It's freaking HOT.

I never thought Malaysia would be unbearable in January, but let me tell you, it is blazing. Today, at 5pm it was still so warm I could barely stand it.

I've spent the last few days wandering around Penang trying to explore as much as I can. It's difficult to see any of the sights though because everything is shut down for Chinese New Year. The one thing that wasn't shut was Fort Cornwallis which had an "open house". This meant that different restaurants came and dished out free food to hundreds of people, including me and Kathy (Helga the Viking for you BnA folks). We stuffed our faces and tried to avoid daylight. It was great. There is a large cannon on the grounds of the Fort and according to my Lonely Planet guide, it is where women who are infertile place flowers and pray to "the big one."

The evening before, on Chinese New Year's Eve, Kathy and I caught the bus to Kek Lok Si Temple. We figured out the right bus but got off a bit prematurely, so a little Chinese girl showed us this ass backwards way through dark alleys and past pools filled with turtles. We came out to see a huge temple complex decked out in more Christmas lights than the big tree Rockefeller Center. Unreal. It was like Las Vegas meets Chinatown. Red and yellow seemed to be the colors of New Year so there were lanterns hanging all over. The most unusual part of the temple was the blinking and flashing swastika, which has a completely different meaning in the east. Westerners all think of Nazis while it's a symbol of good luck here. Another recurring symbol is the dragon, which appears everywhere!!!

One part of the temple is called the "Temple of the 10,000 Buddhas" and let me tell you, there really are that many. The walls are lined with the little guys. They almost take on a cute quality. Right outside, people leave offerings to the spirits and the gods. Right down the hall was this buddha inferno.

In another section of the temple, I noticed a guy painting Chinese characters onto tiles. They are 10 ringgit donations for the new roofing and you get your name put on the roof. Pretty cool I thought for about $2.80. Here's a photo of my nameand Liem, who wrote it out. I wonder if it says my name or "silly white girl who gave me 10 ringgits."

Finally, we needed to get back to our hostel. We tried to walk to the main road where the bus dropped us off, but it began to piss down rain on us and I got worried about my camera in my backpack. Kathy and I hid in some random carport until someone came out of the house across the street. The rain was so bad that I asked the guy if he could just drop us at the bus stop. He said no problem and off we went.

When we got to the bus stop, Chong asked if we just wanted a lift to our hostel because it might be a long time until another bus comes along. I couldn't believe how generous he was because it was at least a fifteen minute drive. On the way we chatted about how he thought that Thailand is better than Malaysia because the beer is cheaper. I don't know if I agree with him because already I'm liking Malaysia more.

Since not much else was going on today than yesterday, Kathy and I headed out to the Komtar Centre, which is a massive mall complex, to escape the heat. I found a few things to buy, such as a tank top, a hat, some new funky shades (just lost my cheapies from Bangkok), and finally, my find of the day, two new pairs of real glasses frames for $42.10. They are really cute too. One pair is black and red, and the other is blue. I'll send them home in the next shipment and get some lenses made for them.

If nothing is open again tomorrow, I think I am going to head out to the Cameron Highlands for a break form the heat and humidity.

As for my feelings about Malaysia, it's been really surprising so far. I can't believe what a diverse place it is. There are loads of Malays, Chinese, Indians, and even westerners. At the Chinese New Year free lunch in the fort, you saw Indians eating spring rolls and Chinese eating curries. I have a feeling that Malaysia is going to be just my kind of country.