Assumptions that the world is flat and people would fall over the edge if they went to the end of the horizon disappeared over 3,500 years ago because that non-existent edge gets farther as people climbed higher.

Stand at sea level and your horizon is 4.7km away. But on Level 65, Komtar, your gaze will sweep over the curvature of the planet.

The eastern plain of the island’s geography is laid out for you to behold, and Pulau Jerejak, over 12km away, comes into full view.

“Komtar’s location is fantastically strategic. It is like a giant watchtower and being circular, you have an all-round view,” said Only World Group (OWG) chief operating officer Datuk Jean Koh.

Level 65 is about 230m above the ground and at this height, you would be able to see up to 150km away, making Kedah a part of the northeastern scenery.

Video taken by Penang Property Talk in August 2016

When Komtar was first completed about 30 years ago, this was the rooftop level and it only had a helipad. Now it is a part of the Window of the Top.

“We created Level 65 into an observatory deck. As you walk around the floor, you will see Penang from a unique angle.

“There’s so much to take in that you’ll even need to stop for coffee,” Jean smiled.

And that is just what OWG prepared: a coffee corner where visitors can pause to admire the panorama.

Picture by TheStar

On the window are affixed information panels, telling visitors what they are seeing, such as Penang jetty, Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang Hill and so on.

There is also a souvenir store and a photo opportunity corner where you can have a special photo taken in such a way that it will look as if you are walking on an I-beam at the external edge of the building.

OWG won a 45-year lease on five levels of Komtar in 2012 and is on a mission to revitalise the building.

The company has topped the building with another three levels, and the Window of the Top refers to Level 65’s observatory deck and Level 68 rooftop, both of which are set to be officially opened tomorrow.

There is even a special glass floor section in Level 65 for visitors to step past the external wall of the monolith and look down on the scenery below. This is a teaser to an even more hair-raising glass skywalk on Level 68, the tallest in the country.

The way up to the top begins at Level Five.

For those who still remember Komtar back in the late 80s and early 90s, this is where the rooftop garden and open space podium used to be.

Those who still recall scaling the open-air staircase at Komtar’s Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong side to reach Level Five (there used to be a squash court, food court, amusement games centre and also the Geodesic Dome), they will be in for a surprise.

A glitzy entrance is in store for them and along the Level Five boulevard of fancy eateries, a giant overhead LCD screen completes the shine.

Two levels lower, OWG has a special project in the final stages of construction that will be dedicated to Penang’s tourism industry.

“The Penang State Gallery will take visitors back to the time when Penang was a swampy frontier and show how George Town became a bustling trading post, to its present day as a city of living history.

“Beside the gallery will be the Market Food Street where tourists will be able sample the signature dishes of Penang hawker food.”

To complete the adventure for foreign visitors, Jean said there would also be a gallery called the Durian The King of Fruits and a museum, Tongkat Ali King.

“We’ll make sure that a busy business traveller or perhaps a cruise ship passenger who is only here on a day trip will have a one-stop spot to get a whiff of everything there is to love about Penang,” said Jean.

Read Source: TheStar.com.my