Mini Malaysia

We started the day early today. Irfan woke us all up and insisted that we head for breakfast. Initially after checking out we wanted to go for the river cruise. But the weather was too warm. It was already hot by the time we reached the jetty. Although the boys were keen, Puan Anita decided otherwise. The trip was to last 45 minutes going up Sungai Melaka, passing by a few landmarks. The boat was open-aired with no air conditioning.

Time to leaveAt the jetty for the River CruiseLeaving Bandar Melaka, we headed straight to Ayer Keroh. There were many attractions there, from zoo, butterfly park, botanical gardens to cultural centers. We initially wanted to go to the botanical garden and 'Pekan Buku'. We were not sure what to expect, but it turned out that the 'Pekan Buku' was a boot camp from what we saw. We were not allowed in since it was taken for the weekend for a corporate event. We turned back, stopped at a couple of stalls to get some cencaluk and belacan for my mother-in-law, then went to Mini Malaysia. I remembered visiting the place back in 1986 as part of my school trip. Unfortunately I can’t remember much about anything else. The park was opened back in July 1986. It was a cultural center where houses themed after all the states in Malaysia were featured. These are full-seized house we were talking about, complete with ornaments and bits that differentiated the states. It used to be a spectacle and at one point it was extended to include houses from all the ASEAN nations. Unfortunately that part of the exhibit was closed today. The houses were also in need of renovation as I was sure the foundation must be almost 25 years-old by now. After a few houses, the boys got bored as they had to take off their shoes to enter the houses. A few of the houses looked unique. The biggest being Selangor and Sabah. Sarawak featured a long house, and it was being renovated. Kedah I thought had the most unique house with four rooms, well planned into compartments.

WelcomeRumah Pulau PinangThe cultural dancesAt 2 pm, a group of dancers performed on an open air stage in the middle of the compound. They danced away for 20 minutes featuring the mainly joget and some basic dances. Nothing special. There were not much of a crowd either, as it was just a week after the school holidays. According to one of the stall operator, it was havoc the week before. After a quick drink, we then drove away onto the highway, stopping again at a rest-stop along the highway for more food. We finally reached KL just after six. I had to clean the car and get around to the bank teller to pick up some cash. The boys will be back to school tomorrow and they were still talking about the trishaw ride when we went to bed.

The slideshow for the trip is linked here

Mock time!

As a teacher, the best feeling to have is when your students do well. In my field, I look to more than just passing exams, because frankly, they would have passed their exams without me teaching them. What's more important is being there when they needed help or guidance. After all, my students are adults. In fact, some of them were older than me.

Today, we held a mock exam for OSPE, one of the exam formats. The exam proper will take place next week and everyone was pretty jittery about it already. I was really pleasantly surprised that all the 15 candidates turned up to take the mock. Truly guys, that means a lot. They'll probably still pass the exam without the mock but I'm sure they will find it helpful for their preparation.

All the best!

More Abang Beca

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was pleasantly surprised by the trishaw pusher at Bandar Melaka. They treated us local Malaysian with the same zeal as they would do foreigners. They were eager to help and explains what was on show, and took us through the landmarks, with stories and anecdotes one would expect from a seasoned tourist guides. I thought that I should give them props as props were definitely due here.

These trishaw riders were young, as young as your typical rempit riders in KL. Rather than being a menace, these lot were a creditto society and quite rightly form the frontline to tourist. Their English were not perfect but there lies the charm. If the tourist wanted to hear somebody describing Bandar Melaka in perfect Queen's English, they should attend an English class instead! You need to hear the enthusiasm, you need to experience the charisma of the place. I have been disappointed with local guides in my time and even at the hotel, while I was attending Habibah's wedding, Puan Anita was left fuming at the receptionist when she asked information about local attraction. The young lady behid the desk just nonchalantly replied, "I don't know as I never taken the trishaw ride before". When asked again about the river cruise, she replied something similar. I wonder of that was only the reply she gives to the locals. I can't imagine her getting away with that if a foreigner asked. She doesn't deserve her job if you ask me.

Should any of you visit Bandar Melaka again, make sure that you check these trishaws out. The riders were modest, polite, helpful and more importantly surprisingly resourcefully. I would definitely take another ride again should I spend a weekend in Melaka, but through a different route of course. There were so much to experience!

The slideshow for the trip can be found here.

Abang Beca

Menara Taming SariAfter the wedding was done, it was time to go out with the boys. So what’s the plan? Beca time! A short drive to Menara Taming Sari - a new tower built last year with a ride. People enter a platform, forming a doughnut around the main tall column. The platform was then lifted up from ground level, right up to the top. The platform then do a couple of slow spin to offer the visitors panoramic view of Bandar Melaka. It charges a reasonable fee for what it offered and I was sure the view will be stunning on a day such as today when the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately with Idlan afraid of heights and all, I didn’t think it was a good idea. P/s - I have no problem what so ever with heights.

We then did the most touristy thing we could think off - getting a beca - trishaw - ride across town, stopping at the main tourist spots. For RM40 an hour, it was money well spent especially when the boys being so excited with the ride. The trishaw were also very colourful, blaring out with music, and decorated with flowers. Quite a spectacle. There were plenty of them and most of them were very professional and organised. They offer routes according to what interested us, and we picked the one going through A Famosa, the Christ Church etc. Unfortunately being quite late in the afternoon during weekend, some of the route were blocked for the evening festivities, the famous Jonker Street being one of them.

