Have 10 minutes? Watch this. We are here. In Borneo.
Planet Earth - Caves 2/5
Friday, April 16, 2010
Awkward in Malaysia
Somehow, we always manage to turn onto dead end streets or into barricades. More times than not, we feel as if we missed the ‘memo’, and end up on minivans alone or alone in a guesthouse/ hostel. Where is everybody? Can’t seem to play it ‘cool’ with the food. While eating dinner at an Indian restaurant in Georgetown, Penang, I stupidly put my garlic naan on the chip bowl, as I had no plate. The server then came up to the table and informed me that the bamboo mat, which was already placed in front of me, is the plate itself. Just dump your food on the bamboo mat, which looks like a placemat. While in Kuching, I ordered a bowl of noodles, which came fairly dry. On the side was a bowl of broth. I thought maybe I should dump the broth into the noodles bowl, which is exactly what I did. No, stupid. It’s soup, as the cafeteria woman corrected me. We found ourselves standing awkwardly in street restaurants in Kuala Lumpur unable to order food, just not knowing how or what, being shoved from one end to the other. And then of course, there was the awkward family day outing with Ruby and her dad in the Cameron Highlands. Oh yes, and who can forget our awkward attempt in the Perhentians to get drunk. And yet, we failed. Who does that? Then, there’s my awkward sunburn which resulted in a triangular-shaped discoloration on my forehead, and constant peeling, even a week or so later. Or my snorkeling mask in the Perhentians which was too tight, so the suction mark stuck for hours after the snorkeling trip, indenting my forehead on top of my raccoon eyes. Bumping into people, walking in circles, walking to wrong airport terminals on the other end of the airport, never knowing what day it is – I suppose, it’s all a part of traveling.
However, we are going to have to pull ourselves together for Borneo, for Mulu. So we keep telling ourselves. We can’t be awkward trekking through the rainforests, or we’ll be finished before we ever even make it to Indonesia.
However, we are going to have to pull ourselves together for Borneo, for Mulu. So we keep telling ourselves. We can’t be awkward trekking through the rainforests, or we’ll be finished before we ever even make it to Indonesia.
Living in Kuching
We arrived in Kuching (in the semi-autonomous region of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo) with plans to stay one night and then move on to Miri, in order to get to Mulu National Park – our main destination in Borneo. As it goes when you travel, plans change.
I am writing this on our fourth night in Kuching. We got an unavoidably expensive 26 RM (about $8) taxi to B&B Inn, a homely and informative hotel on a side alley. Our ceiling fan room costs us 35 RM with shared bathrooms and showers. There’s also free WiFi, a full kitchen with coffee/ tea and toast included each morning, and TV in the kitchen.
Upon checking in, the reception desk handed us a city map and bus schedule, and asked us our plans. We told him we were headed to Miri next, to get to Mulu. Turns out, we don’t have to actually spend a night in Miri, and can instead fly from Kuching to Mulu. You see, Mulu National Park is so embedded in heavy Bornean jungle rainforests, one can only fly there, or take a dodgy (depending on the season) 10-hour boat trip; there is no road. The reception desk then informed us of a couple things to do around Kuching that may be of interest: Semenggoh Wildlife (Rehabilitation) Center (Orangutans!!) and Bako National Park.
That first afternoon and evening we spent getting to know this small, mostly Chinese and Malay inhabited city along the river. We chowed down on delicious, cheap kebabs along the riverfront. Feeling the cool breeze and the relaxed, laid-back mentality of Kuching, we decided to take a break at Havana bar and indulge in a couple pitchers of Anchor beer. Over drinks, we further decided to extend our stay by three days!! Instead of a one-night fling with Kuching, we planned to research Mulu and getting to Indonesia the next day (and basic internet catching-up), do Bako the second day, and see Orangutans the third.
Thank god for that. Our Wednesday consisted of almost an entire day at the Deli Café, where WiFi is free, catching up on blogs and e-mails, uploading photos, researching Mulu National Park, looking up flights, and dating, pricing and organizing the next big leg of our rucksack revolution – Indonesia. This was actually kind of stressful, really stressful, as we had to weigh time and price differences. This is a summarized version of our afternoon conversation:
Do we overnight a bus to Miri, and then fly from Miri to Mulu? That would be cheaper. But, then we have to get from Mulu to either Miri or Kuching. Should we just do a roundtrip? That means we have to know how many days we need in Mulu. Ok, research what we’re going to do and how we’re going to spend each day in Mulu. We checked outbound flights from Mulu – their only destinations are Miri and Kuching. We want to get to Jakarta. Maybe overnight bus back, too? What about flights from Kuching to Jakarta? They all go through Kuala Lumpur, so would involve really long, unnecessary layovers, and not to mention outrageously expensive. So, forget the overnight bus altogether. Roundtrip to Mulu from Kuching, return to Kuching, and then what? How do we get to Jakarta? Overnight ship? Haha, definitely not, completely unsafe and no information. We talked to a tour/ travel agent who informed us of an airport in Pontianak, Indonesia, just south of Kuching on the island of Borneo. Ok, here’s what we decided on: we’re flying from Kuching to Mulu on April 17, four full days in Mulu National Park, returning to Kuching on April 22, spending the night in Kuching, hopping on an 8-hour bus to cross the border into Pontianak, Indonesia, spending the night of the 23rd in the equatorial city of Pontianak, and then flying out on April 24 to Jakarta!!
Next issue: visas. The Indonesian consulate webpage stated that we needed to submit an application to the consulate in Kuching, give it at least five days, pay a fee, something about a letter of employment (?), and blah blah blah. Yikes! So, we made the decision to go to the consulate first thing in the morning, and then head to Bako.
But first, let’s clear our heads. Movie night!! Just so happened “Date Night” was playing, and because it was ‘movie day’, tickets were only 5 RM ($1.60).
Next morning, up and out by 8:30am to get to the consulate in normal clothes, unsure of how long we were going to have to spend there. The reception desk stopped us, “Where are you going?” Doh. Turns out one can get their visa on arrival at the border, if staying for 30 days or less. So, we went back up to the room to change into appropriate trekking clothes for Bako National Park. Almost at the front gate, when a thought passed through our minds, is it too late? We asked the reception desk, and they confirmed that it was too late to head to Bako without spending a night there. Again, back up to the room to change into normal clothes for yet another internet/ coffee shop/ movie day. But, we managed to switch it up a bit. We went to a different coffee shop with free WiFi, lunched on Malay food (Nasi Goreng), and saw a different movie in an entirely different movie theatre. I know, kind of boring stuff… but totally necessary when long-term traveling.
