槟城第六周-家人来访之二 Week 6 In Penang – Family Visit II

2024年4月1日到4月7日 来到马来西亚槟城的第六周 – April 1st to April 7th, 2024, it was the sixth week we’ve spent in Penang, Malaysia.

这周是2024年的第一季度财报总结的一周，工作比较忙，周四早上3点半就起床开始工作，下午6点多终于完成我负责的部分，晚上10点我们又和瑞典的KPMG的会计师开了半个小时的会，11点多终于可以睡觉了。周五晚上，我俩又去了大树下海鲜餐厅，为了犒劳自己这周的努力工作，为自己点了6只肥美的皮皮虾。

At work this week I was focused on the first quarter close for 2024, making work quite busy. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday to start working, and finally finished my part around 6 p.m. In the evening, we had a half-hour meeting with KPMG consultants in Sweden. It was past 11 p.m. when I finally could go to bed.

On Friday evening, we went to the Da Shu Xia seafood restaurant again to reward myself for the hard work of the week. I ordered six fat and juicy Mantis Shrimp to treat myself.

4月6日，星期六，我们花了整整一天的时间准备2023年的报税，经过一天的努力，终于准备完毕，可以在4月15日之前准时进行电子报税了。为了庆祝这个成果，晚上我俩去了位于G酒店24楼的Gravity酒吧，那里可以尽情欣赏槟城迷人的夜景。

On Saturday, April 6th, we spent the entire day preparing our personal taxes for 2023. After a day of hard work, we finally finished and will be able to e-file our taxes before the April 15th deadline. To celebrate this achievement, the two of us went to the Gravity Bar on the 24th floor of the G Hotel in the evening, where we could fully enjoy the enchanting night view of Penang.

4月7日，星期日，今天下午，Matthew和Megan将抵达槟城。上午，我俩参观了家附近的两座佛教寺庙：一座是泰国的卧佛寺，另一座则是缅甸的缅佛寺。这两座寺庙矗立在彼此对面，形成了一道独特的文化风景线。

瓦查亚曼卡拉兰寺（卧佛寺）是一座著名的泰国佛教寺庙，以其内藏的一个巨大的卧佛雕像而闻名。寺庙建于1845年，是英国女王维多利亚赠予槟城泰国社区的土地上建造的，体现了马来西亚多元文化的纹理。

Sunday afternoon (April 7th), Matthew and Megan will arrive in Penang. So, in the morning, we visited two Buddhist temples near our home: one is the Thai Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Temple with a reclining Buddha, and the other is the Burmese Dharmikarama Temple. These two temples stand facing each other, forming a unique cultural landscape.

Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Temple, also known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, is a famous Thai Buddhist temple renowned for its gigantic reclining Buddha statue inside. Built in 1845, the temple was constructed on land donated by Queen Victoria to the Thai community in Penang, reflecting the tapestry of Malaysia’s multiculturalism.

与泰国寺庙的金碧辉煌相比，缅佛寺就显得很朴素。建立于1803年，它是马来西亚最古老的缅甸佛教寺庙之一，展现了缅甸独特的建筑风格与佛教艺术之美。

Compared to the grandeur of the Thai temple, the Burmese temple appears quite plain. Established in 1803, it is one of Malaysia’s oldest Burmese Buddhist temples, showcasing the unique architectural style and the beauty of Buddhist art from Myanmar.

下午一点多Matthew and Megan顺利地抵达了槟城，Ta俩去旁边的咖啡厅的时候，我和PJG又去了距离我俩步行18分钟的另外一个泰国寺庙，虽然它可能不如卧佛寺那样广为人知，但也是当地泰国佛教社区及游客的宗教活动和社区聚会场所。该寺庙于 1942 年日本占领英属马来亚期间由一位泰国僧人建造，他后来成为该寺庙的第一任住持。

Around 1 p.m., Matthew and Megan safely arrived in Penang. While they went to the nearby café, PJG and I went to another Thai temple about an 18-minute walk away from us. Though it may not be as well-known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, it serves as a religious and community gathering place for the local Thai Buddhist community and tourists. The temple was built by a Thai monk in 1942 during the Japanese occupation of British Malaya, who later became its first abbot.

这里也有很多许多家庭为逝去亲人设立的灵位 – Here, there are also many families setting up ancestral tablets in memory of their deceased relatives.

很高兴Matthew and Megan能够来到槟城探访和旅游，希望Ta俩能够在这里度过愉快的一周。我俩呢，竟然意外地有了游览佛教寺庙的一天。

I’m glad Matthew and Megan could visit Penang for sightseeing and we look forward to a pleasant week here with us. As for us, we surprisingly had an interesting day of visiting multiple Buddhist temples!