Where we picked up our becaPassing by Dataran PahlawanThat handsome fella must we wondering why we were so excitedOur first stop on the beca ride was an old Melaka tree. Legend has it, the founder of the great land, Parameswara was on the run from Temasik - now Singapore - and while resting under a tree, he saw a reindeer kicked away a tiger - well, I am not much of a historian, so I might got this fact wrong big time - which he thought was awesome. Awestruck, he asked one of his minions the name of the tree, and he was told, “Melaka”. He decided to stay and form a new colony. Melaka was born. At the spot that we stopped, there were also an old locomotive - bearing in mind that there was no railway line in the whole of Melaka - and a old airplane. That very airplane was the one which carried the late Tunku Abdul Rahman from London with the declaration of Malaya Independence from British rule.

Few snaps, and we were ready to go. Next stop - A Famosa. It was a famous Portuguese fort built after their invasion of Melaka in 1511. The fort was later destroyed when the Dutch came to town some 100 years later. What’s left were ruins of what was the church on top of a hill. The were steep steps to get up there, and before we asked, Idlan has already started running up! Poor Puan Anita had to follow along with us. Reaching on top of the hill, there were already a group of students taking pictures and vendors selling souvenirs. There were also street performers there, eager to sing and play songs for change. The one which caught everyones’ attention was a Portuguese guitar duo singing traditional songs. It was great fun.

Idlan and Irfan at the top of the hill at A FamosaAfter 10 minutes looking around, it was time to get back down. We stopped for a couple of minutes to see a set of ruins discovered a couple of years back when surveyor were digging around to built Menara Taming Sari. They found old Portuguese ruins and skeletons, believed to be part of the original A Famosa. It was still being studied and the state government planned to rebuild the site once fully explored. The Menara Taming Sari was then built on the current site away from the original plan due to this findings.

Next stop, was along Lorong Muhibbah or Harmony Street. On that small stretch of road, there was an Indian temple, a Mosque - Masjid Kampung Keling, and a Chinese Tokong. Further along was a newer Buddhist temple but it was clearly not from the same era. We stopped at the Mosque, and it was pretty unique. It still have a chandelier going back 100 years and the stairs and ornaments looked antique. We pushed on later to Makam Hang Jebat. Legend has it that during the time of Melaka Sultanate, there were five great friends and great warriors, sworn to protect the state of Melaka from invasions and also uphold the rule of law. Due to jealousy, Tuah, one of the five were accused of having an affair with the Sultan’s maid and was sentenced to death. Knowing that it was not true, a Minister hid Tuah away, leaving both the Sultan and Jebat thinking that he was dead. Seeing it as an injustice, Jebat went on a rampage and savaged the town. The Sultan’s army cannot contain Jebat’s wrath until finally the Minister told about Tuah’s hiding and the Sultan summon him to subdue and kill Jebat. Ever obliging, Tuah had to choose between friend and the Sultan. He chose the Sultan - a rather unpopular decision accding to the youth of today hehehe! Anti-establishment that we are - and killed Jebat. Jebat died later in Tuah’s arm and forgave his friend but not the Sultan. He body was buried at the Makam - in a mausoleum 7 and a half foot long! Was he that tall then?

Makam Hang JebatMasjid Kampung Keling and its famous chandelierTake this!Flowers by the street in front of Christ ChurchThe boys were getting tired by then and we snaked around the streets towards Christ Church where the streets were lines with stalls and a photo-spot available all round. Idlan picked up a replica galleon from one of the shops there, while Irfan bought a stick with boxing padded boxing glove at the end. Good for releasing stress. There was a small garden with a water fountain, but the day was getting dark. Time to head back to base. Our Abang Beca gladly took us back initially to where we started, and then on to Dataran Pahlawan where we alighted to do some shopping. That was our final stop in the beca ride. I will blog about the beca riders later in another entry.

Our maids must be wondering what was going onBandar Melaka during Earth HourAfter getting some drinks and Puan Anita getting herself some bedspread, we headed back to our hotel. We went straight for the dinner buffet. Halfway during our meal, the light were suddenly switched off and the candles were lit. It was Earth Hour! Lights were off for an hour, and the hotel was really taking it seriously. The light on our corridors were also off, but the staffs were there with flashlights to make sure the don’t get sued if we injured ourselves. We got changed and before long, we were in fairyland after a long day. More adventures tomorrow I’m sure!

The slideshow for the trip can be found here.

Congrats Habibah

It's Habibah's wedding today, and I was there quite early having gone out to get myself a brand new pair of shoes. Finding her house proved to be a challenge since I was not familiar with the area.

Waiting for everyone to arriveThe happy couple arrivingWhen I finally got there, I was amongst the first to arrive. Habibah's family home was right beside the main Alor Gajah, Melaka and Muar road and traffic was quite heavy. But once you reached there it is pretty clear that it was a tranquil kampung. The entrance lead straight into an area of houses all occupied by her family members. So guess were lead around te compound where tents were built. There were 3 departed eating area with a separate theme.

I was lead to a tent underneath durian trees. No! There were no risk of fruit hitting my head. There were none to be seen. I shared a table with a couple of doctors who were UM gradutes from the 70s and 80s. They were talking about UH was back then. Quite an interesting lunch.

Food was very nice, biryani I'm afraid, so there went my diet. I wondered around the other tent waiting for staff from UM to arrive a few of them dis before the bride and groom arrived.

Looking so happy - kanak-kanak riang gitu!Being stopped at the entraceHabibah and Azman arrived just after 1.30, and were paraded with pantun and kompang in the background. They were wearing maroon and orange/teal theme, swamped by photographers. I left after bersanding as I have other plans with the kids later.

Weather however may be too warm for boys today, but I'll try not to curb their enthusiasm too much. We'll see what they wanted to do. As for Habibah and Azman, all the best and congratulations!