Malaysia (Covid-19 Transition to Endemic Phase - My 8 days Cuti Cuti Malaysia & Staycation No 30 to Ipoh, Taiping, Bukit Mertajam, Alor Setar, Kangar, Kuala Perlis & Pulai Langkawi) Saturday Day 2 Sept 24 2022

St Anne's Church (1886)
Bukit Mertajam, Penang

Mengkuang Dam, Seberang Perai
Penang

Taman Eko Rimba, Bukit Mertajam
Penang

Day 2 Sunday Sept 24 2022 - focusing our group's visit to various touristy places in Bukit Mertajam (St Anne's Church, Bukit Mertajam oldtown, Pek Kong Cheng Temple, Kew Ong Yeah Temple, Taman Eko Rimba, Mengkuang dam & Hut N Pelajaran Education Forest, Air Itam Dalam of Seberang Perai). A long day indeed !  

1) Makan Makan (Eating) - our group's breakfast in Sentosa Corner Food Court, Taman Sentosa, Bukit Mertajan, Penang; KM's delight, a bowl of fish porridge Rm7.50 (US$1.60) & my other buddies enjoyed eating the yam rice + pork leg in black vinegar, our group also ordered a side dish of steamed cai kuih (vegetable dumplings) Rm1.20 per piece. 

Fish Porridge Rm7 (US$1.50)

Yam Rice + Pork Leg in Vinegar
Rm7.50 (US$1.60)

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
@ Rm1.20 (US$0.25)

Chinese Herbal Drink

2) St Anne's Church (1888), Bukit Mertajam, Penang - a Roman Catholic church, one of the parishes in the Diocese of Penang. 

3) Bukit Mertajam Oldtown, Penang - Penang's hidden gem, pre-war buildings dominate, a brief visit - KIV for a walking tour in my future visit to BM ! 

4) Pek Kong Cheng Temple, Jalan Pasar, Bukit Mertajam, Penang - built in 1886, located next to the Pek Kong Cheng Hawker Centre, the principal deity is Xuan Wu or Mysterious Warrior or Xuantian Shangdi, the temple is currently under renovation ! 

5) Kew Ong Yeah, Bukit Mertajam, Penang - the original Kew Ong Yeah temple or Nine Emperor Gods temple of Bukit Mertajam, over 40 years old, witnessed temple's volunteers busy preparing & cooking vegetarian food inside a temple kitchen & a walking tour of the temple site ! 

6) Nine Emperor God Temple, 1st floor, Kew Ong Yeah, Bukit Mertajam, Penang

7) Kew Ong Yeah Temple's kitchen busy preparing vegetarian meals for devotees & prayers during the Nine Emperor God Festivals (Kew Ong Yeah) commencing Sunday Sept 25 2022 (9 days of blessings & prayings)

8) Temple-like vehicles (grand float) & wooden boats used in the night parade / street procession during the Nine Emperor God festival

9) Taman Eko Rimba (Cherok Tokun Hutan Negara), Jalan Kolam, Kampung Teluk Bukit, Bukit Mertajam, Penang - established in 1970s, a popular park among the locals especially for hiking, mountain biking & picnicking, the trails (some steps are steep & maybe slippery / muddy during the monsoon season) take you to the hilltop & enjoy a panoramic view of the Mangkung Dam & the surrounding ! 

Hiking & Jungle Trekking 

10) Mengkuang Dam, Seberang Perai, Penang - a dam in central Seberang Perai District, Penang, it is the only dam situated in Seberang Perai & the 2nd dam built in Penang after Ayer Itam dam, it was officially opened in 1985.  

11) Makan Makan (Eating) - our group's lunch in Kompleks Taman Jaya, Bukit Mertajam - our group's favourite were beef noodle soup Rm10 (US$2.10) & iced kachang Rm5 (US$1.05) ! 

Beef Mi Hoon Soup Rm10 (US$2.10)

Iced Kacang Rm5 (US$1.05)

Deep Fried Bananas & Yam

12) Hut N Pelajaran (Education Forest) Air Itam Dalam, Seberang Perai Utara - a protected marshland in Sungei Dua, it was named after the nearby Sungai Air Hitam, a tributary of Sungei Perai, a surprise visit for our group, a thrilling experience walking past a number of walkways & suspension bridges. 

13) Makan Makan (Eating) - our group's dinner in Restoran Pen Haw - savoured an assorted Teow Chew porridge dishes (7-8 varieties) + Teow Chew sweet potato porridge + a pot of hot Chinese tea totalled Rm105 (US$22.10); I had not eaten Teow Chew porridge for quite awhile so I really enjoyed this Teow Chew porridge dinner in Bukit Mertajam !