TELUK BAHANG
Article and Photos By HELEN ONG
If you want to see what Penang (and indeed much of the rest of Malaysia) was like maybe thirty or forty years ago, when there were no shopping malls with their fast-food and designer outlets, coffee or otherwise, then head for Teluk Bahang. This sleepy little fishing village situated on the north-western tip of the island, with about 9000 inhabitants, is about 30km or a 45 minute drive from town.
Here, things are not exactly a-bustle with activity. A car goes by every so often, probably heading towards The Butterfly Farm or one of the other remote tourist sites dotted further up the road. The Rapid Penang bus 101 from the jetty comes by a couple of times an hour, depositing the odd tourist or two. It’s just another slow, hot morning in Teluk Bahang, which looks set to become another slow, hot afternoon.
Not much seems to have changed since I was a kid visiting on holiday trips, when we would rent the occasional holiday bungalow for a bit of R&R and to get away from it all with the family. Driving by, many of these now seem deserted and dilapidated, rotting away quickly under the hot tropical sun and salty air.
Granted there are now a few more shops and restaurants, some second or third generation descendants of the original proprietors; but the closure of the Mutiara Beach Resort a few years ago spelt the end of economic growth, if indeed it had any, for this quiet little hollow.
Just before the roundabout into town stands a row of five old shophouses. No one seems to know when they were built, although they may have been there for a century. If they were in George Town, there is no question that they would be given heritage status. Padmani Mirchumal runs a small hand-drawn batik boutique there, and Restoran Ibrahim, which, according to proprietor Nasinga Thullah Khan bin Abdul Samad, 58, has been operating at the site for the past 75 years. Locals and the smattering of tourists who venture there pop in for some home-made Roti Canai and curry. “This shop is part of Teluk Bahang’s history,” he told me. Opposite, a Nasi Kandar shop, part of a nationwide chain, operates 24 hours a day.
At the Foo Kee Mini Market, Ying Hwa, 70, has been serving customers for the past 40 years. The chai tiam mah (sundry shop) was started by her parents-in-law, and now she is in turn helped by her own son’s wife. They also own the petrol station next door.
“Things have changed,” she lamented. “Business is slow and we have hardly any tourists here now.”
If you drive in further in, past the Pasar Teluk Bahang (Wet Market), some newer low-cost apartment blocks have been put up, but the weather has taken its toll and what were formerly white buildings are now darkened with mould and dirt. Along the way, the odd drink or food stall lines the route, run by the family of villagers who are all trying to supplement the meagre incomes made from the primary source of employment here: fishing.
Ironically, there is actually more available to do now, what with boat trips to Monkey Beach, Pantai Kerachut and the lighthouse at Muka Head. The entrance to the Penang National Park (Taman Negara Pulau Pinang) is also located here.
This park, previously known as the Pantai Aceh Forest Reserve, boasts a host of unique wildlife and habitats. At over 1100 hectares of forest and 1380 hectares of wetlands, it is the smallest national park in Malaysia, with many different habitats including a meromictic lake (a lake in which some water remains partly or wholly unmixed with the main water mass at circulation periods), wetlands, mangroves, mudflats, coral reefs and turtle nesting beaches. If you’re lucky, you might spot some long-tailed macaques, birds like the White Bellied Sea Eagle and the Kingfisher, wild boars, civet cats, sea otters, and other mammals. Admission is free.
Most are day trips only which involve much energetic activity: walks and jungle trekking, although camping is allowed overnight if you get permission from the office and register with them.
If you turn left at the roundabout and head south up the hill, you’ll come across the 247-acre (32 hectare) Recreational Forest, one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world. It is a park with waterfalls, fresh water pools, picnic spots and rest huts. There is also a range of outdoor activities and jungle trails. The Forestry Museum in here contains educational items specifically designed to promote the conservation of forests. Further along is the enormous Teluk Bahang Dam, site of the famous international Dragon Boat Races which are held annually. With a storage capacity of nearly 20 billion litres, the reservoir is the largest on the island.
Back in the village, the beaches are still deserted under the blazing sun, although in the evenings, a few mainly seafood restaurants open up, popular with locals and tourists alike. Apart from one or two chalets and home-stays, there isn’t much accommodation around, but there are plenty of hotels in the township of Batu Ferringhi just a few miles down the road.
(In a separate box please)
Penang National Park
Jalan Hassan Abas,Teluk Bahang, 11050 Pulau Pinang Tel: 604.881 3530/881 2016 Fax: 604.881 2016
Penang Recreational Forest
Ranger’s Office
Teluk Bahang, 11050 Pulau PinangTel: 604.885 1280
Boat Trips
Ah Chuan 6019.414 1996
Alex 6012.482 5615
Approx RM100 for pick-up and drop-off
Beach barbeque approx RM35-50 per person
Article and Photos By HELEN ONG
If you want to see what Penang (and indeed much of the rest of Malaysia) was like maybe thirty or forty years ago, when there were no shopping malls with their fast-food and designer outlets, coffee or otherwise, then head for Teluk Bahang. This sleepy little fishing village situated on the north-western tip of the island, with about 9000 inhabitants, is about 30km or a 45 minute drive from town.
