It was swelteringly hot the evening we went on the Penang River Cruise in Seberang Perai. But as soon as we left the pier and entered the mangrove swamps, the air began to cool. The noise and hustle of the city faded away as the boat glided along the river, past mangrove trees, low-hanging branches, and rustling leaves.
It’s a new discovery to encounter the river so up and close on the cruise. Three rivers – Sungai Juru, Sungai Kerian and Sungai Perai – run through the Penang mainland, past industrial areas, parks and highways. But rivers are not generally used for recreation by locals. Plagued with a reputation for being dirty, Sg Juru has long been regarded as a wasteland of rubbish and contaminants.
