Myanmar Travel I

Myanmar Travel I

Myanmar

Introduction

Myanmar is a country surrounded by Thailand in the east, India in the west, China in the north and Gulf of Martaban in the south. The main river, River Ayeryarwaddy(1,348 km), flows from the mountainous region in the north to the Gulf of Martaban in the south where it forms a large fertile delta that is suitable for rice cultivation. 

The river is Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway which is navigable from Hinthada in the south to Bhamo in the north throughout the year, a distance of about 1,080 km.

The growth of Myanmar’s economy is slow due to political turmoil since the military junta took over the government in 1962 and the economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Consequently, lots of her people are living in poverty.

Myanmar has a population of over 60 millions, including 8 main different ethnic groups, viz. Bamar(68%), Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Rackhine and Shan.

Mayanmar people are well-known for their hospitality, honesty and simplicity. 89% of them are Buddhists, 4% Christians, 4% Muslims, 1% Hindus and the rest believing in other religions. As majority of the population believe in Buddhism, Buddhist temples and pagodas can be seen everywhere in the country and have become a main tourist attraction.

Friends’ Invitation

After coming back from the Japan trip in September(2011), recently, my wife and I were invited by some friends to join them in a Myanmar tour. As we had never travelled with them to any foreign country before, we were glad to accept their invitation.

Day 1     Wednesday 30 November 2011

Departure for Myanmar

Tour Leader and Tour Guide

So, on 30 Nov 2011, 14 of us left Kluang(my hometown) in Johor with a tour leader, Lina Chua, from a local travel agency, Chia Sin Travel Company, by bus to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport(KLIA) in Sepang.

On arrival at the airport, we were joined by amother two persons from Penang. Together we checked in and at 3.40 p.m. we were on our way to Yangon in Myanmar on a budget airline of Air Asia.

After a 2 hour flight, we touched down safely at the Yangon International Airport. Then we were welcomed by a local lady, Chan, who would be our guide for the 5-day tour in Myanmar. We were glad that she could speak English, fluently.

Money Exchange

At the airport we exchanged US dollars for the local currency known as kyats(pronounced as “chats”). The rate at that time was 1 US dollar in exchange for 795 kyats. But we had to use a single, clean and less-creased 100 US dollar note to get that rate. So, for a single US100-dollar note, we would get 79,500 kyats. It did not make any sense to us, foreigners, when we were told that we would get slightly less kyats, if we used US dollar notes in smaller denominations. Luckily, most of us had the 100 US dollar-notes ready, and happily exchanged for the highest rate.

Right Hand-Side Drive Roads

Then we left the airport and boarded a tour bus driven by a Myanmar, Khin Kyaw. He had an assistant, Myat Thu. As the bus was moving in the Yangon streets, I was surprised to note that the bus was moving forward on the right side of the road and the driver’s steering-wheel was on the right. When asked, our tour guide explained that the way Myanmar vehicles had to be driven on the right side of the roads was decided many years ago by a head of the state after he had consulted an astrologer.

Golden Duck Restaurant

Soon we arrived at a restaurant, Golden Duck Restaurant, in Yangon City and had a late dinner. Later, we stayed at an old hotel, Asia Plaza Hotel, in the downtown.

Day 2 Thursday 1 December 2011

Departure for Bagan

After a good night sleep and breakfast at Asia Plaza Hotel, we left for the airport and flew to Bagan at 6.30 a.m.. An hour later, we arrived at the Bagan airport where we were warmly welcomed by young boys and girls dressed in ancient costumes. Walking out of the airport building, we were pleasantly surprised by a young couple dancing away to the accompaniment of a local romantic music played by a young band.

Nyaung Oo Market, Bagan

Then we boarded a bus which was a good one driven by a Myanmar, Htun Zaw. His assistant was Kyaw Win Soe. The first place Htun Zaw brought us was a busy village market in Nyaung Oo in Bagan. At the market, there were many vendors selling all kinds of vegetables, freshwater fish, flowers, fruits, groceries, souvenirs and dried seafood, to name a few.

Thanakha Cream

We noticed that most of the vendors were women and the local people, especially the females, liked to paint their faces in different patterns with a yellowish cream. The cream is obtained by grinding a bark(thanakha) on a stone-slab. According to our guide, it has many uses, for examples, it is used as a cosmetic, for making their skin smooth and as a sun-block. Besides, it has some medicinal values.

Moving about at the market was not easy, as the vendors’ produce and goods overflowed onto the crowded walkway.

Buddhist Nuns

Later, we were surprised to see a few Buddhist nuns with shaven heads and in pink robes appeared. They were carrying a shallow tray and bowl to collect alms from generous vendors.

Shwezigone Pagoda, Bagan

After visiting the market, we left for the Bagan’s largest pagoda, Shiwezigone Pagoda. Built by King Anawratha and completed by King Kyansitta in the 11th. century, the large gold-gilded bell-shaped pagoda houses a holy tooth, collar-bone and frontlet of Lord Buddha that were donated by a king of Ceylon as a gift to King Anawratha. Glazed plaques can be seen round its base showing scenes that depict Lord Buddha’s life. Small rest-houses and shrines that house statues of Lord Buddha surrounds the large pagoda.

Before entering the pagoda compound, we had to take off our shoes and socks. While going round and admiring the pagoda’s beauty in the compound, we had to watch out for pigeons’ excreta on the cemented ground.

Reflection of the Shwezigone Pagoda Top

At the back of the pagoda, I saw a small group of people talking, excitedly. A few of them knelt down in front of a small pool of clear water. One of them shouted, excitedly, “I see it! I can see the reflection of the top of the pagoda in the water.” Then I tried my luck. Yes, I could see it too. But nobody knew the significance of seeing the reflection.

Gubyaukgyi Temple(Great Painted Cave)

Later, we went to a small temple near Wetkyi-in Village. Known as Gubyaukgyi Temple(“Great Painted Cave”), it was built by King Kyansitthar in the early 13th. Century.

At the entrance of the old temple, a caretaker told us not to take photographs inside as the flash might damage the paintings. Although it was slightly dark inside , we could still see faded coloured paintings on the walls and ceilings with scenes that were supposed to depict the Lord Buddha’s life. I noticed that some layers of the wall-plasters with paintings were missing. They could have been stolen by some looters. In the middle of the temple there was a small room, but the statue of Lord Buddha which was supposed to be there had disappeared.

Ananda Temple

Having seen those exquisite paintings in Gubyankgi Temple, we left and went to another temple which is claimed to be the most beautiful one in Bagan. It is known as Ananda Temple. Built in 1091 by King Kyanzittha, it is 51m high and houses four giant standing statues of Lord Buddha, each about 9.5 m high and facing a cardinal direction, viz. East, West, North and South. In 1975, a strong earthquake destroyed two of them that were facing East and West. Later, they were replaced by new ones.

The temple was built in the Mon and Indian styled architecture. On top of the temple is a large pagoda resting on several terraces adorned with glazed plaques showing scenes that depict the life of Lord Buddha. In 1990, the pagoda was gilded to mark its 900th. anniversary.

The Beach Bagan Restaurant

When it was lunch time, we left for a restaurant on a bank of the wide Ayeyarwaddy River. It is called “The Beach Bagan Restaurant”. On the way to the restaurant, we saw many large and small ancient pagodas. Many of them have been restored with the help of money from generous donors. While relishing our meal at the riverside reataurant, we enjoyed looking at the river scenery and watching a traditional dance.

Lacquerware Factory

After that simple meal, we went to a small lacquerware-making factory. On arrival at the factory, we watched workers using bamboo strips to make all kinds of containers which were then lacquered and painted. It is a laborious process but each finished product is a masterpiece. Then we entered a room where the finished products were displayed for sale. As their prices were not cheap, none of us bought any of them.

Horse-Drawn Carts

In the evening, we sat on horse-drawn carts and travelled on bumpy and dusty roads in the Bagan plain to see lots of old pagodas and temples that were built in the 11th., 12th. and 13th. Centuries. They were of different sizes. The larger ones were built by kings of the Pagan Dynasty whereas the smaller ones by their wealthy subjects.

As most of the ruined ones were restored with different materials, their original shapes were changed, a golf course, paved highway and 61-metre watchtower were built in the pagoda area, the UNESCO has refused to designate the place as a world heritage site.

Shwesandaw Pagoda

Soon, we all met at a large pagoda, Shwesandaw Pagoda. Built by King Anawratha after his conquest of Thaton in 1057 to house some Lord Buddha’s hair taken from Thaton, the Shwesandaw Pagoda is bell-shaped with an “umbrella” or “hti” at its top. It rests on top of two octagonal bases that are on a series of five recessed terraces.

Shwesandaw Pagoda Climb

Shwesandaw Pagoda is a good place to watch the sunset. As we wanted to watch it from a high level of the pagoda, we had to take off our shoes and socks and climbed up its steps. The climb was steep and dangerous. Tourists had to hold onto the railing on the right-hand side and moved up the steps, slowly and carefully. As I was quite impatient, I climbed up the steps on the left-hand side without a railing to hold onto. With my body bending low and holding the steps firmly, I climbed up with ease. But in the midway, I almost fell backward when I felt the bag I was carrying on my back was getting heavy. Fortunately, I reacted fast before the mishap happened.

Pagodas and Temples in Bagan Plain

Finally, I reached the highest terrace of Shwesandaw Pagoda which was already crowded with sunset-watchers. Walking around the terrace, I saw hundreds of large and small pagodas and temples near and far in plain.

It is believed that there were over 5,000 of them there during the great and prosperous Pagan Period(11th. – 13th. Centuries). But when a strong earthquake struck in 1975 in Bagan, many were destroyed and about 2,200 were left.

As I was looking in the distance, there was one temple, the largest, that caught my attention. Known as Dhammayangyi Temple, it was built by King Narathu in 1170. The king came to power by assassinating his father and elder brother. To atone for his sin, he built the temple. While the temple was under construction, he made sure that the masons placed the bricks very close to each other so that a needle could not go in between them. Consequently, he was assassinated by some unhappy masons. Since then the temple is left incomplete.

Sunset

Having seen enough of the ancient pagodas and temples in the Bagan plain, I stood facing west to watch the sun slowly descending. It was a breathtaking sight. As it was going down, the sky changed colours from blue, yellow, orange and then red. When the sun had disappeared behind some hills in the distance, the clear sky was still bright.

Then I began to go down the pagoda. As most of them held onto the railing to get down, slowly and safely, I decided to use the “fast lane” again. Remembering the mistake I had made earlier, I placed my bag in front of me that time and moved backward down the steps, slowly and carefully, with my front body as close to the steps as possible.

When we reached the bottom of Shwesandaw Pagoda, the sky was getting dark. We boarded our bus and left the place for dinner at a restaurant, Pho Thar Aung Restaurant. As we were having dinner in the dark open air, we watched a cultural show that showcased the local traditional dances. Besides, there was a puppet show.

After that simple local meal, we left for a hotel, Thaxin Garden Hotel, where we retired for the night.

Day 3 Friday 2 December 2011

Palm Farm

On the following morning we left the and travelled to Mount Popa which is 50 km south-east of Bagan. On the way, we stopped for a short while at a palm farm.

At the farm, we watched an elderly man extracting oil from peanuts with the help of a white cow which went round a wooden mill grinding them. Then some of us asked for his permission to mill the peanuts. He was glad to let us try the milling under his suprvision.

Later, we watched a young man climbing up a tall palm tree with the help of a ladder. He wanted to collect round-bottomed black pots containing some palm flower-juice. The juice could be used to make crude sugar(jaggery sugar) and alcoholic beverage.

In a palm leaf-thatched long house, we saw two simple apparatuses that were used for distilling fermented palm flower juice. We also saw a woman boiling and heating the sweet palm flower juice until crude sugar or jaggery sugar was obtained.

The farmers harvested the palm fruits too. These fruits are brown and round. They are eaten either raw or roasted. The young jelly-like seeds in the fruits can also be eaten.

After watching all those interesting activities at the farm, we bought some of the products and continued our journey to Mount Popa which is 1,518 metres above sea-level.

Mount Popa

The last part of the journey to Mount Popa was slow and uncomfortable, as the road was narrow, winding, steep and in bad conditions. Besides, some parts of the road were half-closed for repair.

When we reached a spot which was three kilometres from a 737 metre-high hill, our bus stopped and our guide, Chan, asked us to get down and take photos of the hill. The hill is commonly known as Mount Popa and the local people called it Taung Kalat. It is actually a plug of the extinct volcano, Mount Popa.

The sight of the sheer-sided hill in the distance was awesome. It had some Buddhist and spirit(”nat”) shrines with spires on its peak. For one moment, I thought I was in a European country looking at a “castle” on a hill. After snapping a few photos, we went on.

