The Famous Kek Lok Si Temple @ Penang

This dated June when we were there for a short trip. We didn't been to Kek Lok Si for a while so going there was a dejavu... There's few things you can do around Kek Lok Si, shopping, eating and the Penang Hill cable car. I did blog about the famous assam laksa around the area, read more about it HERE. We didn't manage to go up the famous Penang Hill as the tickets were sold out!



Unfortunately, we were late and they were closing. Yet, they were nice enough for us to sneak in for a while.











*Pictures are taken using Canon 20D with a combinations of Sigma 24-70mm and Canon 50mm and also Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ 15

A short history of Kek Lok Si as below from Wikipedia:

The construction of the temple began in 1890 and was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang, the project received the sanction of the Emperor Guangxu, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

The primary benefactor of the Kek Lok Si Temple in 1906 was none other than Kapitan Chung Keng Quee.

In 1930, the seven storey main pagoda of the temple or 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.

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. The statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda. - Wikipedia

The time we there, they were constructing a building surrounding the bronze statue of Kuan Yin. My first visit was in 1980s. The temple did multiple renovations and its much nicer now than it used to be. A must go place if you visit Penang.

Malaysia Truly Asia...

RM 1.50 Nasi Lemak @ Sri Weld Food Court, Penang

It was RM 1.20 when I came across Vkeong's post. Now, its RM 1.50. Guess the inflation hits Penang as well as in KL.

I didn't go there on purpose... seriously. It was by chance. It was too early in the morning to look for foods. It was around 10 am and it happened a few weeks ago. Lorong Selamat's famous stalls were still unopened at that time so we went around and found this food court.

We were told that the beef noodle is famous there. Yet, I found something interesting there as well.



The food court at the Beach Street...



The Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang stall at the food court...



Don't tell me after looking this nasi lemak preparation (picture above), you are not tempted to try one. The malay owners paid no attention to me, even though I kept taking pictures of their stall.



They sell 3 types of nasi lemak, the nasi lemak sambal udang (prawn), nasi lemak ikan bilis (enchovies) and egg, nasi lemak ikan (fish). All at RM 1.50 each! That was bloody cheap.

I bought the prawn nasi lemak and slowly unwrapped the banana leaf. The size of the prawn caught the attention of my friends and they were surprised it's only RM 1.50. The rice was very fragrant and not to mention the spicy prawn sambal. It was very good indeed. It was a no regrets affair having this, lovely!
Recommendable!

Address:
Beach Street, Penang

Live Blogging: From Tune Hotel, Penang

Well, its not really my intention to do live blogging from Tune Hotel, Penang. Just that I couldn't sleep even a whole day long of work so why not?

I checked in quarter to 12 midnight. Pre-booked the rooms yesterday and got ourselves (me and my crews) a very small but very clean and modern looking rooms. Its a one night stay, I'm leaving later.

I posted a few messages on my msn, twitter and plurk asking for supper from Penangites, only a few replied. Knowing my usual over friendly craziness attitude, I called it a day rather than seeking for a friend for supper.

Without me around, my wife went out with her friends till late. I had no say in her social life, she had her own privacy exclusively for her. Of course, I do know the friends she went out with.

I took a few pictures in this room that I'm having now, will upload it probably later.

Few things that I discover about Tune Hotel I want to share here:
1. No TV
2. Air Cond - Chargeable
3. Towels and Soaps - Chargeable
4. No Mineral Water.
5. No Breakie
6. No Phone /No Room Service
7. WIFI - Chargeable
8. Slow WIFI
9. Walls are thin
10. Very Reasonable Price - Below RM 80 per night
11. Checked out at 10 am
12. Rooms are tidy and clean
13. Very modern and comfortable rooms (bed is okay)
14. Go advertisements in the room
15. Glass bathroom doors

My room overlooks the busy night city view of Penang. Something that I would brag about, a view with such cheap price.

At this moment, smartly I left my bag in the car. I wouldn't bother as I'm heading to sleep right now. Lots of amazing places coming soon, I promise. Thanks for reading and I really appreciate comments and clicking my ads. I will be heading to Kuantan soon as well as Malacca (again) and Johor Bahru. I have a pending destinations to Hadyai and Jakarta this month. Both are for leisure.

*Trust me, this is not a paid advertorial! Good Night!

Cripsy Roast Chicken @ Restoran Sin Tai Tung, Penang

This going to be a short one. We stumbled upon this restaurant, Sin Tai Tung at the Macallister Road during our last visit to Penang. It was a brunch and we were on our way back to Kuala Lumpur. Since we had lots of heavy meals a day before, we decided to order something fast and simple.



The potato leaf came first. Stir fried lightly with garlic, the potato leaf taste rather average. The potato leaf was rather "old" and the taste was rather flat.



