A Site to Kek Lok Si

 A Chinese New Year Highlight (see what I did there?)

One of  the most impressive sites we saw this CNY (check me out getting all acronymy about these diverse celebrations - proper traveler or what!) was the Kek Lok Si temple, which was adorned with over ten thousand lights apparently.

The temple at a distance

Inside the temple gates

The temple is impressive enough in the daytime when it is not being used for a celebration. It is said to be the biggest Buddhist complex outside of mainland China, but I'm not sure how accurate that claim is. Suffice to say it is big. 

The main courtyard in the temple

The temple itself is huge and also encompasses a 100 foot tall Buddha statue in an even bigger pagoda, but like much of Penang has suffered the deprivations of the pandemic and is in need of some repair. 

One of the things I have noted about the tropical environment combined with Malaysian building materials and standards is that without constant upkeep buildings fall into disrepair very quickly indeed. Many of the high rise apartment buildings that are only a few years old have mold and water stains and visible signs of damage. The fact that no one could do any upkeep or repair for nearly two years and the fact that Malaysian organisation is, well, less than organised also means that these don't get repaired quickly. 

Kek Lok Si is also hampered by the fact that it is entirely reliant on donations and tourist revenue from the gift shops and various parts of the temple that there is a small charge to access (the bell, the elevator etc). However it does still manage to put on one heck of a show when it comes to New Year (the Chinese one that is).

It was great to see the place busy and feeling like 'normal' or at least what normal would normally look like for those it is normal for. For us, it was waaaay past normal! It was extraordinary and most impressive!

I wholeheartedly agree with this sign! Down with hubbub.