Finally, we did something worthy of mentioning (even though I’ve already written paragraphs about nothing). Up and out by 7:00 am the next morning to catch the bus to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre (SWC). Not so easy when you’re awkward in Malaysia. Who knows if they gave us the wrong bus schedule, the wrong location to board the bus, the wrong bus number and color, or whatever – but it didn’t work out. We ended up having to take an over-priced minivan to see the Orangutans at SWC. But, no matter, because we got to see Orangutans!! They aren’t exactly wild, but they are being rehabilitated for the wild. And they are wild enough to roam free in the surrounding national park, not bound by fences, but rather they prefer to ‘stay in their neighborhood’. We went for the morning feeding, which sounds ‘touristy’ and unwild, but it surely wasn’t. Only about six or so orangutans showed up, and even so, they acted, seemed and were treated as wild. One must keep their distance; they have a history of biting visitors! Orangutans are incredibly gorgeous and fun to observe. Unfortunately, Sumatra and Borneo are the only habitats left in which they exist naturally in the wild.
Now, what to do for a ride home? We waited at the bus stop hut on the side of the road, unsure of when the next bus would arrive… when a black pick-up truck pulled over to give us a lift to town. We assessed the situation, found it to be safe, and hopped in the backseat. Donald, a 37 year old Chinese descent (3rd generation) Malay, was the driver, and his banana plantation manager, straight from China, silently sat in the passenger seat unable to converse in English. Donald, however, speaks Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and English! He has six children, and studied computer science in Sydney and Tazmania before returning to Borneo, where he now owns a few banana plantations. He’s traveled quite a bit, even having been to L.A. and Las Vegas, and he and his wife vacationed in Vancouver for their honeymoon.
We asked him about inter-marriage in Malaysia. His response: “You can’t stop love.” He went on to explain how the intercultural relations between the various tribal groups, religions and ethnicities remain positive and harmonious.
Donald also told us an interesting story about his grandmother, who was kidnapped from China when she was a young woman. His grandfather had moved to Malaysia for a better life, and then began asking around for a Chinese wife. Somehow, this got back to mainland China, resulting in a young woman being coerced onto a ship bound for Malaysia. Not knowing what had happened to her, the woman’s family thought she was dead. Thirty or forty years later, Donald’s grandmother got the chance to return to China, and was reunited with her siblings.
And so after another afternoon of coffee and internet, and another movie night, we packed our rucksacks, ready and excited for our next big adventure in Mulu National Park.
I am writing this on our fourth night in Kuching. We got an unavoidably expensive 26 RM (about $8) taxi to B&B Inn, a homely and informative hotel on a side alley. Our ceiling fan room costs us 35 RM with shared bathrooms and showers. There’s also free WiFi, a full kitchen with coffee/ tea and toast included each morning, and TV in the kitchen.
Upon checking in, the reception desk handed us a city map and bus schedule, and asked us our plans. We told him we were headed to Miri next, to get to Mulu. Turns out, we don’t have to actually spend a night in Miri, and can instead fly from Kuching to Mulu. You see, Mulu National Park is so embedded in heavy Bornean jungle rainforests, one can only fly there, or take a dodgy (depending on the season) 10-hour boat trip; there is no road. The reception desk then informed us of a couple things to do around Kuching that may be of interest: Semenggoh Wildlife (Rehabilitation) Center (Orangutans!!) and Bako National Park.
That first afternoon and evening we spent getting to know this small, mostly Chinese and Malay inhabited city along the river. We chowed down on delicious, cheap kebabs along the riverfront. Feeling the cool breeze and the relaxed, laid-back mentality of Kuching, we decided to take a break at Havana bar and indulge in a couple pitchers of Anchor beer. Over drinks, we further decided to extend our stay by three days!! Instead of a one-night fling with Kuching, we planned to research Mulu and getting to Indonesia the next day (and basic internet catching-up), do Bako the second day, and see Orangutans the third.
Thank god for that. Our Wednesday consisted of almost an entire day at the Deli Café, where WiFi is free, catching up on blogs and e-mails, uploading photos, researching Mulu National Park, looking up flights, and dating, pricing and organizing the next big leg of our rucksack revolution – Indonesia. This was actually kind of stressful, really stressful, as we had to weigh time and price differences. This is a summarized version of our afternoon conversation:
Do we overnight a bus to Miri, and then fly from Miri to Mulu? That would be cheaper. But, then we have to get from Mulu to either Miri or Kuching. Should we just do a roundtrip? That means we have to know how many days we need in Mulu. Ok, research what we’re going to do and how we’re going to spend each day in Mulu. We checked outbound flights from Mulu – their only destinations are Miri and Kuching. We want to get to Jakarta. Maybe overnight bus back, too? What about flights from Kuching to Jakarta? They all go through Kuala Lumpur, so would involve really long, unnecessary layovers, and not to mention outrageously expensive. So, forget the overnight bus altogether. Roundtrip to Mulu from Kuching, return to Kuching, and then what? How do we get to Jakarta? Overnight ship? Haha, definitely not, completely unsafe and no information. We talked to a tour/ travel agent who informed us of an airport in Pontianak, Indonesia, just south of Kuching on the island of Borneo. Ok, here’s what we decided on: we’re flying from Kuching to Mulu on April 17, four full days in Mulu National Park, returning to Kuching on April 22, spending the night in Kuching, hopping on an 8-hour bus to cross the border into Pontianak, Indonesia, spending the night of the 23rd in the equatorial city of Pontianak, and then flying out on April 24 to Jakarta!!
Next issue: visas. The Indonesian consulate webpage stated that we needed to submit an application to the consulate in Kuching, give it at least five days, pay a fee, something about a letter of employment (?), and blah blah blah. Yikes! So, we made the decision to go to the consulate first thing in the morning, and then head to Bako.
But first, let’s clear our heads. Movie night!! Just so happened “Date Night” was playing, and because it was ‘movie day’, tickets were only 5 RM ($1.60).
Next morning, up and out by 8:30am to get to the consulate in normal clothes, unsure of how long we were going to have to spend there. The reception desk stopped us, “Where are you going?” Doh. Turns out one can get their visa on arrival at the border, if staying for 30 days or less. So, we went back up to the room to change into appropriate trekking clothes for Bako National Park. Almost at the front gate, when a thought passed through our minds, is it too late? We asked the reception desk, and they confirmed that it was too late to head to Bako without spending a night there. Again, back up to the room to change into normal clothes for yet another internet/ coffee shop/ movie day. But, we managed to switch it up a bit. We went to a different coffee shop with free WiFi, lunched on Malay food (Nasi Goreng), and saw a different movie in an entirely different movie theatre. I know, kind of boring stuff… but totally necessary when long-term traveling.
