A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog

Title: A Wall Painting - Chinese God of War?
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 11:09am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 200

An interesting wall painting.

Title: Red Lanterns
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 11:22am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

Hundreds of red lanterns! Must be a breathtaking sight at night.

Title: Roof of the world
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10:48am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 100

A multi-layered reddish roof.

Title: The Temple
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 11:12am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

An external view of the temple.

Title: The Roof
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10.57am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

The roof seems to be a bit faded. Time for restoration?

Title: Tiled Roof
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 11:15am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

An interesting view at the top of the temple.

Title: Goddess of Mercy
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10:39am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

A large-sized statue of Kuan Yin or Goddess of Mercy.

Title: The Dragon's Body
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10:52am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

Simply love the multi-hue colours.

Title: The Dragon's Body
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10:52am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 100

Close-up shot of the dragon's body.

Title: The Dragon
Location: Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 10:53am
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

A close-up shot.

Title: "Lap Ngap"/Waxed Duck
Location: Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 12.19pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.8, ISO Equiv.: 250

These lap ngap from Hong Kong are real tasty - not too salty, not too fat, with chunky delicious meat.

Title: Waxed Duck Drumstick
Location: Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 24 January 2009, 12.15pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 200

I bought four pieces of waxed duck drumsticks (RM5.50 per piece) from Loong Kee stall at Chinatown, KL. My mom and I really enjoyed it! YUMMYLICIOUS :)

One more day before Chinese New Year 2009. The festive mood is not around!!! Only a few big "tang longs" or red lanterns visible in Kepong Baru. Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (local council) is not hanging any tang longs to mark the celebration. Similar scenarios in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. I am not sure why DBKL is not doing that this year - economic crisis? or "tidak apa" attitude? The only banners visible in Kuala Lumpur are those to celebrate Federal Territory Day. Sigh...what a mundane way to celebrate our new year. Firecrackers were banned by our former PM years ago and it is still considered illegal. I really missed those good old times - continuous burst of sound and colours to welcome 财神 or God of Prosperity.

Today, I traveled to Thean Hou Temple using public transportation. I did some research prior to my visit. The Thean Hou Temple (天后宫) is a landmark six-tiered Chinese temple in Kuala Lumpur. It is located on a 1.67 acres (6,760 m²) of land atop Robson Heights along Lorong Bellamy, overlooking Jalan Syed Putra (Federal Highway).

It was a damn HOT morning! My skin was virtually burning! I took some photos on the external compound of the temple. There is a statue of Goddess of Mercy/Kuan Yin, some zodiac sculptured animals and also a huge colourful lantern. It was boring stroll around the temple. Fortunately, there is a huge speaker blaring away loud Chinese New Year songs - those evergreen music really lighten me up.

Next, I examined the internal temple and took some photos. The prayer hall at Thean Hou temple is very similar to Kek Lok Si's temple. It houses three altars, each with a sculpture of one deity or goddess. As one enters the prayer hall, the altar on the right is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Tian Hou is in the centre while Shui Wei Sheng Niang (the Goddess of the Waterfront) is at the left.

I spent one and a half hours exploring the entire temple. Wasted my time - nothing special. It is just another typical Chinese temple with some goddess statues and intrinsic Chinese design. A short and also a forgettable trip. I expected the largest temple in Klang Valley to host some really good display. Unfortunately, the temple is nothing to shout about :(

Later, I took a bus to Chinatown, Petaling Street to check out the festive mood over there. Another letdown! The celebration there is toned down. The only goodie from my half day tour is buying four waxed duck (lap ngap pei) for RM22. As I am typing away, I just eaten the first waxed duck with my mom. Wow...it was really good, tasty, not too salty and the meat + skin seems to be fresh and chunky! The name of this stall is Loong Kee Waxed Duck and it is located at the heart of the Chinatown.

Gosh, I am putting away my initial plan to travel to Ipoh. So, I guess I will be updating another three to four post about Chinese New Year celebration in Klang Valley. GONG XI FA CAI to all!!!