As I mentioned during the recent Hindu festival, Malaysia is very multicultural. Nearly 40% of Penang's population have Chinese heritage, so the New Year celebrations are a big deal.
Our ride hit a huge traffic jam as we arrived in Air Itam. We suggested the driver let us out a bit from the destination as it'd be easier for him to let us walk the final kilometer or so. It gets dark at around 7:45 PM but there very little annual change. Being so close to the equator ensures around twelve hours of daylight between the hours of seven and seven.
We hiked up the traditional path to the temple, although most of the traffic was attempting to park up at the top of the hill. We made it much more quickly, I'm sure. There were loads of people, both locals and tourists. It was packed although that it hard to see in the photos. Watching everyone was part of the fun of visiting. The air was warm and pleasant without the heat of the sun.
After about an hour and a half we boarded a regular bus to George Town. We had chicken and nan at our favourite restaurant in Little India. Then we rode back to the apartment on the #301. We got home about 11:30.