Finally, we did something worthy of mentioning (even though I’ve already written paragraphs about nothing). Up and out by 7:00 am the next morning to catch the bus to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre (SWC). Not so easy when you’re awkward in Malaysia. Who knows if they gave us the wrong bus schedule, the wrong location to board the bus, the wrong bus number and color, or whatever – but it didn’t work out. We ended up having to take an over-priced minivan to see the Orangutans at SWC. But, no matter, because we got to see Orangutans!! They aren’t exactly wild, but they are being rehabilitated for the wild. And they are wild enough to roam free in the surrounding national park, not bound by fences, but rather they prefer to ‘stay in their neighborhood’. We went for the morning feeding, which sounds ‘touristy’ and unwild, but it surely wasn’t. Only about six or so orangutans showed up, and even so, they acted, seemed and were treated as wild. One must keep their distance; they have a history of biting visitors! Orangutans are incredibly gorgeous and fun to observe. Unfortunately, Sumatra and Borneo are the only habitats left in which they exist naturally in the wild.
Now, what to do for a ride home? We waited at the bus stop hut on the side of the road, unsure of when the next bus would arrive… when a black pick-up truck pulled over to give us a lift to town. We assessed the situation, found it to be safe, and hopped in the backseat. Donald, a 37 year old Chinese descent (3rd generation) Malay, was the driver, and his banana plantation manager, straight from China, silently sat in the passenger seat unable to converse in English. Donald, however, speaks Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and English! He has six children, and studied computer science in Sydney and Tazmania before returning to Borneo, where he now owns a few banana plantations. He’s traveled quite a bit, even having been to L.A. and Las Vegas, and he and his wife vacationed in Vancouver for their honeymoon.
We asked him about inter-marriage in Malaysia. His response: “You can’t stop love.” He went on to explain how the intercultural relations between the various tribal groups, religions and ethnicities remain positive and harmonious.
Donald also told us an interesting story about his grandmother, who was kidnapped from China when she was a young woman. His grandfather had moved to Malaysia for a better life, and then began asking around for a Chinese wife. Somehow, this got back to mainland China, resulting in a young woman being coerced onto a ship bound for Malaysia. Not knowing what had happened to her, the woman’s family thought she was dead. Thirty or forty years later, Donald’s grandmother got the chance to return to China, and was reunited with her siblings.
And so after another afternoon of coffee and internet, and another movie night, we packed our rucksacks, ready and excited for our next big adventure in Mulu National Park.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Getting Lucky at the Petronas Twin Towers
The Petronas Towers is certainly a beautiful city sight to behold both from the ground and way up there on the skybridge - our destination. Random FYI - Malaysia loves world records, so much so that they even produce their own "Malaysian Book of Records,"a publication styled after the Guinness Book of World Records. So... to follow in Malaysian suit, let me give you few facts about the Petronas Towers and it's skybridge.
With 88 floors, the Petronas Towers are the second tallest in the world, with 101 Tapei Towers taking first place. However, they did hold 1st place from 1998-2004; and remain the world's tallest twin towers to this day. The Petronas Towers took about 2.5 years to build in the mid-90s. The Petronas Towers skybridge is the highest and longest double sky bridge in the world. It is 170m up from the ground, and stretches acoss the 41st floor of the twin towers.
And, you get to see the view from the skybridge for free!! One catch. It is a first come, first serve basis. So, while tickets aren't even sold until 8:00am, and the first time slot to go up isn't even until 9:00am, we were told to get there by 7:30am to get in line. Liars!! Ummm, try at least 7:00am. We were up and out of our hostel by 7:00am, and arrived to a crowded room full of tourists lined up back and forth... so many so that we had to grab a spot in the back of the line, which snaked around into the hallway. B got us coffee and a newspaper, and we slowly moved along once the tickets started going at 8:00am.
Half way through, we noticed a compuer monitor hanging in the corner of the room. It had mysterious numbers listed, and it took us a bit to understand what they meant. To be fair to us, there were no titles or labels on the chart. But after we understood, we got nervous. You see, the chart had the time slots listed in boxes in a calendar format. Under each 15 minute time slot, there was another number. That was the number of tickets left for that time slot. They gave away 45 tickets per time slot, and even within each 15 minute time slot, they only allow about 15 people on the skybridge at one time for a 10 minute interval (which, is actually really nice for a non-annoying viewing experience).
The issue: Our flight to Kuching, Sarawak leaves at 1:55pm. We still have to go back to the hostel to get our rucksacks, and get to the bus station for the hour long ride to the aiport. So, we had until 10:00am to get in. All the morning time slots had "0" in the box, except for 9:45am, which had 40. By the time we turned around the corner in line, that 40 changed to '1'. Our only other option: there was one spot availabe for 9:45, and one for 10:00am. Ok, so we'll go up separately. We checked the line for single tourists - none. We had about 20 or so people in front of us... looking good. Shot down. While we contemplated "tearing the bandaid off fast" (Bridget) by just going before being turned down, with only a couple people left in line, we thought what the hell; maybe they'll take pity on us. Awww man, but they had computerized ticket machines.
We share our dilemma with the ticket lady, and handing us two tickets, she says, "There might be a cancellation. Just wait over there by the entrance." Sweeet! We waited by the entrance where the 9:30s were lining up, spoke with the line guard about cancellation hopes. Nope! All 9:30s showed up. I mean, who would stand in line all morning, get a morning ticket, and then be a no-show? That doesn't make sense.
10:00am... the people start lining up. This is our last time slot chance. We creepily stand next to them (awkward in Malaysia once again), count the line, and hopelessly, anxiously wait as they are handed proper badges to enter. Oh my god, and then the line guard turns to us and says, "There's been cancellation." He hands us our badges, and we get to enter!!!! Unbelievable, Bridget and I get a break; we get lucky.
After a short video on how great Petronas is and all the wonderful things that Petronas does for Malaysia and what it means to Malaysia, we get to go up forty-one floors to the skybridge. Definitely worth it, even though the morning was a bit clouded over.
Out by 10:30, hauled ass back to the hostel, grabbed our rucksacks, booked it to the bus station in a taxi, found the bus to the airport leaving in ten minutes, hour journey, arrived safely. No airport running necessary!
Off to Kuching, Sarawak - BORNEO!
With 88 floors, the Petronas Towers are the second tallest in the world, with 101 Tapei Towers taking first place. However, they did hold 1st place from 1998-2004; and remain the world's tallest twin towers to this day. The Petronas Towers took about 2.5 years to build in the mid-90s. The Petronas Towers skybridge is the highest and longest double sky bridge in the world. It is 170m up from the ground, and stretches acoss the 41st floor of the twin towers.
And, you get to see the view from the skybridge for free!! One catch. It is a first come, first serve basis. So, while tickets aren't even sold until 8:00am, and the first time slot to go up isn't even until 9:00am, we were told to get there by 7:30am to get in line. Liars!! Ummm, try at least 7:00am. We were up and out of our hostel by 7:00am, and arrived to a crowded room full of tourists lined up back and forth... so many so that we had to grab a spot in the back of the line, which snaked around into the hallway. B got us coffee and a newspaper, and we slowly moved along once the tickets started going at 8:00am.
