Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram

Coming to Pulau Tikus without checking out its Thai and Burmese temples is like visiting Ayer Itam and skipping Kek Lok Si. The stunning Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram and Dhammikarama Burmese Templesubstantiate the case that refugees from Thailand and Myanmar were among Penang Island’s first settlers. It’s impossible to say which Buddhist temple is more beautiful, but they’re located across the street from one another, so you might as well visit both. The former houses a huge reclining Buddha whose littlest toe is larger than a human head, but Dhammikarama’s blue-eyed ­Buddha inside the Sima Shrine Hall practically drips with detail.