According to Malaysia's Tsunami Aftermath Advisory, things are back to normal on Batu Feringgi Beach, and visitors are again surfing, boating, and soaking up the sun.

Whenever I mention Malaysia to friends, they nod politely and change the subject. They talk instead about Bangkok's sizzling nightclub scene, or the buzz of shopping in Hong Kong. True enough—Malaysia doesn't have that kind of razzmatazz. Nor does it need to.

It has other riches to offer.

Take, for example, Penang's Tropical Fruit Farm, and its unique Tropical Spice Gardens.

At the Tropical Fruit Farm, I join a group of visitors as they board a battered truck. The vehicle pants its way up a narrow, curling road, and at the crest of a hill, overlooking the sweep of Penang Island and the Straits of Malacca, we dismount and gather around Ali, our guide for the tour.

We are at a modest 244 metres above sea level, and the humidity is fierce; perspiration trickles down my neck, and my dark-glasses fog over.

However, this non-commercial orchard is worth the sweat. Sprawling over 25 acres of undulating country, the farm is an experimental research centre. Ali is an accomplished raconteur, with a wry sense of humour, and although he doesn't go into horticultural technicalities, he introduces us to a range of curious-looking specimens: bright red dragon fruit—spiky grenades hanging off the parent cactus plant—and rambutans covered in punk-orange "hair".

While it's impossible to cover 200 species of fruit in an hour, the group is fascinated by rare varieties of betel nut palms, exotic strains of passion fruit, sugar apples—and miniature bananas the size of my toe.

Ali plucks pink water apples off a heavily laden tree and offers them; they taste slightly acrid and after my first bite, I throw what's left to a hopeful-looking crow hopping behind us. The Miracle Fruit berry is unusual: the small crimson bead, when chewed, hoodwinks the palate, so even the sourest lemon tastes nectar-sweet. Naturally, everyone wants to give that a try.

There's no need to use Miracle Fruit's berries when we return to the reception area—our exertions are rewarded by ice-cold mango juice and a lavish tropical fruit salad—pineapple slices, interspersed with papaya, bananas and passion fruit wedges. Durians, to my immense relief, are not in season.

On leaving the Fruit Farm, I head toward the Tropical Spice Gardens—a short drive downhill toward the trendy beach and shopping area of Bukit Feringgi.

If the sun was direct and fierce at the top of the hill, I am now enveloped in green shade: a soothing world of flowering hibiscus, mauve jacarandas, lemon-fronded laburnums and scarlet flame-of-the-forest trees.

Trails wind along sloped terraces, edged by meandering streams and waterfalls. Fan-leaved banana plants grow beside bamboo thickets and towering rubber trees, and a riot of deep blue morning glory and hot-pink bougainvillea creepers shawl the railings of miniature bridges. White and lemon orchids cling to the barks of hardwood trees.

Past the first terrace, with its profusion of crotons, cycads and ferns, (meticulously tagged with botanical identity), I walk up a small slope to sit on a bench.

A bird whoops in the jungle foliage behind me, and I watch a ballet of royal blue-and-gold winged butterflies fluttering around a plant bearing droopy-fingered orange blooms. The afternoon air is drowsy with the hum of bees, and heavy with the scent of frangipani, mingled with the faint, but unmistakable fragrance of cinnamon.

Apart from herb beds of mint, thyme, coriander and parsley, I am surrounded by splendour of tropical spice plants—red ginger, cardamom, cloves, pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, garlic, cassia (cinnamon) and areca nut.

Although Penang's Butterfly Farm isn't unique—Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have similar attractions—it grabs my attention for an hour. As I try to capture shots of butterflies flickering like bright confetti, I notice a small boy beaming with delight as a gigantic Raja Brooke, black with dramatic emerald green markings, settles on his hand.

His sister is transfixed in front of a display window as a cocoon splits to reveal a soggy-winged butterfly. Apart from 120 species of winged performers, there are other resident virtuosos. Two small horned toads stare beady-eyed, and a spiny stick insect freezes into camouflage mode on a brown twig.

Next door, a tarantula is wooing his mate, and family life also seems to be thriving in the scorpion household, with baby scorpions shimmying around their mum. In the world of beetles, a large stag beetle flexes his mandibles, and a long-armed Scarab brings to mind a stylized Egyptian emblem.

So is Malaysia boring? Is Penang ho-hum? This is a country where Nature is prolific and flamboyant—see it, taste it, smell it and touch it.

About the photos.

Top: Our guide, Ali, shows off samples from the Tropical Fruit Farm.
Bottom: An exotic butterfly at the Butterfly Farm.

Margaret Deefholts is a Canadian author and freelance travel writer/photographer.

If You Go....Where to Stay:

Shangri-La's Golden Sands Resort.
Batu Feringgi Beach, Penang
Ph: (60-4) 886-1911
Fax: (60-4) 881-1880

www.shangri-la.com/penang/goldensands/en/index.aspx
e-mail: gsh@shangri-la.com
Mutiara Beach Resort
1 Jalan Teluk Bahang, Penang
Ph: (60-4) 886-8888
Fax (60-4) 885-2829
For room reservation please call Toll-free

(Malaysia) 1-800-88-3838
(Worldwide) 800-8800-3838

www.penang-mutiara.com.my/
e-mail: infopg@mutiarahotels.com
Reservations: respg@mutiarahotels.com

Both these five star hotels offer their visitors (at a surprisingly reasonable cost) the ultimate in luxury and hospitality. For up-to-date information please visit their websites.

There is no lack of hotels in Penang to suit every price range.

Visit:: www.penang-hotels.com/search_price_main.htm for information based on search criteria.

Tropical Fruit Farm:
The tour of the Farm costs 20 Malaysian Ringetts (US$5.30 or CAD$6.50)
For information, visit http://www.tropicalfruits.com.my/packages.html
Or contact them as follows:

Tel: +604 227 6223
Email: info@tropicalfruits.com.my

Tropical Spice Garden:
Open 9 am to 6 pm daily
www.tourismpenang.gov.my/page.cfm?name=at04j
At RM. 8.00/adult (US$2.00; CA$2.60) this is an absolute steal!

Butterfly Farm:
No 830 Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-885 1253 Fax: 604-885 2011 / 885 1741
E-mail: info@butterfly-insect.com
www.butterfly-insect.com/butterfly-insect/

Visiting Hours: Mondays to Fridays from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 9:00am to 5:30pm
Price: RM 12.50 (adult), RM 6.25 (child from 5-12 years of age)
Free for children five and younger.

Malaysia Tsunami Aftermath Advisory

Getting to Malaysia: Malaysian Airlines tops the list in terms of superlative service.