Thean Hau Temple, Kuala Lumpur

This temple is up on a hill and every Chinese Lunar New Year its site is a blaze of red which can be seen from miles away.

Devotees make their way up the hill whether on foot or in cars.  It took us almost 45 minutes to ascend which on a normal day would only take 5.  It was bumper to bumper traffic crawling up the hill.

Once we were parked, we made our way into the grounds, awed by the thousands of red lanterns above us, swaying gently in the night breeze.

                                                          Steps leading to the main temple
Apart from the main temple, it also houses an auditorium for functions (a Chinese opera was in performance that night) and there was a large forecourt where lion dances are usually performed during the lunar new year.

                                                         Devotees praying to the Deity

                                                                      Another Deity
A section of the temple grounds had statues of the Chinese zodiac animals, a favorite of shutterbugs.

                                                 Chinese zodiac animals bathed in colored lighting

                                                                       The Tiger

                                      My sister and my daughter share the same zodiac animal
A statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin, stands by a little bridge and a small waterfall.

                                                           Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy

                                                              Small man-made waterfall
From the temple we could see the KL Tower and the iconic Twin Towers in the distance.

Straits Quay, Penang

This place looks nice but is very quiet.  Apparently it only comes to life during the weekends when people come out to enjoy the evening, dining in the restaurants or al fresco.

                                                               Outside the Straits Quay

                                                                       The Fountain

                                                            Chinese New Year Decor

                                                                          Wishes

Many yachts are berthed there and there is a wide terrace to savor the sea breeze.

Penang Colonial Museum

This was a new place opened just over a year ago, I believe.   A beautiful collection of antiques and artifacts are housed in an old bungalow with a large compound. This veritable treasure highlights the opulence in the lifestyle of the rich Penang merchants, the Baba-nonya (the Peranakan) and the British Administrator during the colonial era in the 18th-20th centuries.

It belongs to a lady who had collected them over the last fifty years.

Viewing the collections, one gets transported into the past.  Some of the pieces wow the viewer with their ornateness and beauty.

                                         Glass paintings in a arch usually placed above a door

                                                            antique table & stools

                                                          table & chairs for visitors

 

stained glass which used to adorn walls

                                   Owner who is Peranakan was given this brass bed for her wedding

                                                                antique dressing table

                                                Peranakan wicker wedding basket dowry chest

                                                     Peranakan wedding headgear for bride

                                                   Peranakan wedding cap for the groom

                                                                      Garden statue

                                                                         Bath tub

She also has a tree house in the garden atop an old tree.  Ancient tree trunks lie in the garden and antique granite grinders used once a upon a time to grind rice into flour also dot the garden path.

                                                                    Tree house

                                                                    Antique grinders

There is also an adjacent space that has been cleverly converted into an area which anyone can book to host a party, surrounded by wooden carvings and statues.

There are many more pictures which I've not included in this article as it is just a teaser for potential visitors.

This is one of the must-visit places should you ever step foot onto Penang Island.

Penang Hill

We visited this hill more than two decades ago and this time round, we noted many changes.
The train that takes us up is new and the highest station was where we all got off.

                                                                 The train isn't in yet                                                  

                                                                     The Train

                                                             Scenes along the ascent

There were some pretty flowers but not enough to make it a really beautiful place.

                                     This wooden structure houses restaurant and small shops

An Indian temple and a small mosque can be seen up there.

                                                            Front view of Indian Temple

                                                        Side view of the Indian Temple

                                                                      The Mosque
There are buggies that will take you on a 2 kilometer ride along the road but we didn’t take any as we preferred to walk. Many foreign tourists were also wandering along the road near the train station.

                                                                     African Tulips

                           The Solitary African Tulip standing sentinel behind the Indian Temple

                                                                     An old cannon

We spent about an hour up there before taking the train down.