Day 18: Georgetown and Hike Up Penang Hill

 After a late night that included watching Young Sheldon and gazing at the spectacular view from our perch on Penang Hill, we awoke to breakfast. After breakfast we packed our bags and set out for the tram station. We rode the tram down and then took Grabs (the Malaysian equivalent of Uber) to Georgetown. We arrived in front of the extremely famous (according to Ms Buxton) bike mural. We were then left to explore Georgetown. At 11:45 we all met up for lunch at a building with an impressive array of Michelin gourmand signs. After, we headed for the base of Penang Hill. We were met there by our tour guide and a jolly English chap who then began to lead us up the mountain. As warned (perhaps not adequately enough) we were met by a continuous ascent into the Malaysian jungle. After the initial 23% gradient, a bit of flat land was a welcome sight. Although the heat became increasingly tolerable, all shirts began to come off. We then stopped to enjoy the view of Penang (which is very beautiful we promise) at a Buddhist temple constructed on a ledge while discussing Elise's flushed tomato red face. From there, the trail was no longer paved and we began to trudge up tree roots and Yokohoma tires before entering the shaded forest. Here, Emily experimented on our mosquito bites with her mosquito-bite-heating-defeating device. We continued climbing as the hike's elevation had been overcome. Content with the newfound difficulty (or really, lack thereof) we giddily finished the rest of the hike. At the top of the mountain, we took a rest break at the Monkey Cup Cafe. We inhaled our chicken pot pies, tiramisu, lime cake, and chocolate milk in a nice grove. From there, we explored the monkey cup plants in the cafe's garden and played with scorpions. We then walked around the mountain to Hickory for some rest time. For dinner, we had Nasi Lemak while Linnea had a fanciful pumpkin pasta. We played with Uno cards (bought by Alexander) and discussions of calculus. Lastly, we affirm our belief that after today's hike, we're ready for Everest. We climbed 1,900 feet compared to Everest's 14,000. Yet, we did it in about a 100 minutes so if our math is checking out, we can do Everest while the sun is still in the sky. Furthermore, they are not subject to the tropical heat and murderous mosquitoes.

We can't wait to see all of you and for any seniors reading, we hope you have a wonderful graduation (we are very sad to miss).









Signing off,

Elise and Kabir 

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