Mahagiri Shrine

Soon, we arrived at the foot of the hill. Before we went up the hill, we entered a shrine, Mahagiri Shrine, where there were 37 brightly-painted statues of spirits(”nats”). 

Before King Anawratha(1014-1077) introduced Theravada Buddhism in his Pagan Kingdom in Central Myanmar, the local people were worshipping more than 37 nats. According to the local people, these nats were human beings before their death. Some of them had connection with royalty and died of violent tragedies. As they were well-known, the local people worshipped them as nats.

When King Anawratha introduced the religion and banned his subjects from worshipping nats, totally, his subjects were unhappy. Later, he relented and allowed them to worship 37 nats designated by him.

These nats immortalized by the locals at the shrine are being worshipped by Myanmar people from near and far during the festivals held twice a year, one on the full moon in May/June and the other on the full moon in Nov/ December.

Mount Popa(Taung Kalat)

Coming out of the shrine, we began our way up Mount Popa(Taung Kalat) to see a Buddhist shrine on its summit. To reach the top we had to climb 777 steps. On the way up, we were greeted by wild hungry Macaque monkeys. They had a dirty habit of easing themselves on the steps. They were expecting peanuts and bananas from visitors. But, they felt very disappointed as none of us brought any for them. When we reached the 200th. step we had to take off our shoes and socks to climb up the remaining 577 soiled steps.

After a long and tiring climb, we reached the top where small shrines were built close to each other. Some were Buddhist and others were nats’. Many pilgrims go to the nat shrines to ask for prognosis for the future of their undertakings. The principal nat there is Pabe Maung Tint Dai(“Mr. Handsome, the blacksmith”).

From the top of the hill, we saw breathtaking views of the lowlands with some villages, and the lush highlands which were the remaining parts of the extinct volcano, Mount Popa.

Phwasaw Village

Two hours later, we left the holy hill, and descended to a restaurant which was not far from the hill. At the restaurant, we had a simple, traditional Myanmar meal for lunch. Then we left the restaurant and travelled for more than an hour before we reached a small village, Phwasaw Village, in Bagan.

The residents of the village lead a simple life with basic necessities: food, clothing and shelter. As they have no piped water, they have to use water-bullock-carts to get water from the Ayeryarwaddy River which is nearby. They earn their living by farming, cattle-breeding, spinning, weaving and producing lacquerware.

In the village, we were amused by an old skinny 76 year-old lady who was showing off her style of smoking a large, long locally-made cigar(cheroot) in her house. While she was puffing away with pleasure, she was holding a half-coconut shell for the ashes to fall into it. She felt pleased as we were watching her.

Lawakanada Pagoda

Later, we left the village with mixed feelings. We felt happy to see them friendly to us, but sad to see them living in poverty. We went to the last place of interest for the day, an old temple on a bank of Ayeryawaddy River.

The temple is known as Lawakanada Pagoda which was built in 1059 by King Anawratha to enshrine a Lord Buddha’s tooth. To enter its compound we had to take off our shoes and socks. We were glad that there were no droppings from birds and excreta from monkeys there. The pagoda looks large and magnificent. Its stupa that looks like the shape of an ice-cream bell is golden in colour. This place is a good place to watch sunset beyond the Ayeryawaddy River.

After that pagoda visit, we left for a restaurant on a river-side of Ayeryarwaddy River. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was already dark. We had a candle-light dinner in the open air. As the candles on our tables were burning they attracted insects. But the winged creatures became a nuisance as some fell onto our dishes. When the candles were removed by the waiters, we had a peaceful and enjoyable meal. After the dinner, we left the place for our hotel.

In High Spirit

As we were all in high spirit on the way to our hotel, we started singing together a few songs. On arrival, we entered our rooms and were pleasantly surprised to see our beds neatly and beautifully decorated with flower-petals and leaves. The hotel “room-boys” as they called themselves had done the decoration and written a note left on everybody’s bed thanking us for staying at their hotel. On the following morning, a few of us used the same petals and leaves and arranged them to thank them for cleaning our rooms.

Continued on Myanmar II / Home

Myanmar Travel II

Day 4     3 December 2011

Loke Chantha Abhaya Labhamuni(Largest Marble Statue of Lord Buddha)

After breakfast at Thaxin Garden Hotel, we left for the Bagan airport and flew by Yangon Airways to Yangon via Mandalay at 8.40 a.m.. On arrival at the Yangon airport at 10 a.m., we went to Mindhamma Hill to see the world’s largest marble statue of Lord Buddha. Known as Loke Chantha Abhaya Labhamuni, its height is 37 feet and weight 600 tons.

We had to donate 200 kyats, if we wanted to use our cameras to snap photos of the statue. It was difficult to get a good photo of it as it was in a large glass case that had reflections of the outside objects.

A stone-sculptor, U Taw Taw, found a large block of white marble in Sagyin Hill which is 21 miles north of Mandalay and donated it to the state. The block was 37 feet long, 24 feet wide and 11 feet thick. Then the state commissioned him and his sons to carve an image of Lord Buddha from the stone in 2000.

When it was partially done, the state took two months to transport it from Sagyin Hill to Mindhamma Hill in Yangon. Later, the statue was completely carved and placed on the hill on 10 August 2000. Since then it has been worshipped by Myanmar Buddhists. Now, it is a tourists’ attraction.

Before we left the hill, a few of us took a photo together with a large mural in the background. It shows Lord Buddha statue being transported from Sagyin Hill to Mindhamma Hill.

White Elephants in Royal Elephant Garden

Our next stop was the Royal Elephant Garden along Mindama Road near the large statue of Lord Buddha. In the garden, we saw two elephants. Theingi Marlar(31 years old) was a small female elephant in light pink and Yaza Gaha(15 years old) a male that was larger but its skin was pink and grey. Their legs were chained and they were moving about, restlessly , in a building with high roof. I was surprised that there was no white elephant to be seen there. Our tour guide then explained to us that an elephant in pink was considered as a white elephant.

According to a Myanmar belief, the appearance of a white elephant is a good omen for the nation as it brings peace, stability and prosperity, prevents dangers and hazards, and helps the nation to enjoy annual bumper harvests of rice. In the olden days, the kings pampered white elephants because they considered them as a symbol of royal power and prosperity.

Myanmar’s Longest Steel Bridge

Having seen the two poor creatures, we left and went to a restaurant, San Chuan Restaurant, for a delicious seafood lunch. After that satisfying meal we made an hour-journey from Yangon to Kyauktan which is 18 miles south-east of Yangon. Before reaching Kyauktan, we had to cross Mayanmar’s longest steel bridge over Yangon River near Thanlyin. Our tour-guide advised us not to take photos of the bridge for state security reasons. We saw some soldiers guarding the bridge and watching us passing by.

The road to Kyauktan was dusty, narrow and winding. We saw pick-up trucks overloaded with passengers. Some of them were standing outside the moving vehicles hanging, dangerously, onto them.

Kyaik Hmaw Won Yele Pagoda(Pagoda in the middle of a river)

Soon we arrived at Kyauktan, a riverine town. We took a ferry to an islet in the middle of Yangon River. Located on the islet was a Buddhist complex of pagodas, shrines and monastery. It was known as Kyaik Hmaw Won Yele Pagoda(Yayle Phaya Pagoda or “Pagoda in the middle of a river”). The first Yele Pagoda was built by King Zeyasana in the 3rd. century B.C.

Giant Catfish

Before we entered the holy place, we had to leave our shoes and socks in the ferry. While entering the holy place, we noticed that it was already crowded with visitors and pilgrims. The worshippers brought flowers, coconuts and bananas and offered them to their god when they prayed. Some visitors and pilgrims at the back of the holy place were seen throwing balls of food into the murky Yangon River. Lots of giant catfish surfaced and swallowed up the floating food which disappeared fast. The food was made of corns and wheat.

Kyauktan Market

Later, we took the same ferry back to the river-bank. Before we disembarked we had to find our shoes and socks in the ferry. When we were on land again, we visited a busy, dirty, old market in Kyauktan. There were shops and hawkers along a few roads leading to the market. Most of them were selling things that were required by local people for their daily needs, such as vegetables, fish, fruits and toiletries.

While walking along a road there, we came across an interesting hawker’s stall. It was selling betel quids, each containing a betel leaf that enclosed a piece of areca nut and some slaked lime. Consumers bought them for chewing. After chewing, they spat it out. Most of them, conveniently, spat onto the roadside and walkway, as the reddish liquid stained many parts of them. While walking along them, we tried not to step on it.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Kyauktan

On the way back to Yangon, we stopped at an old Catholic church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which is near Kyauktan Town. Built in the 18th. Century by a French missionary, it has an orphanage for boys who have lost their parents to illnesses or the harsh military regime. It is supported by generous foreign donors.

Chinatown in Yangon

It was already evening when we arrived at Yangon. We went to the town centre and visited Chinatown. Most of the Chinese in the city live here. They open up shops that normally sell gold and jewellery, clothes, electronic and electrical products, food, groceries, etc. The most interesting part of this Chinatown is roadside stalls and street vendors displaying their goods that spread onto the heavy traffic road. They sell vegetables, fruits, local and exotic food, clothes, toys, etc. It looks like a street night-market.

Karaweik Hall(Restaurant)

Having seen the busy Chinatown, we went to an unusual restaurant which is built in a shape of a large Mayanmar royal barge at a lake, Lake Kandawgyi. This beautiful golden barge was built in 1972. The restaurant on the barge is known as Karaweik Hall. It serves local, eastern, western and Chinese cuisine.

Before we entered the restaurant, we were well greeted by its smiling workers who were dressed in ancient traditional costumes. While we were in the restaurant we were awe-stricken by the beautiful carvings on the walls and ceilings that made the hall look like a royal dinning hall. Besides, it had a stage where traditional dances were performed for the customers.

As it was a buffet dinner at the restaurant, we savoured as many dishes as our dummies could take them. While sitting at a long table together and enjoying the dishes, we watched a series of traditional dances.

Shwedagon Pagoda at Night

After that splendid buffet dinner in Karaweik Hall, we left and went to a place to see the Myanmar most beautiful pagoda that is called Shwedagon Pagoda. As it was night time, we saw bright lights shinning on the pagoda revealing its golden magnificence from a distance. Then we left for our hotel, Asia Plaza Hotel, and would go back and visit the pagoda on the following morning.

Day 5      Sunday 4 December 2011

St. Mary’s Cathedral, Yangon

Day 5 was our last day of our tour in Myanmar and we had a few more places to visit in Yangon. After breakfast, we planned to visit Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar’s largest and most beautiful pagoda. On the way to the pagoda, we stopped for a short while in front of Myanmar’s largest cathedral, St. Mary’s Cathedral., which is in Bo Aung Kyaw Street. As it was not on our itinerary, we stayed on the bus, admired its architecture and watched Catholic followers entering the cathedral to celebrate its 100th. anniversary(1911-2011).

St. Mary’s Cathedral was designed by a Dutch architect, Jos Cuypers, and constructed in the Gothic architectural style under the supervision of Father Janzen, a Dutchman. It was completed in 1899 and dedicated to “Our Lady of Immaculate Conception” in 1911. Its façade consists of two spires and a belltower with a rose window in between them. It can accommodate 1,500 worshippers as its length is 291 feet and width 101 feet.

In 1930, an earthquake caused a little damage to the church, in WWII, the Allied bombing destroyed some stained window glasses and in 2008, the powerful Nargis Cyclone destroyed the window glasses again. This church is now on the Yangon City Heritage List.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Then we continued our journey to Shwedagon Pagoda located on Singuttara Hill(51 m). We saw it on the previous night, but from outside.

When we arrived at the Shwedagon Pagoda Lift Tower in the late morning, we had to take off our shoes and socks. Then we took a lift for foreigners only to the second level and walked to the pagoda. Entering its compound, we were mesmerized, completely, by its beauty and immensity. Besides, we were amazed to see lots of people there.

The first Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon was built over 2500 years ago(588 B.C.) when Lord Buddha was still alive. He gave 9 strands of his hair to two Myanmar’s first Buddhist brothers who visited him in India. When they went back to Yangon they built a 8-metre high pagoda to enshrine them. Since then many new pagodas were built to replace the old ones on the hill. Each time a new one was built, it was higher than the previous one.

The present pagoda was built to a height of 99 metres in the 18th. Century. A Mon queen, Shin Sawbu(1394-1472), was the first person to give gold equivalent to her weight to gild the pagoda. Since then, monarchs and their subjects followed the queen’s example. It is still practised today by generous Myanmar people.

