What is better than a big Buddha? Maybe 10,000 Buddhas! Today I visit what is claimed to be the largest temple in Southeast Asia! I think it's the biggest one I have visited and it's an amazing structure! 

The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang, Malaysia, and is one of the best known temples on the island .The construction of the temple began in 1893 and was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Pitt Street. 

The temple is not just a tourist attraction, it is an important place of worship for both the Taoists and Mahayana Buddhists. The temple holds the record in Malaysia for the tallest temple, the tallest granite pillars and the tallest statue of the Goddess of Mercy.

During the Chinese New Year, the temple is lit up with the thousands of lanterns and candles. It's a sight I would love to see. The temple is amazing to visit in the daytime, but at night it must be awesome.

The temple is high on a hill in the small town of Air Itam, an hour's bus ride from Georgetown, Penang. The views of the city of Georgetown and surrounding areas are amazing while you climb the many levels of the temple, built on different heights of the mountain.

The temple consists of many prayer halls and pagodas, bell towers and other structures that I am not even sure what they are used for . The first thing you see when you arrive in the little town of Air Itam is the 7-story pagoda extending into the sky, high on the hill. You also can't help but see the huge bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy.

Today, I am sight-seeing with Bruno from England. One reason I enjoy sight-seeing with another person is I can have them in the photos I take, without being in them myself. Most people like to have their photos taken, so there is never a problem. However, Bruno is like me in the respect he does not like to be in the photos. So, today, there are few if any photos with either of us in them.

The Temple has many stories and buildings. The views of the town below are great. Some of the photos of the temple are made looking down as we climbed to the different levels on the mountainside. 

To get to the statue of Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy), we had to take an incline car to the top . The views continue to improve during this tour of the Temple that took 2-3 hours for us to see.

As we leave, I look back at the huge temple roaming the mountainside. I want to see this at night when it is all lit up, but that will have to wait until the next trip, I guess.

A short distance from the Temple is Penang Hill. This is the highest point on the island of Penang. We catch a bus to get there, thinking it was further away. Truth is, we could have walked! There is a hike of a few miles to the top, or you can take the funicular tunnel. 

The funicular tunnel is about1 1/2 miles long, the longest in Asia! It is 258 feet long and 10 feet wide and has a steepness of 27.9 degrees. It is the steepest tunnel track in the world! It has been operating since 1923.

On Penang Hill there are 44 hill bungalows. Over half of them are over 100 years old . They were built by the British in 1803. In 2012 there were over 1.2 million visitors to Penang Hill. 

Bruno opts to ride the funicular tunnel instead of doing the hike up the hill, since he is wearing only flip-flops, which would not be good for hiking up the steep hill.

We visit the Hindu temples and enjoy the great panoramic views from the top of the hill. There is a fence with locks on it. The locks are put there by people visiting the hill. They write their names on the locks and leave them locked to the fence.

Flags around the hilltop represent countries with the most visitors to the site in the last year. America's flag is one of the 5 countries with the most visitors!

NEXT: I Visit the Temple Crawling with Venomous Snakes!