Half way through, we noticed a compuer monitor hanging in the corner of the room. It had mysterious numbers listed, and it took us a bit to understand what they meant. To be fair to us, there were no titles or labels on the chart. But after we understood, we got nervous. You see, the chart had the time slots listed in boxes in a calendar format. Under each 15 minute time slot, there was another number. That was the number of tickets left for that time slot. They gave away 45 tickets per time slot, and even within each 15 minute time slot, they only allow about 15 people on the skybridge at one time for a 10 minute interval (which, is actually really nice for a non-annoying viewing experience).
The issue: Our flight to Kuching, Sarawak leaves at 1:55pm. We still have to go back to the hostel to get our rucksacks, and get to the bus station for the hour long ride to the aiport. So, we had until 10:00am to get in. All the morning time slots had "0" in the box, except for 9:45am, which had 40. By the time we turned around the corner in line, that 40 changed to '1'. Our only other option: there was one spot availabe for 9:45, and one for 10:00am. Ok, so we'll go up separately. We checked the line for single tourists - none. We had about 20 or so people in front of us... looking good. Shot down. While we contemplated "tearing the bandaid off fast" (Bridget) by just going before being turned down, with only a couple people left in line, we thought what the hell; maybe they'll take pity on us. Awww man, but they had computerized ticket machines.
We share our dilemma with the ticket lady, and handing us two tickets, she says, "There might be a cancellation. Just wait over there by the entrance." Sweeet! We waited by the entrance where the 9:30s were lining up, spoke with the line guard about cancellation hopes. Nope! All 9:30s showed up. I mean, who would stand in line all morning, get a morning ticket, and then be a no-show? That doesn't make sense.
10:00am... the people start lining up. This is our last time slot chance. We creepily stand next to them (awkward in Malaysia once again), count the line, and hopelessly, anxiously wait as they are handed proper badges to enter. Oh my god, and then the line guard turns to us and says, "There's been cancellation." He hands us our badges, and we get to enter!!!! Unbelievable, Bridget and I get a break; we get lucky.
After a short video on how great Petronas is and all the wonderful things that Petronas does for Malaysia and what it means to Malaysia, we get to go up forty-one floors to the skybridge. Definitely worth it, even though the morning was a bit clouded over.
Out by 10:30, hauled ass back to the hostel, grabbed our rucksacks, booked it to the bus station in a taxi, found the bus to the airport leaving in ten minutes, hour journey, arrived safely. No airport running necessary!
Off to Kuching, Sarawak - BORNEO!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Hopping On and Hopping Off in Kuala Lumpur
After an easy five hours on a problem-free, comfortable public bus from the Cameron Highlands, we arrived on a street near the central bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, a city of minarets and skyscrapers. On a recommendation from Daniel's Lodge in the Cameron Highlands, we snaked our way through the busy city streets to the Traveller's Inn in Chinatown, with rucksacks and side bags in tow.
For 11 RM/ bed (about $3-4), we booked two beds in a dormitory box that managed to squeeze in four bunkbeds. We spent our first afternoon and evening getting lost in this cultural mix of a salad bowl city. We walked along the dirty Sungai Klang (river), and stumbled upon an odd, yet humurous nightly hobby of Kuala Lumpur youngsters. Upon reaching a large intersection, we noticed at least a few hundred fancy motorbikes lined up in what seemed to be an orderly zig-zagged fashion along barricaded streets. The drivers and passengers were all in their 20s and looked as if they were waiting for something. What's going on? We asked a nearby security guard. "Young people with spare time. Nothing. They do this on weekends." Huh? All of the sudden, police cars buzzed through, and motors revved, and off they sped down the main street at km/ hour that make you gasp. We stood and watched, not believing that this was just a nightly hobby. More fancy motorbikes showed up at all corners of the intersection, as if being directed by an invisible conductor, revving their engines, and ready-set-go! Racing, bored, showing off, whatever the reason, this completely unsafe hobby of theirs was culturally fascinating and hilarious all at the same time.
The next day, our one full day in this fabulous city of mosques, temples, colonial remnants and high-rises, we paid 38 RM for a 24 hour "Hop On Hop Off" ticket. We picked up the bus just outside our hostel in the center of Chinatown. And just as the name denotes, the ticket allows us to hop on and hop off at any of the over 40 tourist attraction stops along the circuit. Not only is the bus fabulously air-conditioned, but they also provide informational headphones in multiple languages that at the press of a button will provide the tourist with exposes on neighborhoods and buildings that you pass by. Excellent!
Our first stop, a kind of mandatory stop - "Five minute break for photo-taking!" - the palace. Typical photos. One one of Bridget and I standing on either side of the uniformed guard on an ancy horse. And one of the long road leading to the palace, which you cannot visibly see from standing behind the gate. Ooh, la la. Of course.
Second stop: the Lake Gardens. This was the area we had tried to get to the night before, and decided instead to just get lost around KL, as the locals says. We hopped off and found ourselves in the hibiscus gardens; hibiscus being the national flower. Beautiful, but not what we wanted. We wanted to find the lake, which we never did. Dammit, what's wrong with us? We just can't seem to get it together enough to navigate ourselves around Malaysia, both literally and in every other possible figurative meaning, such as communication and eating. Simply put, Bridget and I are awkward in Malaysia!! That's our Malaysian trip slogan. Yes, go us! (More on this later. In another post. Promise.)
So, after twenty minutes of waiting at the Hop On Hop Off bus stop in the searing heat, we hopped back on to ride a full circuit, because we can, and because it's air-conditioned on the bus. That's right, we rode it all the way around again, past Chinatown, past the palace, through the Lake Gardens once more, and finally decided to make some moves at the Islamic Museum (or "Muzium" in Malay). Upon entering this grand, modern, important-looking building, we realized the admission fee of 12 RM was just out of our budget, as Malaysia is draining our wallets. Perhaps noticing the disappointed look on our faces, the reception man questioned our delay in buying tickets, and when we admitted that the admission price was just out of our budget, he offered this: "Student tickets are 6 RM." And his smile had a glimmer. So, he let us in as students. B and I both agree that not only does he love his job, but it's important to him for us to see this museum; he's proud. Love it. Well worth it. Our favorite bit of the museum was the wall labeled "Remembering Palestine," a timeline of the Palestinian people and the forgotten land, with beautiful, historic photos embedded in the wall.
Hopped back on the bus! Love this bus. Rode it to the KL Tower, which had a jaw-dropping admission fee of 38 RM just to go all the way up. How dare they! Forget that. So, instead we re-upped with some coffee and Indian roti. Back on the bus, back to Chinatown (We're in Malaysia, by the way, in case you forgot with all this talk of Islamic Museums, Indian roti and Chinatown.) We grabbed some good, cheap Chinese street-food grub, and then washed it down with a nice cold one - one large Anchor beer between the two of us - on Petaling Street in the center of KL's Chinatown.