The total weight of the gold that covers the pagoda now is estimated to be about 60 tons. Besides gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other gemstones have been donated by worshippers. These gemstones adorn the upper part of the pagoda, especially the “umbrella” or “hti”. It is surprising to know that Myanmar people are devoted Buddhists and will donate gold and gemstones to beautify the pagoda.

Myanmar Astrology

Surrounding the base of Shwedagon Pagoda are eight mini-statues of Lord Buddha, each has a different animal statue below it. According to Myanmar astrology, the day a person was born determine his planetary post which is marked by an animal, as shown below:

Day of Birth	Planetary Post
Sunday	Garuda
Monday	Tiger
Tuesday	Lion
Wednesday(Morning)	Tusked Elephant
Wednesday(Afternoon)	Tuskless Elephant
Thursday	Mouse
Friday	Guinea Pig
Saturday	Dragon/Serpent

As I walked round the base, I saw people, young and old, pouring water onto Lord Buddha statues and the animal statues(representing the days they were born), praying and making a wish.

Maha Tissada Gandha Bell, Shwedagon Pagoda

Hanging in a beautiful pavilion near the pagoda is a large bell, Maha Tissada Gandha Bell, weighing 42 tons. Donated by King Tharrawarddy in 1841, the bell has 20 kg-gold plating on its upper part. Besides, there are several small pagodas, shrines and rest-halls with Lord Buddha statues around the Shwedagon Pagoda, and they are built close to each other. Painted statues of kneeling elephants, lions, ogres, serpents, spirits, etc. adorned the base of the large magnificent pagoda.

There were monks at the pagoda. Some were meditating in front of Lord Buddha statues and others went there for a visit. But there was one that caught my attention. That monk, deep in thought and holding an almsbowl and new fan, was walking very slowly in an anti-clockwise direction around the pagoda. As he was the only one doing that, I was wondering what his intention was.

Chauk Htat Kyi Temple, Yangon

After spending an hour or so at the Shwedagon Pagoda, we left for another holy place called Chauk Htat Kyi in Wingaba, Yangon. This temple houses a 65 metre long statue of Lord Buddha in a relaxing and reclining position. He is lying on his right side with his head resting on his right palm. This statue shows that Lord Buddha was slim and young. Besides, he had white complexion, bright red lips, eyes with blue eye-shadow and long eye-lashes, and eyebrows that were long, narrow and dark black.

Lord Buddha’s Sole Marks

On each sole of the statue, there are 108 marks which are represented by pictures belonging to 3 groups or “worlds”, viz. animate, inanimate and conditioned. An information-board near the statue says that Lord Buddha was greater than the 3 “worlds” and explains that those marks became apparent right from Lord Buddha’s birth. When 8 out of 108 royal astrologers were asked to comment on the baby’s 108 marks, 7 predicted that the child would either become the Buddha or Cakkavatti(Universal Monarch). Only Sudata Kondamma, the youngest among them, made a single prediction that the royal child was destined to be the Buddha. He gave the reason that the child had an image of Cakkavati on each sole and was a personage superior to Cakkhavatti. So he could only be the Buddha.

The reclining Lord Buddha mentioned above was built in 1966. The original one which looked quite different from the present one was built by a local rich man, Sir Hpo Thar, in 1907. Later, the old statue suffered serious damages due to long exposure to weathering in the open. In 1957, it was demolished and replaced by the present one in 1966.

Colonial Buildings

Having visited the reclining Lord Buddha, we went to the city centre in Kyauktada Township. On arrival, we saw a few landmarks, such as City Hall(in Bo Aung Kyaw Road), Sule Pagoda(in Sule Pagoda Road), Independence Monument(in Mahar Bandoola Garden), High Court(in Pansodan Road)and Immanuel Baptist Church(in Maha Bandoola Garden Street). Some of these buildings, like the City Hall, Main Post Office and High Court were built during the British rule(1824-1948) and their architectures have the British colonial influence.

Yangon River

Then we left the place and went to the Yangon River. It flows from Yangon to the Gulf of Martaban. As it is navigable by ocean-vessels, it plays an important role in the Myanmar economy. Besides, the river is a source of water for rice cultivation.

After half an hour of watching some riverine activities and enjoying the views, we went for lunch at a restaurant, Western Park Restaurant, and were treated to a sumptuous lunch. After that satisfying meal, we went to visit the last place in Yangon City before we left for home in Malaysia.

Bogyoke Aung Sun Market

The place we visited was the largest market in Myanmar. When it was built in 1926, it was named after a British, James George Scott. It was commonly known as Scott Market then. But when Myanmar gained independence in 1948, its name was changed to the name of a Myanmar general, Bogyoke Aung Sun. So the market is known as Bogyoke Aung Sun Market since then. This two storey-market houses a few hundreds of stalls, selling arts, handicrafts, antique, foodstuffs, clothes, jewellery, gemstones, etc.

As some of us in our tour group wanted to buy something for our loved ones and friends back home, we asked our tour-guide, Chan, to recommend souvenirs for them. After an hour of browsing and purchasing at some stalls, we left the well-known market for the Yangon International Airport.

Back Home

Arriving at the airport we thanked and bade farewell to our wonderful tour guide, Chan. Then we checked in at the airport. At 5.15 p.m., we took off on an Air Asia plane bidding farewell to Myanmar, a lovely, friendly but poor country. 2½ hours later, we landed safely at KLIA, Sepang, Malaysia, and were glad to be home again.

Well, that is another travel adventure of mine and I hope you like reading it.

Acknowledgement

My wife and I would like to thank the travel agency, Chia Sin Travel Service Sdn. Bhd., Kluang, Johor, Malaysia, for the excellent services it had provided, including transport, accommodation, and food. We also like to thank our tour-leader, Lina Chua, for taking care of us during the tour. Besides, we would like to thank our experienced, knowledgeable and good-natured Myanmar English-speaking tour guide, Ms. Khin Nyein Chan, the careful Yangon and Bagan bus-drivers and their helpful assistants for making our tour in Myanmar enjoyable and memorable. Last but not least, we would like to thank all our tour members for their friendliness and excellent companionship.

Written by: Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

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Japan Travel I

Japan Travel I

Japan, located in East Asia, is an archipelago of over 6,500 islands. Among them, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the large ones. 70% of the country is mountainous and the highest mountain is Mt. Fuji with a height of 3,776m in the west of Tokyo. It is a Japan’s landscape icon.

The nation has a large population of over 127 million and the longest life expectancy rate in the world. Its economy is the the 3rd. largest in the world after USA and China.

As Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, it has about 108 active volcanoes. So, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur often. The last 9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan on 11 March 2011 triggered a large tsunami that destroyed the whole city of Fukushima. Besides, it destroyed a nuclear plant in the city causing the city inhabitable for many years. It is that nuclear disaster that is affecting the nation’s economy, seriously.

Japan is fortunate to have many good sightseeing spots of splendid natural sceneries, landscapes, historical and cultural sites, and hot spring places. Some of these spots are on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Day 1 Wednesday 7 September 2011

Departure for Japan

On 7th. September 2011, my wife and I joined 33 other Malaysians, tour leader(Tan San) and his assistant(Coey Lim) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to go to Central Honshu Island in Japan for a short vacation. At 11.45 p.m., we left the airport in a MAS(Malaysia Airline System) airplane and flew straight to Kansai International Airport in Osaka in Japan. After about 6½hours of non-stop flight, we landed safely at the airport on an artificial island that was opened in 1994.

Day 2 Thursday 8 September 2011

Arriving at the airport at 7.15 in the morning(Japan local time), we went through the immigration and custom check-points, smoothly. Outside the airport, we boarded a tour bus which was driven by Yoshikawa, a friendly, experienced and diligent Japanese. Universal Studios Japan in Osaka was the first place Yoshikawa brought us to.

Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

Opened in 2001, Universal Studios Japan is a place where there are over 20 shows and rides that are inspired by blockbuster movies, animations and comics. As it is a movie-theme park, it attracts lots of visitors of all ages , over 15 millions annually.

When we entered the theme-park in the morning, there were already many people there. As there were long queues for most of the shows and rides, our smart tour leader, Tan San, knew the shows and rides that we did not have to wait for long.

“The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman”

The first place he brought us to was “The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman” studio. In the studio, we sat in a vehicle which brought us to a “U.S.A. city”. In the “city” we watched Spiderman fighting against his villains. As our vehicle was moving alongside the hero, it careened and crashed through the streets, causing us shocked and making us scream. Besides, it scaled skyscrapers and plunged to the pavement in a simulated 400-foot freefall. On one occasion, Spiderman jumped onto our front vehicle and punched us, thinking that we were his villains. It was an amazing 3-D action-packed adventure that made us feel we were right in the middle of the action.

“Backdraft “

After that thrilling show, Tan San led us to another studio where we watched a fire-effect scene, like the one shown in the movie, “Backdraft”, a 1991 action-thriller film.

The highlight of the fire scene was in a mock warehouse in the studio. Standing on an observation platform overlooking the warehouse, we waited for an action to begin. First, we saw a few spots on fire followed by some loud explosions. Suddenly, the whole warehouse was burning with large shooting flames which we could feel their heat. Then the structures of the warehouse were collapsing one by one. When the fire, finally, burnt out, a sudden and final loud explosion with the largest flame was heard, giving us a final heart-pounding shock. The frequent loud explosions, large shooting flames and high heat in the scene made us nervous and terrified most of the time. Well, that was a fantastic fire-effect show I have ever seen.

“Jurassic Park”

Then we went for a boat-ride in the Jurassic Park. It was a very popular attraction. But we had to queue up for 40 minutes before we could get onto a boat. While cruising along a river through a jungle of Jurassic Park, we saw a few kinds of “live” dinosaurs of different sizes in their habitats. Later, we heard loud animal noises. The dinosaurs had broken out from the fortified jungle and we were in danger. When our boat had negotiated a bend, we were shocked to see a fierce T-rex waiting for us right in front. Its head kept lunging forward with its mouth of sharp teeth wide open. Before it could bite our heads off, we, suddenly, plunged down over 85 feet, escaping the creature in the nick of time. But the free fall caused us to scream for life. When the boat hit the water below, most of us who did not wear rain-coats got wet. That was another adrenaline-pumping experience that we will never forget.

“Jaws”

The next place we went to was “Amity Island”. A boat carried us through on the shark-infested waters of the island. Soon we encountered a very huge white shark called “Jaws” that was 32 feet long. It was chasing after our boat. When we thought we were safe in a dark boat-house, it made its presence felt by wrecking the things around us. The boat moved out of the house quickly, but the large monster followed us. Suddenly, its head appeared out of the water close to our boat showing its menacing teeth. It gave us a fright. When it reappeared, it had a live thick electric cable in its mouth. The moment it disappeared into the water, we heard a loud explosion. A minute late, we saw the shark floating in the water. It was dead as the cable had electrocuted it. It was a great relief to all of us and we were glad to be back on the island. That was another scary experience, too.

“Waterworld”

As soon as we left the “Amity Island”, we went to another place to watch a show of some war actions, like the ones in a 1995 movie known as ”Waterworld”. The show was spectacular as it included death-defying stunts on water, land and overhead. Loud explosions, noisy pyrotechnics, large flame effects and splashes of water from jet-skis that got the front rows of spectators wet made the show exciting, funny, awesome and enjoyable.

“Space Fantasy”

After that “Waterworld’ action-packed show, we felt we had enough time for one more adventure. Looking around, we felt we should try the “Space Fantasy” adventure. In the adventure, we were supposed to travel in a vehicle, pass some planets and reach the fading sun to restore its energy. When we sat on a vehicle we knew it was going to be a rough roller-coaster ride. In the ride, we were, violently, thrown from side to side, up and down. We had to grasp the lap-bars for dear life when the vehicle spun round four times. After that terrifying ride, we were in a daze and state of shock. I vowed that I would not go for that ride again for my heart’s sake.

Animated Cartoon Characters

After having a lot of fun, excitement and shock in those experiences at Universal Studios Japan, it was time to leave the theme park for dinner. But before we left the theme-park, we came across some interesting and familiar animated cartoon characters like Charlie Brown, Woody Woodpecker, Elmo, Shrek and his wife. They were very friendly and happily invited visitors to take photos with them.

Shinsaibashi Area

In the evening, we arrived in Shinsaibashi Area which is well-known for shopping, entertainment and food in Osaka. We had our dinner in a restaurant there.
After dinner, we went window-shopping in some streets in the area. The most popular shopping street here is Shinsaibashi-suji which attracts lots of local and foreign visitors. Along this street covered with a canopy, many department stores are selling goods of local and world-class brands. There are also shops selling inexpensive goods ranging from clothes, handbags and shoes to watches, handphones and computers.

