Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Komtar

Komtar.jpg
Komtar Tower, or Menara Komtar Complex is Penang's tallest building and the sixth tallest building in Malaysia located in the heart of George Town, dominating the island's skyline. KOMTAR is an acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak. When the skyscraper topped out it was the second tallest building in Asia after Sunshine 60 in Tokyo. Komtar was still Malaysia's tallest building for 3 years before it was surpassed by Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur in 1988.
Komtar is a multipurpose complex consisting of retail outlets, transportation hub and administrative offices for the Penang State Government. An acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak, KOMTAR was named after Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the second prime minister of Malaysia, who officiated in the piling of Phase 1 on 1 January 1974. It bears the same name as Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak in Johor Bahru, built about the same time but on a smaller scale. The Johor Bahru KOMTAR only has 25 storeys.
The 65-storey tower is a 232 m (761 ft) 12-sided geometric block atop a 4-storey podium. The complex comprises office and retail commercial space as well as public and recreational facilities. It was designed by Architects Team 3 (AT3) of Singapore.[5] and designed and constructed with local expertise, also a geodesic dome of Buckminster Fuller's design. The architect involved in the design of the building was Lim Chong Keat, the younger brother of Dr Lim Chong Eu.
KOMTAR Tower commenced construction in 1974 and at the time of its construction, Komtar is regarded as one of the cutting-edge buildings in Penang. KOMTAR was the vision of the then Chief Minister of Penang Dr Lim Chong Eu to revitalise the urban centre of George Town and usher the state forward.
KOMTAR occupies an 11-hectare site and is the single most ambitious urban renewal project undertaken by Penang Development Corporation, the development arm of the Penang state government. The master plan is divided into five phases for implementation.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Goat Farm in Penang

Balik Pulau Goat Farm is situated at a 5 acres land in Permatang Pasir, Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia. Our dairy goats are imported from Australia of the Saanen breed.  These Saanen Dairy Goats are organically fed with freshly cut grass, silage and kept in a modern climate controlled barn.
Balik Pulau Goat FarmIn our dairy milk production, hygiene is very important. This Penang Goat Farm uses minimal human handling and most of the processes are automated including the milking process.
Happy Goats Farm produces around 100 liters of fresh goats milk daily, which are mostly sold for direct consumption, made into yogurt (kefir), ice cream, goat cheese (chevre), feta and goat cheese spread.

Saanen Dairy Goats

Saanen goats are white or cream colored breed of goats, named after the Saanen valley in Switzerland. Saanens  goats are highly intelligent, clean, agile, friendly and among the largest of the dairy goats. This breed is sensitive to excessive sunlight and performs best in cooler conditions. Hygienically collected Saanen’s Pure Goat Milk is delicious and slightly sweet in taste.

Grass Fed Dairy Goats

grassfarm

All the Saanan dairy goats at Balik Pulau Goat farm are fed with Rosie and Napiar grass planted at our farm. Goat milk from grass fed goats have better nutritious value and goats consuming grass planted at our own farm will help to reduce contamination from diseases and worms.

Climate Control Barn

climatecontrolbarnHappy Goats is the pioneer in goat farming using close house climate control barn. The benefit of using this system is these animals are not exposed to harmful virus and bacteria from other animal. By using this method of farming the farm are able to be kept clean with minimum usage of water and the animals would be in their natural environment as the temperature in the barn is kept cool similar to the weather in Australia. As such we are able to bring the best breed of Saanan dairy goat from Australia to our farm in Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia.
The advantage of having the best breed of goat will result in higher production of milk per animal, better quality of milk (no harmful bacteria), with good nutritious value and taste. All these benefits will be passed down to the consumer and for the first time in Penang consumers will be able to enjoy hygienically produced goat’s milk with high quality and good taste (without the goaty smell) .

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Butterfly farm

Get in touch with nature at the Penang Butterfly Farm and experience their set of their new attractions such as The Tree of Life, Swing of Love, Cave of Mystery, Aqua Fun, Kingdom of Frogs, Biodiver-City Hall and more. Apart from dealing with butterflies, the Penang Butterfly Farm also showcases other animals and insects such as beetles, lizards, frogs and even snails.
Opened in March 1986, the Penang Butterfly Farm is presumably the first butterfly house in the Tropical Region. Today, they house an average population of 4,000 Malaysian butterflies of 120 species, along with other insects and small animals. They pride themselves in being a living museum to educate the public as well as a conservation and research centre to develop breeding methods.
The Penang Butterfly is open daily from 9.00am – 6.00pm (Last Entry at 5.00pm). Tickets are priced at RM 27.00 per adult (13 years & above), RM 15.00 per child (4 years & above), RM13.50 per senior citizen (58 years & above) and is free of charge for children 3 and below. A MyKad and MyKid holder are entitled to a 33.3% discount.it is fun.The butterfly is very Beautiful.come and visit Penang Butterfly Farm.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Balik Pulau

