Penang Things to Do Tips by kenyneo

Although Teluk Bahang is a small fishing village area, there are some places of interest where tourist would like to go, eg. Penang Cultural Centre, Butterfly Farm, Teluk Bahang Forest Park and Teluk Bahang Dam.

The route is a combination of sharp corners and bends, including a narrow hairpin and 3 wide hairpins (if not mistaken). Most sharp corners have two lanes, just enough to let two passenger cars to pass, and many corners are in 90 degrees and very narrow- which means you have to drive through them slow as you make a corner in town area. And then, the bends makeup the exciting part of the route, they test your tire grip and your suspension system. These bends have different length, but most are in 100~300 meters, if you want to pass these bends in the shortest time, a set of good tires and good suspension settings are necessary

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Address: Tanjung Bunga and further north
Directions: Up north

Welcome to the Little Forbidden City of Penang ...its magnificent carvings and setting will bring you to the era of Middle Kingdom ...

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Phone: +60 4 2614609
Address: 18 lebuh cannon, 10200 penang.
Directions: nestled amongst the little streets in town.. the entrance is just off lebuh cannon.. near the malay mosque..

entry is RM 5 per adult

The forefathers of the Khoo family who emigrated from South China built it as a clan-house for members of the Khoo family. It was burnt down in 1894 and some believed that it was due to its resemblance to the Emperor's palace. A scaled down version was later built in 1902. The building features a magnificent hall embellished with intricate carvings and richly ornamented beams of the finest wood bearing the mark of master craftsmen from China.

Look at more breathtaking pictures of Khoo
Kongsi in my travelogue

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Phone: +60 4 2614609
Address: 18 lebuh cannon, 10200 penang.
Directions: nestled amongst the little streets in town.. the entrance is just off lebuh cannon.. ..

Named after the Indian Muslim merchant, the "Kapitan Keling" (headman) Caudeer Mohudeen who built it in the early 19th century. It features an ocher yellow facade and dome-shaped minaret reflecting Moorish Islamic influence. Permission to enter must be obtained from mosque officials

The dome has a dark brown shades ...plus its creamy surrounding colour makes it like a Brown Mosque...

( located opposite a Hindu temple, Sri Mariaman and just a about 100 metres from Oldest Chinese Temple - The Kuan Yin Temple , and at the other end of the road is St Goerge Church - isnt it the most appropriate evidence of racial and rligious harmony ? ) Did anyone said Malaysian government restrict religious practice and or there is racial disharmony ?

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Address: Cannon Street
Directions: Near Esplanade

Well Batu Ferringhi is a stretch of beach located on the northern part of the island and is like 20 kilometres from heart of Georgetown, you can get a bus for around RM 2 or a taxi for RM 20 ( bargain before you go into a taxi/cab) or some hotel do provide shuttle service ( like Rasa Sayang ).

There is lot of cool hotels along the beach such as Bayview Beach , Rasa Sayang and Golden Sands. Its a recommended place to stay because you get to feel the cool breeze and look at the beautiful sunrise or take a dip in the sea or have morning coffee by the side of a tropical pool ...before you head downtown ....to dive into Georgetown's heritage , culture and vibrance ...and shopping !

Or you can enjoy lots of water sports like banana boat-riding, jet ski, parasailing, catamaran sailing and so forth ...

And when you head back to Batu Ferringhi after your walk around Georgetown , a different scene awaits you in Batu Ferringhi ...the streets and surrounding transform into a bright and colourful scene..so many seafood restaurants, stalls, pubs and disco just waiting for you to explore !

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Address: Tanjung Bunga and further north
Directions: Up north

What it means

Without doubt one of the largest and best known temple in Penang, the Temple of Supreme Bliss, better known as Kek Lok Si, staggered on the hillside overlooking the town of Ayer Itam. Since the olden days, the hills of Ayer Itam are regarded as important geomantically. Known as He San, or Crane Hill, they are recommended as a retreat for Taoist practitioners striving for immortality.

How it started

The Kek Lok Si project was mooted by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple of Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang, the project received the sanction of the Manchu Emperor Kuang Hsi, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

Construction of the temple started in 1893, but it was only in 1930 that the Pagoda of Rama VI, named after the Thai king who laid the foundation stone, but better known as the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown, reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

Gigantic Statue of Goddess of Mercy ( Kuan YIn )

The latest addition to the temple complex is the 30.2m bronze statue of the Avalokitesvara - Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin - on the hillside above the pagoda. This statue was completed and open to the public at the end of 2002.

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Address: Ayer Itam
Directions: near Ayer Itam, close to funicular

There are 10 major stations to this tour ....

