After an early morning coffee, we walked to join our first heritage tour of the day. The Kaptain Keling Mosque was holding guided tours of the elaborate building and giving talks on Islam. It was an interesting hour packed with information which we both enjoyed. We left with some interesting books to further our understanding of the Islamic religion, which is apparently the fastest growing religion in the world!
Next, we visited Sri Maha Mariamman, a beautifully decorated Hindu temple. Unfortunately it had been broken into recently and was undergoing some restoration. We had a full guided tour of the temple with explanations as to what each of the Hindu deitys represented and who may be seen praying to each. Some interesting facts were shared and the statues of each of the Hindu gods were amazing.
We were feeling a little peckish by now, so stopped at a Chinese style restaurant for char koay teow. A delicious plate of noodles with a slightly 'charred' flavour due to the cooking in an extremely hot wok. After completing our meal, our next tour was of a Hainese temple.
The Hainese were one of the later groups to move to Malaysia from China. The temple looked like a Chinese temple but slightly different ... from what we understand the people worship Ma Cho Por (a lady), whose statue is set on an altar. We were told an interesting story but basically Ma Chi Por is like the patron saint of sailors. The Hainese people came from a Chinese fishing community and she would protect them at sea. There was an interesting feature of the temple, where you had to take a handful of sticks and drop them back in the pot. You would be thinking of a problem in life, that you needed help with. If one of the sticks stood proud, you could open a small door with the corresponding number. Inside would be a solution to your problem.
Lunch was interesting! It was rice and curd mixed up with cashew nuts. Tasty and different. We ate in a vegetarian restaurant and washed it down with Masala tea. Mmmm ...
In the evening we strolled around a Chinese market, where the road had been closed. There were dragons dancing in the street, shadow puppetry, Chinese tea and craft stalls. Christine made a traditional rice packet and a small bracelet.
Oh, and our picture is in the local paper too!
Next, we visited Sri Maha Mariamman, a beautifully decorated Hindu temple. Unfortunately it had been broken into recently and was undergoing some restoration. We had a full guided tour of the temple with explanations as to what each of the Hindu deitys represented and who may be seen praying to each. Some interesting facts were shared and the statues of each of the Hindu gods were amazing.
We were feeling a little peckish by now, so stopped at a Chinese style restaurant for char koay teow. A delicious plate of noodles with a slightly 'charred' flavour due to the cooking in an extremely hot wok. After completing our meal, our next tour was of a Hainese temple.
The Hainese were one of the later groups to move to Malaysia from China. The temple looked like a Chinese temple but slightly different ... from what we understand the people worship Ma Cho Por (a lady), whose statue is set on an altar. We were told an interesting story but basically Ma Chi Por is like the patron saint of sailors. The Hainese people came from a Chinese fishing community and she would protect them at sea. There was an interesting feature of the temple, where you had to take a handful of sticks and drop them back in the pot. You would be thinking of a problem in life, that you needed help with. If one of the sticks stood proud, you could open a small door with the corresponding number. Inside would be a solution to your problem.
Lunch was interesting! It was rice and curd mixed up with cashew nuts. Tasty and different. We ate in a vegetarian restaurant and washed it down with Masala tea. Mmmm ...
In the evening we strolled around a Chinese market, where the road had been closed. There were dragons dancing in the street, shadow puppetry, Chinese tea and craft stalls. Christine made a traditional rice packet and a small bracelet.
Oh, and our picture is in the local paper too!
