Daytripping: Penang Hill & Kek Lok Si

One of the adventures and joys of exploring new cities is figuring out the public transportation system. After catching the bus heading the wrong direction, then having to wait at the dock for 15 minutes while they changed drivers, being told we owed more money and exact change only; a stick of gum and exact change later we were on our way to the top of Penang Hill for a great view of Georgetown and the island.The British found the view to be beautiful as well and built a pulley tram that we road to the top

and enjoyed magnificent views of the island

At the top of the tram there was a Hindu Temple and a Muslim MosqueAs we came closer to the interestingly ornate Hindu Templewe realized there was a ceremony of some sort happening

After wandering through the temple grounds we boarded the tram and headed back down the hill and on to our next destinationIf only all the hotel staff we encountered on our travels were as helpful as the staff at the Mingood Hotel in Penang. Notice there's no link? Well that's because we wouldn't recommend staying there other than for the incredibly helpful staff. The staff at the hotel suggested if we were headed to Penang Hill we should go to Kek Lok Si, the largest buddhist temple in SE Asia. And what a suggestion it was.

The huge temple is built right into the Penang hills and is a massive compound with multiple grand and ornate buildings.The temple had the largest collection of the most unique buddhas we had ever seenWe made our way up through the beautiful temple courtyards

through the largest gift shop we have ever seen and up the tram to the large outdoor bronze buddhas with incredible views of the island

In one day we experienced British Colonial history, Hindu history, and Buddhist history. Just your typical day on the wonderfully diverse island of Penang, Malaysia.

Chinese Malaysia

In our early post about Malaysia we had mentioned we were fortunate enough to be in Penang soon after the Chinese Lunar New Year. For those of you unaware Lunar New Year is the most important time for the Chinese Buddhist Community. It is a time to clear away everything from the past year and transition into the new year on a positive and festive note. Celebrations go on for weeks and we were fortunate enough to witness several celebrations during our time in Malaysia. Red Lanterns were hung throughout the cities. The color red to said to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, therefor most Chinese businesses and streets were decorated in red fabric and lanterns. One evening we while checking out the fireworks from our hotel balcony we were able to witness the two businesses across the street having a reunion dinner celebration complete with a traditional food offering tableFamily and friends made a huge bonfire right in the street to burn symbolic paper money for the new year.We felt so lucky to be in Penang during all of it. We soon found that it was just the tip of the ice burg.

Malaysian Breakfast

After spending our first day in Penang exploring the amazing sights and sounds of Little India

We decided to head to another cultural district - Chinatown.

We were fortunate enough to be in Penang shortly after Chinese Lunar New Year and celebrations were continuing long into the night with fireworks and LOUD firecrackers until late. We headed out the next morning in search of a Malaysian Kopi Shop or coffee shop. Malaysian coffee shops are more than your typical get a cup-of-joe establishments, tables are inside with independent food vendors surrounding the dining area.We started by sitting down at an empty table where soon a nice Chinese woman came by and asked what we would like. We quickly looked around and pointed and asked what people were eating. After a very short description we placed our order for Wan Than Mee or wonton noodle soupKoay Teow or flat rice noodles in a chicken soup with steamed fish cakes and mushrooms

A cup of Kopi Susu or strong coffee with sweetened condensed milkand two cups of fresh squeeze juice

Which the waitress yelled across the dining area and the individual cart owners quickly responded and brought our soups promptly.We slowly ate our late breakfast, taking in the busy kopi shop. It was barely noon and already several stalls were closed even though people continuously came in and out to grab a quick coffee or meal. That’s when we noticed our waitress was busy delivering what looked to be like large crispy cabbage rolls. We immediately got her attention and ordered one. She quickly brought over a Poh PiahThe very thin pancake-like skin was crispy and soft due to a broth being poured over them before serving. The stuffing inside consisted of cooked cabbage, peanuts and minced shrimp. Light, refreshing and tasty. A perfect ending to our Malaysian late breakfast.

Little India Penang

Penang is an island off the northeastern coast of Malaysia near the Thailand border. Unlike the tropical paradises of islands in Thailand, Penang was more colonial and had a very timeless quality.Georgetown is the big city on the island of Penang and all around the outer rim of the island you can find beach resorts.So you can have both city and beach, but we stayed in Georgetown and soaked up the unique Malaysian culture. First up was Little India.Bollywood hits blared out of the cd and music stores while the sweet smell of curry and incense surrounded the air.

World’s largest incense – dang!

Finding somewhere to eat in Little India was incredible easy, especially when the kitchen and the food is in plain site on the street.We took a gander of the dining area and spotted people eating off a banana leaf with their hands and immediately we were ready to sit down and try some food! We ordered a banana leaf lunch set and a tandori chicken chapatti set.For the banana leaf lunch set we were given a banana leaf and 3 sauces before a man carrying metal tins with three different kinds of vegetarian Indian food came by and spooned a pile from each tin onto the banana leaf before another man put a big pile of rice on the banana leaf and then another man came by with crispy poori.The vegetarian items were spicy tomato greenbeans, creamy yellow bean spinach and carrots, cabbage, garbonzo beans salad. The three sauces on the side were creamy curry, spinach daal and sour curry, all eaten with our RIGHT hands.The tandori chicken was quote “a religious experience”, bringing a tear to Mike’s eye and hands down the best chicken we have ever had - EVER.The chicken was the perfect juicy texture with smokey, tangy, garlic flavors with a thin crispy layer from the tandori oven. Cooked in a wood burning clay tandori oven on the sidewalk, the chicken was extraordinary. Here’s even a picture of the man who cooked it.This meal was one of the most, if not the most memorable meal on our trip and all for less than $5 US. Now if only every city with a Chinatown would develop a Little India also...