Visit to Tropical Spice Garden, Penang.
What gives that "unique" to Southeast Asian food?
I still can remember when I studied overseas, one of the thing I miss the most is the food. Southeast Asian food uses wisely on different spices to give the flavoring of the cuisine. This is something you can't find in other cuisine.
Some common spices we used in daily cooking – like lemongrass, chili, ginger,tamarind, pandan leaves, turmeric, curry leaves and many more. All of them give those superb flavors and aromas to an unparalleled diversity of cuisines.
Well, in Penang, there is a garden where its main theme is spice. Tropical Spice Garden opened to the public in November 2003, showcasing over 500 varieties of exotic fauna and flora (with an emphasis on spices), spread over 8 acres of secondary jungle.
To explore the garden, you may chose either Live guided tour (with scheduled time) or Audio Tour. The ticket price is normally included the audio guide with various languages to select such as English, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Malay, German & French.
With a map of garden and the audio guide, I started my journey to explore the garden.
p/s: The map also provides a express route for those who have limited time to explore the garden. The express route will bring you to the most important parts of the garden.
The garden provides insect repellent at the entrance too. Just apply some before enter the garden.
As you stepped in from the entrance, you will see the lake with giant water lily. The leaves are large, floating on the top of the lake. I was not so lucky as I didn't see any lily flower.
The garden divides into several parts. Heart of the Garden is one part of it, which mainly shows the tropical flora. The canopy of towering trees provides shady sanctuary for a fascinating array of flora.
In this part, don't forget to sit on the giant swing and enjoy the greenery of the garden.
I found another beautiful flower in the garden-- Bat Lily
Come to next part of garden , the spice terraces and spice globe.
You will not only know the look of each spices, but also some Penang's history and contribution to the spice trade; from an uninhabited island to a bustling centre for cultivation and trades of spice.
In this part, I can feel light aroma of some spice. There is wide variety of spice displays in this part.
In addition, the garden displays some simple tools for processing the spice .
Use your audio guide smartly by pressing the number that you are interested. Let say you are interested in this plant, just press "39" to know more about the spice.
Next, come to the Bamboo garden. It's easy to recognize, with very tall, black bamboo.
There is a tea kiosk, which you can enjoy a refreshing herbal tea after a long walk. The tea I drank on that day is Revitalising Misai Kucing Tea. Good taste and it's quench my thirst.
While walk along the path back to the entrance, I looked up to the sky, have a deep breath of the clean air in the garden. It's amazing and bless to see the beauty of nature. The garden need people, need money, need time to take care. The ticket we paid is a just a small part of the contribution in order for this garden to maintain its beauty. If you are nature lover, you will definitely love this place.
Before the end of your journey in Tropical Spice Garden, you may browse through the gift shop and find some souvenirs to bring back , especially the spice powder!!!
Life is more interesting when you gain many different experiences through travel.
"Variety is the spice of life " - William Cowper
More information about Tropical Spice Garden
Address: Lot 595 Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +604 – 881 1797, +6012 430 7795
Website : http://tropicalspicegarden.com/
FB page : https://www.facebook.com/TropicalSpiceGarden
Open 9am to 6pm daily. Last admission at 5.15pm.
Additional facilities:
- Exclusive venue hire for weddings, private functions, meetings & team building
- Gift Shop
- TSG Cooking School
- Nature Education Programs
- Slides & Ladders 3D Board Game
- Tree Monkey Restaurant
- Night Walks
- Concession Rates for Groups & Schools
- Commercial Photography/Filming
Penang Hop-on Hop-off
You may take Hop-on Hop-off beach routes line, and stop at Stop 27
The Tropical Spice Garden is just in front of the stop.
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