Praying around in Penang's Temple

It is no stranger when you look at Penang's tourism map, places need to be visit are the temples more than other things else. After our breakfast at a Burmese theme decoration dim sum, we backed into our car visit our first temple, Burmese Temple.

The next stop, Thai Temple or well known as "Sleeping Buddha Temple". These Thai and Burmese temple literately facing each other, opposite. They leave bit of resemblance of the past when these people built the temples. They are more to Theravada oriented of Buddhism.

Bought coconut ice-cream inside the Thai temple

Unfortunately I can't taste any coconut >_<

Still full after our breakfast from the dim sum... We headed to Kek Lok Si Temple, Air Hitam

Bottom view of Kek Lok Si temple. Too bad we can't go at night due it is not on 15th or the 30th of the month in the chinnese calender. The view will be nicer at night because all lights will be on.

The pagoda

Inside the temple

Tram guide us Quan Yin(goddess of mercy) 's Statue

The view of Penang, saw KOMTAR building

Back to the temple ground, we explore more...

Oh! by the way, we caught two love pigeon have sex on the roof top of the temple. Everyone try to grab their camera to take photos. No one took video, everyone enjoying free animal porn. No privacy to those two birds.

Dessert at T-Bowl (Toilet Bowl) concept restaurant

The moment we arrived at Penang International Airport, our friend bought to Queensbay Mall. The first thing we wanted to go is T-Bowl (Toilet Bowl) concept restaurant since it is the first branch in Malaysia and wanted to try something special.

The design and the concept base on the bathroom concept; where the toilet bowl used as seat, basin as dining table, mini toilet bowls as food bowl, kinda of attract young people like us.

Since we have taken our lunch at LCCT, we decided to have out dessert there.

Dreamy Fruity Ice Cream

Banana Split Boat

shit like Donut Delight

Kiwi Delight Burger

Overall, I hate to say the shit like and in unwell matter presentation was nice but taste wise it is just mediocre.

Journey to Penang

It was an awesome trip. I've never been to Penang before hence I was psych about everything. On many previous attempt to go there have failed to transportation, wrong timing etc etc etc. This time we managed to booked a flight from AirAisa at a short period of time with reasonable price due to a promotion. Credit to my Penang friends for planning all this trip for us.

Our flight ticket via kiosk

Our flight on the digital board still like the analog type

Before departure

It was a short flight though. On the arrival, we headed to Queensbay Mall. More about that in later post. After walking around the mall, we went to Gurney Drive to have our dinner.

View of Gurney Drive

There are two things I notice in my first few hour in Penang, first wherever you park, there are parking "guardians" in-charge in every parking space you can think off giving you parking ticket.

Some places still using parking meter whereas Melaka uses "scratch and win" method.

Secondly, if you go places like food court in Gurney Drive, you see lots "famous" word imprinted in front of their stall. It is kinda confusing to choose famous char kuay teow when you see it all around you. Thanks to local guidance we got a better advice in narrowing our choices.

Thailand's mobile coconut stall

I'm confused by sign board,

Thai words don't understand...

Chinese words 椰子水(ye zi shui) okay~ acceptable

but the English words... Fresh Coconut and Burning Coconut

What Tha Fook! Burning Coconut?!?~

Anyway my eye are on the coconuts

The Cute Coconuts

More cute coconuts

Aww~ They're cute in many faces...

Khantoke Dinners & Cultural Shows at Chiang Mai

On my first night in Chiang Mai, I had Khantoke Dinners & Cultural Shows. Khantoke is a Lanna Thai tradition, not just something invented for tourists' amusement. Thai Lanna was a civilized Kingdom that existed during the 18th - 20th B.E. Centuries in the area of present-day Northern Thailand. King Mengrai was the king who founded the capital and the dynasty. He accomplished and contributed to the prosperity of the kingdom in several aspects especially in political science, Buddhist religion, art and culture. There are several traditions that eventually became northern heritage one of which is Khantoke. Even today khantoke implies dinner or lunch which is offered by a host to guests at various ceremonies or parties, example in the home or weddings, housewarmings, celebrations, novice ordinations, life extensions or funerals. At the temple, celebrations for buildings in a temple's compound namely, bhote, wiharn, sala, Grand Sermons annual festivals such as Khao Pansa, Og Pansa, Loy Krathong, and new year.

The Khantoke Dinners included their traditional soup as appetizer and then The meal is served on a wooden pedestral tray call "Khantoke", and the dishes are all authentic northern Thai delicacies such as Gaeng Hang Lay, a gingery pork curry; the chili-tomato-minced pork dip called Naam Prik Ong, and the crunchy pieces of pork scratching or Kaeb Moo, for dipping into the rich gravy.

While I'm enjoying the meal, there are performances of dance and music. They started with Fon Thiean (Thai Candle Dance) then Ram Dab (Thai Sword Dance) after that followed by dances by ethnic hill tribe group such as Karen, Hmong, Lahu, Akha, Mien and Lisu each in their own distinct dress and traditions and wear their own unique silver ornaments. Some Places have cultural performance from 4 different regions of Thailand. The distinct identities of tradition and the hill tribe groups is the entertainment theme during the Khantoke Dinner.

Feel like a king right? Well there is one hiccup, for 650 Baht, the dancers were keep on repeating and the lady or maybe she men or maybe even transsexual if my eye don't judge them me wrong, they had flat tummies yet they want to show us....

Celebrating my New Year at Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yesterday, I've just came back from my tiring trip from Chiang Mai and slept for almost 1 day...

It was a nice trip though. So Chiang mean city and Mai means new in Thai and overall it is a new city in northern Thailand.

In every new year eve and new year, many people will flocked in to northern Thailand to released sky lantern. In Thai โคมลอย(khom loi), while in Chinese 孔明燈(Kongming lanterns) or in Japanese 天灯(tentou)...

Tourist like me stayed in Chiang Mai surely need to grabbed my opportunity thus asked my tour guide to buy some for me and travel group.

After making my wishes for my 2010 resolution and then letting those sky lantern go, later I'm heading to night market to taste some of their street foods and buy some souvenirs... On the way there, I saw an array of random sky lanterns floating up on sky with the city building views is like fireflies flying on concrete jungle...

They just took my breath away. At one moment, I'm thinking one of those is mine...

You need to be there to experience the view....

Nice Sirloin ~

I went to Teluk Intan, Perak few weeks back and try their local western food, Steak Factory

at their local mall....

My Sizzling Cheese Sirloin