Snakes in Penang
Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Fri 3 Dec 2010 03:41
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Friday 3rd December
Along Weld Quay and projecting into the
southern channel of the Strait of Melacca, stand rows of jetties on which are
built low houses, religious shrines and shops, like the ones we have seen
throughout Malaysia, only on a larger scale. These are the clan jetties of
Georgetown and date back to the mid-late 19th century. There are 7 jetties,
all but one home to a different Chinese clan, originally from the Tong An
district of China's Fujian province. The oldest and largest is the Clew Jetty,
founded in the 1870's, followed by the Lee, Tan, Yeoh and Koay jetties. The most
recent, the Mixed Clan and Peng Aun jetties, date from the 1960's. Six are home
to Sino-Malaysian Buddhist clans, while the last, Koay Jetty, is Muslim, being
home to around 30 Chinese Hui Muslim families. All the jetties, except Koay,
terminate in small temples. The most important one, on Clew Jetty, is dedicated
to the Jade Emperor.
 Old jetties with the new flat
in the background..........Villages-on-sea
 The Clew Jetty
 Chew Jetty Temple...........Lee
Jetty Temple
 Wooden planks provide a
walkway..............Balancing on wooden stilts
 Back out on the street a man is
selling huge Jackfruit
Our final touristy thing to do
was to visit the Snake Temple. Paul, Jack and Amy were not keen on having to
visit another temple, as we have been to see so many different temples, mosques
and churches that we're a bit 'templed out', but they came along anyway. We
caught the bus as Gavin thought it was only 3 miles away, 55 minutes later and a
lot more than 3 miles from Georgetown we arrived. Named Ban Kah Lan, meaning
temple of the azure clouds in the Hokkien dialect, this highly unusual temple
was built in 1850 by Chinese migrants. It honors the memory of a venerated
Chinese Buddhist monk named Chor Soo Kong who is said to have healing powers.
According to folklore, the statue of the deified Choor Soo Kong was brought to
Penang by a monk from China in 1850, and was enshrined in a temple at Bayan
Lepas. When the temple was complete, the pious monk allowed snakes from the
surrounding jungle to take shelter there. The snakes were venomous Wagler's pit
vipers. Today, these vipers still inhabit the temple, and are it's main
attraction and of course the main reason for us going. About 3 ft long in
maturity, they are dark green with wide yellow bands. Devotees regard them as
harmless guardian angles of the temple.
  Ban Kah Lan
 Incense
 Snakes! When we looked closer
we spotted them everywhere!
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