Next, the 1/2 bird roast chicken. The roast chicken came with crackers. the thin chicken skin was amazingly crispy and the meat was tender and juicy. This was recommended by them and I must say, it was pretty good.

Since we ordered only 2 dishes, here are my thoughts about the place.

The potato leaf was rather average while the roast chicken was good. Service was okay. The restaurant is the coffee shop style restaurant so it was NOT air conditioned. Pricing was rather reasonable.

Address & Receipt:

The Penang Malakoff 6 km Run 2009

My third run in my life and of the year. Craziest thing to do was, we drove all the way to Penang to join this run. I ran 6km and wife, Rachel ran for 26km.



Running on beach side was tougher than expected. It was harder to breathe and it was tougher than the usual run. More of the story, HERE.

Famous Lok Bak @ Kedai Kopi Dan Ais Kacang, Lorong Selamat, Penang

Apparently Char Kuey Teow was not the only famous food at Lorong Selamat in Penang. In Kedai Kopi Dan Ais Kacang, their lobak is equally famous as their char kuey teow.



The little nice Lok Bak stall that was visible from far....



Famous Lorong Selamat Lok Bak...??



Well, the lok bak came in bulk! We were surprised! The food was overall good. Not to say impressive but it was good. Everything was fried to cripiness! Goes very well with the sauce and the chili sauce. Something to look forward while waiting for the char kuey teow?

Address:
Kedai Kopi Dan Ais Kacang,
Lorong Selamat,
Penang

Famous Char Kuey Teow @ Kedai Kopi Dan Ais Kacang, Lorong Selamat, Penang

Penang has been famous for its char kuey teow. I've been craving for a good char kuey teow for some time since the stall near my house missing in action few months ago. When I was in Penang last weekend, I wouldn't be satisfy without tasting a good char kuey teow. Indeed, I found one great char kuey teow stall at Lorong Selamat in Penang. It was a great find thanks to CK Lam.

Many would go to the sister's char kuey teow stall at Lorong Selamat, but we were recommended to a "uncle's stall" a few steps away. The stall is located in front of the Kedai Kopi Dan Ice Kacang.



The stall looked damn cool, just parked at the roadside.



The owner was much cooler with his googles.

There were 4 of us. Rachel, Khai, Steph and me. We went to the stall to order the food. The owner told us that we had to wait for 1 hour and 15 min! We were shocked!

We told the owner, we would wait! There won't be any more Foh San story this time around.
For that, we waited one hour plus for the char kuey teow. Unbelievable isn't it?



We ordered 2 plates of char kuey teow. A plate with big 3 prawns cost around RM 6.00 per plate. Expensive to many Penangites but to us it was okay. The food itself was very good. Worth the wait! Chinese sausages, cockles, big prawns and beanspouts were stir fried together to perfection. We loved it! Very recommendable!

Address:
Kedai Kopi Dan Ais Kacang,
Lorong Selamat,
Penang

Famous Air Hitam Assam Laksa @ Jalan Pasar, Penang

I would stop and have a bowl of assam laksa even though I couldn't fill my tummy anymore.

Last Saturday, me, Rachel, Steph and Khai made a quick visit to Penang. People has been telling me about this assam laksa stall near Kek Lok Si temple. After passing by the stall on our way back from Kek Lok Si temple, seriously I couldn't resist the temptation. We stopped and shared a few bowls of assam laksa (even though we had a very heavy lunch).




This was where it begins. Penang branded assam laksa as laksa, I'm not sure about the reason.



If you see a stall like this with an old man non-stop serving assam laksa, how could you ask me not to stop? This was my first time eating at this stall after my few visits to Penang in my life.



I couldn't believe this was only for RM 2.70! It was RM 2.40 few years ago. Very reasonable price.

The place was packed even though its late afternoon. We manage to get a table. In minutes, the assam laksa came. The assam laksa came in a decent bowl and it never lacked off ingredients. The portion was not too bad, lots of shrimp paste (loved it!), mackerel (not sure), onions, cucumbers, red hot chilis and slices of tamarind fruit. Surprisingly there was no pineapple. Like the ingredients, the assam laksa was never lacked of taste. The generous amount of shrimp paste blends very well with the spiciness and the slightly thick assam paste with hints of mackerel. It was good.



In general, the assam laksa was good. Unbeatable price of RM 2.70 and the serving time was fast. Location is at the roadside so it could be dirty. There's parking nearby and there's quite a number of shops around there (to walk or to shop).

This place is recommendable!

Address:
Jalan Pasar, Penang

Penang And Langkawi View From Top

The top 2 pictures are Penang Island/ Pulau Pinang. Bottom 2 pictures are most likely Langkawi Island.

When I can't sleep on the plane, admiring the clouds and saw the islands, took my camera and start snapping.

Pictures are photoshop a bit but there are more work can be done. Tone and color is not perfect yet.

How smalls are the islands from top. They are lovely aren't they?