.

After the kiosk, the walk proceeds along a beach where there is a concrete trail passing benches and tables set up invitingly for picnics. There were hardly any in use. We took a few pictures to show our kids what a pleasant place this would be to come with our grandchildren.

I'm not sure about swimming here. Our granddaughter got badly stung by jellyfish around the headland on the beach in Batu Ferringhi, and you might have to share the water with monitor lizards. The lizards would likely be more concerned about sharing the water with you, but here's what they look like when they wander in off the beach here.

At the end of this stretch there is a shelter which you reach over a sway bridge crossing a small brook.

The shelter was popular with monkeys, as were the pools on the jungle side of the brook, where monkeys liked to come and conduct monkey business.

Just past the shelter the concrete path ends and the trail heads uphill along a trench where people used to use water buffaloes to pull lumber from the forests here for transport over to Georgetown to be used in construction there. This trail would be very slippery when wet, so we kept our eye on the weather overhead, so far so good. It was an obvious path, not unobstructed, as where we had to climb over a tree that fell across it. 

The trail went up for a long way and eventually turned downhill. After around an hour and a half we descended a steep part where we emerged on this sign telling us we had almost made it to Pantai Keracut.

The path now led around the meromictic lake that is one of the curiosities here. That's a lake that is fed by both fresh and sea water. Being of different densities the two waters don't mix but instead layer one atop the other. I know from diving that salt water has greater density than fresh water, so the fresh water will float on top of the salt water. You can read more here
https://www.tejaonthehorizon.com/travel-stories/hiking-meromictic-lake-penang/).



Just before the beach you reach a suspension bridge that crosses over the mouth of the lake where the sea water enters on the right tide. 

Once over the bridge you find a sign that points the way to the turtle conservatory at the far end of the beach.

Walk down the beach and it looks like this.

Meanwhile, back on the beach

 It's a nice beach, but the sign here prohibits you from going swimming

There were dark clouds forming when we reached the beach, so after taking these pics, we turned tail and headed back, encountering only slight sprinkles on the trail, which we retraced back to the visitor center. 























From there we walked over to Cat Beach. On the way down the road we found a vendor selling sugar cane from a cart by the side of the road which he poured into a plastic bag for us, added ice, and handed it over with a cord holding a straw in place so you could hold on to the loop in the cord and drink the deliciously refreshing liquid through the straw. Sad to say it was a plastic straw, but there was no cold alternative apart from a can of carbonated sugar water or processed fruit juice purchased from a mini mart.

Cat beach was not easy to find on our own. We walked along the main road using Google Maps to tell us where to turn north and navigate the back roads to find the approximate spot on the beach where we thought it should be. We would never have been able to just go there, though. We had to ask locals on the beach which way. They all seemed to know where it was, and they helpfully pointed the way. In the picture below, we are almost there.

The attraction of cat beach is a ramshackle set of structures at the edge of the sand which someone seems to have rented or bought and fixed up well enough to set up a homeless shelter for cats.

They apparently thought to set up a cafe to help finance the enterprise, but it's all pretty run down now, smells like (you guessed it) and the Cat Beach Cafe is pretty unappealing (because of what you already guessed), 

Plus the guy who's stuck there hits you up for donations (says he hasn't been paid, and shows you vet bills, implying he has to pay them, though he is clearly an employee, a watchman and cat herder). 

Still, this area makes a great day out in a beautiful part of Penang. The fresh-rendered iced sugar cane juice really hit the spot after 4 hours hiking, and cost just 3 ringgit for a large one (same price as one-way on the bus for two persons), and as you'd expect, there are plenty of foodie opportunities between here and Batu Ferringhi. Besides breakfast at the nasi campur we got something on the roadside comprising shrimp floss grilled in a banana leaf to take home with us.

Here are some more descriptions of some of the walks in Penang National Park

• https://www.tripsavvy.com/penang-national-parks-hiking-trails-1629641
• https://www.penang-insider.com/best-things-to-do-teluk-bahang/