Temple of a thousand Buddhas

Temple of a thousand Buddhas...Its been like a thousand years since i last came here too.. The temple I am referring to - The Kek Lok Si temple, Penang (lit. Temple of Supreme Bliss)..

Everyone knows that before you reach Kek Lok Si, you must follow an alley that is packed with souvenir stalls both left and right along the whole way...because it was a fully covered pathway, it was like walking through a tunnel...only, it gets worse when there are a lot of ppl and when the weather is hot outside..This makes the "tunnel" really uncomfortable to walk.. Well, that isnt my major complain for this trip actually, the worst was the stench from the horribly maintained tortoise pond at the end of the path.. When i was young, i used to happily take pictures with the tortoise and feed them convolvulus..Now, i could hardly wait to bypass the pond and head straight to the temple...For once, i understood why they called it the Temple of Bliss~you have to endure great smells before you enjoy bliss...

The main attraction at Kek Lok Si is actually the giant 30.2 metres tall Bronze Goddess Guan Yin Statue (Goddess of Mercy)..Trust me, its worth seeing..But for those going there anytime soon, you'll be disappointed because they are currently building a roof shelter for the statue and therefore, the whole section has been closed off.. According to sources, each pillar that supports the structure costs a whopping RM 2 million a piece..and there are 8 of them (all fully Imported from China, engraved with intricate carvings)..Hope to see that soon when its fully erected..

My trip at Penang ended here, but that wasnt the end of my holiday just yet..Next was actually Alor Setar, the capital city of Kedah..By the time we left Kek Lok Si, it was already 530pm that day..we took a slow drive to the city and checked in Regency Hotel..