Pinang

Waiting for the funicular
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We waved bye bye to Thailand and headed South in a rickety old minibus to country no. 2, Malaysia. With the drizzling rain, driving on the left, English roadsigns and green fields alongside the motorway, we could just as well have been driving home from Gatwick airport! After about 6 hrs driving and 3 hrs hanging around waiting for connections, we finally arrived in Georgetown on the island of Pinang, the oldest British settlement in Malaysia. It's a real mix of cultures with equal proportions of Chinese (Buddhist), Indian (Hindu) and Malay (Muslim) residents. As a result the food was amazing. With only one full day in Pinang, our sightseeing itinerary was followed with military precision (also our excuse for wearing the same clothes in all the photos!). We started off with a trip up Pinang Hill, the highest point on the island at 821m above sea level, reached by an incredibly steep funicular railway. A kindly Malaysian chap named Mr Kim gave us a lift to our next stop, nearby Kek Lok Si Temple, apparently the largest Buddhist temple complex in Malaysia. We posed for a few pics in the Pagoda at the base, then took the inclined elevator up to the impressive Kuan Yin Statue (Goddess of Mercy) where we made a small donation to the pots marked "Serenity and Happiness", and "Great achievement and Success". Not sure we'll get much for our RM 1 each (about 15p). Next, to Dan's delight, we followed the 'Clan House, Temples and Mosques Trail' through the old town, walking to each of the important religious sites in the area. First was the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy temple with worshippers burning ridiculously huge joss sticks despite the signs warning they shouldn't exceed 4 feet in length. Next was Kapitan Keling Mosque. We were ushered inside and given the grand tour while the principles of Islam were explained to us. Insightful to say the least. After seeing a few more Chinese clan houses and Hindu temples, we were all cultured out, and headed for our church - the nearest bar where we worshipped a large bottle of beer. We had a drink in the revolving restaurant high above the city (couldn't afford dinner), had a massive curry, then went to bed exhausted.

We headed South in a rickety old minibus to country no. 2, Malaysia.