What about the Petronas Towers, you ask? The famous Petronas Twin Towers? Haha, well, get this... it's Monday. Our Hop On Hop Off excursion took place on Monday; that's just the one day of the week that our Kuala Lumpur trip fell on... and of course, Mondays are a public holiday in Malaysia. So, when we booked our flights from here to Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (the island of Borneo), we made sure to leave enough time in the morning to get to the Petronas Towers skybridge, back to get luggage, and to the airport. Well, "awkward in Malaysia", right? Things didn't quite turn out as planned, but then.... but then.... we got lucky!
Next post...
For 11 RM/ bed (about $3-4), we booked two beds in a dormitory box that managed to squeeze in four bunkbeds. We spent our first afternoon and evening getting lost in this cultural mix of a salad bowl city. We walked along the dirty Sungai Klang (river), and stumbled upon an odd, yet humurous nightly hobby of Kuala Lumpur youngsters. Upon reaching a large intersection, we noticed at least a few hundred fancy motorbikes lined up in what seemed to be an orderly zig-zagged fashion along barricaded streets. The drivers and passengers were all in their 20s and looked as if they were waiting for something. What's going on? We asked a nearby security guard. "Young people with spare time. Nothing. They do this on weekends." Huh? All of the sudden, police cars buzzed through, and motors revved, and off they sped down the main street at km/ hour that make you gasp. We stood and watched, not believing that this was just a nightly hobby. More fancy motorbikes showed up at all corners of the intersection, as if being directed by an invisible conductor, revving their engines, and ready-set-go! Racing, bored, showing off, whatever the reason, this completely unsafe hobby of theirs was culturally fascinating and hilarious all at the same time.
The next day, our one full day in this fabulous city of mosques, temples, colonial remnants and high-rises, we paid 38 RM for a 24 hour "Hop On Hop Off" ticket. We picked up the bus just outside our hostel in the center of Chinatown. And just as the name denotes, the ticket allows us to hop on and hop off at any of the over 40 tourist attraction stops along the circuit. Not only is the bus fabulously air-conditioned, but they also provide informational headphones in multiple languages that at the press of a button will provide the tourist with exposes on neighborhoods and buildings that you pass by. Excellent!
Our first stop, a kind of mandatory stop - "Five minute break for photo-taking!" - the palace. Typical photos. One one of Bridget and I standing on either side of the uniformed guard on an ancy horse. And one of the long road leading to the palace, which you cannot visibly see from standing behind the gate. Ooh, la la. Of course.
Second stop: the Lake Gardens. This was the area we had tried to get to the night before, and decided instead to just get lost around KL, as the locals says. We hopped off and found ourselves in the hibiscus gardens; hibiscus being the national flower. Beautiful, but not what we wanted. We wanted to find the lake, which we never did. Dammit, what's wrong with us? We just can't seem to get it together enough to navigate ourselves around Malaysia, both literally and in every other possible figurative meaning, such as communication and eating. Simply put, Bridget and I are awkward in Malaysia!! That's our Malaysian trip slogan. Yes, go us! (More on this later. In another post. Promise.)
So, after twenty minutes of waiting at the Hop On Hop Off bus stop in the searing heat, we hopped back on to ride a full circuit, because we can, and because it's air-conditioned on the bus. That's right, we rode it all the way around again, past Chinatown, past the palace, through the Lake Gardens once more, and finally decided to make some moves at the Islamic Museum (or "Muzium" in Malay). Upon entering this grand, modern, important-looking building, we realized the admission fee of 12 RM was just out of our budget, as Malaysia is draining our wallets. Perhaps noticing the disappointed look on our faces, the reception man questioned our delay in buying tickets, and when we admitted that the admission price was just out of our budget, he offered this: "Student tickets are 6 RM." And his smile had a glimmer. So, he let us in as students. B and I both agree that not only does he love his job, but it's important to him for us to see this museum; he's proud. Love it. Well worth it. Our favorite bit of the museum was the wall labeled "Remembering Palestine," a timeline of the Palestinian people and the forgotten land, with beautiful, historic photos embedded in the wall.
Hopped back on the bus! Love this bus. Rode it to the KL Tower, which had a jaw-dropping admission fee of 38 RM just to go all the way up. How dare they! Forget that. So, instead we re-upped with some coffee and Indian roti. Back on the bus, back to Chinatown (We're in Malaysia, by the way, in case you forgot with all this talk of Islamic Museums, Indian roti and Chinatown.) We grabbed some good, cheap Chinese street-food grub, and then washed it down with a nice cold one - one large Anchor beer between the two of us - on Petaling Street in the center of KL's Chinatown.
What about the Petronas Towers, you ask? The famous Petronas Twin Towers? Haha, well, get this... it's Monday. Our Hop On Hop Off excursion took place on Monday; that's just the one day of the week that our Kuala Lumpur trip fell on... and of course, Mondays are a public holiday in Malaysia. So, when we booked our flights from here to Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (the island of Borneo), we made sure to leave enough time in the morning to get to the Petronas Towers skybridge, back to get luggage, and to the airport. Well, "awkward in Malaysia", right? Things didn't quite turn out as planned, but then.... but then.... we got lucky!
Next post...
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Family Day Outing in the Cameron Highlands
As B put it, from the beautiful islands to the misty highlands... The Cameron Highlands, third stop in Malaysia. This is where the famous textile king Jim Thompson went missing, and his body has still never been found. You have nothing to worry about, obviously, as I'm writing this right now... and anyway, we didn't go trekking or anything of the sort. Nooo, we went on a family day trip to the various fields and farms that make-up the misty hills of the Cameron Highlands. What??? you say? Let me explain.
B and I arrived in the afternoon, after having yet another private mini-van all to ourselves. Not intentionally. From Georgetown to Perhentian Besut (the mainland town of the Perhentian islands), and from Gua Musang (half-way from Perhentian Besut to Cameron Highlands) to the Cameron Highlands, Bridget and I have by chance enjoyed an entire mini-van all to ourselves! Why? I have no idea, but lucky us, or ... we're doing it all the wrong way. We do see backpackers, and many hostels and guesthouses are full, but where is everybody? Either way, that means comfortable, personal rides all the way to the destination. And both times, the drivers have been extremely friendly and outgoing, and have shared a lot of their culture with us. In a way, it's like we're being chauffeured all across Malaysia, but at a backpacker rate. How random.
Our driver recommended and dropped us off at Daniel Kang's Traveller's Lodge, where dormitory beds are RM 10/ night. In addition to an awesome backpacker vibe, the place was spick and span spotless, and the bathrooms were bleach clean. There were 5 sets of showers, with toilets (western and squats), sinks, mirrors, hooks, hot water, and towels! There is also a "living room" for DVD watching. They had binders full of DVD covers. You choose, tell the reception the DVD number, and they hand you the movie to put in, whenever you want. There is a Jungle Bar where Anchor Strong beer goes for RM 7.50, with a pool table and bonfire too! And, free WIFI. Definitely a step up from the A-frame shed we endured on Kecil.
