Visit to Waterfall Hilltop Temple and Nine Emperor Gods Temple (Butterworth Tow Boo Kong Temple 北海斗母宫)

Our plan is to visit Penang Hill on the second day of Hari Raya holiday. But it seems like everyone has the same idea to visit Air Itam today :P The road leading to Air Itam is so congested that it's almost a standstill! We couldn't bear the traffic jam as it is one-way to Air Itam and difficult to weave out later. So we gave up our initial plan and go to another "hill" attraction - Waterfall Hilltop Temple (sorry, I'm not sure what is the official name of the temple).

View from the stairs overlooking Gurney Drive

Actually this day is not so good even for outdoor photo as the sky is too cloudy and greyish. Still we couldn't be staying at home all the time since 爸爸 was on business trip before the holidays. There's a sign somewhere showing there's 513 steps to the top. We went up the steps on our bare feet, there is a sign to take off your shoes just before the steps starts. I think 爸爸 about to faint around the steps in the above photo kekeke.....  

Taking the steps slowly. 姐姐 showing 300 steps at the top right photo. 

Can see both the old temple and new temple from here.

We're not at the correct visiting time, the temple is closed by the time we are at the top. Next time, we should reach the top before 12pm, or after 4pm. We plan to come again :)

The new temple. It's closed so we couldn't go inside.

Outside the waterfall hilltop temple

Since we're already around Gurney Drive, and expected Gurney Plaza/Gurney Paragon to be congested, we went to Straits Quay. 

Straits Quay Raya decorations

The inflatable playland "Jungle Combo" is free on the day we went, later I saw from Straits Quay facebook they are charging a fee for entrance.

Inflatable playland "Jungle Combo" at Straits Quay which the children loved :)

The children only agreed to leave the inflatable playground if we bring them to the playground they used to go to. Suddenly there was this sign saying "Straits Green Playground-By-The-Sea". Faint at the fancy name :P

At Straits Green, Playground-By-The-Sea

Combo photo of our lunch at Blue Reef @ Straits Quay and Thai food dinner at Cherry Blossom

Hehe, I also dunno why we seems to be on a visiting temple spree. The next day we went to Butterworth Tow Boo Kong Temple or also known as Nine Emperor Gods Temple. It's too beautiful a day to be at home, and we couldn't go many places or get stuck in traffic jam on the island as 姐姐 still have classes in the afternoon. 

The main entrance of Nine Emperor Gods Temple (北海斗母宫)

Opposite side of the main entrance

Butterworth Tow Boo Kong Temple. Sigh, the boy wanted some shade and he didn't mind at all if he's using a girl's hat.

In front of Tow Boo Kong Temple

Fountain inside the temple

In front of the 斗母娘娘 shrine

Pagoda and dragon decorations

百子图 and lanterns

We went to pay respects too (as usual in 爸爸's style), not just taking photos. After visiting this temple, 爸爸 say he remember another very popular temple in the same area. Tapi he is not very sure of the way and didn't manage to find it :P

We saw an air-force base instead. There's a fighter jet on display so 弟弟 wanted to see it up close, influence from the new Disney Planes cartoon, you know.

Plane at air-force base and Ban Chuan Chicken Rice @ Chai Leng Park

For lunch we had Ban Chuan Chicken Rice at Chai Leng Park. It's the children's favourite chicken rice in Prai. They serve all sorts of fried condiments, but their favourite is the hard-boiled eggs and crab-stick roll. The sour plum drink is nice too. Then 姐姐 had to go for her usual classes. There was slow traffic but it's moving towards Juru toll, phew! Some of the crowd are making their way out from Penang :P

They polished off all their kid's meal for dinner later. Gosh, no longer able to share the adult portion...

