19.04.09 - Penang

We get the bus into George Town and then onto the snake temple. We get there and walk in, there are a couple of snakes on two elaborate stick things, and we're sceptical as they don't look real. There is a sign saying please don't poke them they are real? One finally moves - they're real. We walk a around a little and then go to the snake exhibition for the bargain price of a pound. We walk in and there are glass cabinets with snakes in, we see a desert horned viper which is very cool then I look over to a stage and there is a king cobra that keeps poking it's head out of a box, just like a jack in the box's but a bit creepier. The handler shuts the lid and we continue the exhibition, looking at different pythons, a range of vipers, rattle snakes, tree snakes, puff adders and lizards. They feed a spitting cobra a mouse, the lady is a little too enthusiastic showing us this but we watch................... Oh my god!! We're gob smacked, the snake is beyond aggressive and kills the poor mouse, his only real hope would have been a Desert Eagle .50!

Next they take a king cobra out of the box and do a demo, the snake is massive (3.5 m+) for a venomas snake. The cobra only responds to movement like a T-rex, so in a creepy way it doesn't really look at anything or move until you move. Then the handler who has it by the tail does a series of wiggling his leg and then dashing out of the way when the snake try's to attack. At one point he distracts it with his leg and kisses it on the head, blooming nutter! He then continues to annoy it until it projectile poo's everywhere, yes projectile! They finish with another show of some more venomas snakes that we touch! We eventually leave realising we've just spent the best pound of our lives!

Later in the day we pop to the museum which is okay and then at dusk we go up to Penang hill by cart and watch the sunset over the city. There is a slight scare that we will miss the bus but we get back in the end about 10.30pm, we've missed the curry, but eat some good noodles.

The next day we have waffle and ice cream for breakfast, we have a bit of a beach day and in the afternoon we go parasailing. We're both a little nervous of the parasailing as we're attempting a tandem, they then tell us we need to start running when the rope tightens. The build up is intense, the rope tightens, we do a synchronised run and before you know it we're in the air. It's good fun but the harness is a little tight in all the wrong places! We relax and enjoy the view as we continue to swing in the air and into each other. On the landing we come in closer to the beach, I have to pull hard on the parachute line and we come into the beach, unsure of how we land at this speed?! The Malaysian men are giving it beans to try and catch us and little to my knowledge Maggie has already decided the best tactic is to land on her bum. So we come down fast on our bums with the sand breaking our fall. It was really good fun but something you only need to do once. Plus a tandem, with the swinging and a man at the back leaves you talking at a slightly higher pitch! As it's our last night we eat some more amazing curry, in the evening we let our landlord know we're checking out tomorrow he shakes our hand and thanks us for staying, Malaysian people are so nice!