Malaysia celebrates its 60th Independence day this year. (yesterday, 31st August)
Went for a trip to Penang ...
There are many internet sites and blogs having very good info regarding Penang, so, this post will just be a memory post with my kids
Of course we need to reach Butterworth first. First site to visit is a temple in Butterworth. The interior is majestic.
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| Temple of Nine Emperror (Tow Boo Kong Temple) |
Had seafood dinner at a rustic place by the sea side (fisherman area) at Jalan Pantai Bersih
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| Tom yum... yum yum |
Place visited at Penang Island, - Air Itam famous Kek Lok Si. Here's a brief intro on Kek Lok Si ....
Kids and temple don't really click. What to keep them occupy? Call them to count the Buddhas on the wall and hall..., that will keep them occupied (just kidding)
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| There are ~10,000 Buddha statues inside the temple |
What the kids like at KLS is feeding the turtles, other attraction is almost negligible to them. Buy RM2 of Kangkung and they will have a fun time.
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| The one and only kid attraction |
Need to pay if want to climb the 7 levels Pagoda. Cheap cheap la
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| Entrance to the Pagoda |
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| View from top of Pagoda |
Of course "makan" (eat) will be the famous Air Itam Laksa nearby. My kids go makan elsewhere nearby though. Laksa is not their food of choice.
Ask whether they want to go Penang Hill for some Flora and Fauna,.... no takers. They want the Beach!
Next, we go to see (hunt) Penang famous street art by London-trained Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic. The art are scattered everywhere around Georgetown, so, it is really taxing to find all of them.
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| Children beside the Little Children on a bicycle (Armenian street) |
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| Reaching Up (where's the flower pot?) - Cannon Street |
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| Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur - is the Dino originally part of the art? |
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| Boy on a bike (Ah Quee Street) |
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| There are other arts to find |
The art do spark some interest initially for the kids, but after much posing and walks under the hot sun, the kids got tired and bored. Only the eldest one seems enthusiast.
Go to Komtar to cool down first - air con. Also savor some famous hawker food along Penang street. Cendol is not bad. The makan food shop place at the front is really full of people, can't even find a seat, but the food is so so, wonder why so many people???
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| Cendol - Big wall art |
There is one Char Kway Teow stall beside the cendol, called LEFT HAND. Famous, got newspaper cuttings . But, left hand char or right hand char, it sure taste similar to me.
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| Famous left hand Char Kway Teow |
It's already way passed noon. Going to Batu Ferringhi beach will be a distance. We choose a nearer destination, Tanjung Bungah, half hour drive from Georgetown. There is a small beach, good enough to enjoy the waves and build sand castles, see some fishing boat....
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| Fishing Boats |
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| A small beach |
.... and the new attraction just beside the beach which comes alive at night, the Penang Avatar Secret Garden. And all this are FREE (transportation excluded). Just post one picture here, can google if want to see more.
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| Avatar only at night |
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| Fancy a game of Chinese Chess - the pieces are Stone Heavy |
The next day, we just go to Komtar, why? Because of the theme park attractions at the TOP. Since the ticket is on offer due to Merdeka 60 promo (MyKad holder only), so, its the best time to visit. Kids and theme park will not go wrong. They do not want to visit museums anyway, so, not much choice. By the way, if you want to buy some Penang souvenir carry bags, the inside of Komtar actually sells at a good price vs. the shops along Penang Rd
One can see some iconic figures displaying at the TOP, life sized!
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| Life size Iron Man |
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| I am Bean |
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| There is also a dino attraction on the TOP |
If you notice from the poster, the ticket include the TOP observatory Deck and the Rainbow Skywalk.
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| Beautiful view from the Top |
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| City lights |
Wait till dawn, scenery is much better
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| Looking down from the Skywalk |
The COCO CABANA BISTRO at the TOP
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| One can have some snacks and drink here.... |
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| ... but we settle for this place opposite Komtar (not cheap too) |
That's it, we say goodbye to Penang Island and heads back to Butterworth,