Their identical kid's meal, with chicken burger, fruits and orange juice

Holiday activites - Penang Floral Festival 2013, Penang Botanic Gardens, Gertak Sanggul Fishing Stage, Kids' Food Craft - Pinwheel Flower and the beach

For the 2 weeks school holidays, we have been around Penang. 爸爸 was missing in action for a week and of course, there is still so much of Penang that the children have not experienced :P

Penang Botanic Gardens
Now the Penang Floral Festival had been around for some time and we have not been to one. It's time to visit :) Although it's said to be held at Penang Botanic Gardens, it's actually setup outside. We went to Penang Botanic Gardens first as the children have not taken a ride on the mini tram before. The fare is now RM2 per adult and RM1 per child. The mini tram takes us around the gardens. Too bad it is not really at a leisurely pace, maybe due to the influx of visitors during Penang Floral Festival? I think the roud-trip is completed in less than 15 minutes. There is not much waiting time as well though.

Penang Botanic Gardens mini tram ride brings us around the gardens.
See the monkeys in the background in the bottom left photo?

Some of the more interesting places we stop by at the gardens. A Penang Bridge lookalike over a little stream. A platform with a musical quaver, they were so excited over it :) And then they took a splash at the shallow part of a stream. One of the benefits of having a kampung-boy-at-heart as daddy, he's always willing to let the children try such things. There's a school group further down the stream doing their school project, and trying to catch little fishes too. 弟弟 didn't want to put on sunscreen so he got even more tanned from this visit. 姐姐 had allowed me to put on sunscreen for her so she's ok.

Walking around Penang Botanic Gardens

Water lily ponds at Penang Botanic Gardens. It's at the entrance.
Are water lilies are seasonal, not a lot to be seen this time.

Penang Floral Festival 2013
It's off to the Penang Floral Festival 2013 next. We took a walk through a nature path beside the main road to reach the grounds where they hold the floral exhibition, passing by the Moon Gate. There are so many types of orchids around at the exhibition of Penang Floral Festival 2013. Opposite the exhibition ground, there are stalls selling plants but we didn't get any.

Surrounded by stunning orchids of various types

弟弟 trying to smell the orchids at every chance he gets.
And the children tasted ice-cream on bun from the mobile stall outside.

Later after dinner the children goof around with this. They were playing around the Fun Family Snap of Incredibles cutouts at New World Park.

I merged 2 photos here so they're both mom, dad and kids :P

Gertak Sanggul Fishing Stage Restaurant
An early Father's Day celebration for 爸爸, as his schedule is unpredictable so we grab the chance to have seafood feast when he is around. Very nice of him to leave work early so that we can be there before the mosquitoes start to have us for dinner :P

This place is pretty far from our place. It's like in the midst of an idyllic village, and nestled among some hills. There's a big signboard only when you reach the little village.

The fishing stage where some folks were enjoying fishing. Quite nice view eh?

Food was pretty good too at Gertak Sanggul Fishing Stage Restaurant

Children loved the Marmite Chicken, Thai-style steam fish (We had 金凤鱼 - RM30) and fried noodles. The Thai-style steam fish is flavourful, just a tad spicy so the children enjoyed it. The 甘香 lala is too spicy for them but good for us adults. They also do not know how to appreciate the salted egg crabs (RM42 now), but 爸爸 and I like it very much. We'll be back soon as we have not tried the mantis prawn or prawns yet. While we finish up the dishes, the children were full and played around the area (away from the fishing stage of course). It's like life slowed down here. A leisurely dinner that we enjoyed and a pretty long drive home passing the Gertak Sanggul beach :)

Kids' Food Craft at Straits Quay - Pinwheel flower craft

The last day of school holidays was a rainy day, so it was totally a blow. We had wanted to go to the beach with the children but was not able to due to the rain. We kind of hang around Straits Quay to wait for some luck if it turns sunny again.

While lounging around, the friendly staff near the information counter invited us to join their kids' food craft session. Of course both the children loved such an activity. They were first given ingredients of strips of bread and strawberry jam. They're to spread the jam and roll up the bread strips. Once it's completed, they were given strips of celery to place on the paper plate as stems and leaves, and the bread rolls as flowers. Add on a slice of orange and it's a completed piece. The organizer helped to shrink-wrap the completed food craft for the children to take home.

