Penang | Singapore Travel Photo Blog @ travelerfolio.com

Randomly Penang

Purple lily. I like this shot.

When you see this signboard on the heritage trail in Georgetown, Khoo Kongsi is just 200 metres ahead on the heritage trail, after Cheah Kongsi. Do drop by Cheah Kongsi along Armenian Street. The Cheah ancient property is one of the oldest Chinese clan associations in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Penang island. Admission is free to Cheah Kongsi.

Further down Armenian Street after Cheah Kongsi and Khoo Kongsi, you will also come across Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple. It was built in the 1850s-60s, a community temple devoted to the worship of Twa Peh Kong.

The beautiful Chinese temple rooftop.

It’s still a popular choice among tourists to explore George Town by trishaw.

A mosque is also located near the temple. Just found out from Mylo that it’s Acheen Street Mosque.

An OLD barber shop in the OLD town!

A temple altar.

A can collector.

The backyard of some houses.

M.C.A = Malaysia Chinese Association.

When this blog post title says “Randomly Penang”, I mean it. The photos in this post were taken from anywhere in Penang. This wooden horse and carriage shot was snapped at New World Park in Georgetown. There is a hawker centre, restaurants, cafes (Oldtown White Coffee, Starbuck?) and Guardian Pharmacy within the premises.

Take an evening walk along Church Street Pier to watch sunset. The pier is established since 1897.

Rows of colourful kites on sales at a seaside near Queensbay Mall to serve the current kite-flying trend!

A mini kelong for the fishing enthusiasts!

The Penang Bridge that connects the island to the mainland. The 13.5 km iconic landmark of Malaysia is one of the longest bridges in the world.

Penang Bridge at night.

Bon Voyage!

Previous Posts on Penang in this series: Penang Sightseeing | Cheah Kongsi

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (15)

Penang sightseeing

Wat Chayamangalaram temple is another popular tourist attraction in Penang. Built in 1845, the Thai Buddhist temple is popularly known as the Sleeping Buddha temple, as it houses one of the world’s largest reclining Buddha.

The 33-metre long reclining Buddha.

Just opposite the impressive Thai Buddhist temple is the grand and imposing Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. This magnificent temple is definitely worth a visit; I think it’s much bigger than Wat Chayamangalaram and there is a beautiful garden in the temple complex. The architecture of the temple is remarkable and it features rows of Buddha statues from around the world. A very “international” temple indeed!

The typical road scene: we always drive along this main road with rows of old shophouses on both sides whenever we are in the old town area.

Passed by an abandoned dilapidated old school with rainbow across the sky.

Whose Alma mater?

Fascinated by the bi-colour orange blue sunset near the airport. It’s not photoshopped.

The twilight zone…

Next, more photos from Penang!
Read previous post: Cheah Kongsi in Penang

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (8)

Coincidence leads to an ancient property

This time, we decided to pull over the car and explore the nooks and corners of Old Penang on foot. Unknowingly, the quiet path that we took is a heritage trail that leads to one of the oldest Straits Chinese clan associations in the core zone of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in George Town, the small entrance of Cheah Kongsi is like a hidden recess along Armenian Street. The distinctive temple roof and the red-walled passageway did look inviting enough for us to step into the historic property.

As we walked into the garden, the keeper of the property appeared out of nowhere (*mysterious*) to welcome us and even offered to show us around the place. It was free entrance plus a helpful guide! The 1870s Penang-style temple is a hybrid of a Chinese temple, a Chinese courtyard mansion and a colonial bungalow.

Traditional red Chinese doors with painted figures.

The Chinese script on the wall was written by the Chinese revolutionary leader, Dr Sun Yat-sen. This used to be a meeting room on the ground floor.

We were surprised that the temple is actually located on the second level of the property instead of the ground level like most temples.

This is the temple on the second level.

The intricate design and structure of the two-storey building has an interesting blend of Chinese, Malay and European identities.

The keeper was quite amused to find me busily snapping away in the mansion and asked if I would be photographing every part of it. I told him “It’s not possible. There are so much to appreciate in this clan house; unless I can stay here.” May I?

An old antique cabinet displaying porcelain art.

Apparently, it’s a recreation room with an opium bed on the right and a Mahjong table in the centre!

An old time office. Just look at the young Queen Elizabeth’s portrait and you can guess the age of this office!

The bedroom of a Peranakan. This property seems to have something of everything!

And there is an old school in the premises too!

Stay tuned for more Penang updates!

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (10)

Penang “Rojak”

Travelling is not just about visiting sights, indulging in local cuisine, shopping, experiencing different cultures… blah blah… sometimes you get caught in massive jams while on the way to your next destination. And you begin to worry when you see thick smoke rising to the sky…

and then… a fire engine whizzes past and stops ahead and you see firemen quickly get to the water hose…

And the next thing you see: a blazing car.

Firemen trying to put out the fire.

The blazing car was parked at the side of the main road and not obstructing the traffic flow. So why the jam?? Just like any kind of road accident, it must have attracted many curious drivers to slow down and see what’s going on. That’s why!

In Singapore, it’s called Penang Laksa. In Penang, you can’t find Penang Laksa as it’s known as Asam Laksa. @_@ If you are at Balik Pulau, try this famous Asam Laksa stall which claims that it’s Best of the Best Balik Pulau Laksa. They serve three kind of Laksa – Asam Laksa, Siam Laksa (aka Lemak Laksa) and Mix Laksa (Asam + Siam!).

