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RE: Travel Diaries: The Snake Temple, Penang - Taoist temple filled with free roaming Pit Vipers! 🐍
it is good to see the temple still thriving, 40 years ago the priests would drape the snakes around you for free.
The first snake I ever held was in the temple, that was nowhere as elaborate then as it is today
oh wow!! 💖
these days they drape a 24m long python on visitors! and theres the rm30 fee that goes toward upkeep. the babies are kept in the breeding farm and the rest just laze on higher ground.
thanks for the photo! i hope this brought back some good memories!
we were there before the tourists were a big thing. It was a typical scruffy temple. We had an Aussie with us that took us there and showed us where it was.
I was mainly worried that they might be hungry and decide to invite me for lunch, the priests said they came and went as they wanted to, and being the first touch of a snake, it is a place I will never forget.
you're right! before it was a place known to locals, so not much of an income in terms of donations/restoration - with it now being so well known, the influx of tourists>donations>govt attention can now upgrade ridges/etc with motifs representing the Tan clan, and maintainence.
lol to be honest, i didn't realize the snakes would hang over the walkdome until we met the friendly groundskeeper. they really blend in well with the tree's and branches from below.
great experience all around! have you visited elsewhere in Malaysia?
I was with the RNZAF for 26 years and got to singapore, Butterworth three or four times.
I am working on a post about iit now
wow! thats a longggg time. sounds so interesting! totally looking forward to reading about it! 🙌🏼
some of the early yarns are under the tab RNZAF or at the bottom of my post list. have a read and a laugh.
sweet! thank you! 😀
have a look at the old Snake Temple. This is how it was years ago.