Penang Botanic Gardens are usually simply called the Botanic Gardens by Penang islanders. Also known as the Waterfalls Gardens – from the 122-metre high waterfall that sends its water down through the gardens -, Penang Botanic Gardens are located in a valley along Jalan Kebun Bunga and are one of the most visited places on the island with some 5,000 people making a beeline for the gardens on weekdays alone. On weekends, public and school holidays, the figure doubles to 10,000. Set up by the British in 1884 by Charles Curtis of the Gardens & Forests Departments Straits Settlements, this used to be an old granite quarry site, located at the end of Waterfall Road, about 8 kilometres from Georgetown city centre. Once open to the public, the waterfall has apparently been cordoned off for safety reasons. People visiting the gardens come to jog, exercise, breath the good hilly air or just sit on the lawn and picnic by the water stream. The environment is beautiful: this well landscaped place contains a huge variety of indigenous and exotic plant species, including cannonball trees (with their unique flowers ‘the size of a cannon ball’), sengkuang trees, pinang palms, black lilies, slipper orchids and more. Some of these trees were imported by the British from other parts of the works, including South America. Some of the more interesting plants at the gardens are kept under lock and key, and are only open to visitors from 07:00 – 19:00. Most trees have signs with their names on it: tamarind, bamboo, pinang palm, mangosteen and lychee. Penang Botanic Gardens is divided into 12 open sections: the Formal Garden, Lily Pond, Perdana Plant House, Tropical Rainforest Jungle Track, Fern House, Fern Rockery, Aroid Walkaway, Cactus House, Orchidarium (with an amazing collection of specimen), Horticulture Centre, Nursery and Quarry Recreational Park. The path to the Lily Pond is covered in an amazing rainforest vegetation, the pond area is pleasant and serene, and the pond itself, fed by a small waterfall, is filled with aquatic plants. Walkways in the gardens are easy to walk and accessible to wheelchairs. During your walk it is not unusual to catch sight of fauna and wildlife including colourful birds, black giant squirrels, turtles, a myriad of insects and butterflies and even a resident monitor lizard. The surrounding hills are home to about 200 dusky leaf monkeys who are often seen in the gardens. They can become aggressive if they are fed, so as a rule, do not feed them. There are signs in the park reminding you of that – and of the RM500 fine if you do. I visited the gardens in about 2 hours, though it can take lot longer. There is a shuttle bus at the entrance that for 5 RM it takes you up the hill for a short visit and then back down. It is ok for those with limited mobility or totally unfit, but it is beyond the purpose as in this way you miss most of the sites. I visited the gardens at 5pm and enjoyed my time, though I am told the best time is obviously in the early morning. At the main entrance you can see a small road going uphill to your left: it is the way to Penang Hill, which can be reached in about one hour walk. It is a steep but delightful and highly rewarding trek, but be very ware of the macaque monkeys along this path, that can be cheeky and frisky if you get too close to them. How to get there: Penang Botanic Gardens can be reached by buses 7 and 10 (check as routes may change) at the bust station Komtar building in Georgetown. TransitLink bus 202 runs a route that goes past the Penang Botanical Gardens, on its way to Teluk Bahang. If you fancy a walk, you can start from Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld) in Georgetown. Cross the weld by the pedestrian bridge, turn left and walk until you reach the junction with Gat Lebuh Chulia. Turn right and walk the distance until you arrive at Penang Botanic Gardens. Address: Pavilion Administrative Complex, Jalan Kebun Bunga, 10350, Penang Opening Hours: Penang Botanic Gardens are open 5.00am to 8.00pm daily. Admission is free. Park officials run guided tours for the public and for organized groups. Call +604 226 4401 or +604 226 4405

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Royal Park Rajapruek Mae-hia, Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, 66 (0) 53 114110-5 www.royalparkrajapruek.org – royalparkrajapruek2011@gmail.com http://www.royalparkrajapruek.org/main/eng/index.php Royal Park Rajapruek in Chiang Mai needs to thank its homonymous festival (the Royal Flora Rajapruek, that was held between 1 November 2006 and 31 January 2007) for its existence. This international horticultural festival was one of the grand celebrations hosted by the Royal Thai Government through the Thai Department of Agriculture and under Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in honor of King Bhumibol of Thailand, the world’s longest reigning monarch, and of his 60th anniversary of accession to the throne. The exhibition was extremely successful and it drew nearly 4 million visitors. Thanks to the success of the exhibition, The Thai government then proposed transforming its site, 80 hectares of land at the Royal Agricultural Research Center in Mae Hia, into a park and a permanent training center, arguing that Royal Flora Rajapruek achieved its goals of promoting tourism and developing Thai horticultural industries. The park was open to the public in 2008 with many of the past highlights still very much in evidence, including the international exhibits. Royal Park Rajapruek is managed by the Highland Research and Development Institute and is a learning centre for botanical agriculture and the site for agro-tourism and culture at an international level. Royal Park Rajapruek is bound to remain open indefinitely, and it is now an addition to things to do in Chiang Mai, I would say a must-see, receiving 500-1000 visitors per day on average. My visit was a pleasure, well worth the trip. I immediately felt happy as the place does not look like a tourist trap. Bikes for rent can be found near the main entrance, and electric buses are available to take you around for 20 thb – you can hop on and off where you wish, visit the garden of your choice, and wait for next bus to come around. There are also golf carts available for private rental at 600thb per hour. The park is huge and there’s lots to see; I managed to walk around and do a few stops from the bus. A good hat or an umbrella and plenty of water are advisable for the hot sunny days. There was a lot of people at the entrance, yet once everyone spread out on foot, bus or bicycle, it did not feel busy at all. I bought the 20thb ticket, boarded the bus and was on the way to discover the park. The grounds are superbly laid out and the selection of flowers in the expansive gardens is incredibly picturesque. The gardens are small and well maintained, and each garden has a theme. The international gardens offer other countries a chance to join in, and altogether there are 21 countries from 3 continents (Asia, Europe and Africa) that participate in the project, exhibiting amazing theme gardens. Other areas include Word of Insect, Rare Plants and Corporate Gardens. 19 organizations participate in the Corporate Gardens to pay homage to His Majesty the King, and these include some of the big players in the banking and telecommunication sectors, as well as provinces administrations. But the two highlights have to be the orchid garden – the best display amongst various orchid gardens I have seen so far – and the Ho Kham Luang Royal Pavilion, perched at the park center and built in Lanna architecture, the architectural style of northern Thailand, inside which you can marvel at a painting exhibition about the life and works of King Bhumibol. If you are a nature enthusiast, this is the place to go. You need to allow a few hours to visit the whole place properly and leisurely, or you can visit it over two days. Bear in mind there is not a lot of shade around so try to avoid the peak sun hours. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times of course, and the good light and lack of crowd will allow for lots of great pictures. There are some food stalls scattered around the park, though they are a bit on the fast food type. The admission is a reasonable 100thb per adult, 50thb for kids, and Thais pay only 20/10thb respectively. If you plan to stay in Chiang Mai for a while and wish to visit Royal Park Rajapruek often, then purchase the annual visitors card for 400thb. And if you were wondering what Ratchaphruek means, it is the Thai name of the national flower, the Cassia fistula, or Golden Shower Tree (it is also named Khun or Chaiyaphruek in Thai); its yellow blossoms correspond to Monday, the birth day of King Bhumibol. I loved my extensive visit to Royal Park Rajapruek, and so will you! Accommodation was kindly provided by nearby Prat Rajapruek Resort: www.pratrajapruek.com

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