CNY @ Penang

We travelled back to my in-laws place on the 2nd day of CNY. As usual, we got stucked in jams at Seremban.

On the 4th day, we left for Penang. If I'm not mistaken, my last visit to Penang was 4 years ago.

We decided to use the ferry to get into the island. We arrived at noon. We hang out at Taman Kota & Fort Cornwallis before heading to Lorong Selamat for it's famous Char Kuey Teow. At the shop, there are varieties of food, including Prawn Noodles, Popiah, Soup Noodles, Lobak and Muar Chee. I did not notice that the Char Kuey Teow wasn't the once famous Sisters Char Kuey Teow. The Sisters CKT has moved to another shop all by themselves, selling nothing but their CKT. Nevertheless, the CKT that we had tasted good as well.

After lunch, we headed to buy some Tau Sar Pneah. The famous one is made by Him Heang. It's a white building, opposite Hotel 1926. There are many copycats with the same 'Heang' at the back....eg. Gee Heang, or some other 'Heang's but Him Heang's is still the best.

After that, we headed to the famous temples. I never knew that there are 2 temples opposite one another. One is a Burmese Temple with a Standing Buddha, while the other is a Thai Temple with a Sleeping Buddha.

Since we still have time, we went to the Khoo Kongsi. I used to be quite familiar with Penang roads, but I have to admit that this Khoo Kongsi is very difficult to find. We were rounding inside Georgetown for about half an hour. We almost gave up until we met a traffic police who showed us directions to the Khoo Kongsi. Luckily, we managed to arrive before 5pm as the ticketing counter closes at 5pm sharp. The entrance fee is RM4 for adults and RM2 for children. After looking at the architecture, the design of the main hall and all the wall paintings, I was so impressed.

As we exited the Khoo Kongsi, there was another temple nearby. This temple is called the Yap Kongsi. I believe during the earlier times, there were many families or clans who tried to make a name for themselves. But not many prospered like the Khoo family.

That night, we had seafood at Teluk Kumbar. It's a restaurant by the sea, called Hau You (Good Friend). Unlike it's name, this place isn't so good to us after all. We were slaughtered horribly! A steamed grouper the size of my palm cost RM65. A kilo of meat crab (small size - half my palm size) costs RM60. We didn't mind paying a bit more as it's CNY, but the price is really too much.

The next morning, we went to Penang Hill. It's quite warm up there due to the crowd that gathered since as early as 7.30am. Nothing much to see, except for a view of Georgetown from the hilltop.

After Penang Hill, we went to Kek Lok Si. At the foot of Kek Lok Si, we had our lunch. We had Asam Laksa. Although it looked the same, the taste has changed. It doesn't taste that good anymore.

From the foot of Kek Lok Si, I can see that there is construction of pillars and roof to cover the Bronze Statue of Kuan Yin. The pagoda remains the same.

Along the stairs up the hill, there are many small traders doing their trade. After some bargaining, I got myself some colourful T-shirts for RM10 each. Cheap isn't it?

It's hard to believe how commercialise Kek Lok Si has become. Going up to the Kuan Yin Statue, one need to use the cable car. It's RM4. Going up the pagoda, one has to also pay the same amount. According to the temple authorities, all profit goes to the temple. It also surprised me to see a monk standing behind the cash machine as cashier. I do not mind giving donations or some token of appreciation but seeing them imposing fee for this and that, it made me shake my head in disbelief. It's supposed to be a place of worship but now it has become a tourist attraction. There are also monks on loudspeakers asking devotees to donate by writing their names on tiles which will be used to cover the Kuan Yin Statue. Apart from that, one has to also pay to write their names on colourful sheet of tiny paper to hang on the wishing tree. Sigh....

At night, we had our dinner at Gurney Drive. It has changed a lot too. There are more stalls and are more clean and organized.

As we passed by Gurney Plaze, we noticed there were some drums along the main entrance. I guess it's for the celebration of the Jade Emperor. Hence, we took some photos. The drums were really nice.

Our visit to Penang ended on the 6th day of CNY. Instead of heading home, my wife and I went up North. Check out where we went in the next post. Tata.