Penang and Langkawi

It was 3 PM  on Tuesday the 24th October 2017..Our 2nd day of cruise vacation.....the ship docked at Penang. 

At 2.45 PM after lunch we gathered at Savoy Theatre for the Penang excursion. Each group was allotted a number for the specific tour.  Ours was group 1..... the "Hill and Temple tour" ... A four hours excursion. There were 38 of us. The bus was waiting at the pier......Our guide was Mr. Lee....

As we drove through the Street of Harmony Mr. Lee explained that the street housed places of worship of different faiths and hence the name.
We drove past Fort Cornwallis,  Esplanade, Court House, Mariamman Temple, the Komath building which is the tallest building in Penang that houses the Government offices.  Money exchange etc etc....Our guide explained that most of the money changers were Indians...

We also saw rows of shop houses. They were called so as the shops were on the ground floor and houses on the first floor with peep holes on the floor to see what was going on in the shops downstairs...

Penang is famous for its street food we were told.

Our first stop was the Kuan Yin Temple or the temple of the Goddess of Mercy. Inside there's an altar of the God of Prosperity too.

Guarding the temple are two lions....Female on the right (as women are always right, Mr. Lee joked) and male on the left. 

The dome of the temple....

Our next stop was st the base of the Penang Hill from where we took the Funicular train up hill.

Our guide purchased the fast track ticket as that would give us first preference.

View of Penang town from Penang Hill.

Hubby and me went around the Hill in a buggy and saw a Hindu temple,  mosque, cafes, spas, souvenir shops, old British Bunglows where rich Chinese live now....

We spent about an Hour and a half up hill and then took the train down.

The Funicular Railway track lit up at dusk

There was heavy traffic on the roads but we were allowed to skip the traffic by taking the fast lane as the police officials there realised that we were cruisers and needed get back on time before the ship leaves.

We reached the ship at around 7.30 PM, explored some more areas of the ship,  had dinner at the main dining hall and retired for the day.

Penang at night from our stateroom balcony

25th October......we docked at the beautiful Langkawi islands.

Woke up early morning and reached the Windjammer at 7.30 AM for breakfast. We had our jain breakfast...idli, Jain sambar and chutney, eggless bread and butter, vermicelli upma, peas masala, pav bhaji, fruits, nuts, oat meal, milk, juices ... A sumptuous breakfast....After which we  assembled at the Savoy Theatre again for disembarkation at port. The bus number allotted today is 6.

We took the "Round Island Tour" which was for four and a half hours duration. Our guide was Ms Rosalina. Ms Lina explained that Lankawi consists of 99 magical islands of which only 4 are populated.
Total population is 155,000 of which 2% are Indians, 6% Chinese and the rest Malays. Indians and Chinese are successful business men on the island.
Rainy season is from July to October . Like Australia  December and January are the hottest months said Ms Lina. 

We drove through the paddy fields and enjoyed the scenic beauty of the island.

Our first stop near Kuah town was at a duty-free shop of Chinese herbal medicines and chocolates.

Next was a rubber plantation where we got to watch rubber tapping.

We then drove through a spice garden and reached Cenang beach.  It started to drizzle fairly well and so no one went swimming except a young couple....

Others went around the Cenang Mall. We bought more chocolates and an international adaptor to charge our phones. We did not have the right adaptor with us.....

We also visited the tomb of Mahsuri known as Makam Mahsuri and the house in which she is believed to be born.

There's a well beside the house and our guide told us that when you wash your face with the water from the well you look 5 years younger. She advised us that we all go back looking 5 years younger :). We then drew water from the well and washed our faces...

Mahsuri was a young woman who lived in Langkawi,  during the late 18th century. According to folklore, she was accused of adultery and executed by stabbing. As she breathed her last, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi to have seven generations of bad luck.
At the end of 20th century,  supposedly after seven generations, Langkawi has begun to prosper and is now a tourist destination. 

There are two sets of music bands in Langkawi...One for common man's functions and the other for Royal functions...

At 1.45 we drove back....Passed by the Resort World....Lankawi country side resembles the villages in Kerala with cattle grazing in the fields on either side of the roads....

At 2.15 we were back in the ship, freshened up and had lunch at Windjammer buffet.

For our cruising experience please read my post Our cruise with Royal Caribbean on Mariner of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Cruise 2017