120. Going Home

Returning from taking photos of the dawn, I had toast and tea (breakfast doesn't start until 8.00 and I would be gone before then). The pre-ordered taxi came just a few minutes late - I was almost hyper ventilating at the thought if the taxi missed the bus, I'd miss my plane! Well it didn't happen I did catch the bus and I did catch the plane.

There are people who say it's cheaper to get the bus to Melaka Sentral, but me? If I had to scrimp and scrimp to save a few ringgit it'd be a pretty deplorable situation. No - I'd rather travel in comfort and go by taxi.

 

Above: Melaka Sentral
The taxi arrived here and for all my worrying, the bus didn't leave on time anyway! The bus terminal is quite large with good facilities - banking, food stalls, clothing and a host of other items - it is in fact a small shopping mall and inside a bus station! How neat is that eh?

 

Above: Plaza Toll
One of the toll booths that are prevalent on Malaysian roads. As you can see, there are many lanes.

 

Above: KL Airport
On the way we passed an army truck complete with soldiers and weaponry, but the photos all came out very blurry so I haven't put them up. After around two hours, we arrived at KL LCCT airport. I like this airport - it's my favourite. I like the way you can just step outside, go for a gander, there's greenery outside, to the left is a very large eatery and the Air Asia kiosk has some good souvenir items.

I like too, Marrybrown's - their fish is really good. (I am not a McDonald's person - yuk, dreadful stuff).

 

Above: T 18 - Waiting for the flight home waiting for Flight D7 2722
Well now, here we are - waiting for our flight in the departure lounge. People were going up to the counter to go through, but were told not yet. And every time an Air Asia person came along, up would jump several people.

 

Above: No, the door is still locked!
This lady tried to open the door. It was still locked!

 

Above: Our plane - 30 minutes later!
Finally, the doors opened, and we are walking on the tarmac. The time was around 12.30pm and the weather was very hot.

 

Above: Watching movies - MASH
As this was a daytime flight, I paid the $10 to watch movies for the flight. Watching the re-run of M*A*S*H. Soon it was meal time - eating always helps pass the time doesn't it? It breaks up the journey. I fell asleep later to find it was dark outside - night had fallen. Remember, Melbourne is two hours ahead of Malaysia, but being daylight saving time, it's three hours ahead.

 

Above: Tullamarine Airport
Back home, and it's 12.15am (9.15pm in Malaysia). I walked outside, lit up a smoke and shivered in the cool air. Had to ring my son who was supposed to be here to pick me up. I had to catch a taxi.

I came back with wonderful memories of my time in both Cambodia and Malaysia. This was my first overseas trip to Asia and it was a wonderful experience. Since then, I have been back to Kuala Lumpur, but the memory of this first trip stands out in my memory.

Below are two poems, one is a Khmer poem called "Angkor Wat II" written by Dan Haag which was inspired by Vikram Prakash's 4-15-03 Angkor Wat lecture. The second is a Malaysian poem called "Fairytale" by Malaysian poet Xin jo Ng.



ANGKOR WAT IIby Jan Haag
No matter how you succeed
in pushing back time and oblivion
No matter what new knowledge
you may find circulating about the universe
No matter what exquisite perfections
the architecture of your civilizations may obtain
The jungle lush and green stealing carbon
pumping oxygen comes back for Angkor Wat's splendor
Until the sun in her omnivorous beneficence and warmth,
in her perpetual greed for growth, for incineration swallows up the earth.




FAIRYTALEby Xin jo Ng
Turn around and walk away
It’s nothing but a dream far away
The laughter and the tears and the memories
The truths and the lies and the fantasies
When all mistakes were done and made
Loosen your grip and let it fade
What was never yours will never be
Open your eyes wide and see
There is no beginning there is no end
Only a fairytale woven by hand

finis

119. Sunrise in Melaka

It is my last day, I rose early to catch a last glimpse of the city I had come to love. As the dawn was starting to come, I waited silently in the early morning watching the sky gradually lighten and the sun rise heralding the start of a new day. Below are some of the photos - I have tried to choose ones which show the differing light from first to last.

Pagi tidak Sunrise sahaja, tetapi satu keajaiban yang indah alam yang kekalahan kegelapan dan merebak Cahaya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning is not only Sunrise, but a beautiful miracle of nature that defeats darkness and spreads Light

118. Last Night in Melaka

WEll It's my last night in Malacca and my last night in Malaysia and I am a little sad - I wish it could go on forever. I wish it was three weeks ago and my time was just about to begin and I could relive it all over again. But of course that doesn't happen, except in fairy tales.

 

Above: Jonker Walk
This is my last photo of Jonker Street and I walked along thinking of all I had seen and experienced. I found a little hole in the wall operation somewhere on the left hand side and went in to order a meal. I chose the chicken and rice. There was an old grandmother, her iron grey hair tied in a bun, coming down in wisps about her face, holding this huge ladle as she stirred the large pot. A young girl (her granddaughter?) stood to her right helping with other foods. There was a fridge on the wall opposite with round tables and stools. It wasn't a pretentious place, just a very ordinary little eating house.

All the other customers kept staring at me and I wondered if there was something wrong with my appearance. Did I have dirt on my nose? Am I doing something wrong? Then the penny dropped - I was the only westerner there - everyone else was a local. I'd found one of the places where the locals go to eat not the tourists. I must say it was rather pleasant sitting there, no loud mouthed tourists, no flashy looking foreigners, just me. And the locals. (Not by a long shot is there anything flashy about me at all - some tourists even look down their elegant noses a little!), just my usual clothes and hiking sandals. And no, I didn't think to take a photo. Wish I had.

 

Above: Lagenda Antik
This building caught my eye - the startling white decorated with red, yellow and green. Red roses, leafy foliage and yellow urns. The three colours are repeated at the top of the columns. There are also some salmon pink designs as well - on the upper right hand side is a pink lion, on the left what looks like a flamingo.
Lagenda Antik is an antique shop in Jonker Street and is decorated in the style of a Straits Chinese house. Behind the hall is an inner courtyard and a collection of knick-knacks, porcelains and furniture of the era.

Over the River
It is time to cross over the river again and do something I promised myself I was going to do - ride in one of those colourful trishaws.

 

Above: Clocktower at night
Here I passed the clock tower again. For this photo, I turned the dial to dusk or sunset and this is the result - a warm orange glow, the colours are warm. The only downside is the photos come out a little blurry. I have included it to show the difference in camera setting.

 

Above: 7.30PM
Same subject, same time, but in this photo, I had the camera set at the normal setting. You can see the difference between this photo and the previous one - here the colours are darker and are cool colours and the photo does not have the blurriness - it is sharper.

 

Above: Trishaw ride
And now - it is rickshaw time! Which one shall I choose? That one there with the blue and yellow? Or that one over there decorated in blues and greens? Hmmm...so many to choose from. ...I think ..... this one. I like the glorious pinks and reds. Yes, I'll choose this one. The trishaw driver and I discussed price - 40 myr for an hour, but due to the lateness of the evening, I wanted only half an hour. So that was settled and off we went. I wish I had done this in the daytime and been taken around - I'd have stayed for the whole hour. And it is such a pleasant way to travel. I could have save myself a lot of hot huffing and puffing and walking in the heat. Then again, I would have missed a lot - some of the best things are just walking around getting lost and finding yourself seeing things you otherwise wouldn't have.

 

Above: My trishaw has the best flowers
This is the full view picture - check out the other trishaws towards the right - none of them can hold a candle to "my" trishaw.

About Trishaws
In the old days, trishaw was one of the main methods of transportation in Malacca, but today with modern vehicles, the trishaw is a thing of the past. Fortunately they are still seen and used today - as a tourist attraction. They are beautifully decorated with flowers and an audio player with popular songs being played out loud.

There are only two states with tourist trishaws - Penang and Malacca. I rode in both and enjoyed them, but the trishaws of Malacca are the best looking and best decorated. Sitting behind the plethora of (artifical) flowers, a wonderfully padded seat with silver floral design, I truly felt like royalty.



Back across the river again
All too soon, it was time to go home - by home I mean my accommodation place. It's funny, but when I'm travelling, I always refer to where I stay as "home".

 

Above: Nighttime on the river
Here I am, back near Heeren House and one last look at the river. Photos don't do it justice - the river flowing quietly, water lapping gently alongside, a myriad of light reflected in the water showing ripples of gold.



Next: Sunrise in Malacca

117. Chinese Funeral

As I was walking here, I saw a Chinese funeral. It was the music which alerted me and I headed over. I took some photos, but not wishing to be disrespectful, didn't go too close and zoomed the lens. I found it wasn't easy finding information about Chinese funeral processions and what some of the symbols are - e.g. two large paper lanterns carried on long poles. What do they mean, what is the significance? At the head of the procession, a man carries something that looks like the shape of a fancy bird cage with white, pink and red ribbons/bows on it but that too, I have not found what it is. If anyone reading this can answer this, I would welcome comments so I may increase my knowledge. (Thank you)

Chinese funeral procession is pictured here.
Traditionally, the procession starts from the house of the deceased to the cemetery. According to custom, the route follows the normal route the deceased used to take in his or her life. For example, where he/she used to go to the market, shopping, to work or to visit friends. It is the last farewell to this life.

 

Above: Drummer and musicians
The procession is accompanied by live (or recorded) music, sometimes the tune is lively and upbeat but in some cases it is sad. From my research, the time for this procession is usually done either at around 10.30 a.m. or 2.30 pm. It was around 2.30pm when I was here.

 

Above: Undertaker's vehicle
Sin Hock Siew Undertaker

 

Above: Family Photo
Chinese traditionally wore white clothes at funerals. Grandchildren wear blue clothes and great grandchildren, if there are any, wear light blue clothes. Two of the men wear red sashes and three are holding sticks with red handkerchiefs. I have yet to find the reason for this.

 

Above: Photo
A photo of the deceased is placed at the front of the hearse.

 

Above: Inside the undertaker's truck
Musicians stand behind the undertaker's truck in which can be seen yellow and white floral wreaths and a mock sedan chair.

 

Above: Chinese funeral
Occasionally paper models of objects such as cars, statues ships etc. are carried with the procession symbolising the wealth of the deceased's family.

 

Above: Procession
Vertical banner bearer in the front. This banner is known as "Teik". Normally the color of the banner is white, but since the man died after reaching 80 years old, the colour is red. It bears the eulogy of the deceased man.

 

Above: Drummer
Musicians follow.

 

Above: Funeral procession
Next come men carrying large Chinese paper lanterns.

 

Above: Funeral procession
Two of the men are holding what looks like a tambourine, the man on the left beats his with a stick.

 

Above: Hearse
Mourners follow the hearse. Yellow and white “holy” paper is placed on coffin to protect the body from dangerous spirits. A yellow cloth is draped over the coffin.

 

Above: Procession
Mourners place a cloth over their heads. Some have a cloth draped over their shoulders.


Ancestor Worship
A funeral is not the end of the journey. The deceased will always be remembered, especially during the Qing Ming festival (Tomb Sweeping Day). It is the old custom of the Chinese people to honour their ancestors. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors will look after them in this life, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Therefore, offering of joss sticks, sometimes food like fruits or cakes are always present on the main altar in their houses, accompanied by daily prayers.


Next: Last night in Malacca