Restaurants

Concerning food in the Shinsaibashi area, a diner is spoilt for choice. There is a popular saying, “Dress(in kimono) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka”. There are many restaurants in this area selling all kinds of food, such as Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian foods. Besides, some sell western foods. The popular Japanese foods are traditional oshi zushi(pressed sushi),, udon(a noodle dish), okonomiyaki(pan-fried batter cake) and takoyaki(octopus dumplings) to name a few.

We noticed that some restaurant-owners in the area hung large plastic models of animals on the front of their shops to attract customers, like crabs, octopuses and cows. Besides, many display plastic foods that look so real in glass-cupboards, glass-windows or outside their restaurants, hoping to lure hungry customers inside.

Ramada Hotel, Osaka

Having spent about two hours touring the interesting but busy Shinsaibashi Area, we left the place and went to a hotel known as Ramada Hotel in Kitaku, Osaka, to have a good night rest.

Day 3 Friday 9 September 2011

Kiyomizu Temple

At 8 in the morning, we travelled to Kyoto to visit a famous old wooden temple, Kiyomizu Temple. Located in a quiet tranquil lush-green environment of cherry and maple trees and perched on a slope of Otowa Hill, it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Cultural site in 1994. Founded by a great priest, Enchin, in 778 A.D. it houses Bodhisattva Kannon, a Buddhist God of Mercy with many arms and faces. This god has been worshipped by Japanese people of all classes since the temple was established.

Cherry and Maple Trees

In summer, the cherry trees and maple trees are covered with thick green leaves. But many visitors and worshippers will come in spring to see the beautiful cherry blossoms, and in autumn to see the multi-coloured maple leaves. Japanese school-children from near and far in Japan come in groups to visit the temple to learn about its history, traditions and cultures.

Jishu Shrine

Located behind Kiyomizu Temple, a shrine known as Jishu Shrine is dedicated to five gods, including Okuninushu-no-mikoto and his parents, Susanoo-no,mikoto and Kushinadahime. Young Japanerse like to worship Okuninushu-no-mikoto as he is in charge of love and match-making. At the shrine there are two stones which are about 10 feet apart, and they are known as “Love Stones”. According to the message on a notice-board, if a person can walk straight with eyes closed from one stone to the other, his love wishes will be granted by the Love God, Okuninushu-no-mikoto.

Otowa Waterfall

After the ancient temple tour, we went downhill and came across a waterfall, Otowa Waterfall, which is below Kiyomizu Temple. The local people believe that if a person drinks its water, he will be in good health, peace and harmony. Besides, all his undertakings will be successful.

Ah Po’s Tofu

Then we had a snack at a small tea-house near the waterfall. It belonged to a pretty old lady, Ah Po. She served us some soft, white, cold “tofu” or beancurd which was smooth and nice to eat.

Souvenir Street

On the way down a narrow crowded souvenir street to our bus, we browsed some shops built in Japanese traditional architecture. They were selling souvenirs, food, drinks, ice-creams, traditional clothes, etc. As the weather was quite hot then, I stopped at a shop to have a small bottle of cold soft drink and ice-cream.

Heian Shrine

Soon, we were on our way to another temple in the Okazaki Area in Kyoto City. The temple is known as Heian Shrine. It was established in 1895 to commemorate 1,100 years since Emperor Kanmu(737-806) moved the old Japan’s capital, Nagaoka-kyo, to Heian-kyo(now known as Kyoto). Two emperors, one the founder, Emperor Kanmu, and the other, the last emperor of the Heian Capital, Emperor Komen(1831-1866), were deified at the shrine. (In 1868, the second year of Emperor Meiji’s reign, the capital was moved to Tokyo.)

Shinto Events

Heian Shrine’s consists of three buildings: front, inner and main, collectively known as Daigokuden(Great Hall of State). Visitors are allowed to enter the front building only to worship, but they can enter the inner and not the main buildings on the days of Shinto events like Shichigosan and Omiyamairi.

Schichigosan is a festival for children, especially 3 and 7 year-old girls, and 3 and 5 year-old boys. These young children dressed in Japanese traditional costumes go to the shrine anytime in the month of November to receive the deities’ blessings. Omiyamairi is another festival but for babies who make their first visit to the shrine to receive the blessings, too. Only the priests of the shrine can enter the main building where the souls of the two emperors, Kanmu and Konmei, were enshrined. Some exhibits of photos showing proud parents with their children can be seen at the shrine.

While walking about in the temple courtyard, I came across small white folded papers tied to low leafless trees and wires in wooden props. They were tied there by visitors who had written their wishes in them. They hoped that their wishes would be granted by the deities. There was another prop with small wooden plaques hanging on it. They too carried writings of visitors’ wishes. 

 

Bullet Train Ride

After a tour of Heian Shrine, we were off again. This time we travelled for about three hours to Toyohashi Station where we took a bullet train to Hamamatsu. That train was running on a Tokaido Shinkansen line from Osaka in the south to Tokyo in the north, a distance of about 515 km. Its maximum speed is 270 km/h . Japanese trains are well-known for punctuality.

While we were sitting comfortably on the train, we could see houses, farms and villages outside passing by fast. About 15 minutes later, the train arrived at Hamamatsu Station. As the distance between Toyohashi and Hamamatsu was 35 km, the train was travelling at an average speed of 140 km/h.

Okura Hotel, Hamamatsu

From the Hamamatsu Station, we walked a short distance to a hotel, Okura Hotel, in the highest building in the city, Act City Tower. The tall building looks like a harmonica, reminding visitors that the city is sometimes known as the “City of Music”. It houses shops, a food-court, Okura Hotel and an observatory on the 45th floor. We stayed at the hotel for a night.

(continue on next page: Japan Travel II)

Japan Travel II

(continued from Japan I)

Day 4 Saturday 10 September 2011

After breakfast we left Okura Hotel in Hamamtsu at 8 a.m. Our next destination was the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. While travelling on the busy Tomei Expressway, we saw the scenic country-sides.

Owakudani Valley

Two hours later, we reached a volcanic valley known as Owakudani Valley which is also known as “Valley of Hell”. This valley is in the caldera of Hakone Volcano. This large volcano was formed about 500,000 years ago. Later, a large caldera of 10 km in diameter was formed inside. Its continuous volcanic activity for 500,000 years has produced the present landscape of some small conical volcanoes, including Mt. Kamiyama(1,438m) and Mt. Kanmurigate(1,412m), and a lake(Lake Ashi) in its two calderas, an old and new one.

Black Eggs

Hakone Volcano is still an active volcano. It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. When we were in Owakudani Valley, we saw steam coming out from the cracks in the ground and smelt unpleasant gases of sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. There was a pool of hot spring water near Mt. Kamiyama and Mt. Kanmurigate. A shopkeeper of Tamago-chaya Teahouse located near the pool used it for boiling eggs. After boiling the egg-shells turned black. The hard-boiled eggs were sold to tourists like hot cakes.

From the valley we could see the Japan’s iconic cone-shaped mountain, Mt. Fuji, in the distance, but it was partially covered with clouds then.

Lake Ashi

Later, we went downhill to a restaurant at the Hakone Kojiri Terminal for a Japanese meal. At this terminal, tourists can take ropeway to Souzan near the Owakundani Valley. The terminal is by a caldera lake in Hakone known as Lake Ashi that is 6 km long and between 0.6 and 1.5 km wide. Tourists can take a leisure boat cruise across the lake, enjoying the picturesque and serene natural beauty of the lake. Besides, they can see the charming Fuji Mountain which is several kilometres away.

Peace Park(Heiwa Koen)

White Buddhist Shrine

After lunch at Hakone Kojiri Terminal, we went to Peace Park(Heiwa Koen) near Gotemba City to see a white Buddhist shrine with four golden Buddha statues on a low hill. It resembles an Indian stupa and is believed to house some Buddha’s relics. The short path leading to the shrine is lined with 7 stone statues of different mythical lions on each side.

The Peace Park has many cherry and maple plants. The cherry plants will bloom in spring whereas maple leaves will change from green to multi-colours in autumn, making the park look like a beautiful paradise in the two seasons attracting more tourists to the place.

Standing in front of the white shrine, I could see the Gotemba City and the partially cloud-covered Mt. Fuji in the distance.

Large Wooden Clogs

Before we left the park, I was attracted to a pair of large Japanese wooden clogs near the park entrance. I wore them, but I could not move them at all as they were stuck to the floor, permanently.

5th. Station of the Subaru Trail of Mt. Fuji

Then we were off again. This time we travelled up the highest mountain of Japan, Mt. Fuji, which is 3776m above sea-level. But our bus could only go up to the 5th. Station of the Fuji-Subaru Trail leading to the Mt. Fuji summit. This station is 2305m above sea-level. There are a few buildings at the station providing accommodation, food and beverages.

Mt. Fuji

Many tourists and mountain-climbers could be seen there. The climbers at this station may need over 6 hours to climb to the summit. Standing on the station ground, I could see the barren peak of Mt. Fuji, clearly. Occasionally, a passing cloud would block the view of the mountain. Mt. Fuji is cone-shaped with a base diameter between 35 and 40 km. Dormant for 250 years, its grace, charm and beauty draw millions of visitors from all over the world.

Fujimihana Hotel

Having spent a couple of hours at the 5^th. Station enjoying the sights of the beautiful mountainous landscapes, we went down the mountain to a hotel, Fujimihana Hotel, that is by a lake, Yamanaka Lake, in Yamanashiken. After having checked in at the hotel, we changed into “yukata” and went straight to a pool of hot spring water of 41 degrees Celsius to relieve our body muscles of fatigue and pain. (A “yukata” is a Japanese casual summer clothing.) An hour later, we went to the hotel restaurant to savour both Japanese and Taiwanes dishes. We stayed for a night at this hotel in a tranquil place.

Day 5     Sunday      11  September 2011

In the morning, when I woke up and drew a curtain open in my hotel room, I was pleasantly surprised to see the majestic-looking Mt. Fuji several km away. As the view was spectacular, I quickly snapped a few photos of it before being covered with clouds.

Sensoji Temple or Asakusa Temple

After breakfast, we left the hotel for Tokyo City. It was a pleasant 1½ hour-journey from the quiet rural areas to the hustle and bustle of the urban areas of Tokyo. On arrival at Tokyo City, we went straight to the oldest Buddhist temple known as Sensoji Temple or commonly called Asakusa Kannon Temple. Located in the Asakusa area, it houses a statue of Bodhisattva Kannon or Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The Japanese Buddhists believe that He is a great saviour to the sufferers in the world.

Discovery of a Buddha Statue

Legend has it that the statue was found by two fishermen who were brothers in their cast net in Sumida River in 628. The head village, Hajino Nakatomo, recognized it as a Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, and kept it in his house for his villagers to worship. Then in 648 his house was rebuilt and made into a temple, housing the statue. Later, fire destroyed the temple several times, and it had to be rebuilt each time it was destroyed. In 1945, it was bombed and destroyed during air-raids in WWII. Later, it was built again.

Kaminarimon(Thunder Gate)

The present temple was built in 1958 with donations from generous devotees. Known as Sensoji Temple or Asakusa Temple, it attracts visitors from near and far. The entrance to the temple is a large gate, Kaminarimon(Thunder Gate). In the middle of this gate hung a large red paper lantern with two large Japanese characters which mean “Thunder Gate”. Standing on the left of the lantern is a large statue of God of Thunder” and another statue of “God of Wind” on the right. The gate leads visitors to a 250m-long street, Nakamize Street.

Nakamize Street

Nakamize Street is lined with many interesting kinds of shops on both sides. The shops sell souvenirs, traditional clothes, shoes, hats, umbrellas, food, drinks, and many more. It was established in the 17th. century. But the present two rows of single-storey shops were rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake in1923. It was crowded with visitors when I was there.

Hozomon Gate

Nakamize Street ends with another red gate which is larger and higher than the first one. It is known as Hozomon Gate. Built in 1964, it has a large red lantern hanging in the middle. Besides, there is a smaller black and gold-coloured lantern and statue of Deva King on each side of the large lantern.  The two large Deva Kings are supposed to be the guardians of Sensoji Temple. The upper part of the gate houses a complete collection of the Buddhist scriptures. A short distance from this gate is the main temple, Sensoji Temple or Asukasa Kannon.

Sky Tree

While standing in front of Kaminarimon Gate, I watched a continuous flow of people into the gate and rickshaw-pullers busy doing their jobs in the street. Besides, I saw a tall tower which was 1 km away in Sumida Area. It is known as Sky Tree. It is the tallest tower in the world with a height of 634m, and the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Kalifa(828m) in Dubai. It has a TV and radio broadcasting station, restaurant and observatory tower. It will be ready for use next year, 2012.

