Deepavalli in Penang

Late breakfast followed by a mad rush to catch a cab so we could get in some sight seeing before the day ended. Blogging well into the night is not a good thing :-) The original plan was to go to Penang Hill, Kek Lok Si Temple, the Botanical Gardens, then freshen up and head to Little India for a Deepavalli dinner. We made it Penang Hill and the temple but we ran out of steam for the gardens and it was also getting late. We rode on a bus from one sight to another and realized what an exorbitant amount we were paying for taxis and wished we had figured out the bus system a few days before. Earlier that morning, we received an invite to attend a Deepavalli dinner at Prasad's colleague's place, someone Prasad had just met at the conference he attended. This family moved from India a year back. It was a lovely way to spend Diwali. His wife, Muthu prepared a feast and served the meal on banana leaves. We also saw what a local apartment complex looked like and got a different perspective from someone who has lived here for a year. Originally, Karnan was not planning to light any firecrackers but his son was very disappointed so he rushed out and was able to get find some Chinese made crackers at a local store. The kids had a great time lighting firecrackers, it was a perfect way to end the night. Happy Deepavalli everyone!