Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Weekend in Penang part 1

November-
 N had booked time off for a sailing course but unfortunately it was cancelled so we instead took the opportunity to visit Penang for a long weekend. We stayed at the very elegant Eastern and Oriental Hotel. It sits right on the sea front and has stunning views of the sea and mainland Malaysia beyond.
The whole place oozes peace and calm

It's hard to see where the infinity pool ends and the view begins 
                        A stunning view, cool breeze and a glass of chilled wine- close to perfection
 just needed a delicious cake!
Dusk across the bay, Penang Hill behind
Our bathroom was huge and beautifully arranged
The next morning we thought we should tear ourselves away from the hotel and do some sightseeing.
First stop was the Thai Buddhist Temple, Wat Chayamangkalaram.
The temple  is very ornately decorated outside and in, with guardians and dragon serpents.
                                       Inside is a 33meter long gold plated reclining Buddha

...and numerous jars containing the ashes of deceased devotees
..and a series of gold painted 3D images tell the story of Buddha 
On the other side of the road is a Burmese Buddhist temple-the Dhammikarama. It was one of the earliest and the only Burmese temple in Malaysia.  
inside here is a giant marbled standing Buddha. 
Receiving a blessing from a monk 

Outside is Panca-Rupa, this world guardian and protector. It possesses the quality of the five best combinations; such as the trunk and tusks of the elephant, four hoofed legs and two agile ears of the horse, the lion faced head (chimera) with the deer's horn, the body and tail of the fish and the two powerful wings of the Roe (Garuda). Therefore ideally suited for it's role of guarding the world in the form of the globe.
The Arahant Upagutta Shrine below; this is stated to posses the power to overcome all obstacles and problems and to fulfill wishes and also exorcise evil.
We travelled on out of Georgetown to the bottom of the Penang Hill funicular railway, I wandered up a nearby street. 
The Penang Hill railway started in 1923 and carries passengers up Penang Hill (833m) and goes through a 79m long tunnel on the steepest tunnel track in the world. 
 

Nearing the top it became very misty and delightfully cool 
We took a buggy tour of the area at the top, there are 52 hill bungalows, mainly privately owned and most more than 100 years old. 
The views came and went as the clouds rolled by 

"Love padlocks" have caught on here too it would seem 
At the top there is a Mosque and this Hindu temple 



and slightly away from the crowds monkeys  
and lots of jungle flora including this pitcher plant 
After a lovely visit we headed back down again to hot and stciky Georgetown

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