Penang - Part 2. The Hill and Kek Lok Si

7th - 10 Mar 2012

Penang Hill is a short 6 km bus ride out of Georgetown and the top, reachable by funicular. It’s a slow, very steep ride in parts…kind of like my blog writing efforts of late. The track is just under 2 km long and in places the climb is nearly 28 degrees.

The views from just over 820 metres above sea level are quite nice, overlooking the channel between the island and mainland. And it’s COOL up there!

I’d forgot to mention that we’d caught up with our daughter, LJ and her partner, the day before and between the four of us we all guestimated the length of the bridge in the distance. None of came close to the its actual 13.5 km and none of us guessed that the second bridge under construction would be a whopping 24 km when completed, making it the 4th longest bridge in SE Asia.

Apart from the view, there’s not really much to do up there. Look at the Hindu temple and mini Mosque (which was closed), visit the Aviary & Ginger Garden, have a meal at one of the many eateries or go on the nature walk, if that’s your thing.

And there's always being grateful that times have changed and we hadn't made the trip up in one of these.

My ulterior motive for going was to visit the nearby Kek Lok Si temple, whose towering image of bodhisattva Guan Yin, can be seen on the way up to the hill’s base.

My memory might be a bit fuzzy, but I wasn’t alone ‘what the’-ing the bus fare for the quick ride from the hill to the temple, which cost more than it did to journey out from the city. And, no ticket?

Anyway, I did enjoy the architecture and views (perhaps not all of the steps) and again, another short trip in a funicular.

 The bronze image of bodhisattva Guan Yin stands
over 30 metres tall.

Penang regrets, not visiting the spice farm, exploring the island some more, releasing the turtles at Kek Lok Si temple and not sampling ais kacang.

Well, maybe not the latter.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

Georgetown, Penang - Part 1

7th - 10 Mar 2012

Penang’s much bigger and more populated than I thought it would be. The airport was, and no doubt still is, undergoing some major renovations…but we eventually found the exit to catch a public bus into Georgetown. 

A 45 minute ride, stopping at various locations, along the way. I was ssooo hungry, as soon as we entered a huge shopping complex I voted to disembark. It so happened that we were at Komtar mall, where for buses, all roads lead…well, most of them. It makes a good landmark, being home to Penang's tallest building.

After sating the stomach demons, we hailed a taxi to our hotel. Turns out we were only a kilometre, or less, away.

The Old Penang Guesthouse (review) is located on Love Lane, which is in the Georgetown Heritage walk area.

Although, not greatly impressed with our temporary lodgings, it is however in an ideal location. Just around the corner from the Goddess of Mercy Temple, which is just around the corner from the famous blue Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. And, a great place for dinner, the Red Garden.  A huge array of individual food outlets surrounding a dining area, with live entertainment which can be a quite good, if not entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

For a photographer, or someone with a half decent camera, there’s plenty of old buildings to snap. The architecture is a melting pot of British, Indian, Islamic, and Chinese. One aspect stood out for me and that was the inclusion of small decorative tiles on many of the old terrace house entrances.

I loved these quirky sculptured signs on some of the walls, explaining where you are. The result of a competition, a series of them have been made and gradually installed since 2009.

Along another path of the walk, it feels more English  (for very good reason), passing the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis and City Hall.

 Wiki says ‘Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. This is for the most part due to the Rent Control Act which froze house rental prices for decades, making redevelopment unprofitable.’ 

This apparently is the reason for many of the buildings being in a state of disrepair, but, Georgetown definitely has a certain charm about it. The Act was repealed in 2000, so fingers crossed many of the buildings will be restored and not bulldozed.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai