The Tour Part II
Sep. 9th, 2003 03:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipWell, after this post I should be able to get back to my normal leaving of reading and posting to other people's journals. The tour is over and I'm back at my desk in Dili...
Firstly however some sad news. Australian Volunteers International has lost it's first volunteer in East Timor, Mary Geraets, who was mountain climbing in Maliana and fell and died from serious head injuries.
Apparently there's a dinner for her tonight. Which makes writing about this tour a bit muted...but still, I'll give it a go...
Sept 3
Well, at the Snake Temple, I got to play with some Green Tree Pythons and snapped up a digital camera (about time I suppose).. The temple itself was fairly small however and somewhat commercial (give attendents money for "good luck"). After returning to the city I went out to see Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, which is fairly impressive and commanding from the edge of Penang Hill. I also managed to catch the last cable car up Penang Hill which has wonderful views of Georgetown and surrounds. Unfortunately the restaurant at the top of the hill (often visited by Buckminster Fuller) was closed.
Sept 4
In the morning I managed to squeeze in a visit to Khoo Kongsi, an old Chinese clanhouse of superb detail and was heavily used for the 1999 film Anna and the King (which incidentially, like the previous version, The
King and I, is banned in Thailand for suggesting that the king would be under the influence (romantic or otherwise) of Anna Leonwens). On the way to this magnificant building I was interviewed by some local press who evidently wanted to write a story on what a great tourist and shopping centre Penang is. I faked being interested in a few wares whilst the took some pictures wrote down some personal details.
In the afternoon the proprietor from the Love Lane Inn (which I highly recommend, cheap, cheery and helpful) took me to the bus station and from there I travelled to Kuala Lumpur to stay in a rather non-descript
backpackers in Chinatown. I took the opportunity to go to the famous Coliseum Hotel, an early deco (1921) hotel which was popular with planters. Despite the somewhat charming gruff Indian waiter and filthy
linen tableclothes, dining there was superb - they did a very fine chateaubriand sizzling steak and unbelievably had chilled beaujolias (1999) available. I do have a weakness for fine food...
Sept 5
Bright and early for the journey out of KL to the Batu Caves, huge limestone caverns inhabited by several hundred bats, a few score monkeys and now a Hindu temple (after a climb of 272 numbered steps). In February
about one million Hindus turn up for the Taipusam festival where devotees stick bits of metal through their skin en masse as thanks for answered prayers. Apparently some doctors make their living just through this
event.
Later in the afternoon I visited the Petronas Towers ("the twin towers" of KL). The towers themselves are certainly quite impressive, but the lecture and tour of the sky bridge is a waste of time especially considering the wait and queues. After that I went to the fairly good National History Museaum, then past the Komplex Dayabumi which is an office tower with some interesting Moorish designs and then to the Kuala Lumpur Train station which is a bizarre amalgamation of Victorian colonial, Victorian industrial, international modernism, Malay and Arabic design. It's a theme park in it's own right.
Evening consisted at eating at another famous hotel, the Kapitan, another building from deco days. The 'Kapitan' is the distinctive helmet worn by Sayid Mashor from the Sengalor Civil war. Now the building is a Nyona (Malay-Chinese) dining establishment which combines the influences rather well.
Sept 6
Depart KL and travel to Melaka. According to the Portuguese writer Barbarosa "Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice". That may have been true once but now Melaka is a very sleepy seaside town full of influences from the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial periods. In the afternoon I visited the traditional village (ho-hum, just like housing in East Timor), the hotel I was intending to stay at (now a riverfront gothic ruin, complete with crows), Villa Sentosa, Portra de Santiago, St Pauls Church (which once housed the bones of Saint Francis Xavier), the Governer's Museaum (boring), the History Museum (very interesting), Stadthys and in the quiet and beautiful streets of Chinatown, the Cheen Hoon Temple. The History museaum, with magnificant paintings and relics of the Portuguese period was quite a highlight, although I notice in their anti-imperialist fevour they did studiously neglect to mention that it was the Malays who initially attacked the Portuguese in 1509. I also managed to pick up some nice prints of various town scenes.
I travelled to Melaka and stayed at the same backpackers with a Japanese student named Rie as we'd both come from the same lodgings in KL and were sitting next to each other on the bus to Melaka. In the evening we shared dinner at the Portuguese Medan where, apparently, some 3000 Portuguese dialect speaking (the medieval version, called Cristao) people still live. Unfortunately, the place is little more than a pseudo-Portuguese theme park. The food (at least at San Pedro) is genuine, but none of staff seemed to know any Portuguese and there was a complete absence of Portuguese vinhu.
Sept 7
Despite some difficulties I managed to purchase a ticket to Singapore. Arriving at the border the Malaysian immigration officials realized that somehow I'd managed to enter the country without being checked or my passport stamped (the Singaporeans made no such mistake). Suitably embarressed their cleared things up and sent me on my way. It was touch and go however as my bus decided to leave without me and I had an hour to get to Singapore airport. Fortunately I made it in time and landed in Denapassar that evening. A meandering taxi trip to Sanur to my favourite guesthouse (yes, they showed me straight to my room again) led to me desiring a bottle of arak (rice brandy). Yes, that did my head in...
Sept 8
Awaking at noon, made an attempt to wander the well worn streets of Sanur. A bit of work, dinner with some traditional Balinese dancers and an early night.
Sept 9
From Denpassar to Dili, it's good to be "home"... I have a lot of work to do tonight.
Firstly however some sad news. Australian Volunteers International has lost it's first volunteer in East Timor, Mary Geraets, who was mountain climbing in Maliana and fell and died from serious head injuries.
Apparently there's a dinner for her tonight. Which makes writing about this tour a bit muted...but still, I'll give it a go...
Sept 3
Well, at the Snake Temple, I got to play with some Green Tree Pythons and snapped up a digital camera (about time I suppose).. The temple itself was fairly small however and somewhat commercial (give attendents money for "good luck"). After returning to the city I went out to see Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, which is fairly impressive and commanding from the edge of Penang Hill. I also managed to catch the last cable car up Penang Hill which has wonderful views of Georgetown and surrounds. Unfortunately the restaurant at the top of the hill (often visited by Buckminster Fuller) was closed.
Sept 4
In the morning I managed to squeeze in a visit to Khoo Kongsi, an old Chinese clanhouse of superb detail and was heavily used for the 1999 film Anna and the King (which incidentially, like the previous version, The
King and I, is banned in Thailand for suggesting that the king would be under the influence (romantic or otherwise) of Anna Leonwens). On the way to this magnificant building I was interviewed by some local press who evidently wanted to write a story on what a great tourist and shopping centre Penang is. I faked being interested in a few wares whilst the took some pictures wrote down some personal details.
In the afternoon the proprietor from the Love Lane Inn (which I highly recommend, cheap, cheery and helpful) took me to the bus station and from there I travelled to Kuala Lumpur to stay in a rather non-descript
backpackers in Chinatown. I took the opportunity to go to the famous Coliseum Hotel, an early deco (1921) hotel which was popular with planters. Despite the somewhat charming gruff Indian waiter and filthy
linen tableclothes, dining there was superb - they did a very fine chateaubriand sizzling steak and unbelievably had chilled beaujolias (1999) available. I do have a weakness for fine food...
Sept 5
Bright and early for the journey out of KL to the Batu Caves, huge limestone caverns inhabited by several hundred bats, a few score monkeys and now a Hindu temple (after a climb of 272 numbered steps). In February
about one million Hindus turn up for the Taipusam festival where devotees stick bits of metal through their skin en masse as thanks for answered prayers. Apparently some doctors make their living just through this
event.
Later in the afternoon I visited the Petronas Towers ("the twin towers" of KL). The towers themselves are certainly quite impressive, but the lecture and tour of the sky bridge is a waste of time especially considering the wait and queues. After that I went to the fairly good National History Museaum, then past the Komplex Dayabumi which is an office tower with some interesting Moorish designs and then to the Kuala Lumpur Train station which is a bizarre amalgamation of Victorian colonial, Victorian industrial, international modernism, Malay and Arabic design. It's a theme park in it's own right.
Evening consisted at eating at another famous hotel, the Kapitan, another building from deco days. The 'Kapitan' is the distinctive helmet worn by Sayid Mashor from the Sengalor Civil war. Now the building is a Nyona (Malay-Chinese) dining establishment which combines the influences rather well.
Sept 6
Depart KL and travel to Melaka. According to the Portuguese writer Barbarosa "Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice". That may have been true once but now Melaka is a very sleepy seaside town full of influences from the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial periods. In the afternoon I visited the traditional village (ho-hum, just like housing in East Timor), the hotel I was intending to stay at (now a riverfront gothic ruin, complete with crows), Villa Sentosa, Portra de Santiago, St Pauls Church (which once housed the bones of Saint Francis Xavier), the Governer's Museaum (boring), the History Museum (very interesting), Stadthys and in the quiet and beautiful streets of Chinatown, the Cheen Hoon Temple. The History museaum, with magnificant paintings and relics of the Portuguese period was quite a highlight, although I notice in their anti-imperialist fevour they did studiously neglect to mention that it was the Malays who initially attacked the Portuguese in 1509. I also managed to pick up some nice prints of various town scenes.
I travelled to Melaka and stayed at the same backpackers with a Japanese student named Rie as we'd both come from the same lodgings in KL and were sitting next to each other on the bus to Melaka. In the evening we shared dinner at the Portuguese Medan where, apparently, some 3000 Portuguese dialect speaking (the medieval version, called Cristao) people still live. Unfortunately, the place is little more than a pseudo-Portuguese theme park. The food (at least at San Pedro) is genuine, but none of staff seemed to know any Portuguese and there was a complete absence of Portuguese vinhu.
Sept 7
Despite some difficulties I managed to purchase a ticket to Singapore. Arriving at the border the Malaysian immigration officials realized that somehow I'd managed to enter the country without being checked or my passport stamped (the Singaporeans made no such mistake). Suitably embarressed their cleared things up and sent me on my way. It was touch and go however as my bus decided to leave without me and I had an hour to get to Singapore airport. Fortunately I made it in time and landed in Denapassar that evening. A meandering taxi trip to Sanur to my favourite guesthouse (yes, they showed me straight to my room again) led to me desiring a bottle of arak (rice brandy). Yes, that did my head in...
Sept 8
Awaking at noon, made an attempt to wander the well worn streets of Sanur. A bit of work, dinner with some traditional Balinese dancers and an early night.
Sept 9
From Denpassar to Dili, it's good to be "home"... I have a lot of work to do tonight.