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

Wat Mornthean and down the road a bit

I thought I was well and truly over looking at wats, but I must admit I really did enjoy traipsing around Chiang Mai a bit, with JJ, rediscovering their intrigue and beauty. I like to know a little about what I've seen, so once back to my computer, I try to do a bit of research. Please feel free to correct me if I get it wrong.

Wat Mornthean, (Wat Palace or Royal House - วัดมณเฑียร), or Monthian as Google would have it, lies inside the moat, opposite Wat Lok Molee. This is all the information you get regarding the wat, at the wat...the name and address.

What's At Wat Lok Molee?

Aesthically, this would have to be my most favourite wat yet. On the entrance and some surrounding buildings, white decorations made from fired clay (?) overlay the rusty brown bricks, reminding me of an iced ginger bread house or lacy wedding cake.

One of two yaksha demon warrior statues standing guard.

Walk A Mile (or two) In Chiang Mai

Shortly after JJ arrived the other day, I dragged her about one kilometre, up to the old city to have a look around. It was quite a long walk, but nice to go with a first time visitor. We wandered into places I hadn't even been into shame on me and noticed things I'd walked by many a time without giving them a second glance.

Our walk in photos, starting from Chiang Mai Gate heading north, covering the small south east corner of the old city...there's a map at the end of the post :) Enjoy!

Videos - Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi...sort of. 2009

....still uploading old videos, finished now, I promise! 

On the last leg of our Thailand holiday we went out to Ayutthaya. 'I' could have spent days out there if it weren't for the heat, I love old architecture, especially if its crumbling. We arrived by mini bus at which time our tour guide diligently dispensed round stickers to our shirts...so we knew who we were! Stray offered to afix mine and proceeded to adhere it to my..well, not in an appropriate place. I could have and should have smacked him up side the head, but there were witnesses.

After visiting a Wat (one that was rebuilt after the Burmese burnt it down)...I cant remember the names and feel a little ashamed, but one can get a bit Watted out  after a while, we headed to one of the large ruin sites right next door. Wat Phra Si Sanphet?

Video and Photos - Floating Markets and Giant Dragon Temple, Thailand 2009

One of the things I wanted to do in Thailand last year was to visit the floating market. I had no idea that there was more than one (stupid me) and hence, went to not quite MY intended location. We went by taxi from BKK and arrived at a VERY expensive boat ride through the markets. We're not quite sure which markets we went to, perhaps Don Wai, either way it was ridiculously priced at around 1000 Baht each! This was probably inclusive of our taxi driver's kick back.