On our second day in Penang, after having breakfast, we came back to our room and relaxed. We spent time playing with Sereen and made her laugh. We were also able to preserve the memory of Sereen's baby laughter by capturing that on video. We took our time getting ready and left the room around 1 pm. Our hotel concierge was able to arrange a taxi for us that was going to stay with us the entire day and whose driver was trusted by the hotel. The driver was a fellow named Mohammad Hussain but our concierge introduced him to us as Mister Hussain. He was a very polite person and pointed out things of interest as we drove by them.
Our first stop of the day was the Khoo Kongsi Temple which is an ornate temple built by the Khoo clan. Unfortunately, the temple was not going to open for another two hours because of Chinese New Year schedule so we couldn't go inside. We saw some street art while walking to the temple and took some photos on the way back. Then we drove by the Kapitan Keling Mosque which was built around 1800 by a Tamil Muslim named Caudeer Mohudeen. Tamils were known as Kelings and he was their leader. The mosque has Indian styled copper domes, turrets and a minaret.
Our next stop of the day was the Kek Lok Si Temple. It's the largest and most celebrated Buddhist temple in Malaysia, spread across a hilltop. The most striking feature of Kek Lok Si is the giant bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy. The temple has multiple prayer halls and a fish pond. The temple complex reminded us of Japan's Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The bright tropical sun was blazing down so it was a challenge to move around while trying to protect Sereen from direct sunlight. There were stairs to go up and see the giant bronze statue up close. Usually that area is closed but it was open for Chinese New Year and our driver encouraged us to make use of this rare opportunity. He watched over the stroller while we explored the statue and took some pictures in the shade.
Our next stop was Penang Hill. It is Malaysia's oldest hill station and was built by the British as an escape from the heat of Georgetown, the main city on Penang Island. Our hotel and the attractions that we explored the previous day are all in Georgetown. To go to the top of the hill, we rode a 7 minute long steep funicular line that was built in 1923. Before the railway was built, a horse track was used to go to the top. It was a challenge getting Sereen's stroller on the funicular since the boarding platform didn't have a ramp, only stairs. The best our express ticket could do was that it got us to the head of the queue. The hill summit offers panoramic views of the Strait of Malacca, the mainland and the island of Penang.
Our original plan was to have afternoon tea at David Brown's restaurant but due to lack of stroller access, we abandoned the idea and instead decided to eat at the food court. Samia had Nasi Goreng (fried rice) with black pepper chicken whereas I had fried rice with grilled chicken. We also got a couple of popiah spring rolls and samosas from another stall. Sereen was taking a nap till that time but then she woke up because of the heat and was very restless. Another perk of the express ticket was that while waiting for the return funicular ride, we could wait in an air conditioned room. That cool break calmed her down so she was fine during the ride down. Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we got to the base of Penang Hill and then he drove us back to our hotel. We liked the service provided by Mister Hussain so we asked him to pick us up the next morning for our ride to the airport as well.
After reaching our hotel, we freshened up and then headed for our hotel's infinity pool. When the pool is built such that it gives the appearance of continuing on into the sea or ocean, it's called an infinity pool. Sereen dressed up in her sunhat, swimming suit and swimming diaper and I helped her take a dip in a swimming pool for the first time. The water was colder than her usual bath water so the experience was novel for her but she seemed to enjoy it. After chilling by the pool for about an hour, we came back to our room and relaxed before dinner.
We had dinner at the same restaurant where we had dinner the night before. This time we put the mosquito net on Sereen's stroller and got a table outside by the ocean. It wasn't too busy so Sereen didn't get disturbed and kept sleeping. We had an appetizer basket comprising fried items - spring rolls, samosas, moneybags (they look like moneybags and the filling is where the money would have been) and batter fried shrimp. For our main course, I had the beef rendang and Samia had the nasi goreng (fried rice) with chicken satay skewers. It was a quiet night. The soothing splashing of ocean water against the shore rocks and the warm tropical night created the perfect setting for a relaxing meal. After the delicious dinner, we walked along the seafront lawn of our hotel under the moonlit sky. It's the largest seafront lawn in the world and boasts manicured lawns and lush gardens overlooking the Strait of Malacca. It had been another tiring day so we fell asleep almost immediately after reaching our room. Till the next update, take care!
