Penang Butterfly Farm

Penang Butterfly Farm has about 400 flying butterflies from 120 species in an enclosure of 41 by 43 meters. The beautiful gardens are landscaped in such a manner to allow visitors to be surprised by exhibition station at each hidden nook and corner of the enclosure. Visit every station and read every highlight. You will miss a lot if you do not do so. Observe every small activity. You will discover the characteristic can be observed up to arm's length. You can observe the other exhibitions so closely that you can discern their secrets.

Watch out for the butterfly eggs, caterpillars and pupae. Observe butterflies coming out of their pupal case, still wet and just waiting to soar in flight around the gardens. See the giant grasshopper, the legendary scorpions and 10-inch long millipedes! Search for the phantom insects (phasmid)! At the snake corner, observe some species of tree snake, oriental whip snake, red tailed racers and pit vipers. Be astounded by frogs, water monitor lizard and other small exotic lizards from Malaysia rain forest on display in the other stations. Remember to watch the lively seed-feeding finches flying so swiftly in the enclosure, children will find it interesting to feed fishes in the Koi pond and the Mandarin and Wood ducks in the Duck pond.

If you happen to be at the farm at about 10.00am or 3.00pm on any day, hurry to the show time area and be exhilarated by the live handling livestock with a running commentary. You are allowed to touch and handle the exhibits and take photographs with them in your shoulder or in your arms. As you come to the exit of the enclosure, you will come to the Live Insect Room mainly showing easing live Tarantula, Beetles, a variety of geckos and lizards. Watch out for the orchid mantis especially.

After that, you will come to the Insect Museum where you will be surprised to see about 2000 specimen, which consist of 1400 specifies. This is not the end of your visit yet. Step into the Tribal Arts and Artifacts gallery. You will be thrilled by the wide range of historically and culturally fascinating objects originating from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, china, Borneo Island, Papua New Guinea and the rest of the Malay Archipelago.

Kek Lok Si Temple

One of the finest Buddhist temples in South-east Asia . The Kek Lok Si temple stands majestically on a hill in Air Itam. This temple built in tiers culminates the beautifully crafted ''Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas''. It took more than 20 years to build which features gardens, a turtle pond, shrines and beautiful sculptures. There are many souvenir shops leading up to the temple which offers good buys. And as for food lovers, famous hawker food are lined up near the Air Itam market.

The temple was begun in 1890 and, from all appearances, construction really hasn't ever stopped. And it's still going on! The temple is supposedly the largest in Malaysia . The Kek Lok Si project was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple of Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang , the project received the sanction of the Manchu Emperor Kuang Hsi, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

Without doubt the largest and best known temple in Penang, the Temple of Supreme Bliss , better known as Kek Lok Si, staggered on the hillside overlooking the town of Ayer Itam . Since the olden days, the hills of Ayer Itam are regarded as important geomantically. Known as He San, or Crane Hill, they are recommended as a retreat for Taoist practitioners striving for immortality.

Construction of the temple started in 1893, but it was only in 1930 that the Pagoda of Rama VI, named after the Thai king who laid the foundation stone, but better known as the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddha's, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown, reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.!

Batu Ferringhi

Batu Ferringhi is a great place to enjoy the wonderful arrays of Asian food and great shopping. It also has some of the nicest beaches in Penang Island . The long stretch of beach is a combination of wide golden-sand, picturesque deep blue-green coves hedged by large granite boulders that seem to have tumbled from the hilly interior of the island, right into the sea.

It has all the conveniences a visitor would want for an easy, hassle-free holiday. All along the road, which runs parallel to the beach just a few meters away, you can find a great variety of shops including restaurants, cafes, bars, convenience stores and souvenir shops.

One unique feature is the exciting sidewalk bazaar that takes place every day from around 6pm until past midnight. The night bazaar is a busy and enjoyable shopping experience for visitors and plenty of haggling can be heard along the stretch of individual stalls. Trader & buyers negotiate in good humor for the best price for the variety of items on sale.

And if after you have done all your shopping and find yourself too tired to walk back to the apartment, you can hail one of many trishaws that ply the length of the sidewalk bazaar. There are a great number of restaurants and cafes offering incredible range of cuisine, from famous Asian sea food to popular Western spread to Mediterranean specialties.

Or just visit one of the many local hawker stalls selling their delicious, local delicacy. All that with just a minute's walk from the apartment and the beach.