A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog

Scooby-Doo was the first person to greet me. Look at those innocent eyes. I patted her few times. Later I discovered she has many dog fleas...plenty of them! YIKES! She needs a good bath urgently!

One of many Buddha statues in the temple.

Old statues of Guan Yin left by devotees at the back of the temple.

Interesting geometry shaped praying altar.

I used to be a Buddhist. Things have for sure changed rapidly over the years. Too many unanswered questions. I've lost my faith in religion. Who am I now? Well I consider myself a secular humanist. One who rejects religious beliefs but concerned with the interests and welfare of humans. Richard Dawkins (British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science author of The God Delusion) is my answer for life, the universe, and everything. I've found some solace from him.

I still believe in the importance of religion to mankind. I think that a world without religion would be worse. The world would go crazy!

I decided to visit Wat Meh Liew Thai Temple because I needed desperately that feeling of peace, quiet and tranquillity. I cherish the nirvana-like atmosphere in a house of worship. The house of worship seems to be very calm and cool. I feel relaxed away from the tension of world. It's hard to describe why I feel like this.

This is my first visit to the Thai Temple near bulatan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. It is the oldest Thai Temple in KL (built in 1929). My expectations were pretty high. I've heard so many good stories about this place. It's only natural to anticipate great things. Finding the place is a bit tricky. The two entrances are partially hidden from the main road. I rely on Google Maps to locate the easiest road.

Slowly and carefully, I work my way to the praying hall. The temple is dark, eerie and looks simple. Nothing impressive. I was greeted by a cute looking bitch. She was wagging its tail non-stop. I walked closer to get some up close and personal shots. Halfway doing that, I saw loads of dog fleas. OMG! That's shocking!

The chief abbot Phra Kru Sirik Panjawood (a.k.a Chief De Monk, Chao Khun, Chao-A-Wat or Ketua Sammi) was blessing some devotees with chants and prayers. I decided to leave them alone. There is a medium-sized statue of sitting Buddha. The praying hall was dark and eerie. I tried to get some decent shots but it was impossible. Too many 'noise' in my pictures.

So I waited patiently for the abbot to complete his blessing. I wanted to snap a picture of him. I saw an Indian devotee standing right next to another smaller statue mumbling some incomprehensible words. You know what?! I think he was asking for some gambling luck. I'm quite good at reading people's body language.

It seems many people were waiting to be blessed. Another old man carries along his amulet asking for luck and blessings. I decided to explore the rest of the temple. At the back of the temple, I saw some God idols (Buddhas, Guan Yin and two unknown deities). Later I found out these two odd looking deities are favorite among lottery punters. At one point, I was nearly suffocated. Some devotees were lighting way too many praying incense. The smell and smoke. Urgh!!!

At last, I got a one-on-one meeting with the abbot. He speaks a little bit of English. He obliged for having his photo taken. After that, he was asking me non-stop on my photography intention. I just answered "I'm writing for an article" Period. He looks at me suspiciously. LOL! By the way, the picture was underexposed.

Overall, I was rather disappointed with the entire experience. It's a small, dark and eerie temple. But then again, it didn't deter devotees from coming to this temple. I mean loads of them. I would LOVE to see a brighter and cleaner temple.

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The temple is located near the ever busy roundabout of Pekeliling Flats, Jalan Pahang (near Tawakal Hospital). There are two entry routes that lead into the temple with convenient car parking facilities.

The easier way is to drive directly into the temple compound via the the tunnels of the Pekeliling roundabout. Anyway, try to avoid going on Friday's Prayer as parking is a major issue with thousands of Muslims devotees performing their Friday's prayer of the Mosque/Surau next to it.

In this video: Inner temple. Video taken with my hand phone camera.