GEORGE TOWN: Hooray, hooray, it's a holi-holiday! For a group of Form Five students from Johor, it was a thrill to be visiting Penang Hill.
"We've never been here before. So when the offer came from our teachers, we were among the first to register," said Nur Adriana Joli Hirwadi, 17.
The students and their teachers were seen at the Penang Hill Lower Station yesterday waiting for their turn to ride the train to the hilltop.
Nur Adriana said her teachers listed some of the popular attractions in Penang for them to check out during their three-day, two-night trip.
They included Fort Cornwallis, the Escape theme park, Armenian Street in George Town and Kampung Agong on the mainland.
Rosmariah Abdul Rahman, 50, one of the teachers chaperoning the students, said this was the first group trip outside of Johor for the Form Five students since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Organised by their school's Cooperative Club, there were 30 students and 11 teachers on this trip.
Another holiday-maker was bank manager Kevin Cheah from Perak.
He was seen feasting on the hawker food along Penang Road on Monday (Dec 12).
He was here for the Penang Bridge International Marathon on Sunday (Dec 11).
"After burning calories on the run, it's time for my wife and I to get our share of Penang hawker food," he said.
Cheah, 45, explained that they had taken an extra two-day break "after sweating it out at the marathon".
"We're using the two extra days to enjoy Penang a little bit more," he said.
He planned to visit the beach at Batu Ferringhi before driving back to Ipoh on Tuesday (Dec 13).
Businessman Zainudin Ibrahim, 50, also brought his family to Penang Hill.
They are from Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah,
On Monday morning, they were seen waiting for their turn to catch a funicular train up the hill.
"We have been waiting for two hours. There are so many people," he said.
Zainudin said he had come here to attend his daughter's convocation at Universiti Sains Malaysia on Sunday.
And they decided to explore George Town as well.
He planned to take his family to Batu Ferringhi and then shopping in Queensbay Mall.
Food is very much on his mind, too.
"We want to try the famous nasi kandar before we head home," he said.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong advised motorists to comply with traffic rules to prevent congestion in the city.
"Motorists should park their vehicles at designated spots and not haphazardly to avoid congestion, especially near tourist attractions,” he said.
He also reminded motorists to remain vigilant while on the road and to be responsible road users.
