Penang is like a slice of pork belly where there is a good blend of lean meat and fat interlayering each other. In Penang you may enjoy the convenience of city life and could bask in the grandeur of nature at the same time. It is very common that people during weekends go hiking, running or hill climbing after a stressful workweek. Hill climbing was the passion of my former colleague and being an expat in Penang and new to the place I was grateful that she invited me to join her one weekend. It was also the beginning of my appreciation of the true beauty of Penang and got motivated to get physically fit. On that particular occasion we went up the hill at the Botanical garden which I only later knew that it was Pinang Hill. It was indeed a very challenging climb for me as I had never climbed a hill that steep and high ever before in my life. I am in my mid 40’s and was relatively inactive at that time wherein the most physical activity I did was shopping and conducting training at work. Being anemic adds more to the degree of difficulty. With anemia I easily get short of breath and feel dizzy. But kudos to me I manage to reach the place which they call the halfway shed.
In the halfway shed, an old Chinese Malaysian man was manning the place- cooking some coffee, tea and serving it to the people whoever wants among those who stop to rest at the shed. He does it for free but anyone may donate any amount. There were also some biscuits in the can that we can take…it weren’t the best tasting though but goes well will coffee anyway. I did enjoy it.
But! oh my god, my god…Monkeys surrounded the place. I had not seen monkeys in the wild ‘up close and personal’- uncaged. I got so excited, I was thrilled to get closer to it. I thought the best way to get them closer was to lure them with food…Hhhhmmm…aha! the biscuit. I took a couple of biscuits and throw the first piece near the monkey. And yehey! It picked up the food- now it’s closer. At this time I notice that the old Chinese man appears to be talking to my colleague in Chinese language of course, but he was not looking at her. Strange? maybe that's how they converse around here. Anyway, I toss the second piece and the monkey was closer then, I was getting giddy of excitement. I heard the old man was still talking but my colleague was somewhat still not paying attention to him. I toss the last piece of biscuit and the monkey was sooo close – it was sooo cute.
But what the ….What’s the matter with this Chinese man? He shooed away the monkey that was so close already. He even used sling shot, isn’t that cruel? He maybe altruistic in serving those free coffee but I think it doesn't give him the right to be cruel to the animals. And he talked nonstop…. He was talking a lot, maybe he was just friendly to my colleague who was disenchant. Then finally at this point I heard a reply from her, of course in Chinese too. But I heard the word Philippines mentioned. So what do you think?... I must be the topic of their conversation. I turned my gaze at my colleague and asked what they were talking about? She said, “ The Chinese man was telling you to stop feeding the monkeys”. I said “ and then”. She said “ well I told him you are from Philippines”. I said, “yeah I think I heard that and so what else?”. She said “ nothing more” and I said “ what? He said so many things, that couldn’t be all. Please tell me what else he said”…” well, actually he only told you to stop feeding the monkeys, first he spoke in Hokkien but you did not reply or react, so he said it again in Cantonese, but you still didn’t stop luring the monkeys so he said it in Mandarin, yet you didn’t stop..that’s the time I finally told him that you don’t understand any of those languages/dialects”. Hah! I was stupefied…Then the old man talked to me in English finally with this, “Even the Africans can speak Chinese but you Chinese looking don’t speak a single Chinese word, isn’t that a shame?” Then my mouth dropped to the floor.
It was funny because my colleague just let the poor old Chinese man kept on going and going, she did not intervene…which she knew all too well that I don’t speak nor comprehend Chinese.
And hey about the feeding monkey thing, there was actually a signboard saying “DO NOT FEED THE MONKEEYS” that was hidden from view- it was facing the cliff. I wonder who could read from there. It was supposed to face the shed but some crazy people turn it around. We’ll my colleague could have told me but she probably saw how excited I was that she just let me be for my happiness and enjoyment. He he he… it was fun.
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