Penang was the first place I went out “alone” for an excursion on this trip. John and Matthew were on their way home and Ryan opted out of this one, so I joined the tour group as a solo traveler. It wasn’t near as fun by myself – always more fun to have somebody to comment on things or remark about how hot it is – but it was still a worthwhile experience and I’m glad I went.
The excursion consisted of a ride in a tram to the top of Penang Hill for a spectacular view of Georgetown and beyond, and then a visit to a Buddhist temple so famous that it has become an icon of Malaysia. We kicked things off with a shuttle ride to the suburb of Air Itam, where we boarded a railway tram to ascend Penang Hill.
The views on the way to the top were great, as usual, as the peak rose more than 2,700 feet above sea level.
Supposedly the temperature was supposed to be significantly cooler atop the mountain, one reason that the British colonials built homes here. I’m not going to lie. It certainly didn’t feel that much cooler. We had approximately an hour to wander around explore the area. It was lovely, and I saw a weird looking squirrel in the trees. There was also a temple (as it seems there are always temples everywhere…) and a mosque.
We then went back down the hill on the tram, which was actually pretty cool because I was at the front of the tram and you could definitely see the incline quite well. At times it looked like a roller coaster and felt like we would go plummeting if they would just release the breaks.
After descending, we drove to Kek Lok Si Temple, a sprawling Buddhist complex built in the early 20th century. The first thing we saw when we arrived were turtles – and a lot of them – in what is called Liberation Pond. Apparently, turtles are often set free here, as they are considered sacred and symbolize longevity. There was a guy right beside where the turtles were, selling little pieces of vegetation to feed the turtles. Some people bought some and we all witnessed a crazy feeding frenzy among the turtles. You’ve never seen turtles move so fast. They would snatch a leaf and dive below the water to keep other turtles from grabbing it and stealing it. It was fun to see.
We then made our way to the actual temple. Kek Lok Si Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and an important pilgrimage center for Buddhists from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia. The temple itself consists of several large prayer halls and pavilions for assembly and prayer and many statues of Buddha and Chinese deities. The architectural features include carved pillars, fine woodwork mostly painted in bright colors, and a plethora of lanterns throughout. Fish ponds and flower gardens are also part of the temple complex.
The highlight was easily the temple’s seven-story Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, whose stunning design is Chinese, Thai, and Burmese. The views from the top were remarkable and a good reminder of why this particular area was chosen as the site for the temple.
After approximately 90 minutes at the temple, everybody was dripping wet with sweat and ready to head back to the ship. The air conditioning of the shuttle bus has never felt so good! Overall, while I will say that it’s much more enjoyable to do excursions with others, it was a good experience for me to go solo. I did meet some new people while wandering around, but mostly it was a time to enjoy the areas and appreciate some solitude in a tranquil space.