I ordered a bowl of Siam Laksa. If you have tried the original Asam Laksa before, Siam Laksa is sweeter and the soup base is thicker as it’s added with coconut milk. Something new for me and it’s just right for my taste buds.

The Asam Laksa is delectable as well! Those who prefer a lighter version can try this. Love the fish flakes!

Location of Balik Pulau Laksa: The coffee shop can be found directly at the Jalan Tun Sardon intersection into the main road. Shophouse no. 67.

Opening hours: 11 am – 4 pm. Closed on Wednesday.

At one glance, who would think that this coconut does not contain water but jelly? That’s coconut jelly. The coconut water is formed into jelly after food processing. The jelly just tastes like coconut water in jelly form. And there is still soft coconut flesh in the shell. It’s a very refreshing dessert!

On the label, it’s named “Tender Nut Jelly“. Maybe you can get some from: 240 Datuk Kramat 10150 Pulau Pinang.

We like to snack at Oldtown Cafe whenever we are in Penang. That day we ordered some slices of kaya butter toast. They looked good on the outside, though seemed abit too dry and crisp. I thought I didn’t taste any butter so I lifted up the top slice…

and saw two “fries”. So? Nothing. Just wondering why the butter was cut this way.

Word of the day:

Rojak – A fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, just like this post with random photos from Penang. \(-.-)/

I’m going Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah in two days’ time. Come back soon to check out my posts on KK!

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (13)

Beware of the Fangs!

No, it’s not a zoo. The snakes are everywhere and not kept in any enclosures. One glance at the triangular head, you know they are venomous snakes. Those are pit vipers. Wagler’s pit vipers.

So where on earth is this place? You are now on an island, somewhere in Penang, Malaysia… …

You are in a 159 year-old temple with many snakes waiting to be discovered. They may appear docile, but don’t you dare to touch them. Beware of their fangs!

The Snake Temple 蛇庙, aka Temple of Azure Cloud (not exactly, with that grey overcast sky) was originally built in 1850 and is one of the oldest temples in the world. Some say that, perhaps, it’s the only temple of its kind in the world… er…is it because of the many snakes residing within the temple??

The Snake Temple decorated with intricate designs.

The devotees believe that the snakes came to temple on their own accord. However, due to the urbanization of the area that could have disturbed the natural habitat of the snakes, it’s probably why there aren’t many snakes in the temple now and snakes don’t crawl in and out of the temple anymore ’cos the jungle was gone.

The notice states that all are live snakes but visitors are requested not to prod or harm the snakes as THEY may be injured. What? I thought we could be injured instead but it seems to be the other way round. Oh man those vipers have fangs!

These motionless temple vipers are believed to be paralyzed by the smoke of the burning incense in the temple and so far, it’s said that no one has been bitten by any of the snakes before. Some say the poisonous snakes have been de-venomed but the fangs are still intact. However, some say that the snakes are still venomous. So, just be careful while you are standing near these fellows.

Zzzzz… A sleeping viper. I dare you wake it up!

Finally, after the “snake teasers”, you can proceed to drape a snake around you at this booth for photo-taking at a fee. I never try this before and I don’t think I want to do that!

Location of the Snake Temple: Sungai Kluang, Bayan Lepas (near the airport) in Penang, Malaysia.

Opening hours: 6am to 7pm daily. Free admission.

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (22)

Kek Lok Si Air Itam

I wish I could stay on for a few more days to explore Kuala Lumpur since I hadn’t been there for years but we had to drive back to Penang island to catch the flight back to Singapore two days later.

Back in Penang, we continued to indulge in more authentic local eats on a Monday morning at Air Itam market. There were many market-goers around, probably cos it was Malaysia National Day, a public holiday. Or is the market always crowded in the morning?

It was quite unusual for someone who kept snapping away in this local market area. Obviously, I looked like a tourist. No, not all Singapore tourists are so engrossed in taking pics this way, unless… if you are a travel blogger?? So nowadays, whenever I see people taking photos, especially aiming at food before eating, I would think they might have a blog. XD

It’s so convenient. You don’t need to find parking lot and can just buy groceries along the way on a scooter, just like MacDonald’s Drive Thru’. =D

Fresh chicken.

This friendly uncle took out a harmless-looking little snake from the container and posed this shot for me. Well, I guess, those snakes are for consumption. :S Or could it be for “animal liberation”?

A cage of turtles. apparently, are for someone’s dining table. Hey maybe that’s for “animal liberation”. Also, live fish in buckets of water.

We came to Air Itam for the famous “Kio Kar” curry mee! I bet Penangites know about this stall along the roadside manned by the two (or three?) old aunties who cook curry using charcoal stove. All the ingredients and pots are placed on the floor. While sitting on stools, the friendly ladies would prepare the food for the customers. It’s not easy to find seats as there are only a few tables along the busy street.

I was a little surprised when my order came. It wasn’t quite like the curry mee with thick red curry gravy that I know of. The curry has little coconut milk in it so it tastes like soup to me. If you like it more spicy, stir the chilli paste into the gravy. The bowl is topped with cuttle fish and tau pok (fried bean curd).

Old wooden chopsticks, perhaps, older than you!

Perched against a hill slope in Air Itam, Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. The magnificent temple also houses a columbarium with niches to store cremation urns. Those marble niches at the top floor facing the city and the sea are the most expensive: one niche costs up to RM30,ooo (~US$8700).