60. penang (part I) - kek lok si temple

So when we went for Sue's wedding, me and him managed to squeeze in some time for "touristy" sightseeings. We drove out of the way to Penang Hill to ride the funicular train, but it was closed for maintenance.

Lucky for us, the next stop was Kek Lok Si Temple, which was just a five minutes drive away from the train. After much confusion, we ended up to a cluster of colorful temples amidst the hills of Penang. I'll show why you need to make a pit stop at this beautiful temple.

Part of the view. The right building is actually a pagoda.

Compulsory portrait shot hehehe. 

If you're a tortoise lover you need to stop by here and look at the hoard of red eared sliders in one of the many ponds tucked away. This was just like a dot in the ocean, there was tortoise as long as a metre just chilling at the bottom of the pond.

Paid RM 5 per person to take this inclined elevator to see the huge bronze statue.

The huge bronze statue awaiting you at the top of the hill. It was a sight to behold. According to the reliable sources at Wikipedia:-

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. It replaced the previous white plaster Kuan Yin statue which was damaged due to a fire a few years earlier. The bronze statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda while the head of the previous statue which survived the fire is preserved and placed on the right hand corner of the new statue. 

Kuan Yin is the Goddess of Mercy, which can also be regarded as Avalokitheshvara, Bodhisattva of Universal Compassion.

One of the gazebos on a huge pond. Thanks to two French tourists who helped take this picture. Hope your visit to Malaysia was beautiful and amazing :)

Respect any house of worship. Be aware of any signs telling you to do certain thing(s). 

The intricate designs and patterns inside the temple.

Flower offerings for prayer purposes.

You purchase these wishing ribbons, each with it's own wishes, such as health, prosperity, etc, and tie it to a big tree around the courtyard.

The trees affixed with wishing ribbons from past visitors.

I'm not really sure the purpose of these jars. I think there's candles in it that visitors light up?

Incense stick offerings to Buddha.

Another magnificent view of Penang, not to be missed.

In front of the pagoda. We climbed 7 flights of steps to reach the top of the pagoda!

The view awaiting us once we got to the top of the pagoda. Yeah alright, it was worth swearing, sweating, and maneuvering over steps big enough to fit feet less than 5 inches long to have this beautiful, windy view.

With him :)

The Kek Lok Si Temple (simplified Chinese: 极乐寺; traditional Chinese: 極樂寺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ki̍k-lo̍k-sī; Penang Hokkien for "Temple of Supreme Bliss" or "Temple of Sukhavati") is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia^{[citation needed]}. The temple is heavily commercialised with shops at every level and inside the main temple complexes.

There was so many nooks and crannies to be explored, along with the beautiful views of Penang on top of the hill. It's definitely worth a stop, especially if you're someone who respects religion, and appreciate the beauty of the architecture.

19. a clash of cultures

Indonesian cuisine leaves one tastebuds miffed. It is always brimful of spices, salty, and most of the times, you can taste sugar in every dish. But all the food I've tasted thus far are delicious. Although it assaults your tongue in all ways delectable, so you can't really consume much of it, only a little.

This is kelapa susu manis. It's essentially the coconut flesh in fresh coconut juice, mixed with bendera kental manis (condensed milk) and gula Melaka (palm tree syrup sugar). In my humble opinion, this drink was so delicious, much better than jus alpukat (avocado juice). Just thinking about this refreshing drink is making me salivating. Drool!

This is pisang karamel (caramelized banana). Oh my God, this dessert was absolutely delicious. It's essentially banana fried in a crispy, crunchy batter, and topped with grated cheese and drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrup. It should be eaten piping hot. 

This is one of Indonesia's signature dish, bakso. This was from a restaurant called Bakso Malang (unlucky bakso). It's essentially meaty beefballs served in a delicious broth, sometimes with noodles, tofu pieces and so forth. Topped with their spicy chilli-soya-sauce, you could be enjoying a tantalizing mix of fiery, wholesome beef in your mouth. 

As the saying goes, When In Rome, Do As The Romans Do. In this case, when in Palembang, eat as the locals do. The top dish is a popular Indonesian dish called ikan terbang or "flying fish". My god, it was cooked perfectly; crispy on the outside, moist chunks of fish on the inside (you can see my father's impatient fingers in the picture). The bottom is kepiting masak lada hitam (crab in black pepper sauce). You know it's good spicy when you're gasping for water but you're still holding onto the crab. These dishes are from a popular restaurant, Riverside Restaurant.

The gorgeous view from Riverside Restaurant. Clear, sunny skies. What a beautiful sight to see.