Arren Tan Photography » penang

Penang Butterfly Farm

Arren — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:30:14 +0000

In 1986 March, The Penang Butterfly Farm, presumably the 1st butterfly house in the Tropical Region, was opened to the public. At one time around late 1980’s, there were more than 50 butterfly houses in the U.K. and many others in Continental Europe. In 1988, The Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida was opened, followed by Day Butterfly Centre at Callaway Gardens in Georgia, the same year. Since then, the industry bloomed and many big and moderate butterfly houses sprang up allover U.S.A. as well as in Canada.

Penang Butterfly Farm (PBF) was established in 1986 in Penang, Malaysia with 2 main objectives which are to function as a tourist destination and to serve as a centre for education, recreation and scientific research. The visitor to the Penang Butterfly Farm, finding himself surrounded by a myriad of fluttering butterflies within a seemingly natural setting, is likely to think himself in a sort of enchanted wilderness, bejeweled with colorful gems of creation. The best encounter at the Butterfly Farm is undoubtedly the free flying papilions in the enormous enclosure. The exhibition of selected insects and reptiles are also crowd drawers. The visitor, having traversed this complex of displays ends up in a souvenir shop selling butterfly-related paraphernalia.

Opening Hours + Rates: http://www.butterfly-insect.com/opening_hours_rates.php

The Penang Butterfly Farm
Address: No. 830, Jalan Teluk Bahang,
Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang. Malaysia.
Tel: 60-4-885 1253
Fax: 60-4-885 1741

Rasa Sayang, Shangri-la Buffet

Arren — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:40:09 +0000

The Spice Market Café is an informal buffet-style restaurant that offers authentic cuisines from diverse cultures that reflect Penang’s heritage as a cultural crossroads: Chinese, Indian, Nyonya-Baba, Japanese, Thai, Western and international. The café is right beside the unique free-form swimming pools, under a canopy of century-old rain trees that echo with the delightful sounds of chirping tropical birds.

Guests dining outside are cooled by sea breezes. Outdoor seats are also available at special timber decks overlooking the sandy expanse of Batu Feringgi Beach.

While dining indoors in the air-conditioned dining room, you may enjoy the view of our kitchen theaters in which our chefs prepare the dishes that have been ordered.

The Spice Boutique

At the entrance to the café you’ll find the Spice Boutique, where you can learn about and purchase some of the most exotic spices in Asia. The boutique features over 100 varieties of dried herbs and spices, with varieties of curry powders and other ingredients for you to take home. A selection of recipe books are also available for you to prepare you own special dishes using the exotic spices found here.

Phone: (60 4) 888 8888 ( Super Huat Number)

Open Daily : 7am – 11pm

Breakfast Buffet : 7am-10.30am
Dinner Buffet : 6.30pm-10.30pm

Location: Garden Wing, Lobby Level

Dress Code: Casual

Smoking Policy: Spice Market Café has separate smoking and non-smoking areas.

Thaipusam, Penang

Arren — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:31:04 +0000

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). It is also referred to as Thaipooyam or Thaippooyam in the Malayalam language. The word Thaipusam is derived from the month name Thai and Pusam, which refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (spear) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. There is a misconception among people that Thaipusam marks Murugan’s birthday; however, it is believed that Vaikhasi Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan’s birthday.

Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting. Kavadi-bearers have to perform elaborate ceremonies at the time of assuming the kavadi and at the time of offering it to Murugan. The kavadi-bearer observes celibacy and take only pure, Satvik food, once a day, while continuously thinking of God.

On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads and undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common.

The simplest kavadi is a semicircular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders, to the temple. In addition, some have a small spear through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The spear pierced through his tongue or cheeks reminds him constantly of Lord Murugan. It also prevents him from speaking and gives great power of endurance. Other types of kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking behind or being hung from a decorated bullock cart or more recently a tractor, with the point of incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain. The greater the pain the more god-earned merit.