I'm pretty sure the physical aspects of the location had far more to do with the choice that the specific cultural aspects of the temple.
I also wanted to relay some information that I learned from a Penang resident at a non-TAR board (that one does discuss popular culture extensively though, and quite a few of the regulars are TAR fabs, This resident mention that the airport cabs in Penang are only permitted to take passengers from the airport to one location, and then they have to return to the airport. That would explain the problem Jet-Cord had with the taxi at the first clue box in Penang, This resident also mentioned that once in the city, taxis are plentiful aqnd it never takes long to get a taxi. I'll leave it to the Penang residents here to confirm this, but I thought I should mention it and see what y'all thought.