In the area called Butterworth, Seberang Prai or Bukit Mertajam—on the mainland side of the Malaysian peninsula as opposed to the island of Penang—lie many places of worship originally erected by the earliest settlers in the region.
Remarkable among these is the hilltop on which stands the ‘Minor Basilica of Saint Anne,’ a major attraction drawing the devout and spiritual from far and wide.
A friend and I went about exploring the grounds and the chambers, made even more solemn and sacred by the looming clouds on the horizon. Before we knew it, it started to pour, but not before revealing to us some really grand and awe-inspiring vistas.
As we ease off into yet another promising year, let us be grateful for the joys that came our way this year, and hope and pray that we shall see even more of the same in the future, and needless to say, a few good doses of that much-needed drug called ‘world peace.’