Ginza Street

Later, we left the Asakusa Area and went to Tokyo’s famous shopping street, Ginza Street. It attracts not only local people, but also foreign tourists. It is a long wide street flanked by distinctive department stores and shops on both sides of the road, selling luxury goods of local and western popular brands.

Ginza Wako Building

As it was a weekend, Sunday, the road was closed to traffic, expecting large influxes of visitors in the afternoon and evening. The long road became a pedestrain walkway with chairs and tables fixed with large umbrellas in the middle for tired visitors to rest. While walking down the road, I noticed there were no old buildings to be seen there. But when I came to Ginza 4-Chome,I saw a large one at the junction of Chuo and Harumi Dori. Known as Ginza Wako Building, it was established in 1881 and has a Seiko clock tower built in 1932. It looks like an old European building that stands out in the street. It sells world-class goods, like watches, jewellery, handbags, porcelain, dishware, etc

Harajuka Area

After spending one and a half hours browsing some of the stores and shops along Ginza Street, we left for another shopping area, Harajuka Area. In this area there are two main shopping streets, viz. Omotesando and Takeshita Street. But we visited Takeshita Street as it is an interesting one where young girls like to meet and show off their fanciful clothes, hairstyles and footwears, e.g. cyber-punk, cosplay, ganguro and other out-of-the world styles. Besides, there are shops in this narrow and crowded street that draws young girls to buy clothes of the latest fashions.

Shinjuku Area

After spending some time in Takeshita Street, we left for another well-known area called Shinjuku. It is Tokyo’s commercial and metropolitan government administrative hub. The main attractions that draw visitors to this area are entertainment and shopping.

The most popular shopping street in this place is Shinjuku Street which is lined with multi-storey buildings and skyscrapers. When the street is closed to traffic during weekends, it becomes a busy pedestrian walkway.

Anti-Nuclear Plant Protestors

When we were in the Shinjuku Area we were surprised to see some peaceful processions of anti-nuclear plant protestors. The protestors from all ages and walks of life were strongly against the government’s

establishment of nuclear powered-plants in Japan. They felt those plants were unsafe, after a nuclear plant in Fukushima was badly destroyed by a 9-magnitude earthquake and giant tsunami on March 11 2011 polluting the environment with health-hazard radioactive substances. Lots of police were around, watching them closely.

In the evening, before we left Shinjuku area, we had a last look of the main shopping and entertainment street. Then we left for a hotel, Sunshine City Prince Hotel, in Minato-ku, Tokyo, where we retired for a night.

Day 6    Monday     12 September 2011

Disneyland Tokyo

After breakfast we went to Disneyland Tokyo in Urayasu in Chiba near Tokyo. Opened in 1983, it is Japan’s most popular tourist attraction, drawing over 15 millions of domestic and foreign visitors, annually.

Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, co-founded the Walt Disney Company in 1923. Together they created new forms of entertainment, including animated films and Disney theme parks around the world, e.g. Disneyland Parks in Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Disneyland Tokyo is a place for fun, entertainment, adventure and relaxation for young and old. The visitors are spoilt for choices of thrill and non-thrill rides in 7 themed areas in the park. A visitor will find it impossible to finish all the attractions there in one day, besides long queues for most of them.

“Pirates of the Caribbean”

When we entered the park, our tour-leader, Tan San, told us to follow him, closely, to the attractions which he knew had short queues. “Pirates of the Caribbean” was the first one he recommended. We queued for a shortwhile for a boat-ride. The boat took us to dark places where we watched pirates attacking and robbing ships at seas, plundering villagers, living in lawless villagers, etc. At one spot we saw Captain Jack Sparrow, the hero in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series, sitting in a large comfortable chair surrounded by his ill-gotten traesure. That attraction teaches us about the violent, lawless and miserable lives of pirates.

“Star Wars”

As soon as we finished the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction, we went for the next one, “Star Wars”. We were lucky because there were not many people in the queue. As we were walking towards a spacecraft, StarSpeeder 3000, we came across some Star Wars characters, like C-3PO and R2-D2. As they were audio-animatronics, they could talk and move, entertaining the guests in the queue.

“Star Tours” is a futuristic adventure in the universe, utilizing a hydraulic motion base cabin. It is inspired by the “Star Wars” series created by George Lucas. As space tourists in the spacecraft, StarSpeeder 3000, we travelled in the universe at highspeed, avoiding meteors, asteroids, collisions with other spacecrafts and attacks from enemies. It was an exciting journey in space and we got back to the base, safely. It lasted for 4½ minutes which seemed like hours to us.

Halloween Parade

Later, we went to watch a colourful parade, Halloween Parade. There was a large crowd waiting anxiously for the parade to begin. At 11 a.m. sharp, a big gate was opened and a parade of 7 colourful floats with Disney characters streamed in. Chip and Dale were in the 1st. float, followed by Hello Kitty in the 2nd., Stitch in the 3rd., Mickey Mouse in the 4th., Daisy Duck in the 5th., Goofy in the 6th. and Donald Duck with his three nephews in the last one. Each float was followed by a few dancers dressed in Halloween clothes. It was a 10 minute parade, short but entertaining.

“It’s a Small World”

When the parade was over, we went for a slow relaxing boat ride in a building known as “It’s a Small World”. As we were cruising round the “world” inside, we watched dancers in their national clothes dancing to the cheerful and lively song of “It’s a Small World”.

Mark Twain Riverboat Ride

Coming out of that building, we went for another boat-ride, but this time in a larger boat known as “Mark Twain Riverboat”. It sailed in a man-made waterway or “river” in the “Old West” jungle. As the boat was cruising in the “river”, we saw deer, Red Indian settlement, fort, waterfall, etc. The ride made us feel as though we were in the old days, as the “Old West” landscapes looked real, animals could feed on grass and the Red Indians could move and talk. It was a refreshing and nostalgic ride, indeed.

Buzz Ligthtyear’s Astro Blasters

Then we went for an interactive adventure in a building known as “Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters” which was inspired by a Disneyland movie, “Toy Story”. While we were walking inside towards the spacecrafts, we watched Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger, telling us to use a lazer-gun to shoot at the Z-symbol to get a score for each hit.

Sitting in a slow moving spacecraft, we went through various scenes featuring Emperor’s henchmen and fired our lazer-guns at their Z-symbols. At the end of the ride, I looked at my score-board and was disappointed to see my poor score.

Odaiba

After a few rides in the park, some of us left the place and went for a small man-made island in Tokyo Bay. Originally, there was a cluster of many tiny islands built to protect Tokyo from sea-attacks during the Edo Period(1603-1868). Later, the islands were joined together by more landfills to form a larger one. Now, known as Odaiba, it is a popular shopping, entertainment and residential place, which is another tourist spot in Tokyo.

Located in the middle of Odaiba is a place called Pallette Town. It is a building complex that offers many attractions, such as a large shopping centre(Venus Fort), Toyota car theme-park(Toyota Mega Web), ferris-wheel of 100m in diameter(Giant Sky Wheel ) and amusement park(Tokyo Leisure Land).

When we went to Pallette Town we were surprised that it was closed for a public holiday. Nevertheless, we entered some areas to have a quick look inside. Then we visited some other spots near Pallette Town, including Fuji TV building, Aqua City Shopping Centre, Miraikan(National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), Museum of Maritime Science, Decks Beach Shopping Mall. Unfortunately, we could not enter any of these places as they were closed for a public holiday.

“Rainbow Bridge”

We went to the north of the island to see a long high bridge connecting the island to the mainland. It is known as “Rainbow Bridge” and has many uses: an expressway, regular road, railway lines and pedestrian walkways. At a park, there was a small replica of the French Statue of Liberty on the northern coast of the island, erected in 2000.

Later, we left the island and went back to Disneyland to pick up the rest of our tour-members who did not follow us to Odaiba Island. Soon, we left Disneyland Tokyo and headed for Narita. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant where we had a buffet dinner. The restaurant offered over 100 kinds of food and drinks that we were spoilt for choice. It was my best meal at that restaurant in Japan.

Narita Marroad International Hotel

Later, we checked in at a hotel near the Narita International Airport called Narita Marroad International Hotel. As it has 800 rooms, it is the largest hotel in Narita. Located near the airport, guests in its restaurant can watch through large glass-windows airplanes land or depart from it. Before we entered the hotel, we thanked and bade farewell to Yoshikawa, our Japanese driver who had diligently brought us to the popular tourist spots in Osaka, Kyoto, Mt. Fuji areas and Tokyo for six long days

Day 7       Tuesday   13 September 2011

Today, we had to leave Japan at 10.30 in the morning by plane. At 7 in the morning, we left the hotel in its bus for Narita International Airport which was nearby. On arrival at the airport, we checked in and later at 10.30 a.m.(Japan time), we left the beautiful country, “Land of the Rising Sun”, for Malaysia, our homeland.

Well, that is a 5 day and 4 night tour in Japan. Although it was a short tour, we have learned a lot about Japan: her traditions, cultures, people, landscapes, economy and many more. Our vacation there is enjoyable and unforgettable. Besides, we have made new friends in our tour group. I hope you have found this write-up of mine interesting and informative.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank our tour-leader, Tan San, for his invaluable knowledge of Japan, and jokes that kept us laughing and awake during the bus-journeys. We would also like to thank his pretty young assistant, Coey Lim, for taking good care of our food and accommodation during the tour. Last but not least, we wish to thank the two travel agencies, Sinair Travel in Johor Bahru and Apple Vacations in Kuala Lumpur, for arranging that tour which was interesting and memorable.

Written by:

Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

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Singapore Heritage Trail I

Singapore Heritage Tarail I

On a Singapore Heritage Trail

In 2006, I paid a visit to Singapore, a tiny nation, to learn about her rich history and diverse cultures.  It took me a few days to visit four heritage places which are rich in histories and cultures.  The four places are Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam-Malay Village and Civic District. Located in the south-east of Singapore Island, all these places are close to each other.

Below is what I have written about them and hope that most of the information given is still relevant:

1.  Chinatown

Chinatown is located south of River Singapore. It was the first settlement for the Chinese immigrants.  It was established around 1821 when the first junk which carried men from China arrived at Telok Ayer(Water Bay).

Before piped water supply was introduced in Chinatown, bullock carts were used to carry water from a nearby source called Ann Siang Hill to Chinatown. So the local Chinese called Chinatown “Niu Che Sui“, literally, it means “bullock-cart water”.

 Chinatown Heritage Centre

To learn about the history of Chinatown and the stories of the Chinese immigrants, I went to the Chinatown Heritage Centre in Pagoda Street in Chinatown. It is a small museum of three restored pre-war shophouses.

Owing to poverty, famine, poor harvest of crops, drought, wars and corrupted rulers in China in the 1800’s, many Chinese migrated to the countries in South-east Asia, including Singapore. They hoped to make a fortune in the new countries and later return as a wealthy person.

The early immigrants came to Singapore in junks and later steamships. They had to endure a 7-week long and dangerous journey in vessels that were overcrowded and lacking amenities. Some unfortunate ones died in their journeys. Those who arrived at Singapore were uncertain of their future.

Many Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore realized that it was hard to make a living there. They worked as coolies, rickshaw-pullers, samsui women, food-vendors, tailors, clerks, shopkeepers, cooks, etc. Many succumbed to vices and had no money to go back to China. The hardworking ones became wealthy and made the island a progressive and prosperous country.

Squalid Living Conditions

In the olden days, many poor immigrants had to live in small cubicles in overcrowded shophouses. The latter had narrow corridors and small, dirty and black common kitchens. Looking at the squalid living conditions recreated in one of the shophouses at the Chinese Heritage Centre makes me feel sympathetic for the early immigrants.

In the past, there were small numbers of other races living in Chinatown, including Indians, Malays, Arabs and Japanese. Hence, it was a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural place. 

Since 1900’s, many dilapidated pre-war shophouses in Chinatown were demolished. High-rise residential buildings and multi-storey complexes were built to replace them. The remaining old ones have been restored by the combined efforts of the owners and government. These quaint and well-restored buildings are now a  tourists’ attraction in Chinatown.

It is worth visiting the Chinese Heritage Centre in Pagoda Street to learn about the Chinatown’s rich history and cultures.

Pagoda Street

It is intersting to know how Pagoda Street got its name.  The Chinese saw the two minarets of a mosque, Masjid Jamae Chulia, at the end of the road that looked like Chinese pagodas. So they named the road Pagoda Street

While walking down Pagoda Street, I saw many shops and stalls in the street selling a myriad of things ranging from Asian antiques, Chinese paintings, souvenirs, clothes and cheap watches to digital cameras, cell-phones, MP3 and MP4 players. The street was crowded with both locals and tourists.

