If there's one thing Malaysians care about as much as their food, it's their religion. Although it's a Muslim country, its citizens are free to practice whatever they like, and with so many cultures all jammed in together it seemed like there was a place of worship everywhere I looked.

While in Penang, we set out to explore as many as we could and immerse ourselves in the mystical environment the island's many temples provide.

Kuan Yin Teng, or Goddess of Mercy Temple is one of the oldest Chinese temples in Penang. It was built in 1801 by early Chinese settlers on land granted to them by the East India Company and is an example of classic Chinese-style architecture, with an amazing roof structure. The many parts of the roof curve upwards at the ends, and in between it's covered with ornate and colourful decorations of dragons and lions.

The temple is dedicated mainly to the virgin goddess Kuan Yin, who was said to be a female incarnation of Buddha and is usually depicted on a lotus flower, but Ma Chor Poh, patron saint of sea voyagers, is also worshipped there.

Stone lions guard the temple forecourt, which was a hive of activity on the day we visited. Old men had gathered under a giant tree on one side, near a stand holding giant magenta incense sticks, taller than a person. Around the outsides of the square were stalls selling everything for the conscientious temple-goer: incense, lanterns and lucky red and gold paper for writing prayers on.

People wandered in and out of the temple. Some came out with a bundle of incense sticks to wave as they prayed. One guy had fallen fast asleep while squatting down and reading the paper.

One enterprising man had a cage full of tiny birds of all different colours. For a small fee, he would pull a couple out of the cage for you to 'free' them in a ceremony. I rather suspected the birds, rather than soaring off into the great blue yonder, came meekly back to their feed bowls, but it was still a nice gesture.

As well as the many Hindu temples in Penang, there is an abundance of roadside shrines. On the street corner next to the Kuan Yin temple, we found one dedicated to Ganesh - a god with the body of a man and head of an elephant. The shrine was decorated with fresh flower garlands woven by nearby vendors, as well as offerings of milk (which at the end of the day, after sweltering next to burning incense, are donated to local beggars).

The gutter around the shrine was littered with coconut husks, a strange sight which our guide Vijay explained to us. The faithful will buy a coconut to smash in front of Ganesh. If it breaks the right way, their prayer will be answered and they must carry out the vow you made as their end of the bargain.

While one of our group smashed a coconut (he wouldn't say what he was hoping for, but I hope he gets it because his coconut made a wonderful mess) we saw motorcyclists roar up to the shrine and screech to a halt. The driver would then bow to Ganesh before racing away again. It was the first time I'd seen drive-thru religion.

Not far away is Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi - the clan compound of the rich and powerful Chinese Khoo family. We walked through the outer parts of the compound, which are being restored, into the temple at its heart. I thought Kuan Yin Teng's decorations were over the top but I had a lot to learn. The roof of the temple has more than 20 tonnes of decorations on it, in gold, ceramic and jade. It was downright ostentatious - not just the carvings and sculptures but the gilded art and beautiful lanterns hanging everywhere.

The door to the temple has a high ledge running across it, to ensure that everyone who enters is forced to stop and bow down with the proper respect (or else take a tumble). Inside the walls are covered with murals depicting Chinese deities and legends.

Perhaps the most famous temple in Penang is actually an entire complex of holy structures - Kek Lok Si. Starting with a large temple situated on a hillside, the buildings and gardens wind their way up, culminating in the majestic tiered Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Further up the hill, a gigantic bronze statue of the goddess Kuan Yin stands. At over 120 feet tall, it's been identified as the largest statue of its type in the world. Work has begun on a huge canopy structure to enclose the statue, which should be an awesome sight when finished, comprising 16 dragon pillars, each 200 feet high, and surrounded by a thousand six-foot-high statues of Buddha.

While most Buddhist temples in Penang are in the Chinese style, there are Thai-style temples thrown into the mix too. We visited Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram, the temple of the Sleeping Buddha.

Fearsome dragons and tusked beings guard the outside of the building, while inside is the peaceful sight of a 33-metre-long statue of the deity in repose.

Around the walls are other Buddhas and lesser deities, each with a donation box in front outlining what the person who prays (and pays) will get in return.

Health, riches, wisdom and peace featured heavily although some of the spellings were rather variable and some zealous souls may find themselves receiving 'healty', 'rices' and 'wosdom' instead.

Malaysia is, of course, primarily a Muslim country. Sadly, I was unable to go inside any mosques but I marvelled at their many forms of architecture - everything from the very traditional to the super-modern, to cater to everyone's needs.

You might think I would be all templed out after seeing so many holy spaces in just a few days, but not when venomous vipers are involved. In my next blog I go straight from the heavenly creatures of the Penang Butterfly Farm to the Snake Temple of Chor Soo Kong, where I meet some of the inmates up close - maybe a little too close...

Amy Williams travelled to Malaysia courtesy of Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia. 

Read more about Malaysia here.

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