Town of Balik Pulau
Main street of Balik Pulau
Main street of Balik Pulau
Set among green rice paddies and fruit plantations in a peaceful valley on Penang Island, Balik Pulau is a great place to escape the maddening traffic of Georgetown for an afternoon or longer. Georgetown and its famous food may steal much of the spotlight, but Balik Pulau rarely fails to charm visitors who are willing to seek out a little local culture inPenang.
Balik Pulau literally translates to "the back of the island".
While Georgetown's sprawl dominates the northeast of Penang, Balik Pulau rests peacefully in the interior of the island. Putting a finger on any one thing that gives Balik Pulau such an enjoyable vibe is difficult. Balik Pulau's attraction could be the scattering of colonial-era buildings mingled with traditional houses on stilts or perhaps the smell of spices growing in clean air. Regardless, tourism meshes flawlessly with daily life in this sleepy agriculture district.

Unique Balik Pulau Foods

Anyone arriving from Georgetown will surely have one thing in mind: food. Freshly grown fruits and spices make for interesting twists on traditional dishes. Locally-fermentedbelacan - a pungent shrimp paste - lends a fishy taste to otherwise dull offerings.
  • Durian: Balik Pulau is famous for its durian fruit. If you have any desire to try this foul-smelling yet addictive fruit, Balik Pulau is the place to do so. There are many species of durians grown in Balik Pulau, ranging from sweet to disgustingly bitter - do not sample just one! Read more about the amazing durian fruit.

  • Read more about food in Penang.Laksa:
     Different from typical laksa, Balik Pulau laksa is a rice noodle dish prepared in a savory, fish-based broth. For a different taste, try laksa lemak which is prepared with a sweet coconut cream. Read more aboutlaksa.
  • Laksa Janggus: Made from cashew nuts, this dish is found in a restaurant of the same name on Jalan Bharu. Visitors are welcome to eat the cashew nuts growing from trees around this open-air restaurant.
  • Other Food: When you grow tired of odd-smelling foods, go for one of the ubiquitousMalaysian Indian food restaurants found in town. Most restaurants have deliciousMalaysian noodle dishes as well.

Things to Do in Balik Pulau

Aside from eating, there are enough interesting sites scattered around Balik Pulau to occupy you for at least an afternoon. Most sites are spread over a six-mile area and arebest visited by renting a bicycle. Plan at least two hours to stroll the main streets if you forgo the bicycle.
Some sites to see around Balik Pulau:
  • Belacan Factory: Visitors are welcomed to see how belacan shrimp paste is made. Look for the small factory on the eastern end of Jalan Pulau Betong; be prepared to hold your nose!
  • Sustainable Organic Farm: Mr. Lui is a former engineer who gave up the office to run his own eco-friendly fruit and vegetable farm. He is willing to share his sustainable farming methods; make an appointment by calling 019-4714168.
  • Fishing Village: Just one kilometer east of Balik Pulau is the tiny fishing village of Pulau Betong. Seeing the colorful boats and local men tending their nets is well worth the walk.
  • Rice Paddies: The green rice fields west of town are picturesque and well worth a visit. Go west on Jalan Sungau Nipah for access to the rice paddies.
  • Xuan Wu Chinese Temple: Constructed in the 1800s , this bright-red, Chinese temple is home to traditional Chinese operas in March and July.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Penang Escape Theme park