In the olden days, Pagoda Street was an infamous place for opium dens, gambling, prostitution, secret societies and slave trade. Many coolies squandered their hard-earned money on the vices, ending their dream of becoming rich and returning to their families in China. That street was the biggest residential area for coolies as the rental for a small cubicle in a shophouse was cheap.

There are a few large old shopping centres in Chinatown. Some of these are shown in the photos below:

 Telok Ayer Street

This street is in Chinatown. It was once along a shoreline of the coast of Singapore. In 1821, the first Chinese junk, carrying immigrants from China, arrived in the bay. Then the immigrants set up their homes along Telok Ayer Street. Later immigrants from other countries, especially southern India, arrived there. That street then became  an important commercial centre. In 1879, land was reclaimed from the bay, and roads, shophouses, clan association buildings, Chinese temples and a mosque(Al-Abrar Mosque) were built on it.

Thian Hock Temple  

One of the oldest temples was built in Telok Ayer Street. It is known as Thian Hock Temple which houses a shrine to Ma Cho-Po (Mazu or Goddess of the Sea). The deity was brought from Fujian Province in China in 1840. According to a legend, Ma Cho-Po (960 A.D.-987 A.D.) was a daughter of a fisherman. One day, she sensed that her father and brother were in danger at sea during a storm. She quickly took a small boat and went to save them. But she was able to save her father only. When her whole village knew about her brave act, they worshipped her as a goddess of the sea, and the seafarers asked her for protection before sailing at the sea.

Al-Abrar Mosque

Originally, this mosque in Telak Ayer Street was a small thatched hut built by Indian Muslims in 1827. Later, it was rebuilt in 1850-1855. It is a simple-looking mosque which has an Indian Islamic theme.

Fuk Tak Chi Museum

Fuk Tak Chi (literally, it means “Temple of Virtue and Prosperity”) was also one of the oldest temples in Singapore. Located in Telok Ayer Street, it was a small temple built in 1824. Now, it is a small museum which displays some old exhibits, such as old Chinese storybooks, hawkers’ licence fee receipts, family portraits, antique furniture, weighing machines, iron that used charcoal, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, tea cups and pots and a model of Chinese junk. These things were donated by local residents.

Clan Association Buildings

Telok Ayer area has some social and meeting centres for the various Chinese clans and dialect groups. Many clan association buildings were built here to meet the needs of the immigrants like the social, cultural and political needs. An example of a clan association is Ying Fo Fui Kuns Clan House which was built in 1822. It is near Fuk Tak Chi Museum and caters for the Hakka members.

There is a small shady garden, known as Telok Ayer Green, in Telok Ayer Street. It is next to Thian Hock Temple. in this garden, there are some interesting bronze sculptures depicting the immigrants’ activities in the past, as shown in the photos below:

An Antique Shop

While I was walking along Telok Ayer Street, I saw a shop at cluttered with lots of old things. Out of curiosity, I entered the shop. On closer look, I realized that most of the things on display were very common in every household in my childhood days, like clocks, cutlery, furniture, vases, stamps, money-notes, etc. These things can be considered as antigues now.

The shop known as Odds ‘N’ Collectibles, at 128, Telok Ayer Street, belongs to a bearded man, Juzer Saifee. He buys and sells secondhand things. He told me he had been in this business for over 10 years.

“Sook Ching”

In the city, right in front of Hong Lim Complex along Cross Road, I saw a notice-board that shocked me after reading its information. It says:

“This site was one of the temporary registration centres of the Japanese Military Police, the Kempeitai, for screening anti-Japanese Chinese.

On 18th. February 1942, three days after their capture of Singapore, Kempeitai launched a month-long purge of anti-Japanese elements in an operation named “Sook Ching”. All Chinese men between 18 and 50 years old, and in some cases women and children, were ordered to report to their temporary registration centres for interrogation and identification by the Kempeitai and their hooded informants. Those who failed the arbitrary screening were taken to outlying parts of Singapore and executed for alleged anti-Japanese activities. Tens of thousands were estimated to have lost their lives.

For those who were spared, the “Sook Ching” screening remains one of their worst memories of the Japanese Occupation.”

As I was reading the notice, I started to picture the unfortunate Chinese being taken away for the gruesome execution. It sent a shiver down my spine. The merciless conquerors had committed cruelty against humanity.

As I was walking further down Cross Road, I was pleasantly surprised to see a flea market in Far East Square where local people spread their secondhand goods on the floor for sale. They included old gramophone, records, story-books, magazines, antiques, clothes, Mao Tze Dong’s photos, letters, documents, watches, furniture, jewelleries, etc. This flea market is open only on Sundays.

Little India - Tekka Centre

To visit the Little India which is in the east of the Singapore River and learn about the Indian heritage, I took an MRT train to Little India Station. On arrival, I came out of the station and walked to Serangoon Road. On the way to the road, I came across a large green and yellow building, Tekka Centre, and decided to have a meal there.

It houses a wet market which meets the daily needs of the local people who live in HDB flats. Vegetables, fruits, fish and meats are easily available here. Next to the wet market is a hawker centre where one can savour a variety of local food. Above the hawker centre are several shops which sell inexpensive apparel, shoes, watches, etc.

After having a hearty meal with a bowl of “ais kacang” as dessert at the Tekka hawker centre, I continued my walk to Serangoon Road. As the Indian Festival of Lights or Deepavali was approaching, the road was already heavily decorated with arches, figures of phoenixes and coloured bulbs. When the sun set, the road was colourfully-lit and local Indians thronged the shops to buy the things they needed for their festival.

Serangoon Road

Serangoon Road is one of the oldest roads in Singapore. As the Serangoon area was a fertile plain, it attracted Indian immigrants to grow rice, gambier and coconut. Later, cattle-rearing and horse-racing became the main economic activities there. As more Indians settled at the place, it became an ethnic community known as “Little India”.

Old, quaint and beautifully restored shophouses line both sides of the busy road. Most of the shopkeepers here are Indians. They sell flower-garlands. jewelleries, silver and brassware, spices, saree fabrics, spicy vegetarian and banana leaf meal, electrical and electronic goods and more.

Along Serangoon Road are two popular places of worship as described below:

a. Sri Veeramakaliamman(Kali) Temple

Located along Serangoon Road. is the largest Indian temple in Singapore. It is known as Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. It houses a black statue of Kali, the Goddess of Power, an incarnation of Lord Siva’s wife. She has many arms which hold weapons of destruction and is flanked by her sons, Ganesha and Murugan.

This temple was first built in 1855, and in 1908 it was expanded. The prominent feature of the temple is the tall entrance tower which has many colourful statuettes of deities and mythological animals. The main door of the temple has many bells. Hoping to have their requests granted, devotees will ring these bells first before entering the temple.

b. Angullia Mosque

Not far from the above-mentioned Hindu temple is a mosque, Anguilla Mosque, where the Indian Muslims pray. It is a simple looking mosque and was built in 1898 on a land belonging to the wealthy Anguillas, a family of Gujerati traders.

Mustafe Centre

As I was walking along Syed Alwi Road, I stopped at a well-known shopping complex, Mustafa Centre. It was opened in 1973. When I was in the building, I was awed to see every floor full of goods. A shopper will have no problem of getting anything he wants here and it is open 24 hours everyday.

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Singapore Heritage Trail II

(continued from Singapore Heritage Trail I)

Singapore Travel II

3.  Malay Heritage

To learn about the Malay heritage, I visited two places, viz. Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai.

Kampong Glam

Located at the mouth of the Rochor River, Kampong Glam was originally a Malay fishing village. It is named after a tree by the Malays. Its scientific name is melaleuca leucapan, a large tree that is used for making poles, posts, boats and other things.

In the past, Kampong Glam was a centre of Islamic Studies where the aspiring Muslims from neighbouring countries would prepare themselves for the pilgrimage to Mecca. Those who failed to make it were called “Haji Singapura“.

Kampong Glam was the first Malay settlement in Singapore designated by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1820’s. Sultan Ali Iskandar Shah built a two storey Palladian architecture-styled palace, Istana Kampong Glam, in 1840’s. It was believed that George Colemen designed the palace. It is located at the end of the road named Sultan Gate.

Istana Kampong Glam or Istana Sultan(Sultan Palace)

Istana Kampong Glam or Istana Sultan is now a museum showcasing the history and cultures of Malay and Bugis in Singapore. The Bugis were brave seafarers from the southern Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. They played a vital role in the Malay Sultanate’s politics by the 18th. Century. Some were appointed as viceroys and married into the Malay royalty.

The museum houses several galleries such as the history and cultures of the Singapore’s Malays, Bugis seafarers, Malay royalty, Malay entertainment industry, and many more. Below are some of the photos taken at the Istana Kampong Glam (museum):

Sultan Mosque

Built in 1824 near Bussorah Street was Sultan Mosque. It was built by Sultan Hussein Shah with donations from Sir Stamford Raffles and the East India Company. In 1924-1928, the mosque was rebuilt to replace the old one. It is the largest mosque in Singapore. The local Muslims consider it to be the grand national mosque in Singapore. It has a large golden dome that is easily seen from far.

In front of the mosque is Bussorah Street where the old, quaint two-storey shophouses sell souvenirs, apparels, curios, postcards, traditional Malay cuisine, artefacts, handicrafts, etc.

Arab Street

In the early years, the Arab immigrants set up shops along Arab Street. The area around Arab Street, Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street was once a cultural and historical centre of Islamic life. Many quaint and restored buildings still remain in this area. They are now shops which sell Islamic things such as skull caps and prayer rugs, carpets from the Middle East, traditional batiks from Malaysia and Indonesia, textiles and other goods from Japan, Korea and Europe. Jewellery, artefacts, handicraft and furniture are also sold here.

Geylang Serai

Having visited the Istana Kampong Glam museum, I went to another museum, Malay Village or Malay

Heritage Centre, in Geylang Serai, to learn more about the Malay heritage. To go there, I took an MRT train to the Payar Lebar Station. Then I walked a short distance to Geylang Serai where the indigenous Malays have lived since 1840’s.

Malay Village (The Malay Heritage Centre)

Tthe Malay Village covers an area of 2.2 hectares which was opened in a grand style in 1996. It is truly built like a Malay village with its entrance in a shape of a horn-roofed Minangkabau structure.

The Malay Village showcases all aspects of the Malay culture and tradition in Singapore such as kampong life in the 1950s-60s, musical instruments, bridal chambers, house or thatched house on stilts, weapons, arts, handicrafts, fishing equipment, famous Malay singers, prominent Malay political leaders and more.

Below are some of the photos taken at the Malay Village featuring the Malay culture:

More photos of the Malay culture below:

 

At the Malay Village, there are Malay kampong shops selling souvenirs, traditional herbs, batiks, baju kurung etc. and an open-air food court where Malay delicacies are served, such as sizzling grilled meat and noodle soup with shredded chicken meat.

Geylang Serai Bazaar and Market.

As it was the Muslims’ fasting month of Ramadan in 2006, the streets in Geylang Serai were decorated with coloured bulbs, arches and objects in the shapes of a crescent moon and star. When night fell, the whole place was brightly-lit and streets were crowded with people. In fact, there was an atmosphere of festivity then. Some local Muslims could be seen breaking fast at food-stalls at the Geylang Serai Market or bazaars while others busy shopping for new shoes, clothes, artificial flowers, cookies and other things for the birth of the new moon of Syawal or Hari Raya Puasa.

4.  Civic District

On the following day, I took an MRT train to the City Hall MRT station to visit the Civic District in the city centre. It is one of the tourists’ favourite destinations in Singapore. It is located at the mouth of Singapore River and on the northern bank of the river stretching from the river mouth to a few km inland. This district is rich in history. There are many historical landmarks which are the legacies of the British colonial rule in this area.

When I was in the Civic District, I tried to visit as many landmarks as I could, including those mentioned below:

St. Andrew’s Cathedral

As I was walking along St. Andrew Road for a short distance from the City Hall MRT station, I saw the first historical building. It was a majestic, white church built in the early English Gothic style. It has spires of over 60 metres tall.

 The church is known as St. Andrew’s Cathedral and is the Singapore’s oldest Anglican church. Indian convict labour was used to build it between 1856 and 1864 replacing the old one which was damaged by lightning twice. The damaged old church was rebuilt in 1834-1837.

In the colonial days, the church was mostly patronized by the elite. Walking inside the large nave of the church, I could see many plagues on the walls that were dedicated to important people in the past. This church was gazetted a monument in 1973.

