MALAYSIA || Penang - travel vlog (Kek Lok Si, Clan Jetties, Dhammikarama) 15 Degrees North

15° North are travelling again! This time we are in Malaysia, on the island city of Penang. There we visit: Georgetown, Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang Hill, the Clan Jetties, Dhammikarama Burmese Temple, Wat Chayamangkalaram Thai Temple & Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi.
Jérémy and Ben here again! We love to travel and to satisfy our wanderlust, we are on a worldwide odyssey exploring the best places for a break around the world. We love to escape Britain to experience the best culture, cuisine and attractions that the globe has to offer. If you’re a tourist like us and just need a good itinerary for what to do and how to do it when you’re in Penang, we will show you the best things to put on your itinerary.
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Penang is an island off the Malaysian coast, linked to the mainland by two massive bridges, one of which is 21 kilometers long and one of the longest in Asia. The second biggest urban zone in the country, the city of Georgetown sits at its heart, with its bustling old town and colonial architecture. Penang was founded by the British in 1786, surprisingly not by a man named George, but by a man named Francis. The Brits then occupied the city until Malaysia’s independence in 1957, interrupted only by the Japanese during World War Two. As a post-colonial city, Penang has thrived, just like Malaysia as a whole, which has the appearance and infrastructure of a developed nation.
Penang is known as a foodie city, so what better way to wait for the monsoon to stop than sampling all the culinary delights that we could get our hands on? The food in Penang was so GOOD. Although we had to wait until Kuala Lumpur to find our favourite dish of Malaysian cuisine: a rendang.
Malaysia is a Muslim country, but Penang is close to the Thai border. Subsequently there are plenty of Buddhist temples all across the city. With significant ex-pat communities from its neighbours, each group has built their own religious sights and it’s really interesting to see the differences between them when they’re standing side by side.
Considerable effort has been made to preserve the older portions of the city, which has been recognised by UNESCO, who inscribed the Old Town as a World Heritage Site. Part of that are the remarkable clan jetties, clustered on the waterfront. When Chinese immigrants came to Penang in the nineteenth century, they came to work as fishermen. Building jetties to moor their boats, they also built floating houses too, clustered together on the seashore. Their descendents still live there today in this remarkable floating village. I kept having to remind myself that we were walking through something real and not imagined, because this looked like something constructed as a film set. It’s really quite remarkable and definitely one of Penang’s highlights.
In the middle of Penang is a mountain, which you can ascend via furnicular. Officially it’s a hill (866 metres is a very big hill) and the jewel of Penang sits just at the bottom. Kek Lok Si is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and, frankly, it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful. A place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from across south-east Asia, it was built in the 1890s and the complex revolves around the striking Pagoda of the Ten Thousand Buddhas. The pagoda is split into three sections, architecturally. The bottom storeys are Chinese, the middle is Thai and the top is Burmese, representing the blend of cultures in Penang. The result is stunning. And the complex is like a Buddhist Disneyland.

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Hi guys. Welcome to penang