The children trying their hands at the pinwheel flower craft.
弟弟 looks like he is going to eat the jam anytime, keep sniffing at it. 

Their finished craft

Even though they had dinner earlier, they still wanted to eat up their pinwheel flower food craft and every single piece ended up in their tummies :)

Smiling faces enjoying eating their craft :P

It was raining on our way home. The rain was so heavy at one time that when we reach the road to our taman, it was flooded! Fortunately we decided to go home early, the traffic was building up by then. What a bang to end the holidays :P

Batu Ferringhi beach, finally!

Only serene due to the angle.
There were actually tourists taking off and landing for parasailing right before we took this photo.

One week after holidays ended that we get a chance to go to the beach. Now what happened to the public beaches in Penang? The one we used to go to, between Parkroyal Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel has turned into a sort of water sports thing! I don't even know what is the name of the road off Jalan Batu Ferringhi. 姐姐 remembered the eatery called Kompleks Bayu Senja by the beach. The beach boys were shooing us away, and it's so dangerous, tourists were taking off and landing on their para-sailing stuff right by us and other tourists walking around. These are all waiting for accident/injury to happen (then the finger-pointing starts again). The parking attendant charged us RM2 for parking and we left the place after 10 minutes. Never ever will we go to this place again to save ourselves from potential injuries.

Beach opposite Tropical Spice Garden

We only manage to find a little quiet beach just opposite of Tropical Spice Garden. Probably it was way past closing time, so not many people there. The children finally enjoyed their sand-digging, splashing and just sitting around. It was only us at first, then young daytrippers, another local family and tourist family. The waves were quite big so we watch over the children closely.

The day before going to the beach, we went to check out Theatre of Ships which is a bamboo sculpture by the MPPP building at Esplanade. Too bad we couldn't find the little secret garden. It was getting late :(

Theatre of Ships sculpture. Amazing that only wires to connect all the bamboos.

Going for more Father's Day celebration, he's always getting so many mini-celebrations :P

Desserts at Hui Lau San and ikan bakar at CF kopitiam near Weld Quay

Fish and chips, anyone?

I have to keep reminding myself don't mention anything to our children if we have no intention to bring them. After visiting Popular Mega Bookfair at Straits Quay, I just casually asked if anyone wants to try fish and chips? Didn't expect anyone voting in favour as it's not even dinner time yet. To my surprise 姐姐 said she wants. Even when I told her, I was just joking and we intend to bring them to kopitiam. 弟弟 say he will belanja if we give him money. Wahaha....

So we ended up for early dinner at Blue Reef for fish and chips. We sit outside to enjoy the by-the-sea alfresco dining experience. Might as well as the children do make a ruckus and we didn't disturb the other diners.

The fish and chips tasted pretty good, RM16 for the mahi-mahi type. We also tried seafood platter with garoupa but the children preferred mahi-mahi, somehow they don't like the smoother texture of garoupa but they like the tougher texture mahi-mahi **strange tastebud** The fish and chips portion is quite large, with 2 big fish fillets, loaded with chips, and tangy salad. Taste good with tartar sauce. But none of us like the seafood platter much as we're not so into seafood, so 爸爸 get to polish off most of the calamari rings, prawns and garoupa.

姐姐 suddenly remembered she had missing teeth and wasn't in the mood for photos.

Straits Quay

Penang's latest hip-and-happening place, Straits Quay. Even though the shops are not fully opened yet, we just go to check out as there is a Christmas CandyLand By The Sea on-going. We went during afternoon, so didn't manage to see the lights (another time perhaps). The building is very much E&O colonial style. Not sure if above the shops is hotel? Or apartment? There are fans at the corridor. Most of the shops opened are F&B outlets.

The big Christmas tree at the central court


Candy.....

The clock tower, still not ready for visiting yet.


One of the staircase, very nice. Forgot what is this decoration called, wreath?

View near the clock tower

Water fountain