The entrance to Escape is in touch with its natural surroundings.
Penang is a green island in more than one sense of the word. Beyond the concrete suburbs that hug the eastern and northeastern coasts, much of the island is in fact covered in jungle and the local government is keen to promote its environmentally conscious side. The ‘Cleaner Greener Penang’ campaign is visible everywhere, and there has been a huge effort in recent years to tidy up the streets, promote recycling and reduce pollution. Now Penang is championing the green cause in a whole new way with the opening of Malaysia’s first environmentally friendly theme park, Escape.
Located about half an hour out of Georgetown, in the jungles of the island’s northwest, Escape is not a theme park in the traditional saccharine-coated, plastic-fantastical sense. Forget about cuddly life-size cartoon characters, spinning teacups, replica fibreglass world monuments and rollercoasters. Escape offers a completely different experience, which eschews almost all the values of your typical amusement park.
Instead of trying to transport visitors to a land of fabricated fantasies, it draws you into the world that already exists around you. The theme at Escape is ‘natural’, and the emphasis is on connecting with others, as well as capturing a sense of adventure. Rising organically out of the surrounding jungle, the park aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The traditional thatched kampong-style buildings that greet you when you enter the park are the real deal, and the grass roofs, recycled water system and ‘human-powered’ attractions all help the park integrate into its natural surroundings.
Monkeying Around, one of the park's main attractions, provides a great workout.
Another major attraction is the Tubby Racer, where you can hurl yourself down a hillside in a large rubber tyre. On our recent visit we couldn’t understand why there were no queues, but the climb to the top, dragging your tyre behind you, obviously puts more than a few people off. It requires some stamina, but the buzz of the downward descent is worth it. Other popular attractions are the bungee jump platform, Atan’s Leap, as well as the Gecko Tower, where you can pit yourself against the clock, and other contenders, to haul yourself to the top of the tower as fast as possible.
There are loads of activities to keep children entertained, too, from negotiating the Tots Trail, foraging for treasure at the Discovery Dig, or squeezing through a series of tunnels and mazes in Foxy Burrow. An extensive play area will occupy younger children, and there’s picnic areas and even treetop day cabanas, which can be rented for between 50 and 150 ringgit per day and provide a quiet respite from all that activity and adventuring.
Racing to the top of the Gecko Tower.
The feel inside the park is at once organic, but with nods to the traditional theme park in terms of the map, the names of the attractions and the general ambience. Hits from the eighties, nineties and noughties play over the park’s loudspeakers, and there is a food court serving canned drinks (4 ringgit), bottles of water (2.50 ringgit) and fresh fruit juices (5 to 6 ringgit), as well as various Chinese, Malay and Western snacks and meals including burgers, chicken rice, spring rolls, noodles and sandwiches, for between 8 and 16 ringgit.
The park works on a ‘no-cash’ basis for food purchases, so you will need to deposit money on a special card, for which you pay a deposit of 5 ringgit (you can top this up if you need to, and any unused credit, plus the deposit, is refunded at the end of your visit). No food or drinks can be taken into the park, but you can bring water bottles and refill these, and if you need to store bags and belongings, lockers can be rented near the reception area for 5 ringgit.
The exhilarating descent makes the climb to the top of the Tubby Racer worth it.
Entrance is 60 ringgit for adults and 45 ringgit for under-12s and over-60s. Three to four hours would be enough to get your money’s worth, although if you want to factor in some relaxation time and rent one of the cabanas, or if you just want to take your time and let the kids run around a bit, then you could easily spend the day here. Buses 101 and 102 to Teluk Bahang depart regularly from the bus station at Weld Quay, or a taxi should cost around 60 to 70 ringgit.
In 2014, Escape will be extended to include a waterpark and hotel, though whether these follow the same environmentally friendly theme remains to be seen. Regardless of this, the Adventureplay section offers a very active antidote if you have overdosed on too much Penang food and culture. The fact that it operates on such admirable principles, and is so different to anything else in Malaysia, is reason to visit in itself. Be prepared to expend a lot of energy and get very sweaty, but if you just need to let off some steam, this really is a rewarding way to do so.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Penang Second Bridge


 
  The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge or Penang Second Bridge (Malay: Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah or Jambatan Kedua Pulau Pinang)  is a dual carriageway toll bridge in Penang, Malaysia. It connects Bandar Cassia (Batu Kawan) in Seberang Perai on mainland Peninsular Malaysia with Batu Maung on Penang Island. It is the second bridge to link the island to the mainland after the first Penang Bridge. The total length of the bridge is 24 km (15 mi) with length over water at 16.9 km (10.5 m), making it the longest bridge in Malaysia and the longest in Southeast Asia. China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC), a main contractor for the second bridge was expected to start work on the second Penang bridge in November 2007 and complete the project in 2011, but the completion date was then postponed to May 2012, and later to February 2014.Construction actually started in November 2008. To reduce the cost of construction, its design was then modified to resemble the first cable stayed Penang Bridge. The bridge has been built with a large loan from the People's Republic of China to continue and maintain the economic relationship between China and Malaysia. The bridge was officially opened on 1 March 2014 at 20:30 MST and was named after the fourteen Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah and was assigned with the route number.

 Planning  
   In the year 1995, the idea to build a second bridge linking Seberang Perai to Penang Island was suggested by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia's Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad and the 3rd Chief Minister of Penang's Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. In August 2006, the Malaysian federal government unveiled a plan to build the Penang Second Bridge in the Ninth Malaysia Plan. On 12 November 2006, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Penang Second Bridge was performed by the 5th Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Bridge
    
The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge is designed based on the double "S" curvy concept due to the geological reasons. The numerous "S"-like curves along the 24 km stretch are a requirement under the Road Safety Audit. It was to help motorists keep their attention on the road while driving.
The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge is the longest bridge in the world installed with High Damping Natural Rubber (HDNR) Bearing, an effective seismic isolation system that enables the bridge to withstand far field earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale. The bridge is the first in Malaysia to be installed with seismic expansion joints, which will allow movements during an earthquake

Bridge specifications

  • Overall length: 24 km (15 mi)
  • Length over water: 16.9 km (10.5 mi)
  • Main span: Length - 250 m
  • Height clearance (above water): 30 m
  • Number of vehicle lanes: 2 + 1 for motorcycles (each direction)
  • Targeted date to be opened to the public: 2 March 2014
  • Overall cost: RM 4.5 Billion
  • Average time taken to drive from Batu Kawan to Batu Maung: 20 mins
  • Proposed speed limit on bridge: 80 km/h (50 mph)
  • Percentage of local contents to be used: 6