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I was driving around the other day when I saw an old fishing village. Decided to stop at the road side and get down to take some photos, since I have my camera with me. This fishing village is no where near Batu Maung area, it is along the highway to Gelugor.

There is a sign stating that the place is under construction, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to go in. Plus they have string (it’s only rafia string) tied from trees to trees to prevent outsider access..  I went in, of course, the fishing village seems wrecked down. You can see the house on the sea, slanted in its very own.. unique way.

Unsure if this is one of the fishing villages affected from the tsunami but it looks old and unsafe. From the photos, you can see there are rocks everywhere, but after the rocks, there’s a huge patch of sand before you can reach the sea. However, becareful, as that area is muddy and not safe to step on it. Trust me, I stepped on it and my right foot went down immediately.

Here are some of the photos from the fishing village

Kuan Yin Temple or also known as Quan Yin (Kuan Imm in hokkein), is known as one of the oldest chinese temples in Penang. Kuan Yin refers to The Goddess or Mercy with a loving compassion and pure devotion. Kuan Yin temple is located along the Lebuh Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town in Penang.

On the three enlightenment days of Kuan Yin, the 19th day of the 2nd, 6th and 9th Chinese lunar month, the whole temple is packed with devotees and visitors who
turn up not only for worship but also to join in the celebrations and to watch puppet and Chinese opera shows which are staged on the temple’s open grounds.

The Kuan Yin temple was known to have saved a large number of Penangites who took shelter in the Kuan Yin temple during the World War 2, and the Japanese bomb dropped onto the courtyard instead of the temple.

In the courtyard of the Kuan Yin temple, there are flocks of pigeons and people are free to feed the pigeons. There are birds seller around too, for devotees or visitors who wish to buy the bird and set it free, known as a charity act to set a bird free.

In the inner shrine of Kuan Yin temple, there is a place for people to “ward off bad luck” and you can go for “Tiu Ciam” as well, meaning kneel down in front of the Goddess of Mercy, pray with sincerity with your question in mind and shake a tin given to you that contains a lot of sticks with words. One of the sticks will drop out from the container, then the devotees will “puak cheng poi” meaning to ask God whether this stick is the answer. There are ways to look at the result of the “cheng poi”. Once the devotee got the stick, he will then proceed to a “counter”, and the person in charge will read to him/her the meaning of the sticks written.

Penang Bridge International Marathon(PBIM) 2009 was held on 22nd November, 2009.  This marathon is a yearly event held in Penang, popular among runners. Penang Bridge Marathon, or also previously known as Penang Bridge Run, was held every year since 1985. In 2009, this year, it is known as Penang Bridge International Marathon. This marathon attracts runners from all around the world as well as Malaysians and Penangites.

Roads were closed when this yearly event is held and runners get to run on Penang Bridge, which is the third longest bridge in the world. During other days, the bridge is only open for vehicles to drive to and fro between Penang island and Butterworth. Thus this marathon gives us the opportunity and is the only time we get to run and walk on the bridge.

There are 3 marathon categories ;-

1) Full Marathon (42.195km)

2) Half Marathon (21km)

3) Quarter Marathon (10km) (13 – 15 years old only)

4) Fun Run (10km) (13 years old and above)

I have imported the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2009 results at

PBIM Results : http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tgZYxaoX6krgIfnL5fq2vdg&output=html

Kudos to the organizers and all the volunteers! Was a great event.

Being a Penangite, I seldom explore tourist attractions in Penang. However, one morning I decided to visit the Fort Cornwallis which is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. It is located near to the Esplanade and Victoria Memorial Clock. The admission fees are RM3 for adults and RM2 for children below 12 years old.

Some photos that I took :

Other photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/40458759@N07/sets/72157622821139904/

Some brief history from Virtual Malaysia website :

One of the earliest structures in Pulau Pinang, Fort Cornwallis was erected in 1786, not long after he acquired Pulau Pinang for the East India Company, from the Sultan of Kedah. The site where the fort was built is actually the first place where Light disembarked from his ship in 1768. Fort Cornwallis was originally built of nibong palms, but was replaced in 1804 with a sturdier stone and brick  structure.

Although built for defense by design, throughout its existence, Fort Cornwallis served more as an administrative centre for the British, having survived without much threat of enemy attacks. Fort Cornwallis was once surrounded with a moat roughly 9m wide and 2m deep. Along the perimeters of the fort’s wall, several canon bays were strategically placed overlooking the harbour in the north and the port activities along the eastern waterfront. In the 1920’s due to a malaria outbreak in the area, the moat surrounding Fort Cornwallis was filled in.

The chapel located on the south-west corner of the fort is the first chapel ever built on Penang island and was used by the British and Europeans living there. The first-ever recorded service, however was in 1799 when John Timmers wedded Martina Rozells, the widow of Francis Light.