Penang, Malaysia - October 2010

Penang – a word synonymous with food. There are books and guides and maps describing the different foods and places you can find them to eat. Case in point – we crossed over to the island from mainland Malaysia via the Penang Bridge (at 13.5km, it is considered to be one of the longest bridges in the world as well as the longest bridge in Malaysia), turned on the GPS and followed directions. As the family discussion was in a Chinese dialect, I thought we were being directed to the hotel. Au contraire – we pulled up curbside to a street vendor selling deep fried bananas – reported to be the best on the Island, according to the guide book. I can attest to that as they were delicious. For more on food go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisfick/sets/72157625693723212/

Eventually, we did check in to the hotel where we were staying. The location was ideal – right on the beach with Palm trees and a wonderful tropical breeze. Collin and I did enjoy a morning walk but certainly wished we had more time to enjoy the setting. There was time to visit a few tourist sites but I soon realized that we probably would have preferred a few more days here explore in the Island in greater depth as there really is much to see. We’ll put that on our to do list for the future.

Kek Lok Si Temple – the largest Buddhist Temple in all of southeast Asia. It is built in layers on a hill overlooking the city of Georgetown and the water. To approach from the bottom, we first passed through a covered walk lined with shops selling a variety of souvenirs and the usual cacophony of vendors trying to lure us to buy.

From here it was a short climb and stop at Liberation Pond – where following Buddhist tradition, turtles are released into a ‘pseudo’ freedom. We bought food for feeding and it was Collin’s chance to relive the experience of his childhood of feeding turtles. From here we climbed to a temple area, enjoying the beauty of the architecture. There was talk of taking a cable car to the top. For some reason that didn’t materialize, the reason lost in a Chinese discussion. However, we had been to the top the previous day to see the huge Kuan Yin statue and the surrounding park area. The structure to provide shelter to the statue is still being built so there is an opportunity to donate money and have your name written on a tile, although I am not entirely convinced the names will last into perpetuity. In the park there are figurines of the Chinese zodiac animals. I posed with a rat but memory did not serve me well as I am actually the ‘year of the Goat’. Collin is the ‘year of the dog’.

Gurney Drive – is an enjoyable promenade along the waterfront of Georgetown. Its’ claim to fame is the Hawker food stalls where we had a delicious dinner for the ‘price of a song’. I recommend the sword fish, grilled to perfection (for more on food go to). It was truly interesting as I was probably one of the few ‘Caucasians’ eating there. That prompted a drive and search for ‘my people’ (mostly Australians) vacationing at the all inclusive resort area on the island. I certainly would not have traded places with them as they seemed to be missing out on the true Malaysian culture experience. At the resort area there is a huge market along the street for their shopping pleasure but many of the items were identical to what I have seen in China. Yes – Penang has a large Chinese presence as evidenced by the street signs, language and tourist sites.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion – It would be difficult to miss this mansion if driving along the street as the outside is painted a distinctive indigo blue. The tour guide we had was extremely well versed although a bit quirky at times. However, she taught us all about the principles of Feng Shui, and how this mansion paid close attention to those elements when it was built at the end of the 19th century. If you’ve seen the movie ‘Indochine’ starring Catherine Deneuve, you’ve seen the mansion as the movie was filmed here.

Khoo Kongsi – This is billed as the grandest clan temple in Malaysia and I would have to agree. The temple was built in 1906 when the Khoo clan (not to be mistaken with the Koo clan) was at its height of wealth and prosperity in Penang. The Temple has richly ornate carvings and decorations in the traditional Chinese style throughout the building. It includes a history of the Khoo clan and plaques honoring the males of the clan who have graduated from University. It is certainly an impressive listing and one quickly realizes the scope of influence of the clan throughout the world. We also enjoyed the kitchen with relics from days gone by. Opposite the Temple is a stage for Chinese Opera. These buildings are separated by a courtyard where there was a market scene filmed here for the movie ‘Anna and the King’ starring Jodie Foster. The complex also includes housing for clan members and at one time the entire area was a self-sustaining economic enterprise. Members of the clan still come together today to honour academic and community service achievements.

Wat Chayamang Kalaram – a Siamese temple, the original building being built during the early 1900’s. Inside the main temple is a ‘giant’ reclining Buddha, symbolizing Enlightenment. Behind the statute are burial urns with pictures on the outside of the person who passed away. In particular, we enjoyed the colourful paper flowers made by children in preparation for a Buddhist festival. The complex itself also consists of smaller shrine Buddhas and popular Thai deities as well as a large Wat, a style that I recognize from time spent in Thailand.

Dharmikarama Burmese Temple – directly across the street from the Siamese temple is a Burmese Temple. It was really interesting to see the subtle differences in architecture. According to historic records, the complex was founded in 1803. There was a covered walkway leading us to Sime Hall where inside is a tall and rather large marble Buddha. We certainly enjoyed the peace and serenity of the temple but I couldn’t help being reminded of all the people in Myanmarwhot will never have an opportunity to visit here.

Our return trip off the Island was via the Penang Ferry Service. This is the oldest ferry service in Malaysia which began in 1920. Fortunately, the service has been updated since then. It is a relatively short ride, about 20 minutes to the mainland, on boats that are brightly painted and colourful. During our ride, we were entertained by the jelly fish that Collin spied floating just under the water alongside the boat.

And then we were on our way back to KL, about a 4 hour drive. We again stopped in Ipoh, the halfway point of the drive. It was our dinner time, so we opted for a ‘Hot Pot’ meal. However, I think the main purpose was to buy some Salty Chicken for our dinner the following evening, As you can see, a visit to Penang always begins and ends with food.

For more pictures of Penang check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisfick/sets/72157625617921129/