Penang, Malaysia 4/26/24

 Penang, Malaysia

Our welcome to Penang, Malaysia.  Hope it is as interesting as Kuala Lumpur was..

Once we got out of the port area, we headed to Little India, and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple which is the oldest Hindu temple in Penang. It is full of detail as you can see.  No entry into the temple, but we could look in and get some pictures.  We walked down the street to our next stop which was filled with shops selling saris, silks and more.  Our guide said it was just as we will find in Mumbai. We shall see.

Walking down the streets, you are transported to the markets of India.  Fresh flowers, food, and local folks are all around.  Lots of vendor markets to look and shop.  

Walking down the street we passed the Sun Yat Sen Museum which is dedicated to Sun Ya-sen, a Chinese Nationalist who established the Republic of China after the Xinhai Revolution.

Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple - built by Chinese immigrants almost 165 years ago. It is a Taoism temple that is symbolic of the community values.  The left-hand pictures are in the entry way to the temple.  You have to know where the temple is as it is off the beaten track.

Khoo Kongsi is the grandest Chinese Clan house in Malaysia.  It is very elaborate and highly ornamented architecture is a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang.  It has retained its authentic historic setting with traditional buildings clustered around a granite paved square.  Wonderful example of the old-world charm of Penang.

Lots of modern-day rickshaws available...

A great stop for lunch before heading to the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.

Our next stop was a visit to Kek Lok Si, Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple, which is a very important pilgrimage center for Buddhists from Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. I took the funicular to Penang Hill, 720- meters high, while Mickey hiked up with some of the others from our tour.  The entrance is a lovely garden area, leading into the main grounds.

The Chew Jetty is a settlement of wooden houses on stilts on the shore, and it has been the home of the Chew Clan community for more than a century.  It started modestly as a wooden passageway, and slowly evolved to a cluster of houses perched above the seashores on stilts.  It is frozen in time, regardless of the urban development going on all around. One step onto the wooden walkways and you can feel the ambiance from the surroundings with a nod to nostalgia.  At the end of the jetty, you see a panoramic view of the port, mainland, the island, and see the 3rd longest bridge in the world over the Straits of Malacca. 

You find this art on walls all over the city - jokes!!!

Five temples in one day - every time w think we have seen enough, another one shows up and they are all equally amazing...it's kind of like when we visit Europe - we get churched out, and we are close to being templed out, I think.

Leaving Malaysia, and on to 2 days ata sea, Sri Lanka, here we come...