Visiting Kek Lok Si

December 3, 2019 by Leave a Comment

For the last of my recaps of my trip to Penang in October, I am going to take you along with me on visiting Kek Lok Si. Besides checking out a Peranakan Mansion (such as staying at the Blue Mansion or visiting Pinang Peranankan Mansion musuem) and checking out the George Town street art and Penang’s wide variety of food, I would recommend visiting Kek Lok Si Pagoda as one of the best things you can do while in Penang. What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha.
Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha.

Kek Lok Si is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, and located on Penang Island about a 30 minute by car from George Town, to the west of the city in the hills. If you visit Komtar, Penang’s tallest building, for a view, you will definitely see it from the viewing deck. In the town Air Itam at the foot of the hills you’ll find lots of great street food and restaurants, so you can easily and happily make this a half day trip. Kek Lok Si itself is probably worth maybe 2 hours of visiting. Since you are already on this side, you may consider combining this trip with visiting Penang Hill.

The main attraction here is the Kek Lok Si pagoda, located at the center and which you have to pay a small and at the centre of the complex. The first photo you see below is not it – that’s just at the entrance. The second photo, with me in it – that’s the Kek Lok Si pagoda behind me with the gold Burmese crown at the top! The Buddha you see in the background of the photo in the left is housed with a green roof that you see directly behind me in the right photo.
Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha.

Before you get to the pagoda, you will first pass through a couple garden courtyards and temple buildings – this part is free. You will not need to pay an entrance fee except to get to the area with the pagoda, and to take the tram to the Kuan Yin statue. This initial area on the way up has some very colorful and detailed wall carvings as part of a circular doorway, and the courtyard itself is lined with identical Buddha statues that make for interesting framing photo ops.
Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha. Visiting Kek Lok Si: What makes it unique is that among its millions of Buddhas it shows the blending of cultures that is so representative of Malaysia by including many stylistic representations of Buddha.

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Food Highlights of Penang

November 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Next in my recap series from my trip to Penang in October, after sharing my stay at the Blue Mansion and details of my #1 must do recommendation of visiting the street art of George Town, it is time to talk food! During my visit I had a super long eating wish list, and was successful in eating some of it – means an excuse to return right to finish crossing everything off? Here are my food highlights of Penang for you to consider for your list when you visit.
Food Highlights of Penang: Satay - individually ordered sticks of prawn, beef, lamb, lamb black pepper, calamari, and chicken tandoori Food Highlights of Penang: Satay - individually ordered sticks of prawn, beef, lamb, lamb black pepper, calamari, and chicken tandoori
Satay – individually ordered sticks of prawn, beef, lamb, lamb black pepper, calamari, and chicken tandoori at a Satay Specialty shop

In Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur may be the national capital, but Penang is its food capital. Lonely Planet ranked Penang as the #1 Best Food Destination in 2014, CNN Travel named Penang as one of the 23 best food cities in the world last year, and The Culture Trip named Penang one of the best 15 cities in the world for food in 2016.

Street food is such a source of price that the tourism board offers Street Food maps with a list and description of an array of popular street food dishes, along with a handful of recommendations of where to get it, on a free street food map. There are also plenty of blogs by locals with their own lists of where are the top places to get a certain dish.

I divided the foods of my Penang food highlights into two main areas: one is street foods of Penang, which you can usually find at hawker centers or evening markets like Chulia Street, New Lane, Gurney Drive, Batu Lanchang, Air Itam, etc. In this case my intent is to help you recognize some of the food you may see. The other grouping is Peranakan food, which you will have to intentionally search to find where it is offered as it is not as common as the street food offerings.

You might also find some amusement in the WonderFood Museum. It’s mostly lots of plastic fake food, but I was impressed with the first floor in showing some special preparations of a various ethnic cuisines that contribute to Malaysia’s food culture in dioramas along with example visuals of dishes with a legend (like seen below). They also offered an overview of the vast many kind of dishes in Malaysia, even some suggestions on where to go to eat the local dish, and of course, so many silly photo ops. If you’re caught in a rainstorm like I was or just want a break from the sun I recommend an hour here.
Food Highlights of Penang: looking at different Malay flavors and food at a display at the Wonderfood Museum Food Highlights of Penang: food at a display at the Wonderfood Museum Food Highlights of Penang: food at a display at the Wonderfood Museum

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