We walked around the chilly mountain town, which basically means we walked one way up the main street, and back down on the other side. We stopped for some delicious Indian food, and spent the rest of the night playing pool and sipping down a few cool ones (Anchor Strong) by the bonfire, before once again calling it an early, before midnight night.
We booked a half day "countryside tour" as opposed to the popular jungle trek tour/ full day tour of waterfalls, tea plantations, farms, Rafflesia (the largest flower in the world) sightings, and farms all in one. We are saving our money for Borneo. And the jungles will be more worth it in Borneo than here. We came to the Cameron Highlands to enjoy the misty town for a day, eat fresh strawberries and see the Tea Plantations. The "countryside tour" that we booked included a Chinese temple (random), the Boh Tea Plantation and Factory, Insect/ Snake/ Butterfly Gardens, Bee Farm and Strawberry Farm for RM25. We were picked up at 1:45 pm by...
Oh yes, we were picked up by a Chinese-Malay man and his outgoing 10 year old daughter, Ruby, in their jeep. Not that one should ever assume or expect too much in Southeast Asia (or travelling in general), but we were imagining the typical minivan with other tourists in tow. Nope. Just the four of us out and about for the day. When we reached the Insect/ Snake/ Butterfly Gardens, the man said to us as we were entering, "You don't mind taking Ruby in with you..." No, we didn't, but it was pretty random. And at that point, as we walked around the Butterly Gardens and Insect farms with Ruby, we felt like we were more on a family outing than anything else. Ruby happily hopped along pointing out green-colored butterflies, and sharing comments like, "Oh! And there is a blue one! Go look, let's look. Let's go over here." Not sure if we felt like we were being guided by 10 year old Ruby, or babysitting 10 year old Ruby. No, not babysitting, just an odd situation that only ended up in laughs and smiles. What is this day? we kept asking ourselves.
All-in-all, the glorious randomness and unexpected is what makes travelling all the more interesting. I mean, really, who would have expected this family countryside daytrip with Ruby and her father? Oh, and the kicker. It turned out they lived in Kang's Traveller's Lodge. So, all for the rest of the night, we saw Ruby and her father. A bit awkward, but kind of cute, too.
A few things we learned from Ruby's dad: Malays, Indians and Chinese all go to their respective schools for elementary age. But, when they reach their middle school years, they attend altogether, mixed. At Chinese schools, they must learn Chinese, English and Malay. At Indian schools, they learn Tamil (I think), English and Malay. At Malay schools, they learn Malay and English.
Ruby is 4th generation Chinese-Malay. Her father's grandfather was born in China and moved to Malaysia. They mostly eat Chinese food, but every now and then will enjoy an evening at an Indian or Malay restaurant.
Ruby's dad also shared this interesting fact with us while at the Boh Tea Plantation explaining the separation of oxidized tea leaves (the good parts from the bad parts): "And here is the dust," the leftovers from the leaves. "You people drink the dust; that is what you buy in the tea bags. Not like here." Oh. Didn't know that, did you? That when we drink tea from tea bags, we are essentially enjoying the unwanted dust leftovers! And never before, have B and I heard us referred to as "You people" so many times. However, we do not take offense to it, we just find it funny.
Off to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow!!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Pualu Perhentian Kecil
The beautiful islands of Perhentian. (Pualu is "island" in Malay.) We chose Kecil. Because I have not downloaded my photos from the island trip just yet, I'm posting someone else's photos below:
What a hard life, huh? So, we had 2 nights and 2 days on Kecil. We spent our first day relaxing, swimming, reading and sleeping on the soft, white sand. B tanned. I laid out under the umbrella. And yet, the equatorial sun got me!! Stupid me. I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't put on any sunblock for the first half of the day, as I thought the umbrella shade would be enough protection. Oops. I am burned to a complete crisp. My forehead looks like rock monitor skin, and I have raccoon eyes. Dammit! What's wrong with me.
Our bungalow was one of the most defunct accommodations that I've ever stayed in, but on this expensive island, we had to deal. It was an A-frame shed, with just enough room to fit two twin beds pushed together. There was perhaps no more than 2 feet of empty space on each side of the bed, so if you had anything else other than a rucksack, then oh well. When we opened the door, we were literally touching the bed. We had to walk a bit to the left and close the door just to get to the right side of the bed. Our mosquito net was bullshit. And the shared bathrooms were way on the other side of the central lawn area. The shower was a spout spitting out water from a pipe hanging from the ceiling. No hooks, no shelves, no sink, no towels, no toilet paper.
Oh, and the final kicker... no power/ electricity until the sun goes down. The island runs on a generator, so power is limited on the entire island. Not that having it on even in the dark mattered too much. As our fan woudn't have moved a fly a few feet in front, and we had absolutely no light source in the room. But! We did have a single lightbulb on the porch. All this luxury for 30 ringgit a night (15 each). Last time I checked, the conversion was about $1 to RM 3.2. So, we immediately decided that this room was a place to lie down at night and keep our stuff in. We were not about to spend any extra time in there, other than what was needed. We also decided that we were going to have to come back to the room drunk to be ok with the situation.
However, that did not happen. This island is exxxxxxpensive!!!! We tried. We sure did. But after 3 beers, at one of the two bars on Kecil, at RM 10 (ringgit)/ $3/ 100 Thai baht per beer can, we called it. We called it a night, and looked forward to our snorkeling trip the next day. Oh, and they only serve Tiger beer on the whole isand of Kecil.
Six different spots. Three Black-Tipped Sharks, a large sea turtle, Nemo in anenome and giant blue grouper are just some of the fascinating marine life we encountered on our all day snorkeling excursion. Very cool. We enjoyed the King Fish BBQ that evening on the beach, watched a movie at one of the higher end bungalows, and headed back for a good's night rest in our A-frame shed. However... mine was not such a good night. I was literally attacked by a platoon of mosquitoes, and there was not much to do about it. Oh, and my sunburn was burning. But, all's OK, more than OK, because look at where we are!!
Anyway, as we saw our wallets drain, we decided to book it to Cameron Highlands... next stop on our Malaysian Rucksack Adventure.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Penang or Pinang
First destination in Malaysia - Penang, or Pinang in Malaysian. This large island on the western side of the Malaysian peninsula used to be a large trading harbour with the Dutch and later British East India Trading Company. We are staying in George Town, a recent UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the first British Straits Settlement in the late 18th century.
So other than its historic role as a bustling trading post, what makes George Town so culturally important? The various ethnic groups and religious devotees that have settled here over the past 200 years. Yes, we are talking about a city that encompasses and integrates a rich culturual collection of Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist Chinese, and Muslim Malays, and Hindu Indians. In addition to these three main settling groups, some local Malay groups, Arabs, Javanese, Burmese, and Siamese (Thai) also call this large island home. The streets are a mix of colonial European architecture, modern skyscrapers, Chinese fishing huts (Clan Jetties), mosques, churches, Chinese and Indian temples, teahouses, guesthouses, and ancient vocational shophouses (such as engravers and joss stick makers). To my knowledge - from my one full day of observation, speaking to the locals, and reading the pamphlets - all these complex cultures and religions live together harmoniously.