Monuments

a. Civilian War Memorial

While walking to Stamford Road, I saw four identical columns of about 70 metres tall standing close to each other in a garden. They were erected in dedication to the civilians of the four main races (Chinese, Malay, Indian and others) who were killed during the Japanese Occupation in Singapore (1942-1945). An urn containing the ashes of unknown victims is placed in the middle of this simple but sombre monument that is known as Civilian War Memorial. Leaving the civilian war monument, I walked towards south and came across more monuments. Below are some of them:

b. Tan Kim Seng Fountain

This Victorian cast-iron fountain was built by the Municipal Council in 1882 to commemorate a well-known trader and philanthropist, Tan Kim Seng, who had contributed much to the well-being of the society. He had made a large donation to the Singapore Waterworks to alleviate the water problem in the city.

c. The Cenotaph

This tower-like structure was erected in 1922 in memory of those who perished in World War I (1914-1918) and it is also dedicated to those fallen soldiers in World War II (1941-1945).

d. Lim Bo Seng Memorial

This pagoda-like structure with four bronze lions standing in guard was built in 1954 in memory of a Singaporean hero, Lim Bo Seng. He led Force 136, an anti-Japanese resistance movement, in World War II. In 1944 he was captured by the Japanese in Malaya. The latter tortured him to death as he refused to reveal his fellow resistance fighters. After the war, he was buried in Singapore with full military honours.

f. The Dalhousie Obelisk

This tall pointed stone pillar was erected to commemorate the visit of Governor-General of India, Lord Marquis Dalhousie, and his wife in 1850 when Singapore was a thriving port. The local rich merchants donated money to build that structure in the hope that his visit would lead to great improvements in public works, amenities and the administration of Singapore. Later, they were disappointed as nothing concrete materialized from their wish.

City Hall

Later, I walked to a road, Connaught Drive, where I could see across a green field (locally known as “Padang”) two large old stately buildings with Corinthian columns standing next to each other. The one with a green dome is the Supreme Court whereas the other the City Hall.

Built in 1929, the City Hall was formerly known as the Municipal Building. It was renamed as City Hall in 1951 when Singapore was conferred city status by King George VI of Englnd. This building will become a national art gallery by 2010 as part of the civic and cultural district.

Supreme Court

Supreme Court was built in 1937-1939 next to the City Hall. It was the former courthouse of the Singapore’s Supreme Court. On 20 June 2005, the Supreme Court was moved to a new building just behind it. The old building is planned to become an arts and cultural centre in future.

New Supreme Court

The new supreme court in sharp contrast to the old one, architecturally. It is modern in appearance. Built of steel, aluminium and glass, it has 9-storeys of 12 civil courts, 8 criminal courts and 3 appellant courts. Resting on top of the Supreme Court is a circular structure of 66m in diameter that looks like a flying saucer. It houses the court of appeal and has a public observation gallery where one can have a panoramic view of the Singapore River.

“Padang”

In front of the City Hall is a large green field which the local people call it “Padang”. It was here that the European civilians were ordered to gather and marched to Changi Prison, immediately, after the surrender of Singapore in 1941. Then four years later on 12 September 1945, ironically, the Japanese officers were made to march pass the “Padang” to City Hall where they surrendered, unconditionally.

Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay

Later, I walked towards east to Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay. Located on a six-hectare waterfront land by the Marina Bay and near the mouth of Singapore River, it was officially opened on 12 October 2002. It consists of two prominent and unique buildings which look like a thorny tropical fruit called “durian”. One of them houses the 1,600-seat Concert Hall and the other 2,000-seat Theatre. It is a performing arts and entertainment centre which boasts of world-class performances by local and international groups.

Besides, there is an open-air theatre on the 300-metres long waterfront outside the Esplanade. Free outdoor musical performances are held there on weekends.

Modern Buildings

As I was standing on the waterfront, I looked across the Singapore River and saw a spectacular view of several

awesome, tall and modern buildings, including UOB Plaza, UOB Centre, Sinsov Building, Maybank Tower, HSBC, OCBC Building and Capital Square. Some of these tall buildings are over 60 storeys high. They are in the central business district (CBD). The existence of these skyscrapers is a testament to Singapore’s fast growing economy in trade, commerce and finance

Fullerton Hotel

The skyscrapers on the bank of Singapore River tower over a quaint but majestic building known as Fullerton Hotel. The building was first occupied by Singapore Club and Chamber of Commerce, then General Post Office and Inland Revenue Authority. Now it is a well-known five-star hotel.

Built in a neo-classic styled architecture in 1928, the hotel was voted the best hotel in Asia at the conde’ Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards 2006 held recently in New York.

Merlion

When I was crossing the Esplanade Bridge over Singapore River, I saw a strange large white stone legendary animal. Located at the Merlion Park in front of Fullerton Hotel and the mouth of Singapore River, it has a head of a lion and scaly body of a fish. Its fish body is to remind people that Singapore was a fishing village before and its lion head tells the people that the nation gets its name from the Malay word “singa” which means “lion”. The Singaporean call this mythical animal “Merlion”. It is now Singapore’s icon. This animal keep on spouting water out of its mouth into the Marina Bay.

Riverside Sculptures

Strolling on the river bank, I came across some life-sized bronze sculptures seemingly involved in some activities in the olden days, such as a group of naked and playful children leaping into the Singapore River

(installed in 2000 and known as “The First Generation”), colonial trader, Chinese merchant, coolies, Indian money-lender (chettiar), financier, etc.

A unique modern sculpture of a large black fat bird by Fernando Botero was erected in 2000 at the back of the tall UOB building. It is a symbol of peace, serenity, joy of living and the power of optimism.

Singapore River : A Maritime Trading Hub

Singapore River is over 11 km long and flows through the city. It was once a lifeline of Singapore. During the British colonial rule, the port was at the river mouth. When Sir Stamford Raffles declared it a free port, trade flourished. More shophouses and warehouses were built at Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and other places along the river to cope with the increase in trade. Soon the river became the hub of trade, commerce and finance.

As trade had increased by leaps and bounds, larger and more ports were needed. Large terminals and harbours were built at other places to take over the maritime trading activities of the old port, such as Keppel Harbour, Jurong, Pasir Panjang and Sembawang. By the 1980’s, the river-mouth port ceased its operation.

As wastes from residential, industrial and farm areas had flowed into the river for many years, it became smelly and dirty. In 1977, the government began to clean up the river. It took ten years to complete the task. Now the river is clean and has a pleasant sight. Speedboats and tourists’ cruise boats (bumboats) can now be seen plying on the clean river.

Bumboats

In the yesteryears, bumboats were used to carry goods to and from along the Singapore River between ships moored in the busy port at the river-mouth and warehouses at Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and other places inland. Since the trading activities in the river ceased many years ago, the bumboats are now used for carrying tourists for the river cruise.

Boat Quay and Clarke Quay

Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were important trading places along Singapore River in the olden days. When maritime trading activities stopped at the port at the river-mouth, these quays had to change their trading services.

Today, Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are food-lovers’ haunts. The quaint and clean shophouses and wharehouses are now used as restaurants, wine bars, chill-out places and entertainment hotspots. Besides, there are al fresco pups and restaurants by the river. Delicious local and exotic cuisines are

served here. Singapore’s popular dishes, chili and pepper crabs, are available here. Both places are good for families and friends to wine and dine together as the places are rich in Singapore history.

Sir Stamford Raffles

Walking down the riverside, I came across a pure-white polymarble statue of a smartly-dressed man folding his arms and standing on a high pedestal. He was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore in 1819. The statue marks the site where the man and his 120 Indian assistants and soldiers landed on 28 January 1819. It was erected in 1972.

Asian Civilizations Museum

A beautiful majestic white building near the white statue of Sir Stamford Raffles is the Empress Place. It was a government office built by convicts in 1864-1867. Now it is a museum known as Asian Civilizations Museum which was officially opened in 2003. It houses several galleries including Singapore River Gallery, Southeast Asia Galleries, West Asia/Islamic Galleries, China Gallery, South Asia Galleries and Japanese Mask Gallery. On display are over 1,300 artefacts spanning 5,000 years of Asian cultures from China, India, South-east Asia, to West Asia.

I have visited the museum and feel that it is an excellent place to gain knowledge of the ancient civilizations, cultures, religions, economies, etc. in the Asian regions.

The Arts House

Behind the Asian Civilizations Museum is the oldest government building in the city. This grand mansion was built by George Coleman in 1827. Originally, it was used as a residence. Later it became the Court House and then the Assembly House of the colonial government. When Singapore gained her independence in 1965, it became the nation’s Parliament House. Then in 1999. the Parliament was moved to a new building nearby.

Now, the old Parliament House is known as ” The Arts House” where one can attend or see contemporary visual arts, music, dance, film, comedy and performances by local and international artists.

Siamese King’s Visit

In front of the Arts House is a dark bronze elephant statue standing on a tall white pedestal. It was erected

to commemorate the first visit to Singapore made by a Siamese king, Somdech Phraparamindr Mahachulalonkorn, on 16 March 1871.

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Not far from the Arts House is another beautiful colonial building of Neo-Classical architecture, with rusticated columns and Italianate windows. The building which is known as Victoria Theatre was first erected in 1862 as Singapore’s Town Hall.

In 1905, another building, Victoria Memorial Hall, was built next to the first one to commemorate the long and glorious reign of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901). Then in 1909, a 45m clock tower was erected in between the two buildings linking them as one. In 1979, the Memorial Hall was renamed Victoria Concert Hall. Today, it houses the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and holds both local and international performances.

In front of the beautiful building stands a dark bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. In 1887, it was first erected at the Padang and in 1909 it was moved to the present place.

Raffles Hotel

As I walked back to the City Hall MRT station, I visited one of the 19th. century world’s most famous hotels, Raffles Hotel. Originally, the hotel was an old bungalow. Later it was rebuilt and expanded. It has been popular among tourists and famous people. The hotel is now considered as the grand dame of Singapore’s hotels.

Historic Bridges

In the Civic District, there are several old and historic bridges spanning across River Singapore which was once the island’s hub of busy trading and commercial activities. A few examples of these bridges are shown in the photos below:

Conclusion

I am glad to have visited the four heritage places in Singapore, viz. Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam-Malay Village and the Civic District, as I have learned so much about their histories, traditions, cultures, religions, diverse peoples and landmarks. Besides, I understand now the reasons my grandfather and father left China and came to Singapore, and the kind of life they both had in Singapore in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.

That is all about my Singapore heritage trail. I hope the information given above is still useful to you.
Thank you,
Regards,
Choo Chaw,
Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

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Yunnan Travel I

Yunnan Travel I

Yunnan Attractions

Yunnan is a mountainous province in south China and an interesting region to visit. It is a place where visitors will be amazed by its numerous awesome landscapes, diverse cultures of over 20 ethnic minorities, well-preserved old towns and rich histories.

My wife and I had wanted to visit the province very much. So, we booked an 7-day-tour of three places in Yunnan, viz. Kunming, Dali and Lijiang, at Vacation Hub Travel & Tour Company in Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.

Day 1      Sunday, 5 June 2011

Flying to Kunming City

On 5th. June 2011, my wife and I joined a small group of ten Malaysians led by a young, handsome gentleman, Kent Tay, from Vacation Hub Travel & Tour Company and went to Singapore Changi International Airport.

At about 3.50 a.m., a China Eastern airplane flew us straight from the airport to Kunming City that has a population of over 4.5 millions in Yunnan, China. On arrival at the airport at 6.50 a.m., we went to claim our luggage and then the immigration room. In the room, we were surprised to see lots of people waiting for their turn to get their passports checked and stamped. Anyway, we had to join the long S-shaped queue.

Queue-Jumpers at Kunming Airport

After queuing for about 25 minutes, my wife and I were behind first four visitors. We thought our turn to see the immigration officers would come within five minutes. But , unfortunately, at that moment a group of about ten foreigners came into the hall and went straight to the front of our queue. One of them told the front persons that they were in a hurry as they had to catch a domestic flight to Shanxi at 8 a.m. We guessed he was not telling the truth, as it was already 7.30 a.m., and they should have boarded their airplane then.

Looking behind us, I was surprised that there were no immigration officers to stop them. Some of us complained, loudly, to the big-sized and tall immigration-officer. He was standing right in front of our queue with his back facing us. But we were exasperated as he did not respond.

As we were noisy, a young, thin officer standing about 15 feet in front of our queue, suddenly, shouted in Chinese. He reprimanded us for making too much noise and asked us to wait patiently for our turn. Besides, he said he and his colleagues were already tired, as they had worked for many hours.

As our complaint had fallen on deaf ears, three brave female visitors who had been queuing behind me went forward and stopped some of the uncivil queue-jumpers from joining their friends. We gave them the thumbs up.

Soon, my wife, I and the other 10 members in our tour group were glad to be out of the Kunming Airport. Outside the airport, we were greeted by a Kunming tour guide, Swee Poh. He asked us to board a medium-sized bus and told us that See, the local bus-driver, would bring us around in Yunnan for 7 days.