Our first stop of the day was the Khoo Kongsi Temple which is an ornate temple built by the Khoo clan. Unfortunately, the temple was not going to open for another two hours because of Chinese New Year schedule so we couldn't go inside. We saw some street art while walking to the temple and took some photos on the way back. Then we drove by the Kapitan Keling Mosque which was built around 1800 by a Tamil Muslim named Caudeer Mohudeen. Tamils were known as Kelings and he was their leader. The mosque has Indian styled copper domes, turrets and a minaret.
Our next stop of the day was the Kek Lok Si Temple. It's the largest and most celebrated Buddhist temple in Malaysia, spread across a hilltop. The most striking feature of Kek Lok Si is the giant bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy. The temple has multiple prayer halls and a fish pond. The temple complex reminded us of Japan's Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The bright tropical sun was blazing down so it was a challenge to move around while trying to protect Sereen from direct sunlight. There were stairs to go up and see the giant bronze statue up close. Usually that area is closed but it was open for Chinese New Year and our driver encouraged us to make use of this rare opportunity. He watched over the stroller while we explored the statue and took some pictures in the shade.
Our next stop was Penang Hill. It is Malaysia's oldest hill station and was built by the British as an escape from the heat of Georgetown, the main city on Penang Island. Our hotel and the attractions that we explored the previous day are all in Georgetown. To go to the top of the hill, we rode a 7 minute long steep funicular line that was built in 1923. Before the railway was built, a horse track was used to go to the top. It was a challenge getting Sereen's stroller on the funicular since the boarding platform didn't have a ramp, only stairs. The best our express ticket could do was that it got us to the head of the queue. The hill summit offers panoramic views of the Strait of Malacca, the mainland and the island of Penang.
Our original plan was to have afternoon tea at David Brown's restaurant but due to lack of stroller access, we abandoned the idea and instead decided to eat at the food court. Samia had Nasi Goreng (fried rice) with black pepper chicken whereas I had fried rice with grilled chicken. We also got a couple of popiah spring rolls and samosas from another stall. Sereen was taking a nap till that time but then she woke up because of the heat and was very restless. Another perk of the express ticket was that while waiting for the return funicular ride, we could wait in an air conditioned room. That cool break calmed her down so she was fine during the ride down. Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we got to the base of Penang Hill and then he drove us back to our hotel. We liked the service provided by Mister Hussain so we asked him to pick us up the next morning for our ride to the airport as well.
After reaching our hotel, we freshened up and then headed for our hotel's infinity pool. When the pool is built such that it gives the appearance of continuing on into the sea or ocean, it's called an infinity pool. Sereen dressed up in her sunhat, swimming suit and swimming diaper and I helped her take a dip in a swimming pool for the first time. The water was colder than her usual bath water so the experience was novel for her but she seemed to enjoy it. After chilling by the pool for about an hour, we came back to our room and relaxed before dinner.
We had dinner at the same restaurant where we had dinner the night before. This time we put the mosquito net on Sereen's stroller and got a table outside by the ocean. It wasn't too busy so Sereen didn't get disturbed and kept sleeping. We had an appetizer basket comprising fried items - spring rolls, samosas, moneybags (they look like moneybags and the filling is where the money would have been) and batter fried shrimp. For our main course, I had the beef rendang and Samia had the nasi goreng (fried rice) with chicken satay skewers. It was a quiet night. The soothing splashing of ocean water against the shore rocks and the warm tropical night created the perfect setting for a relaxing meal. After the delicious dinner, we walked along the seafront lawn of our hotel under the moonlit sky. It's the largest seafront lawn in the world and boasts manicured lawns and lush gardens overlooking the Strait of Malacca. It had been another tiring day so we fell asleep almost immediately after reaching our room. Till the next update, take care!
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