Kek Lok Si Temple

The Chinese have the biggest, blingiest, most extravagant temple in Penang, which says a lot about who has financial control here. Staggered up the steep hillside it has numerous side temples, subsidiary temples, courtyards, flowering plants and a turtle pond overcrowded with turtles. People buy green vegetables to feed the turtles, some of whom lie on the bottom of the pond, especially the bigger ones, for long periods of time, apparently not needing to breathe.

A cheerful gang of Tamils are dismantling scaffolding from one of the subsidiary temples
The whole temple complex is festooned with thousands of red and yellow lanterns and enormous paper dragons, that will presumably light up during the new year festivities.

An inclined lift takes you to the main temple, a towering edifice above a giant bronze statue, in a wide courtyard. A stall sells roof tiles for the temple and different coloured wishing ribbons:

red       for support from eminent people; auspicious wishes; booming business; constant happiness
orange for continuous run of wealth luck; wishes come true; all things as wish for
green   for bodily health; world peace; favourable results
purple  for successful career; increase in prosperity; longevity
pink     for family to be safe; coming and going safely
yellow for smooth working conditions; success in everything; being together forever; being coupled and paired
blue     for living together harmoniously, academic progress, excellent academic results

People buy the wishing ribbons and, in another part of the temple, tie them to a wishing tree

When I emerged from the temple I asked a few people the way to the train to go up Penang Hill. They all pointed in the same direction. So I set off on foot, up a steep, winding road, shaded by dense jungle. I sweated and walked. Eventually a car stopped and gave me a lift.
"No train up here" the Chinese driver said. "We're going to look at a lake, then we take you to the train."
"The Chinese control the economy in Malaysia" I said
"The Chinese pay 95% of the tax in Malaysia. All the rest of the nationalities pay the remaining 5%"
"So all the major businesses are Chinese" I said " but I want into a bank and all the cashiers were Muslim Malays."
"It was probably a State Owned bank" he said. "Malaysia is not a very civilised country. They are not civilised on the East coast. They all live in villages."

If it were not raining and flooded on the East coast I would go there and up into the Cameron highlands. But too many people have told me how cold it is there.

The train goes up to about 800m, near the top of the hill. The air is cool in the shade, hot in the sun.
The Penang hill hotel was built by the British a hundred years ago, with a wide verandah that looks out over Penang, the coast, the sea and the mainland beyond, and beyond that the misty hills in the distance. The verandah is full of green leafy plants and a snake lies curled up asleep in the rafters. Apparently the hotel staff feed the snake.