We get up early so as to get some time on the bike before we have to give it back. We are heading to Kek Lok Si, which is the biggest Chinese temple in Penang. It shouldn't be that far away on the Moto, but taking in to account the potential to get lost we leave early. More Mayhem on the roads and end up driving through this market which is in full flow, with people everywhere, great place to have your Moto. After getting lost and found again we eventually get up to the temple. It is not busy here at all. Hardly anyone about which is great. This temple is way up on the mountain and so it offers spectacular views out over Penang. The place is fully done up for the fast approaching Chinese New Year, lanterns and bunting all over the place, this is a much larger celebration over Asia than Christmas is. Even though we are 3 weeks away there is still a hustle a bustle about the impending holiday. There are various temples and statues at this temple, including a hugh Buddha, that you can see for miles around. It is easy to get lost in this place, as while you walk around you enter room after room, some shops, of course, and then the maze.
The highlight of the buildings available, is of course a good pagoda. It has about 8 floors, but with the added difficulty of having Asian steps, making the ascent somewhat more challenging than necessary. Getting to the too was worth it though, what a view and a nice breeze as well, what a treat. As I'm taking a photo I realise that I have left my lens cap on the wall, a sudden gust of wind sends it sailing off the top of the pagoda. Dink, dink, dink, as it hits the various roof tiles on the way down, disappearing out of sight. Dick! When I get back down I have a look around in the bushes and gravel to try and find it, but it's a lost cause, it's gone. Brilliant. I'll have to pick up a cover at some point.
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After we fill the Moto with petrol we give it back to Happy Ken and head to another couple of shopping centres in search of the rucksack, again no joy. I'm starting to think that an outdoor shop of sorts doesn't really exist here. We buy our tickets for our next destinations. SJ is going to Melaka and I am heading to the Cameron Highlands, we both leave tomorrow. Back to the hostel to grab some lunch and have a rest.
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I'm excited about tonight because there is a Japanese festival being held in the town. The advertisement makes it seem pretty big, with food, games, music, some cosplay and then a parade at the end. I get carried away telling SJ about my experiences in Japan and how she might get to see some of the culture this evening. So we head down, stomachs empty, ready to fill up on sushi, miso soup and yakatori. We get there and there are a number of food stalls, a big stage in the centre and various tents with games and nik naks for sale. Upon exploring the food options I am very disappointed, there is not that much choice and everything is very expensive. I grab some sushi, tempura and a green tea while SJ goes for a ramen, then we head to the sea front where there is a nice breeze to enjoy. The food quality was average, but it served its purpose. Next thing, a horse and cart pull up. Now, it was a particularity large horse, however I still don't think that was enough to warrant all the attention the beast got. People came flocking over to take photos and pat the horse, it was like people had never seen a horse before in their life, maybe they haven't. After this excitement we head in to check out the other stalls and have a go at Japan's famous fish catching game. So famous that I had never seen or heard of it in Japan. So, you have a bucket of fish, you get a small plastic circle with paper in the centre, think like a lollipop, and you have to scoop the fish out and in to a bowl, then you can keep what you scoop, well, with a maximum of 3. The challenge comes in the form of the paper, the faster you move through the water, the faster it will break. It's a lot of fun actually, I think I manage about 15 before my paper breaks. We go in search of the ninja assault course that was promised on the advertisement, no where to be found. The stage in the centre has a band on it, and not a traditional Japanese band. The cosplay was more like Halloween dress up and the selection of stalls with gifts were overpriced and few were Japanese, with the exception of some pretty cool origami earrings. I am throughly disappointed, my own fault for getting overexcited in the first place. I think back to when I went to an Indian Mela festival in botanic some years ago and how much I enjoyed it, trying the food and looking at the clothes and cultural wares. I think that when you have been to a country and experienced it, if you go to one of these events you are only going to be disappointed as you have experienced it for real and this only turns out to be tourist friendly. They described the food selection to be Osaka's kitchen, yet there was no yakatori to be had! Possibly one of the most famous foods from Osaka. Hopefully the parade will make up for it. Wrong again! We sit on the roadside for over an hour before the parade even arrives. Then, it appeared that each group performed an act but only at one place in the road, so everyone who was lined up each side rushed over to see, creating a circle around the performers. I even see a photographer who brought a ladder, good thinking. Then when the act was over the parade just walked the rest of the distance doing nothing but waving, past hundreds of people, including us. I couldn't believe it. How badly organised was this?! We don't even stay until the end, we head back and get some beer, I need it after this. We chat in to the wee hours, laughing at our Japanese experience. Other things of note include, the first table we picked being in front of a door, that was used frequently, we had to get up and move the table on 3 occasions, so we moved inside. Not that this was much better as it was so small and the waiters were moving up and down past me every 2 mins, their hands resting on me longer than necessary. Uncomfortable factor 90. Bed!