Ayer Itam Travel Guide

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Malaysia's first hill station, Penang hill is 830m above sea level. ascend to the top by hiking up or by travelling in the funicular trian which has been operational since 1922 and enjoy the cool climate as well as the fantastic view at the sumit.

At Kek Lok Si temple, there is a well known vegetarian restaurant. It is fully air conditioned and seemed to be busy mainly at some auspicious festival period and when there is a tour group that have opted for vegetarian diet.

Like in other vegetarian restaurants in Penang, do not be surprise to find in menu, vegetarian chicken, vegetarian fish, vegetarian duck, vegetarian prawn, vegetarian pork ribs all made from soya bean or other vegetarian base but taste like the real thing.

Nutmeg, dried and ready to eat in different flavors, is a Penang local specialty.

There is also nutmeg medicated oil which is a panacea for all kinds of relief including work stress and travel tiredness.

There are several shops at Kek Lok Si as well as the Chowrasta Market in Penang Road (opposite the Police Station) that sells packets of nutmegs and other local delicacies of prawn paste and shrimp crackers.

This memorial is located at the roadabout of Air Itam on the way to Penang Hill.

It is to remember the many Malayan Chinese who were slaughtered or murdered by the Japanese army during the occpuation of Penang during World War II.

Previously, many Malayan Chinese had supported the war against Japan in China with money or even volunteering in the Chinese armed forces. So as a retaliation and warning to the local Chinese community, many innocent Malayan Chinese men were rounded up and killed.