Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) - "Temple of Supreme Bliss"

Penang . 2013 . Jan 17 - 20

This post is a continuation of our previous post on Monkeycup @ Penang Hil - Eco-Garden in Malaysia. You may also read the full review of our 4 Days 3 Nights short getaway trip to Penang here.

After a morning of exploring Penang Hill and an unplanned educational visit to the Monkeycup Eco-Garden, we took the funicular train down Penang Hill.

How to get from Penang Hill to Kek Lok Si (极乐寺)

After about 20 minutes of steep ride on the funicular train, we reached the ticketing counter at the bottom station. There is a bus stop just after the rows of shops and that's where we boarded the Rapid Penang Bus #204 to our next destination, Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) - "Temple of Supreme Bliss.

The bus ride is just slightly less than 5 minutes, but the waiting time was pretty long. Nevertheless, it was still better than walking there (this would probably take us 30 mins?) or paying for a cab ride.

Tip: Inform the driver that you are going to Kek Lok Si, and he will alert you when the bus reached the bus stop. If you want to remember landmarks, you should alight when you see the following shop signs on your left.

View of Air Itam Market and Kek Lok Si sign from bus stop. If you look to your right further up, you should be able to see the prominent signs of Kek Lok Si and Air Itam Market. Notice the bus #204 on the left, that's the one we alighted from! :)

Famous Assam Laksa Stall @ Air Itam Market (Jalan Pasar). As you walk towards Kek Lo Si, you will notice the store on your left. There was quite a good lunch time crowd, and we decided to visit Kek Lo Si before returning to try it if we got the time.

End of the road @ Jalan Pasar. It was a long walk to get to Kek Lok Si, especially under the scorching sun. 

Entrance @ Base of Kek Lok Si. This is just the start of the climb up the hill...

  
Directions to Kek Lok Si.  The walking to Kek Lok Si from the Air Itam market sign took us around 20 minutes, but you will not get lost as there are signs to guide you along the way to the temple of supreme bliss. There are stalls selling tourist items, clothes and souvenirs as you make your way. Be sure to bargain if you see something you like.

Tortoise Liberation Pond (放生池)

The first thing that greets you at the entrance of the temple is the TortoiseLiberation Pond. You can buy vegetables from the vendors around the pond to feed the hundreds of tortoises in the pond.

We spotted a small tortoise among the adult tortoises, who are probably half a century old!

Some of the tortoises were clever enough to be under the shade...

while others had to endure the scorching sun..

 
View of the Air Itam village from Kek Lok Si. Notice the many coaches on the left of the photo. This shows that Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the attractions that you must visit while you are at Penang!

Directory at Kek Lok Si. The Tortoise Liberation Pond is only the start. There are a total of 10 Stations!

There are signs to guide you along as you explore the temple. You should see this sign near the Vegetarian Restaurant and the shops selling souvenir t-shirts.

Lanterns @ Kek Lok Si.

At the Main Prayer Hall, you can buy these colour ribbons to write your prayers and hang them on the prayer trees.

You can choose to go to the right to the Pagoda of a Million Buddhas or to the left to the Kuan Yin Pavilion. we decided to go to the Pagoda first.

  

The Pagoda of a Million Buddhas (万佛宝塔)

The Pagoda of a millon Buddhas. Another main attraction at the Kek Lok Si Temple.

Fantastic view from the Pagoda.

The Kuan Yin Bodhimandala - Way Place of Enlightenment (观音圣像道场)

To get to the Kuan Yin Statue, you would need to purchase a ticket to take the Inclined Lift. The fare is RM4 per adult for a return trip.

You can also chose to buy a one-way ticket and save RM$2 and walk down the steep stairs if you are brave enough and want to "enjoy" some suntan!

(Credits: Photo from http://malaysiaandcambodia.blogspot.com)

(Credits: Photo from http://malaysiaandcambodia.blogspot.com)

Kuan Yin Statue Tickets. Keep the tickets as you would need them when you come down later.

The Inclined Lift is button-operated from inside. Once in, press the button "2" to go up or "1" to go down.

The massive Kuan Yin Statue. One feels so small when standing under it.

The old Kuan Yin Statue. You can see the old Kuan Yin Statue from the new one!

Kuan Yin Statue with Chinese New Year decorations. We had visited Penang just weeks before the Chinese New Year (CNY) and the temple is already decorated with CNY ornaments.

Kuan Yin with Zodiac Signs. You may want to buy one of these based on your chinese Zodiac Signs for peace and good health.

View of George Town from Kuan Yin Statue. As you get higher, the view just gets better! :)

After a long morning visiting Penang Hill and Moneycup Eco-Gardens in the morning, we made our way down the hill from the temple and back to Air Itam.

We decided to give the Air Itam Assam Laksa a miss due to the hot weather and long walk. Instead, we shopped for some Penang Tambun biscuits, a Penang speciality at this shop called Lao Chu Zhong (老祖宗) before taking a cab to Penang Road for some Chendol, Char Kway Teow and Assam Laksa.

 Follow us on our next Post: Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol & Jooi Hooi Café

If you are interested to follow our 4D3N shortgetaway Penang Trip, click here for our trip itinerary and the links to all our posts!

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