6) Kek Lok Si
After some bus rides, we arrived at Kek Lok Si....the Temple of Sovereign Happiness.
There're several entrances to the temple, but we took the way through the 'merchandise store street' (?)
Well...we got the chance to climb a flight of stairs.
and we looked at tortoises.
Cheng explained to me on how some stores prepare Gui Ling Gao (Tortoise herbal jelly) which the dessert actually does derive from tortoise shell powder. And for that, tortoises were farmed and killed.
But, no worries. We're in a sacred place now...so stop worrying on these shelled animals. In fact they were pretty well fed.
Tortoise swarming over food...in Kek Lok Si.
We saw a big rock engraved with some Chinese words which apparently most of us didn't really know how to read them...because they were too small, not because we're illiterate.
The famous Pagoda in Kek Lok Si.
In 1930, the seven storey main pagoda of the temple or the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown; reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. ~Penang Online.
http://www.penang-online.com/pages/place-of-interest/kek-lok-si-temple.php
oooo...scary.... I think it's a fish
So, I prayed for world peace and wishes come true.
Oooh....an inclining lift to the hill top.
Panoramic view of Georgetown.
Deities and the Goddess of Mercy with the 12 zodiacs
And...Yew Jin and I wondered what on earth is pooh doing in a temple.
(must be the wrong place)
Joss sticks and incense and some faith with of course...hope.
They call him the God of Thunder or Lightning
Symmetrical design of worship towers...
...overlooking Georgetown
Personal thought: Somehow, I feel that the temple has became a market place, but not much of being the house of Gods and a 'real' place to worship. I see beggars through the way up the hill. I see people selling merchandises and toys and statues (lots of them). I see donation boxes everywhere. I see every blessing the people made as a form of business.
Somehow, I think, there are things and places that shouldn't be commercialized.
and please do something about the beggars....
because the moment you spot beggars that's where money is.
I know some of you would say that I've no earning capacity and shouldn't be saying stuffs like this. But I think it'd be irrelevant whether I have such capacity or not.
7) Ayer Hitam/Air Itam Asam Laksa
We asked around on where was exactly the best asam laksa in the area, but everyone had opinions of their own. So, we simply settled down for a boel of Penang Laksa in the nearby food court. The dark sauce was shrimp paste which tasted sweet and is meant to be mixed together with the broth. And the broth is not as thick as the ones we used to have in KL. The Laksa is pretty mild, but just beware of the cili padi (small chili). Unfortunately, the best Penang Laksa in Ayer Hitam falls to the one in the market:
http://www.what2seeonline.com/2009/08/penang-assam-laksa-air-itam-market/
photo courtesy of what2seeonline.com
However, Cheng suggested that Serdang night market laksa was pretty awesome, too. *I'm a proud Serdang-ian now*
8) Burma Rd.
There are 2 temples for Buddha worship: Wat Chayamangkalaram and hammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple respectively.
Wat Chayamangkalaram is also known as the reclining Buddha temple.
Entrance of the Wat
The reclining Buddha is one of the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world.
Magnificent architecture heavily blended with the Thai influence.
The temple is guarded with serpents and guardian Gods.
The whole interior was covered with the pictures of Buddha.
Across the street is the hammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple. The compund was relatively porch and grand...and more organised as well.
Through the walkway, there are portraits on events of the Buddha, for example in achieving Enlightenment, battling evil forces, etc.
I never really understood the implied message of the structure. There've been some controversial thoughts as I tried to figure things out...but eventually I found the answer:
Panca-Rupa ( The Guardian Protector)
This world Guardian and Protector is unique as it is rare. It possesses the quality of the five best combination such as the trunk and tusks of the elephant, four hoofed legs and two agile ears of the horse, the lion-faced toe (chimera), the deer's horn, the body and tail of the fish and the two powerful wings of the Roe (Garuda). Therefore it is ideally suited for its role of guarding the world in the form of the globe.
http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/portal3/what-to-see/attractions/dhammikarama-burmese-buddhist-temple.html
This is the Main Shrine Hall. Being the only Burmese Buddhist temple in Malaysia, the temple is fascinating and being quite outstanding from the rest.
There was a Bodhi tree there as well, which many of you would have neglected, and would focus on the wishing pond, and toss coins into 'seemingly-impossible-rotating-wishing-bowls' in the middle of the pond.
9) Armenian St.
All along the way we hoped that it won't rain....and it didn't....until Yew Jin did the rain dance. Just kidding, but it rained. So here's a picture of me in the rain with an umbrella standing beside a mural in Armenian St.
At Armenian St. with 2 kids on a bike....in the rain.
Hand prints.
Armenian St. is place where murals and awesome wall paintings are displayed. And, rather than all being so organised and neat, some messy art may be all we need, but don't get mixed up with the term 'vandalism'.
Oh yea...since we people were basically the ones that brought umbrellas, we spent some time saving and transporting people and pedestrians into their cars and buses.
Awesome rain!
well, only if you have an umbrella and is wearing slippers.
(I know how frustrating it is having your shoes and socks and pants wet,
but still, suck it up and deal with it. XD)
The city council might wanna do something with the drainage system (or maybe there's nothing wrong with it....just the rain was too heavy....non sense!) because the drains tend to overflow and the whole road gets a little flooded....and in some cases people might not see where they're going and stepped into the drain....or like my case: got my foot ran over by rats from the drain.
Soon, the rain stopped. Went back to hotel to dry ourselves up and then....
10) Street Food Adventure, Macalister Rd
I ordered a beef kuey teow soup. Mild...and mild. Totally different if you're expecting the Taiwan beef noodles. Though tasted ordinary although the name may be catchy....the secret lies within the chili sauce. Ohhhhh....for one, it's spicy....second, it's fragrant and a little soury, which would definitely boost your appetite....
But boosted appetite didn't just rest on a bowl of Kuey Teow soup, I went on for Char Kuey Teow, which I am not fully convinced that Lorong Selamat Char Kuey Teow was the best. As I moved across the busy hawker stalls that hanged their 'Char Kuey Teow' plate in pride together selling other kind of noodles, I spotted a stall that only sells Charcoal-fried Char Kuey Teow and Charcoal-fried Char Kuey Teow only. I waited for quite some time, cos there were other customers as well. But, believe me....that's a few minutes worth waiting for. Under his skillful hands, he created a plate of Char Kuey Teow that is close to perfection, and hence, my quest in searching a better Char Kuey Teow stopped.
No photos, because basically all Char Kuey Teows look alike.
The Kuey Teow was evenly fried. It was neither too wet, nor it is oily, nor it is too dry. Well, because of his precision in timing in not over/under-cooking the Kuey Teow. Though it doesn't have prawns as big as Lorong Selamat's but definitely I regretted for just only ordering the small plate.
That pretty well sums up the trip. We chatted till 3 at night...and woke up and packed and went home.
Will miss you, Penang.
Life jackets.
Arrived at KL Sentral at 9 pm.
This is where Yew Jin ran up the stairs with his big bag.