Here, things are not exactly a-bustle with activity. A car goes by every so often, probably heading towards The Butterfly Farm or one of the other remote tourist sites dotted further up the road. The Rapid Penang bus 101 from the jetty comes by a couple of times an hour, depositing the odd tourist or two. It’s just another slow, hot morning in Teluk Bahang, which looks set to become another slow, hot afternoon.
Not much seems to have changed since I was a kid visiting on holiday trips, when we would rent the occasional holiday bungalow for a bit of R&R and to get away from it all with the family. Driving by, many of these now seem deserted and dilapidated, rotting away quickly under the hot tropical sun and salty air.
Granted there are now a few more shops and restaurants, some second or third generation descendants of the original proprietors; but the closure of the Mutiara Beach Resort a few years ago spelt the end of economic growth, if indeed it had any, for this quiet little hollow.
Just before the roundabout into town stands a row of five old shophouses. No one seems to know when they were built, although they may have been there for a century. If they were in George Town, there is no question that they would be given heritage status. Padmani Mirchumal runs a small hand-drawn batik boutique there, and Restoran Ibrahim, which, according to proprietor Nasinga Thullah Khan bin Abdul Samad, 58, has been operating at the site for the past 75 years. Locals and the smattering of tourists who venture there pop in for some home-made Roti Canai and curry. “This shop is part of Teluk Bahang’s history,” he told me. Opposite, a Nasi Kandar shop, part of a nationwide chain, operates 24 hours a day.
At the Foo Kee Mini Market, Ying Hwa, 70, has been serving customers for the past 40 years. The chai tiam mah (sundry shop) was started by her parents-in-law, and now she is in turn helped by her own son’s wife. They also own the petrol station next door.
“Things have changed,” she lamented. “Business is slow and we have hardly any tourists here now.”
If you drive in further in, past the Pasar Teluk Bahang (Wet Market), some newer low-cost apartment blocks have been put up, but the weather has taken its toll and what were formerly white buildings are now darkened with mould and dirt. Along the way, the odd drink or food stall lines the route, run by the family of villagers who are all trying to supplement the meagre incomes made from the primary source of employment here: fishing.
Ironically, there is actually more available to do now, what with boat trips to Monkey Beach, Pantai Kerachut and the lighthouse at Muka Head. The entrance to the Penang National Park (Taman Negara Pulau Pinang) is also located here.
This park, previously known as the Pantai Aceh Forest Reserve, boasts a host of unique wildlife and habitats. At over 1100 hectares of forest and 1380 hectares of wetlands, it is the smallest national park in Malaysia, with many different habitats including a meromictic lake (a lake in which some water remains partly or wholly unmixed with the main water mass at circulation periods), wetlands, mangroves, mudflats, coral reefs and turtle nesting beaches. If you’re lucky, you might spot some long-tailed macaques, birds like the White Bellied Sea Eagle and the Kingfisher, wild boars, civet cats, sea otters, and other mammals. Admission is free.
Most are day trips only which involve much energetic activity: walks and jungle trekking, although camping is allowed overnight if you get permission from the office and register with them.
If you turn left at the roundabout and head south up the hill, you’ll come across the 247-acre (32 hectare) Recreational Forest, one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world. It is a park with waterfalls, fresh water pools, picnic spots and rest huts. There is also a range of outdoor activities and jungle trails. The Forestry Museum in here contains educational items specifically designed to promote the conservation of forests. Further along is the enormous Teluk Bahang Dam, site of the famous international Dragon Boat Races which are held annually. With a storage capacity of nearly 20 billion litres, the reservoir is the largest on the island.
Back in the village, the beaches are still deserted under the blazing sun, although in the evenings, a few mainly seafood restaurants open up, popular with locals and tourists alike. Apart from one or two chalets and home-stays, there isn’t much accommodation around, but there are plenty of hotels in the township of Batu Ferringhi just a few miles down the road.
(In a separate box please)
Penang National Park
Jalan Hassan Abas,Teluk Bahang, 11050 Pulau Pinang Tel: 604.881 3530/881 2016 Fax: 604.881 2016
Penang Recreational Forest
Ranger’s Office
Teluk Bahang, 11050 Pulau PinangTel: 604.885 1280
Boat Trips
Ah Chuan 6019.414 1996
Alex 6012.482 5615
Approx RM100 for pick-up and drop-off
Beach barbeque approx RM35-50 per person
