Standing high atop the hills above the Kek Lok Si temple complex is the 30.2m bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin. The statue and its surrounding garden was completed and opened to the public in 2002. A 20-storey high pavilion is also built to shelter the goddess’ statue and is a marvelous sight to behold.
And the night view of the statue;
The Quarry Recreational Park is a recent extension to the Botanic Gardens of Penang. In addition to provide a venue for recreational activities, the park also often serves as a venue to various events organised by the state such as hosting the World Music Festival. Besides that, during the weekends, music performance (usually by school bands or music groups) are also held at the park in the evening.
Penang Hill (or Bukit Bendera in Malay) is a hilltop area comprising a group of peaks and is located approximately 6 kilometres from the city centre of George Town. It stands out prominently from the lowlands as a hilly and forested area.
The most convenient way up to Penang Hill is by means of the Penang Hill Railway, a funicular railway from Ayer Itam district to the top of hill. Construction of the railway took place between 1906 to 1923, at a cost of 1.5 million Straits dollars. The railway was opened to the public on October 21, 1923. The 2,007 m (1 mile 435 yard) journey takes about half an hour and the train may stop at intermediate stations upon request.
In 2010, the hill railway service was upgraded and the old funicular trains were replaced by newer ones, which are air-conditioned as well as carrying heavier load. The new train is faster and does not stop halfway at the middle station of the hill (unlike the old one). The ride up to the top of the hill will take around 15 minutes.
For Malaysians, the fare for a return (round trip) ticket is RM8 per adult and RM4 per child aged between three and 12. For foreign tourists, the return fare would be RM30 for adults and RM15 for children aged seven to 12.
The old funicular train
The new train as shown above
A Brief Intro
The Mengkuang Dam is the biggest dam in Penang with a storage capacity of about 23,639 million litres of water. Besides the obvious of providing water to the people, the dam serves as a recreational park with benches decorating along the waters as well as roads for joggers. The area provides an excellent view of waterscape and the surrounding hills. The dam is located at the mainland side of Penang, north-east of Butterworth town.
The Ayer Itam Dam is the first dam to be built in Penang and was officially opened in 1962 by the (then) Governor of Penang, TYT Y.M.Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj bin Raja Muhammad. Besides being one of the water sources of the island, the dam is also a popular recreation area with the locals.
