We did the Penang Round
Island Tour. Today we are joined by Rick & Janie.
We started in George Town
and drove to Penang Hill. Georetown is perhaps the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia. It
boasts a European-style esplanade and a wealth of temples, mosques and Chinese
clan houses. Listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2008, this
virgin paradise has no shortage of cultural sights and natural scenery.
Penang Hill, also known as Bukit Bendera,
offers lovely views of Georgetown and is a great place to escape the heat as
it's cooler than the town below. It features a funicular ride. It was a fun
ride to the top and we also got in a large golf cart and had a nice ride
through the countryside.
For lunch she took us to some local “hawker
food” places where we were the only non-locals there. We had Fried Noodles with
lots of veggies and shrimp, cockles, sausages and other stuff. Quite yummy! We
also had some Chinese type dishes with rice. It was all good!
Lyndy & Greg
Then we drove to the Snake Temple. The snakes are the poisonous
Wagler's Pit Vipers, also called the Temple Pit Vipers, or in Malay, ular
kapak tokong. They can grow to 3 - 4 ft. Although the poison is not very
dangerous, the bite can be very painful and can cause much swelling. However
the snakes are usually sluggish and seldom bite.
We saw them coiled on the twigs at the altars. Further back, there
is a chamber with some pit vipers in trees.
On our drive we saw many Thai and Burmese Buddhist Temples, Chinese Clan Temples and Traditional
Malay Kampung Houses.
We were thirsty and Lyndy
wanted us to try a couple of her favorite drinks, one was nutmeg and the other
gdonk donk. I’m sure it’s not spelled that way, but that was how she pronounced
it. Both were interesting, but I really needed a diet Coke. LOL She also wanted
us to try the most popular dish, Laksa (soup) but we said we were too full, but
she ordered some for us to split and it was delicious! One had noodles and the
other not. One was more coconut milk as well. We ate quite a bit despite being
full. It was tasty and slightly spicy.
Our next stop was the Butterfly Farm. This place was AMAZING! We
have been to quite a few butterfly places and this one was large and had many
beautiful types of butterflies. It was one of the highlights of the and is home to over
100 species of live butterflies. We walked through their covered aviary and the
landscaped gardens that had waterfalls, wooden bridges and ponds.
one landed on Greg's nose
then on his glasses
Our final stop was the Kek Lok Si, or Temple of Supreme Bliss, is the largest and arguably the best
known temple in Penang. It straddles a hillside overlooking the town of Ayer
Itam and George Town beyond that. It is a temple that harmoniously blends
Mahayana Buddhism with Taoist beliefs and other Chinese rituals, creating an
amalgam that is uniquely its own. Since the olden days, the hills of Ayer Itam
are regarded as important geomantically. Known as He San, or Crane Hill,
they are recommended as a retreat for Taoist practitioners striving for
immortality. Dedicated
to the Goddess of Mercy, the seven-story pagoda reflects a colorful mix of
Thai, Chinese and Burmese architectural influences. A well-known retreat for
Taoist practitioners, construction of the temple began in 1893, but it was only
in 1930 that the temple was finally completed.
We
did not have a lot of time here, so our guide drove us to the top (approx. 40
minute walk up) We got to see the highlights before it was time to go. We
missed seeing the hundreds of tortoises in the pond by not walking up. There was
a round pond with a seven-tier ornamental pagoda. It is located in a square
above the main Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. A sheltered passageway leads up a
flight of steps to the Chamber of Seated Buddhas. This two-story pavilion is
cloistered by rows of standing Buddha images. The seated Buddhas are surrounded
by lit candles in the form of open lotus.
We were about 10 minutes from the ship, but needed to stop at an
ATM, so we made a quick stop and then got back on the ship with about 10
minutes to spare.
We showered and went upstairs to the buffet/pizza for dinner. We
did catch the show with Michel Bell where the cruise director said we were
getting in an hour early tomorrow. (which is a surprise since this Captain
seems to always arrive late and leaves early.) It however became a tender port
vs. docking, so that will slow things down by taking more time to get off and
on the ship.
We also get our hour back tonight since we leave Malaysia and are
going back to Thailand and we’ll be back in their time zone. (back to 12 hours
later than “home”)
We need to get ready for our elephant trek tomorrow and
snorkeling.
Plus, we now get up an hour earlier……Man, will we be ready for our
4 sea days in a row before India.
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