I was a little doubtful when I first heard that we were going to the Spice Gardens at 2pm. Images of the hot, blazing sun and swarms of mosquitoes went through my mind but everyone assured me that:
- Trees would provide shade
- Free flow of mossie repellent
Everyone looked incredulously at me when I turned up for work wearing a long sleeved top, jeans and kung fu granny white socks with white sneakers.
"You'll sweat buckets there!" was a constant warning.
The humidity and heat were indeed stifling but to my surprise, it was a rather fun walk with my team. We groaned, we moaned but away from the air conditioned, carpeted office, away from our computers and e-mails, we were having animated conversations, stopping every now and then to pick out the best trail, poking fun of each other and whip out cameras. There were plenty of pretty spots to take photos.
And even more pretty spots to take a breather :p The giant swing has to be everyone's favourite. All the girls sat in it while the guys demonstrated chivalry by pushing us.
The Spice Gardens has so many picturesque nooks and crannies that many couples come here to take their pre-wedding photos. We saw a couple there that day.
True to the tradition of hiking in Penang, somewhere near the peak, there was a rest area with free lemongrass and stevia brewed tea. There's something refreshing about drinking hot tea on a hot day when you feel hot ;)
My manager was the only person game enough to remove his shoes and give the reflexology path a try. I tried it once before and all I can say is ouch! Can you see how sharp the little pebbles are? It's supposed to be really good for your body's circulation but I think I'd be too busy gasping from pain and hopping from end to end to get it over with.
We finally reached the mini restaurant where we gratefully asked for cold drinks and feasted upon the tree dappled view of the sea. I was totally drenched in sweat but achievd my goal: not a single bug bite :D
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