We had planned on taking the bus to Kek Lok Si temple today but when we realised there was a 20 min walk from the bus stop to the temple, we ordered a car. The car dropped us off near the temple complex around 1030 and we made our way up the alley lined with stalls selling souvenirs.
The access to the temple seems to have changed and the route diverted us to the carpark and then the temple complex. The new statue of Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) had changed the route a little.
After passing some temples, we visited the new statue, which required a short ride on a cable car. We took the ride back down before continuing to various other temples and finally the iconic pagoda. The pagoda itself required a small entrance fee.
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- Kek Lok Si Temple is a large complex of temples, with an iconic pagoda.
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- Kek Lok Si Temple is a large complex of temples, with an iconic pagoda.
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- The new Kuan Yin statue.
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- The iconic pagoda of Kek Lok Si.
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- View from the pagoda.
We had wanted to have breakfast in town before the temple visit but somehow ordered a car and got here instead. So, by now, we were pretty hungry. We walked to Ayer Itam market to see what was available.
The heavens opened as soon as we sat down. It was torrential. This market has a famous laksa stall which was meant to be closed today but it appeared open. And their laksa looked pretty clear and anaemic compared to yesterday. So, we opted for Mee Rebus and an Ais Kacang, eating slowly until the rain eased.
Ayer Itam market.
We found the bus stop and caught the bus back to town, disembarking near the hotel. The Rapid Penang buses seem to be tracked real-time on Google Maps. That’s more impressive than Auckland!
In the evening Boo treated me to dinner at a fine-dining Nyonya restaurant called Blue Bellvine. It was in appreciation for the hours I had spent on the phone managing his cancelled flights, converting them to open tickets valid for about 2 years, and finally rebooking them.
Other Nyonya restaurants were booked out, being Father’s Day, perhaps. This one had a small menu without some of the dishes I had hoped to try. It was also very pricey but all that they served to us were good. The cake for dessert was divine!
I had a beer with my dinner, as I resented paying for imported bottled water at a price higher than the beer!