Without straining too much, I hiked up Bukit Bendera (Penang Hill) in 52 minutes, shaving five minutes from my typical time, so I was pleased.  I know that a time of 50 minutes is soon  attainable.  I think that aside from physical conditioning, the mild weather assisted me, rather than causing the usual heat stress.  Usually my clothes are soaked, I’m dripping with sweat, and I feel quite hot, as if I’m glowing.  Today I was almost dry when I reached the top, and I wasn’t dying for a bottle of water.  Hiking later in the afternoon than usual on a breezy day was undoubtedly a help. †

……This morning hundreds of people walked uphill in The Penang Hill Climb. I had not read of it in a newspaper or heard of it via radio. Around 1 p.m., Dominic and I, on motorbikes, approached the Penang Botanical Garden, Rock Quarry Recreation Park, rifle range and the road that winds up Bukit Bendera (‘Penang Hill’), I saw scores of Chinese people or ethnic-Chinese Malaysians wearing “Penang Hill Climb” souvenir t-shirts on a sidewalk and on the road streaming away from the park. Some had competitors’ 4-digit number tags pinned to their shirts. So I surmised that I’d missed an activity that I’d enjoy … »→

Well, on two consecutive days I hiked up the vehicle road that snakes up the north side of Flagstaff Hill/Bukit Bendera.  I hadn’t done hiked it two days in a row previously. So I was pleased with myself. I didn’t set any speed records, though.  I marched up in sixty minutes on Thursday, never jogging.  After a while of drinking water and gazing at the panoramic view of the eastern side of the island, I began the 5.1 km walk downhill, which I don’t enjoy. »→

I felt that I was king of the hill after I hiked up Penang Hill/Bukit Bendera again in 57 minutes, because I’d never seen anyone else going as fast as me. As far as I knew, everyone else walks slowly up, even backward, or four-abreast. Many people wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants and towels around their necks, and some hold umbrellas aloft.  So I’d thought that I was the fastest, as no one passes me, and I pass everyone. »→

Today I hiked up to the fountain and police station on Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill) in 57 minutes. That’s three minutes faster than the last time. I didn’t march uphill faster, but I jogged further. I didn’t amble; I strode quickly on the inclines. I just didn’t hike faster than the last time. But jogging on more sections, and farther on the obvious ones, made the difference. In April and May, whenever I reached the mostly-level portions of the road after climbing a steep grade, I wanted to rest my legs by just walking. It’s only natural. And last time, when I hiked purposefully, nonstop, up the steep portions, I certainly wanted to ‘rest’ by ambling when reaching some of the easy segments. But I jogged according to my legs’ ability. »→

I hiked and jogged up the north side of Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill) in exactly one hour. I’d intended to ascend non-stop as fast as I reasonably could. In previous hikes and descents I’d stopped one-to-three times to rest or to watch monkeys. One time I carried a camera. So I spent about an hour and a half -or more- each trip, if I stopped once for ten minutes and again for five minutes — or twice for five minutes — or once for ten minutes. I never timed my ascents. »→