Station 1 - Temple entrance & Turtle liberation pond.
( I remember releaseing some tortoise
here when I was small , mum asked us
to release it cos we practically do not
have time to take care of these cutey,
probably we are just lazy )

Station 2 - Hill gateway & the Hall of Bodhisattvas

What the difference between Buddhas & Bodhisattvas ? They have many similiarity but the essence of their journey is a little different. While Buddha aims to be in Nirwana ( live in perfection and simplicity ) the Boddhisattva on the other hand vow that he/she will out of compassion, not to enter Nirvana until all beings have entered nirvana. This means the Bodhisattva practices not for her or his enlightenment alone, but for the enlightenment of all beings. The Bodhisattva vows to remain in this world of ignorance and confusion, vows to be willing to experience whatever living beings experience, until all beings are liberated....

Station3 - Garden Pavilion of Lord Buddha & the five Bhikkus

A fully ordained disciple of the Buddha is called a bhikkhu. "Mendicant monk" may be suggested as the closest equivalent for "Bhikkhu", literally it means "he who begs" but bhikkhus do not beg. They silently stand at the door for alms. They live on what is spontaneously given by the supporters. He is not a priest as he is no mediator between God and man. He has no vows for life, but he is bound by his rules which he takes of his own accord. He leads a life of voluntary poverty and celibacy. If he is unable to live the Holy Life, he can discard the robe at any time

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Address: Ayer Itam
Directions: near Ayer Itam, close to funicular

Station 4 - Amitabha Buddha Pagoda

"Buddha of Infinite Light". He is one of the five Dhyani Buddhas. He is the Lord of the "Pure Land" of the West known as Sukhavati.

According to Mahayana Buddhist sutras he was a king in the remote period of time. Renouncing his kingdom, he became a monk and was named Dharmakara, which means 'Treasury of Dharma'. Inspired by the teachings of the then Buddha of that time, Lokesvaraja Buddha, who taught him the way to supreme enlightenment many aeons ago, he made forty eight great vows for the saving of the sentient beings

Station 5 - Hall of Devas

In Hinduism Devas are the supreme and represent various forms of god, that is why the priest is called Deobhaju. But for Buddhism Deva are manifestations of the mind and the mind and the Guru are one

Station 6 - Hall of Mahawira

Aside from Buddhism, the most important school to arise in this period was Jainism. Unlike the other heretical schools, Jainism has survived to the present day as a major religion in India; unlike Buddhism, however, it has not spread outside of India. The great teacher of Jainism, Vardhamana Mahavira, lived at the same time as Siddhartha Guatama, the founder of Buddhism.

This path involves a high degree of ascetism; quite literally the best lived life is one of total ascetism: no food or material involvement at all. Since this is an impossible idea, Mahavira developed a second path for normal human beings to follow. This involved five abstinences: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (abstinence from stealing), brahmacarya (chaste living), and aparigraha (abstinence from greed).

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Address: Ayer Itam
Directions: near Ayer Itam, close to funicular

Station 7 - Main prayer hall

Station 8 - Hall of Buddhas of 5 Regions

The Mahayana and the Vajrayana Buddhist traditions believe that the Adibuddha, the primordial Absolute One, manifests as five Dhyani Buddhas by his meditative powers, and Amitabha is one of the five transcendental Buddhas.

Unlike Gautama Buddha Shakyamuni who is a historical human figure, each of these five incarnated abstract aspects of Buddhahood represents a family with related faculties of enlightenment and directions. The five Dhyani Buddhas demonstrate how the five aggregates (aspects of the personality: body, experience, perception, spiritual stimulation, and consciousness) can be transformed into different aspects of enlightenment.

The five Buddhas namely
1) Vairocana Buddha ( centre ) the Illustrious One

2) Akshobhya Buddha ( East ) , The Impurtabable One

3) Ratnasambhava Buddha (South ) The One Born from a Jewel

4) Amitabha Buddha ( West ), the One with Boundless Light

5) Amogasiddhi Buddha ( north ), the One with Infallible Success


Station 9 - Pagoda of a Million Buddhas

Station 10 - Kuan Yin Statue (bronze statue, top level) or Goddess of Mercy , also called

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Address: Ayer Itam
Directions: near Ayer Itam, close to funicular

The hill, also known as Bukit Bendera, is 830 meter high
(2,750 foot) and it's much cooler than in the city below. It's about 3 degrees cooler than the places near the coast.
The station to get to the top is located in Air Itam. From Georgetown, take a Transit Link bus No 1, or No 101, or Lim Seng bus No 91, or minibus No 21 from Lebuh Chulia to the Air Itam Terminal. Penang Hill has a population of about 1000 locals.
The funicular at the railway station takes you to the top and it will cost you RM4.50 for one way. The train leaves the station at Air Itam at 6.30am and at half hourly intervals.
The funicular railway will not take you straight to the top, you have to change trains halfway. in the meantime you'll pass several small station, where the local people get off. There are are also some small hotels and guesthouses on this stretch. The railway was built in 1923 and it takes about half an hour to the top.
At the top of the hill, you'll find a tea kiosk, restaurants, souvenir stalls, a mosque, Hindu temple, and the old Bellevue hotel. The summit offers a magnificent panoramic view of Georgetown, the mainland and Penang Bridge.

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