Today we docked in Penang Maylasia and our excursion took us to nearby Georgetown
We first visited theThe Pinang Peranakan Mansion (Malay:Rumah Agam Peranakan Pulau Pinang) inGeorge Town,Penang,Malaysia, is a museum dedicated toPenang’sPeranakanheritage. The museum itself is housed within a distinctive green-hued mansion at Church Street,George Town, which once served as the residence and office of a 19th-century Chinese tycoon,Chung Keng Quee.
The mansion contains thousands ofPeranakanartifacts, antiques and collectibles, as well as showcasingPeranakaninterior design and customs, such as the typical grand longdining table(Malay:tok panjang). Due to its unique architecture and interior design that reflect the lifestyles of thePeranakansinPenang, the mansion has been featured in television series and reality TV shows, such asThe Little Nyonya,The Amazing RaceandThe Amazing Race Asia.
Our guide took Conrad and I to a separate part of the mansion while others were upstairs, and showed us a temple that the owner had built for himselfand his ancestors and as part of the area he had these “opera” balconies installed with removable characters so that he could change which opera it was depicting.
After we left the mansion we headed to a temple called Kek Lok Si, it is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. It has about a hundred steps that go up to the temple from the ground floor area where you park but they are spread across several landings and it was a pretty easy climb to the top. The temple has many Buddha statues and murals spread across many levels until you reach the golden Buddha which is the highest level that we went to.
After we left the temple we went to a resort called the Golden Sands that was owned by the Shangri-La hotel chain where we stayed in Bankok and had a buffet lunch. After lunch we walked along the beachfront to take some pictures.
After lunch we went to a Butterfly garden where we went through areas that had all kinds of animals and butterflys.
On our way back to the ship we stopped at a spice stall on the roadside where they make nutmeg extract balms to treat arthritis pain.
We returned to the ship in time for a showerand some dinner. We are looking forward to Phuket and some sea cave canoeing tomorrow.