While there are specific neighborhoods, such as Little India or Chinatown, George Town blends together the traditions, dress and languages of all its inhabitants. Next to Patel Insurance is a shop titled only in Chinese characters, and across the street from a mosque. The street signs are all in Malaysian (a bit about that below), but also have the street name in a second language - which to me, seems at random. In addition to Malaysian, street signs are accompanied by the Chinese character equivalent, Arab scripture, or an English translation.
We passed by an elementary school just as all the children were being picked up by their parents. It seemed to us, that the schools were just as mixed as the town, itself. Some of the children looked very Chinese, others clearly Indian, and still many of the girls were wearing their hajibs - daughters of the Muslim Malays. We also passed a school which had a sign in English, "Chinese School", and all the rest was labeled in Chinese characters. Just down the block was a Christian Convent school.
Overcome by the near-equator heat, Bridget and I hopped on an air-conditioned city bus with no destination in mind. We were walking along the pier road, overlooking beautifully blue water, looking for a cafe, when we came across a bus that said "Free" on the side. It is the "Hop on, free City bus"! How perfect. So, we did just that: hopped on, and found elevated seats in the air-conditioned bus, which is the nicest city bus that I have come across in Asia. Not only did we get to view the city sites from an air-conditioned vehicle, but we got to witness the harmonious living together of these distinctly varied cultures. The "people-watching" was the best part of this bus ride (oh, after the air-conditioning).
Sitting next to each other, standing next to each other, boarding and departing at the same bus stops were Indian women draped in saris and decorated with the bindi, Muslim Malay women covered in the hajib and full robe, middle-aged Chinese women whose round faces were topped with a perm, Muslim men donning a fez, Indian teenagers with decorative bracelets, earrings and a nose ring snapping cell phone pictures of each other, and young Chinese women in modern, casual business dress.
As a former colony of first the Dutch and then Britain, one can easily see the influences throughout Malaysia (specifically, for us so far - George Town only), such as in the language. The Malaysian language is, well, the phonetic English alphabet, but with a lot of "k"s. Bridget and I have constantly joked throughout the day, "I can speak Malaysian, wanna hear?" Why? Because so many of the words are similar to English, and seems to be intentionally misspelled just to confuse. But nope! That's just the Malaysian language. Let me share a few examples. Police in Malaysian is polis. Pharmacy is Farmasi. Immigration is Imigrasen. Taxi is Teksi. Museum is Muzium. Bus is Bas. Alcohol is Alkohol. Clinic is Klinic. Restaurant is Restoran. (And no, the absence of the "t" is not a misspelling.) As for the rest of the language, I don't know. But there are a lot of "k"s present.
While Malay is the national language, English is also widely spoken as the second language. We found that everyone we've come across has spoken English really well. Yes, we are in a touristy area, but even the food vendors on the street were able to describe to us the ingredients of their goods in almost perfect English. Your next question is probably... so do the ethnic groups speak Malay or their ancestor's national language? It's hard for us to tell. And it's awkward to just stand next to people on the street listening to their conversation. But, one of the pamphlets says that Hokkien and Mandarin are commonly spoken among the Chinese Malay inhabitants, and Tamil is the main vernacular language among Indians.
Bridget and I took a free guided tour through the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, which depicts the typical home of a rich Baba and Nyonya from more than a century ago. Baba/ Nyonya, what? Well, as we learned from both our tour guide, and a couple sharing the tour with us, Baba and Nyonya (Baba for male, Nyonya for female) are the people who were originally from China but have adapted and assimilated to Malay culture and dress.
The couple that shared the tour with us were originally from Malaysia, but have been living in England for the last 30 years. The man's father was from China. So he is a Baba, because although originally a "china man", he acculturated to the Malay way of life. However, what is most interesting and increasingly common in this ever-globalizing world of ours, is that the man's son is now more English than anything else, having completely grown up in England. So, if someone were to ask of his ancestral heritage, what would he say? Malaysian-Chinese?
Food, oh glorious food. Last night, we dined at an unknowingly at the time expensive Indian restaurant called Maharaj. Today, we ate at a local food market court outside by the water, sipping on fresh coconuts and I slurped down a traditional Laksa - a fish soup with lemongrass, onions, lettuce, and more ingredients (that I cannot remember).
So, that's our Malaysian experience for now. Only one day, and all that to share! Can you imagine what's up ahead? Neither can I. But, we're headed to Perehentian Island, on the west coast of the peninsula, tomorrow at 5 am.
I've posted the Penang photos on Picasa.
So other than its historic role as a bustling trading post, what makes George Town so culturally important? The various ethnic groups and religious devotees that have settled here over the past 200 years. Yes, we are talking about a city that encompasses and integrates a rich culturual collection of Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist Chinese, and Muslim Malays, and Hindu Indians. In addition to these three main settling groups, some local Malay groups, Arabs, Javanese, Burmese, and Siamese (Thai) also call this large island home. The streets are a mix of colonial European architecture, modern skyscrapers, Chinese fishing huts (Clan Jetties), mosques, churches, Chinese and Indian temples, teahouses, guesthouses, and ancient vocational shophouses (such as engravers and joss stick makers). To my knowledge - from my one full day of observation, speaking to the locals, and reading the pamphlets - all these complex cultures and religions live together harmoniously.
While there are specific neighborhoods, such as Little India or Chinatown, George Town blends together the traditions, dress and languages of all its inhabitants. Next to Patel Insurance is a shop titled only in Chinese characters, and across the street from a mosque. The street signs are all in Malaysian (a bit about that below), but also have the street name in a second language - which to me, seems at random. In addition to Malaysian, street signs are accompanied by the Chinese character equivalent, Arab scripture, or an English translation.
We passed by an elementary school just as all the children were being picked up by their parents. It seemed to us, that the schools were just as mixed as the town, itself. Some of the children looked very Chinese, others clearly Indian, and still many of the girls were wearing their hajibs - daughters of the Muslim Malays. We also passed a school which had a sign in English, "Chinese School", and all the rest was labeled in Chinese characters. Just down the block was a Christian Convent school.
Overcome by the near-equator heat, Bridget and I hopped on an air-conditioned city bus with no destination in mind. We were walking along the pier road, overlooking beautifully blue water, looking for a cafe, when we came across a bus that said "Free" on the side. It is the "Hop on, free City bus"! How perfect. So, we did just that: hopped on, and found elevated seats in the air-conditioned bus, which is the nicest city bus that I have come across in Asia. Not only did we get to view the city sites from an air-conditioned vehicle, but we got to witness the harmonious living together of these distinctly varied cultures. The "people-watching" was the best part of this bus ride (oh, after the air-conditioning).
