We continue to enjoy the extended celebrations surrounding Chinese New Year in Penang. Sunday evening was Öpen House" organised by the Penang State Govenment. This event circulates to a different location within the state of Penang each year. This year it was the turn of Balik Pulau, near the centre of the island. Getting there from the marina in Georgetown involved a bus trip about 1 1/2 hours. We went with a group of other yachties including Elizabeth and Patrick from Labarque.
There were lots of different entertainments ranging from music to Lion Dances - quite spectacular when the lion (two men - like a pantomime horse) leaps between 1 foot square platforms arranged up to 10 feet from the ground, sometimes on two legs - i.e. the back half carrying the front half while jumping.
Jugglers with 20-foot poles with flags throwing them up,catching them on the forehead, bottom jaw or fingertip and then balancing them - also spectacular.Susan got to learn to play a game of congkak - we have been trying to find the rules for some time.
Free buffet food was available - but queues were also impressive so we opted to buy from the stalls.
The Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple is lit up for the New Year period - reputed to be 200,000 or more lights and over 10,000 lanterns. A one-hour bus trip in very heavy traffic got us there yesterday evening. The Chinese certainly do know how to see in the New Year!
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