Penang Hills and Trails - Cheng Kon Sze Direct
1200 Steps to Heaven

This is one of a series of pages on walking the hills of Penang, click here for the index. This is a Grade 2 walk. There is a sketch map at the bottom showing the route followed.

Please visit my Penang buses page for information on accessing the starting point.

Our friend Mike Gibby had expressed an interest in visiting Cheng Kon Sze (Cheng Ji Chan or 9 Emperors Temple) and the first time one goes, it has to be straight up the steps. He gave us a lift to Air Itam where we left the car at the back of Kek Lok Si. We then walked back past the market and caught a 203 bus to The United Hokkien Cemetery at Paya Terubong ready to start at 09.00 while the light was still good and it wasn't too hot..

It would be nice to think the temple is that dot well up the hill in the middle but I suspect that is actually a nearby 'new development' property.

It would be interesting to see how these hills had coped with the recent storms. Well, for a start, there weren't going to be too many trucks using this bottom section for a while.

I wasn't going to count again, but later Mike said he thought he had got to 1400 steps. You get your money's worth here.

Mike thought he wasn't going to get lost if he roared up ahead, but we all gathered for a brief water stop around the 300 step mark.

These small earth mountain shrines are common in these parts, I've never quite worked out their meaning. For a while we stayed together...

but Mike soon got away again.

Someone had invested real money in a property here. It badly needs some soft edges and a bit of a tidy up.

We were now on the final approach, first a few more steps and then a less steep section.

Sorry! Just one more steep flight and then we found the gate was locked even though the sign stated we were well within the opening hours. 

Mike had gone off left because he had seen a car go that way which he assumed was bound for the temple. We had to call him back because we knew the other way in was on the right and it gives a charming view coming in.

The old lady is the resident concierge and the gentleman brings her (and the dogs and cats) provisions on a daily basis. Mike had some questions about the temple during World War II but the old lady spoke only Hokkien and was unable to understand written Chinese. Best try to contact the temple management team was the advice given. The gentleman on the tiger is presumably one of the emperors.

Previously interior photography was forbidden but that seems to have been lifted. All temples have electricity bills to pay and apart from straight donations, lucky number fortune telling and miscellaneous temple goods are standard fare.

There are three similar altars, this is the slightly larger middle one.

We spent some time soaking up the atmosphere, the location is exquisite. The rest of the hike was a gentle descent down the road to Air Itam. Up here, there were almost no landslides.

Mike spotted a gap in the undergrowth which I think is the old ridge path, in which case it probably connects with Rain Gauge 34, one to check out later.

Fortunately it clouded over so the day was merely very humid and not very hot.

For me, the only interesting part of Kek Lok Si is the funicular. It must be a success as they are now building another one lower down the complex. It runs on girders not rails so I guess it may have rubber tyres but I haven't checked. 

I think Mike enjoyed his first visit here, although his heart is definitely on the main hill, the subject of one of his books. Journey time was about 3 hours net.