Penang
Cicindela spec, a beautiful and difficult to photograph species, which is relatively easy to breed, and the author checking for bird spiders in the forest.
Penang is a big island on the West Coast of Malaysia. It is beautiful, less because of the beaches, which are so-so, but because of architecture, nightlife, etc. There is also a lot of interesting things to see, like the Kek Lok Si Temple, with a pond full of turtles; unbelievable, but there seemed to be more turtles in the pond than water. There is Penang Hill, which is slightly cooler than the rest of Penang and has some interesting spider species, a probably new species of Bird spider was collected there a few years ago. The botanical garden is amazing, with huge trees; the Penang Butterfly Farm is among the best on the planet; the city of Georgetown is beautiful with its narrow streets and beautiful architecture form around 1920. Above all, Penang is a spot for people who like food: If you like Malaysian food, Penang is the best place, as there is Indian, Malay, Thai, Chinese and Fusion cuisine. I have to admit, that every time in Malaysia, I gain a few Kilograms, haha.
Rhesus monkey with baby in the Botanical Gardens and turtle soup at Kek Lok Si Temple, near to Penang Hill.
I did not collect too many species over there, especially as I was quite busy with visiting some old friends and sightseeing. Yet, I managed to find some trapdoor spiders, a small Cetonidae, most probably Glyciphana festiva and some other spider species and encountered a lot of Lepidoptera on Penang Hill. During earlier stays, I found larvae of Glyciphana spec. which was most probably Glyciphana modesta, Aegus chelifer nitidus (?), a small Lucanidae species, which is more than easy to breed. Also I found a female of a black Odontolabis ssp. and larvae of Taumastopeus spec.. One will also quite frequently encounter Oryctes gnu and Anomala spec., to name just a few. But this just to show that even a heavier inhabited island still has many surprises to offer. I spent in a whole about one and a half week in Penang, enjoying the food, the nature and the modern life, which was a good treat for us after travelling more remote areas before.
Penang Hill is a very nice location to get away from the busy city life and to see some interesting insects, such as different butterfly species. Someone told me that on Penang Hill there is an endemic population of Idea (damn it I forgot the species name), which usually occurs in other areas, but not Malaysia. There is a restaurant on hilltop, where Coffee is a bit expensive compared to the average prices in Malaysia, but the views are compensating that. There is an extra thrill in drinking coffee there, as above the veranda, Wagler's Pit Vipers (Trimesurus wagleri(?)) inhabits the flowers. The Botanical Gardens are on one side of the Penang Hill and are quite impressive, as one can see how big the trees of the rain forest are when they stand single. Compared to the Penang Botanical Gardens our European Botanical gardens seem like the ones for puppets.
Attached to this report you will find a good collection of photographs of my stay in Penang, I think they speak for themselves, any questions, please write email to:
Turtles at Kek Lok Si Temple 1
Turtles at Kek Lok Si Temple 2
Turtles at Kek Lok Si Temple 3
Cetonidae beetle on flowers of Indian Almond
Passionflower (Passiflora ssp.)
More turtles at Kek Lok Si Temple
Wild growing Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes ssp.) at Penang Hill
View on Georgetown from Penang Hill View Point
Red Mushroom in the Forestry Reserve
Red Mushroom in the Forestry Reserve 1
View on a Jungle path in the Forestry Reserve
Cannonball Tree comparison for size
Huge Rattan Palm in the Botanical Gardens
All Pictures © Copyright of their respective owners.
