From sea level to above the clouds, by train

Temple with ornately carved stone pillars

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After a breakfast of appam and thosai's (Indian pancakes), we got back on a bus.  We headed north for four hours toward Penang Island, crossing one of the longest bridges (13km) in SE Asia into George Town.  We indulged on excellent Indian food (again), some sort of food on a stick from a food stall that we boiled and then dipped in various sauces, and finished it off with decadent chocolate cake!  We visited the enormous Sleeping Buddha statue (again, one of the longest in the world), as well as a Burmese Buddhist temple.  Then we took the cliff climbing train up the 830 meters of Penang Hill, rewarded  by the gorgeous lookouts and a canopy tour.  Stalled by rain, Sam didn't think he would have to relive Angel's Landing (Zion's National Park) by crossing the rainforest canopy that hung 20 meters above ground, but the clouds blew away and we had free access to play with the monkeys in the tree tops over looking Malaysia.  It was beautiful, and even more entertaining watching Sam white knuckle the ropes the whole 250 meter walkway!  We enjoyed our time very much, and the Malays were very hospitable, but the next day we were ready to journey north across the border to Thailand.