Khoo Kongsi

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Pulau Penang, Pinang, Malaysia
We didn't get ready until around midday, but finally went out to a little cafe for breakfast. They did the best cup of coffee! We then went to see the 'Yap Kongsi Temple' and the 'Khoo Kongsi', which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The word kongsi means clan association and applies to a clan house, which is a building where Chinese families gather to worship. The Khoo Kongsi had beautiful architecture and the entire building was covered with intricate stone and wood carvings, mural paintings and gold leaf work. The central hall was quite dark and had intricately carved pillars and bulky mother-of-pearl furniture. The hall to the right contained ancestral tablets, which are the equivalent to gravestones, but all painted in gold. The hall to the left housed a shrine to Tua Peh Kong, the god of prosperity. There was a large courtyard in front of the clan house and a theatrical stage directly opposite the house. The roof was very grand and was made of red tiles, topped with carvings of dragons, phoenixes and various scenes from popular Chinese legends. 
 
We then walked to Prangin Mall to check out what was on at the cinema . However, the best option was a Justin Bieber film so we decided not to bother! We got an ice-cream from McDonald's which tasted rather like carnation milk, it was so sickly sweet which I obviously loved but Andrew just thought it tasted weird! We stopped at 'Soho Free House' for a pint, which made us feel like we were back in England, as the minute you stepped inside the place it smelt like a brewery. We continued walking to have a look at the 'Eastern & Oriental Hotel' which was a rather grand building. Our next stop was the 'Penang State Museum' housed in a building dating from 1821 that was originally the first English speaking public school in the east. It contained a wide range of memorabilia, including furniture, ceramics, photographs and clothing focusing on the different cultures withing Penang and the history of the island. We made a quick stop at the 'Kuan Yin Yeng Temple' dedicated to the goddess of mercy, but it was surrounded by pigeons and the odd homeless person begging so we carried on walking. We got back to our room and chilled out after another day of walking around Georgetown. We went to 'Red Garden Food Paradise & Night Market' for something to eat. There was so much choice which we hadn't expected when we first saw the place. We ended up having crispy duck, which was nice but Andrew thought he swallowed a chunk of bone! On the walk back to our guesthouse we found a secondhand bookshop so I bought a new Psychology book and we spotted a supermarket that sold alcohol cheaper than the 7 Eleven!
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