Temple Splendour in Penang

Hailed as the Temple of Supreme Bliss, the exquisite Kek Lok Si temple is one of
Penang’s most famous icons. Its sprawling structures crown the hilislope where the temple sits in full splendour and grandeur.

Yearly, more than a million visitors flock to this widely acclaimed tourist attraction.
If you are looking for a spectacular view of the nearby town of Air Itam and George Town, you have come to the right place. Soak in the view, breathe in the crisp air and capture your favourite vista on film.

Access to the temple is via a long flight of steps lined with stalls selling souvenirs and traditional Penang food­stuffs.

The most prominent structures of the temple are the seven-storey Rama VI Pagoda (named after the Thai King who laid the foundation stone) or Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, and the 30.2m-high bronze statue and shrine of the Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) located on the hillslope above the pago­da.

The pagoda, said to be the largest in the country combines Chinese, Thai and Myanmar architectural styles. Alabaster and bronze Buddhas can be seen while ascending a spiral stair­case.

Beside the big Goddess of Mercy statue are five Thai-imported Buddha statues and a charming Chinese pavil­ion built in the centre of a pond teem­ing with Japanese carps.
Two inclined glass lifts now link the temple’s lower station near the pagoda with the upper station at the Guan Yin statue.

Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi says the lifts were imported from Italy at a cost of RM4mil. They have a max­imum speed of 96m per minute and each lift can carry up to 30 people.
It takes less than two minutes for it to cover the 120m climb.
“These are the only ones of their kind in Malaysia,” he says.

The temple is a sight to behold a week before Chinese New Year when it is lit up with thousands of red and yel­low lanterns and coloured lights.

The construction of Kek Lok Si was mooted by the Venerable Beow Lean, the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Ke­ling in George Town.

The hill in Air Itam has always been regarded as geomantically auspicious. It is known as He S/ian (Crane Hill) because it resembled the bird spread­ing its wings.

Because of this, the chief monk de­cided that it had the right feng shui for a Buddhist temple.
Work on the temple started in the 1890s but it was only in 1930 that the pagoda was completed.

Mouth-watering Baba Nyonya Cuisine

The Peranakan food of Melaka must be one of the most unique cuisines in Malaysia.
One will quickly discover how spicy the food of the Baba and Nyonya in Melaka can be.
This is a clear reflection of the influ­ence of Malay cooking, which uses a generous amount of chillies and spices. Interestingly, most of these dishes only have Malay names.
However, unlike Malay cuisine, pork - which is not consumed by Muslims -is used in Peranakan cooking.

Among the favourite dishes are laksa (noodles in spicy, coconut milk), mee siam (spicy rice vermicilli) and prawn in coconut milk. Curry rice and nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk) are also usually on offer.

For those who are not into hot food, non-spicy dishes are also avallable. The popular ones are itik tim (duck soup), and pongteh (chicken or pork with black bean paste).
Egg omelette with cincalok (fer­mented shrimps) is another unique dish which can pose a challenge for those not used to its smell and taste.

Desserts like cendol (green-coloured noodles in chilled coconut milk), kuih koci, onde-onde and pulut hitam arealso favourites.

Peranakan cuisine can be enjoyed at the many Baba and Nyonya restau­rants in the city Many offer halal ver­sions of the food by replacing pork with other types of meat.

Shop Till You Drop

SHOP! Shop! Shop! These words probably best describe the most popular activities for visitors to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia’s capital.

No matter what you are looking for — from local arts and crafts to import­ed goods, low-priced mass-produced trinkets to top-of-the-range designer goods — you will be able to find it all in Kuala Lumpur.

What is even better for shopaholics is that the shopping experience in Kuala Lumpur is as varied as the goods on offer. Kuala Lumpur boasts some of the biggest and most modem shopping malls where you can browse in air-conditioned comfort.

Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Thangle, as the Bukit Bintang shopping precinct is commonly referred to, has the upmarket Starhill and Lot 10, as well as the ever busy Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza where the pace of shopping is frenetic.

Computer buffs head to Imbi Plaza and Low Yat Plaza to get the latest in the IT world.
But you can also go local and spend hours on end visiting stall after stall in outdoor and night markets, allowing yourself to be surprised by the things you can find and their low price tags.
The best known night market is in Chinatown, Petaling Street, where you virtually have to squeeze in between stalls to move. Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman and its nearby Jalan Masjid India overflow with people each time Han Raya (the Eid festival) and Deepavali, the Indian festival of lights, draw near.

For souvenir and handicraft hun­ters, at Central Market, Kuala Lumpur’s former produce market which has been turned into a centre of arts and crafts, you can get your por­trait painted, key-chains embossed with your name or those of loved ones, traditional costumes of Malaysia’s major ethnic groups and even tasty Malaysian snacks.

Shopping in Kuala Lumpur goes into overdrive in March, July and December every year when the Malay­sian Megasale carnivals are held.

During these months, shoppers can look for the best discounts nationwide.
Visitors should not miss the oppor­tunity to be here on holiday during those months.

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This blog about Malaysia - fascinating places, people, culture, arts, food and etc.