Sitting next to each other, standing next to each other, boarding and departing at the same bus stops were Indian women draped in saris and decorated with the bindi, Muslim Malay women covered in the hajib and full robe, middle-aged Chinese women whose round faces were topped with a perm, Muslim men donning a fez, Indian teenagers with decorative bracelets, earrings and a nose ring snapping cell phone pictures of each other, and young Chinese women in modern, casual business dress.
As a former colony of first the Dutch and then Britain, one can easily see the influences throughout Malaysia (specifically, for us so far - George Town only), such as in the language. The Malaysian language is, well, the phonetic English alphabet, but with a lot of "k"s. Bridget and I have constantly joked throughout the day, "I can speak Malaysian, wanna hear?" Why? Because so many of the words are similar to English, and seems to be intentionally misspelled just to confuse. But nope! That's just the Malaysian language. Let me share a few examples. Police in Malaysian is polis. Pharmacy is Farmasi. Immigration is Imigrasen. Taxi is Teksi. Museum is Muzium. Bus is Bas. Alcohol is Alkohol. Clinic is Klinic. Restaurant is Restoran. (And no, the absence of the "t" is not a misspelling.) As for the rest of the language, I don't know. But there are a lot of "k"s present.
While Malay is the national language, English is also widely spoken as the second language. We found that everyone we've come across has spoken English really well. Yes, we are in a touristy area, but even the food vendors on the street were able to describe to us the ingredients of their goods in almost perfect English. Your next question is probably... so do the ethnic groups speak Malay or their ancestor's national language? It's hard for us to tell. And it's awkward to just stand next to people on the street listening to their conversation. But, one of the pamphlets says that Hokkien and Mandarin are commonly spoken among the Chinese Malay inhabitants, and Tamil is the main vernacular language among Indians.
Bridget and I took a free guided tour through the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, which depicts the typical home of a rich Baba and Nyonya from more than a century ago. Baba/ Nyonya, what? Well, as we learned from both our tour guide, and a couple sharing the tour with us, Baba and Nyonya (Baba for male, Nyonya for female) are the people who were originally from China but have adapted and assimilated to Malay culture and dress.
The couple that shared the tour with us were originally from Malaysia, but have been living in England for the last 30 years. The man's father was from China. So he is a Baba, because although originally a "china man", he acculturated to the Malay way of life. However, what is most interesting and increasingly common in this ever-globalizing world of ours, is that the man's son is now more English than anything else, having completely grown up in England. So, if someone were to ask of his ancestral heritage, what would he say? Malaysian-Chinese?
Food, oh glorious food. Last night, we dined at an unknowingly at the time expensive Indian restaurant called Maharaj. Today, we ate at a local food market court outside by the water, sipping on fresh coconuts and I slurped down a traditional Laksa - a fish soup with lemongrass, onions, lettuce, and more ingredients (that I cannot remember).
So, that's our Malaysian experience for now. Only one day, and all that to share! Can you imagine what's up ahead? Neither can I. But, we're headed to Perehentian Island, on the west coast of the peninsula, tomorrow at 5 am.
I've posted the Penang photos on Picasa.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Korea and the DMZ
Mom and I set off on a group tour with the Korean Travel Bureau for our trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. This is a trip that can only be done on an organized tour. We hopped on the two large tour buses, one for the Japanese, and the other for English speakers (Europeans, too).
After some memorial sightings, we were off to
writing clearly still in progress!!!
No koreans allowed on this tour.
Freedom Bridge/ Imjingak. Prisoners of war crossed this bridge after Korean War looking forward to freedom
rocks in fences.
Bridge of No Return - prisoner repatriation operations. prisoners were exchanged on this bridge however, once crossed, they could not return.
Camp Bonifas - named after Lt. Bonifas who was killed in the tree chopping incident.
JSA/ Panmunjeom - when important meeting is held, this area is crowded with guards and newsmen.
dress code/ shoes
no cases.
switching to military bus. Our minder who stuck with us the whole time
had to follow a military personnel jeep
passport checks
no pointing/ hand gestures. north propaganda (other american on our tour pointed)
regulated picture taking
some rules: Any equipment, microphones or flags belonging to the communist side in the MAC conference room are not to be touched. Do not speak with, make any gesture toward or in any way approach or respond to personnel from the other side
Military Demarcation Line bisecting North from South in JSA
United Nations Command
Tree incident. since this incident, it was agreed to separate the JSA (demarcation line) in half to separate sentries.
Panmungak of North Korea. binoculars. cameras.
camera lense 200 mm zoom enforcement
farming in the DMZ. Freedom Village and the propaganda village on the North.
-- Freedom Village, about 500 villagers. they can farm, and have 8x the size of the average korean in rice paddy area, so they make a good amout of money, average $80,000 annual. it is a dangerous area. and have to lock doors at night in case of kidnapping from the north. there is no nightlife. there is only 1 primary school, and no higher. there used to be more villagers here, which existed before the korean war, but after the line was drawn, these 500 or so decided to stay. they dont have to pay taxes, and they can go into city, or outside of area with special passbooks/ id.
Korean flag pole sizes. north koreas is the tallest and largest in the world.
After some memorial sightings, we were off to
writing clearly still in progress!!!
No koreans allowed on this tour.
Freedom Bridge/ Imjingak. Prisoners of war crossed this bridge after Korean War looking forward to freedom
rocks in fences.
Bridge of No Return - prisoner repatriation operations. prisoners were exchanged on this bridge however, once crossed, they could not return.
Camp Bonifas - named after Lt. Bonifas who was killed in the tree chopping incident.
JSA/ Panmunjeom - when important meeting is held, this area is crowded with guards and newsmen.
dress code/ shoes
no cases.
switching to military bus. Our minder who stuck with us the whole time
had to follow a military personnel jeep
passport checks
no pointing/ hand gestures. north propaganda (other american on our tour pointed)
regulated picture taking
some rules: Any equipment, microphones or flags belonging to the communist side in the MAC conference room are not to be touched. Do not speak with, make any gesture toward or in any way approach or respond to personnel from the other side
Military Demarcation Line bisecting North from South in JSA
United Nations Command
Tree incident. since this incident, it was agreed to separate the JSA (demarcation line) in half to separate sentries.
Panmungak of North Korea. binoculars. cameras.
camera lense 200 mm zoom enforcement
farming in the DMZ. Freedom Village and the propaganda village on the North.
-- Freedom Village, about 500 villagers. they can farm, and have 8x the size of the average korean in rice paddy area, so they make a good amout of money, average $80,000 annual. it is a dangerous area. and have to lock doors at night in case of kidnapping from the north. there is no nightlife. there is only 1 primary school, and no higher. there used to be more villagers here, which existed before the korean war, but after the line was drawn, these 500 or so decided to stay. they dont have to pay taxes, and they can go into city, or outside of area with special passbooks/ id.
Korean flag pole sizes. north koreas is the tallest and largest in the world.
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