Having finally received our Cruising Permits for 6 months in Sumatera our next step was to organise our Indonesian visas. It still amazes me the paperwork and permits you need to enter Indonesia, Malaysia has been the easiest country to visit so far. There are no permits needed for your boat, you automatically receive a 3 month visa on arrival and it is really easy to clear through customs, immigration and with the Harbour Master. I am a little apprehensive about returning to Indonesia and dealing with the officials after our experience last time but will try to go in with an open mind.

On our way to Penang we stopped at Pulau Dayang Bunting which is one of our favourite anchorages in Malaysia, it is quiet, flat and peaceful. It was nice to wake up in the morning to the sound of the sea eagles circling above and the monkeys messing around in the trees, much better than the longtails racing past too close. We ended up spending several days there, taking advantage of the opportunity to swim in the clean water of the 'Lake of the Pregnant Maiden'. Our experience there this time was better than the previous time as the tourist season appears to be over and there were much less people around. Jay and I also had the anchorage completely to ourselves the first night before our friends on 'Raku' turned up.

Soon after our arrival in Penang our visas were underway and we decided to take in some sights that we had missed the first time around. Along with the crew from 'Raku' we hired some motorbikes and took off in search of the 'Temple of the Reclining Buddha', of course we got lost somewhere along the way and soon realised we had long ago passed the turn off so we decided to visit the Penang Spice Garden instead. The gardens were beautiful and it was a pleasant stroll through, it had just rained and the gardens smelled fresh and clean. It was interesting to learn about the spices, what they are used for now and in the past. White-faced monkeys played in the trees above us, staring down curiously as Jay stood below imitating them (or were they imitating him?).

We then moved on to the Penang Butterfly Farm, they boast over 150 species of butterflies. Within the enclosure are beautiful gardens complete with ponds and fountains, the butterflies fly gracefully around landing anywhere and everywhere including on our heads and hands as we were taking photos. In amongst all the beautiful butterflies are some less beautiful creatures including big black scorpions. There are also some very unusual insects including a leaf bug which would you believe looks exactly like a leaf? There is a photo of it in the photo gallery if you don't believe me!

That night we concluded a fantastic day with a feed at the best Chinese restaurant in Penang. A mixture of trolley delicacies and cooked to order meals. Unfortunately everyone got a little excited and soon the table was filled with unidentified food, many which turned out to be Pork (no good for Jay and I!). The place was filled to capacity with local Chinese which is always a good sign and we left with our bellies full and not so much of a strain on our wallets (it was cheap!). Moving on to the Hong Kong Bar, Jay and I grabbed a photo album from around the time we were here last time. The owners of the Hong Kong Bar take a group photo every night of the people drinking in the bar, they then place them in albums that you can see the next time you visit. We were introduced to the Bar by another yachtie who had spent time in Penang when he was in the defence force. He found photos of himself from the 70's and mid 80's. Sure enough there we were in December 2008 and we'll soon appear in the March 2009 album. Pretty cool. A couple of beers later we caught a tri-shaw back to the marina and went to bed happy.

A couple of days later Jay and I went in search of the elusive Wat Chayamangkalaram (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). We found it and realised that we had stopped right near it a couple of days before when we had the motorbikes, this time we decided to take a taxi to make sure we got there. The Temple of the Reclining Buddha houses a 33 metre long reclining Buddha draped in a gold leaf saffron robe, they claim that this is the 3rd longest reclining Buddha in the world though this claim has not been substantiated. As with all Buddhist temples it was very colourful with beautiful ornate statues and lots of gold. Beneath the Buddha is a room whose walls are filled with the urns of the deceased, pictures of the deceased lean against the glass inside their compartments, staring out at you grimly, no one smiles in the photos.

Across the road from the temple is another temple which turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple was Penang's first Buddhist temple built in 1805, the entrance is flanked by two large elephant statues. Walking into the temple under a long archway the story of Buddha is depicted in paintings that frame the pathway. The pathway leads to a first room with ornately carved walls and statues, with a constant stream of people coming in to pray, a monk sat off to the side to give his blessing to those that asked for it. The grounds of the temple were huge, smaller temples dotted the grounds and included numerous ponds and fountains. One pond housed huge fish and had a sign warning people not place unauthorised turtles into the pond. The fact that they have a sign means that people must have been taking turtles into the temple, weird! There was another pond which had a rotating contraption in the middle of it with 9 bowls attached, each bowl had a wish painted on the outside of it such as Happy Marriage, Good Luck, Harmony etc. Jay and I both had a go at throwing a couple of coins into them, Jay got Happy Marriage, I tried for Prosperity but my coin went straight into the water without even hitting the bowl, that's a definite sign! The last part of the temple that we visited was the most amazing. On entering the temple you are greeted by a huge marble Buddha covered in gold and surrounded by a huge golden arch, glass chandeliers hang from a beautifully carved wooden roof. Behind the main Buddha is small corridor flanked on either side by smaller marble Buddha's each one representing a different country, for example, there is an Indonesian Buddha, a Cambodian Buddha, a Japanese Buddha etc. It was one of the most awe-inspiring and beautiful places I have been to. I was caught in the moment and while Jay took some last photos of the main Buddha I looked off to the side and saw an old monk who had gone to sleep in the corner, as if feeling my gaze he opened his eyes slowly and nodded at me knowingly as if he could feel what I was feeling and he understood. It was amazing!

That last night in Penang we went to the Shady Tree restaurant with Ian and Michelle. It was a dodgy looking place across the road from the marina which had a tree growing through the middle of it. Lots of yachties had recommended it to us and had raved about the seafood so we decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. We were ushered to a table right near all the action, flames flaring under woks and shouts in Chinese from the kitchen which opened to the restaurant and the street. There were no menus to make a selection from instead the owner who appeared to be the only one taking orders and who could speak English came over and told us what we were having. After discouraging her from bringing us pork we ended up with spicy chicken, calamari, black pepper prawns, sweet and sour fish and vegetables in oyster sauce. It was delicious and cost us about $4 a person, no wonder people spend so much time cruising around this area!

With our visas in hand we headed back to Langkawi.