Back downtown I boarded another bus going to the Kek Lok Si Temple at another part of the island. Bus fare was 2Rm (.60 cents) but was moving very slow and was packed completely full.

I wanted to visit the State Mosque as well and wasnt sure if they were near enough for me to walk to each other. As we passed the State Mosque the traffic came to a total standstill and what would have been a 30 min drive was taking more than an hour in holiday traffic.

It seems everyone was going to Kek Lok Si Temple and the closer we inched the slower we moved. As it became visible eventually I got off the bus and decided to continue walking

I wasnt sure the right way to go and went thru some residential streets. A resident told me to go back to the main road so I headed back and decided to stop at a restaurant I'd passed as it was now noon and I wanted some strength before I go into the large temple complex.

I went to what was called 'Salam Restaurant' and got some rice with fried chicken, lamb curry, and drink for 15Rm ($5). Now energized I tried to make my way to the temple

The single lane traffic street turns into another street bazaar leading into the temple. This is where all cars were heading which is why nothing could move.

To find the temple entrance you have to actually go thru the maze of shops to find a stairwell that leads in. This is then filled again with many tourist vendors lining the entire length of the long staircase making it seem less tedious and tiresome.

Eventually it opened into an opening with a turtle pond with dozens of turtle sticking their heads out and sharing pieces of leave stems.

The temple complex was very grand, very elaborate, and very crowded. I picked a public holiday to come so not sure how it is in normal times.

Some sections were closed to the public while the ones that were opened were very busy with people. This was certainly one of the largest and most elaborate temples I had seen in all of Asia, this being a 'Muslim majority country'.

I then had a choice of going in two directions. One was to take a funicular car up to the giant deity statue for 5Rm ($1.60) each way. The line looked like it would take an hour.

Instead I could go the opposite was to the seven storied pagoda and just pay 2Rm (.65 cents) where there was no line.

I opted for the pagoda since it seemed more interesting, was cheaper, and had no massive lines.

At first I couldnt figure out how to go up the pagoda a when you go in theres just a statue at the base. The stairs are hidden in its rear.

Each floor had its own shrine and the stairs were decorated with interesting tilework. From the top there was not a clear view of the deity statue and had I gone there I wouldnt have been able to see the pagoda at all.

I hadnt planned on being here this long but with the holiday traffic I knew it would take min of 1 hour to get back. This ruled out any possibility of getting off at the State Mosque to take pictures and waiting for another bus

From the top of the pagoda I also heard the noon Friday Prayer Azaan (call) which meant I'd missed the Friday prayer being stuck at the top of the pagoda.

To try to get the bus back I walked further away from the temple as I knew everything was gridlocked the closer you reached the temple. After waiting I got on at 2.30 and got a seat but when he made the next stop at the Temple it packed completely full and had people squashed in.

It was bottlenecked going back and I was on the wrong side to photograph the State Mosque. I made it back to the city at 3.30 so had to rush before the museums started closing after 4pm

This was certainly one of the largest and most elaborate temples I've seen in Asia. My book only talked about the pagodo so I had no idea it was so big and needed a couple of hours to explore along with buses getting here.

Its unfortunate the Chinese locals are treating it as somewhat of a theme park with so many Penang souvenirs although its probably the best place to buy them.