Cui Hu Park(Green Lake Park)

The first place in Kunming City, See brought us, was a restaurant in the city where we had our first breakfast in Yunnan. After that meal, we were brought to the city’s old but famous park, Cui Hu Park(Green Lake Park).

Cui Hu Park is a beautiful, large park with a lake of lotus plants surrounded by shady willow trees and flowers. A few ancient, traditional Chinese buildings with rich colours and decorations can be seen within the park. One of them, Haixinting, built a few hundred years ago is on a tiny island in the middle of the lake.

Our tour guide, Swee Poh, told us that the park would be crowded with tens of thousands of migratory red-peaked seagulls from Siberia during winter and spring. As it was summer then, we saw a few local ducks swimming, happily, in the lake.

Army Military Academy

After an hour of tour of Cui Hu Park, we crossed a busy road to an old dark yellow building which was once an army military academy for local and foreign students. It was founded in 1899 during the Qing Dynasty. After the fall of the dynasty, a new military academy was built to replace the old one. It had produced many militarists and revolutionists. Now the building is a military museum showcasing  the academy history and its achievements. Photos showing military activities in the olden days and military leaders, and some military arsenal relics are displayed in the museum, too.

Later, we went to visit an old temple, Yuantong Buddhist Temple which is not far from the museum.

Yuantong Buddhist Temple

Yuantong Buddhist Temple, located on the southern slope of Yuantong Hill, was built during the Nanzhao period in the late 8^th. Century. Having a history of over 1,200 years, it has gone through a lot of reconstruction. Besides, it had changed names a few times. It was during the Yuanyanyou Peiod(1314-1320) that the temple was finally named as Yuantong Temple. Buddhists from far and wide make pilgrimage to this well-known temple.

 Pei Fong Restaurant

After a brief tour of the temple, we left Kunming City and headed 95 km east to a popular tourist destination of a different kind in Yiliang. It is known as Jiuxiang Scenic Spot which is famous for gorges and limestone caves.

On the way to Jiuxiang Scenic Spot, we stopped at a restaurant, Pei Fong Restaurant, in Yiliang. We entered the restaurant and took our lunch like the way the Yi people had their meals. (Yi is a Yunnan ethnic minority.) We sat on low cylindrical-shaped stools round a large low table in a dinning hall. The floor was covered with long, green pine leaves. When food was served on the table we all tucked in and enjoyed the simple but delicious meal.

Jiuxiang Scenic Spot

Then we continued our journey to Jiuxiang. On arrival, we were greeted with some prominent red Chinese characters inscribed on a large rock. They mean that “If you don’t visit Jiuxaing, you need not come to Yunnan”. It implies that tourists should not miss that famous spot.

Jiuxiang Scenic Spot covers an area of 167 sq. km. of highlands, valleys, gorges, rivers, waterfalls and limestone caves. It has six main spots. The spot we visited is the most well-known, i.e. Diehong Bridge Zone.

Yincui Gorge

When we reached Jiuxiang, instead of walking down 300 steps to the bottom of the Yincui Gorge, we took a lift and went down 53 m. The river in the gorge has been raised to a height of over 6m by a dam. On this river, we took a short, slow boat-ride. While boating in the narrow gorge, we marvelled at its steep, rocky slopes.

After the ride, we walked down narrow steps in the steep Yincui Gorge to a large cave. The cave looked like a hall, known as Lion Hall. A concert was held once in that cave. As we went further in, we came across rapids and waterfalls. Besides, we saw some stalactites and stalagmites in a cave that looked like the popular Chinese legendary immortal characters, and the cave is called “Immortals’ Cave”.

Magic or Fairy Field

Walking further into another cave, we saw terraced ponds which looked like a terraced paddy field. That “field” is known as Magic or Fairy Field. When we reached the last cave, we saw lots of bats hanging upside down on its ceiling, and some flying in and out of the cave.

After going through a series of interconnected cooling and partially lit caves for two hours, we took a cable-chair ride to the place where our bus was waiting. As we had visited so many places in a day on the first day of our Yunnan tour, we felt exhausted. So, after dinner, we checked in and retired early at a downtown hotel known as King World Hotel.

Day 2      Monday, 6^th. June 2011

In the morning, we left Kunming City and headed 83 km east to a place of unusual but stunning landscape. It is a place where lots of tall, grey limestones are standing close to each other. The place looks like a forest. That is why the local people call it “Shilin“ which means “Stone Forest“.

According to some geologists, the Stone Forest area was under the sea 260 million years ago. Plants and animals thrived in the sea then. When they died their matters settled on the sea-floor and covered with sediments. Later, under sediment-pressure and high temperature, they became limestone. Subsequently, tectonic plate movement happened and the region was uplifted and became land. Then weathering and erosion took millions of years to sculpture the limestones into the present beautiful shapes.

It was a long journey to Shilin Forest which is 97 km east of Kunming City. On arrival, we were surprised that the place was already crowded with visitors. Swee Poh, our local guide, helped us to explore the stone area for a few hours. We were totally captivated by the stunning and splendid landscape of various shapes and sizes of stones.

As we were walking in the “forest” we noticed some stones had fallen over, and some had collapsed due to weathering and earthquake. There were several stones with their top parts fallen onto other stones and resting, dangerously, on them. It was scary to go under these hanging rocks.

While following the trails in the “forest” we saw some stone-structures that looked like animals, e.g. elephants, birds, dragons, etc. The trails criss-cross each other like a maze. Without Swee Poh’s guide, we would have lost our way in that “forest”.

Vantage Point

Finally, Swee Poh brought us to the highest point in the “forest“. It was a pavilion that was built on a rock and commanded a 360 degree view of the “forest” below. We had to climb up steep steps that were crowded with people to reach the pavilion. Standing  in the crowded pavilion, we had a breathtaking sight of the forest of stones with some trees growing among them.

Yi Dance

Having spent a few hours enjoying the sights of the unique but strange stones, we walked back to our tour-bus. On the way, we saw a row of elderly men strumming their stringed instruments and dancing with a row of women. They dressed in their traditional costumes and belonged to the Yi ethnic minority. A few visitors joined them in their lively dance.

Then we left the place for a popular restaurant, Rainbow Restaurant. Our tour-guide told us that there were some shops near the restaurant. According to him, they catered mainly for the domestic tourists, as their things were not cheap.

Tea-Shop

After lunch, we returned to Kunming City. On the way, we stopped at a tea-shop for awhile to learn about some Yunnan tea. It was selling a few kinds of Yunnan tea, like pu-erh, black tea, gold tea, etc. Then some of us bought them for our consumption, and as presents for our relatives and friends back home.

Tea-Horse Route

Yunnan has been growing tea since over 2,000 years ago. 1,000 years ago, it became well-known for its tea in other regions. Consequently, an ancient tea-route was created to link Yunnan with India via Burma, with Tibet, and with Central China via Sichuan Province. As tea was carried by horses or mules during the ancient days, the route was known as Tea-Horse Route.

“Dynamic Yunnan” Performance

In the evening, when we reached Kunming City, we had dinner and then went for a performance at Yunnan Art Theatre. It was known as “Dynamic Yunnan”. A famous Chinese performance artist of 30

years’ experience spent several years searching and training a troupe of over 60 performers from different Yunnan ethnic minorities. She is Yang Liping who has created and choreographed the performance that showcases the Yunnan legends, diverse traditions and cultures, and modern dances too. We watched it for one and a half hour. That energy-charged extravaganza filled us and the rest of the audience with awe all the time.

Day 3      Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Journey to Dali City

At 7.40 a.m. we began our journey to another city in a mountainous area, Dali City. It is 240 km west of Kunming City and has a population of over 3.2 millions. The road to Dali City was long, bumpy and dusty. Besides, it was winding and ascending in the first part of the journey. The road went through a few tunnels. An expressway was under construction then. After five hours of bumpy ride and two toilet stops, we arrived at Dali City, safely.

On arrival at Dali City, we were greeted by a lady of Bai ethnic minority, Kim Wah. She was wearing a striking traditional costume. It consisted of a red flowery blouse, pair of white pants with flower-designs and colorful headgear. She brought us straight to a large lake which has a shape of a human ear, and is, therefore, called Erhai(or Ear Sea). We spent a short time at a park by the lake admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake and the mountains, Cangshan, in the distance. At the park, there is a large, white statue of a beautiful Bai lady. She was supposed to be a fisherman’s daughter.

Cangshan Scenic Spot

Then we went to a mountainous area known as Cangshan Scenic Spot. When we arrived there we took a cable car from Gantong Temple to a height of 2,560 m above sea-level. While ascending in the cable car for a distance of 2,630 m, we had a breathtaking view of the luxuriant Cangshan mountains, V-shaped valleys and Erhai Lake in the distance.

Soon we reached the higher ground and left the cable-cars. Coming out of the station, we saw the world largest Chinese chess board with large concrete “seeds” each weighing 65kg. Each “seed” had a diameter of 1.6 m and thickness 0.5m. The chess board’s length was 21m and width 19m.

Standing on the chess board, I could enjoy looking at the beautiful scenery of the lush-green mountains, a stream, Qingbi Stream, filled with small rocks, pools of turquoise but crystal clear water, V-shaped valleys and Erhai Lake which was far away.

Tianlong Babu Film & TV City

Having spent a few hours in that idyllic place, we descended by cable-cars. Later, we boarded our bus and went to another interesting place nearby.

Located in the centre of the Cangshan-Erhai Scenic Spot, that place was created as a site for shooting movies and TV shows. It was known as Tianlong Babu Film and TV City. It was so named as the first movie that was shot there was “Tianlong Babu”(or “Demigods and Semi-Devils“).

On arrival at the site, my wife and I took a horse-coach ride to tour the place. As we moved along narrow roads, we saw Chinese ancient buildings built, specially, for shooting ancient movies and TV shows. Among the buildings were palace, temple, shops and residential houses.

Bai Wedding Show

While we were there, we were lucky to watch a Bai wedding show. It was about a rich man who wanted his young, pretty daughter to get marry. So, one day he called all the young eligible bachelors from his village to gather in front of his house. Then his daughter stood on the second floor of his grand house and looked, carefully, for a handsome, young man below. When she spotted one she threw down a red flower-ball to him. He grabbed it and was immediately ushered into the house by the rich man’s servants. He was then dressed like a bridegroom and married the girl.

A Hilarious Wedding Show

But during the actual show, when the girl threw the flower-ball down to a young man, he did not bother to catch it. It just landed a metre in front of him. Nevertheless, two rich man’s servants walked up to him, grabbed him and brought him into the house. All of us, spectatorss, laughed, loudly, at the way he was handled by the servants. Finally, the man was “forced” to marry the girl. Anyway, the whole show was just an act but we enjoyed watching it.

Ancient Dali City

The next place we visited was the old Dali town. This town, located near Tianlong Babu Film and TV City, is small and was established in the 14^th. century during the Ming Dynasty. It was a home to the Bai ethnic minority. Now it is a tourists’ attraction as the town still looks ancient with old architectural buildings, narrow streets paved with stone-slabs and two large ancient gates, North Gate and South Gate.

In the town, the main street of 100 metres long, Fuxing Road, runs from the North Gate to the South Gate. There is a street known as Yangren Street(Westerners’ Street) that has new buildings of ancient Bai architecture. Cafes and western food are sold in some of these buildings.

Other buildings in the town sell goods ranging from souvenirs, clothing, food, beverage to pottery, antiques and silver jewellery. Walking in this old place did give me a feeling that I was living in the olden days.

Landscape Hotel, Dali

After the tour of the small, charming, quaint Old Dali Town, we went for dinner and checked in at a hotel known as Landscape Hotel. This hotel’s buildings look like the Bai buildings with white walls and grey roofs. There are many plants growing at the hotel. Besides, it has a beautiful garden with a pavilion and fish ponds in its compound. Indeed, the hotel lives up to its name, i.e. Landscape Hotel.

(continue on Yunnan Travel II)

Yunnan Travel II

(continued from Yunnan Travel I)

Yunnan II

Day 4      Wednesday, June 2011

The Landscape Hotel served two types of food: Chinese and Western. As we had been eating Chinese food the last few days in Yunnan, we took a western breakfast for a change at the hotel. Then we left and went to a Bai village.
 

Bai Village

In the village, we saw Bai houses made of stones. But there was one old, quaint, large double-storey house that was made of wood. It was a showcase of a Bai residence, tradition and culture. We took a quick tour of the house and were treated to different kinds of Bai tea. Later, we watched two cultural shows in the house. One was a Bai fashion show and the other Bai wedding show.

Sa Village

Having learned something about the Bai culture and tradition at the old house, we left for a fishing village, Sa Village, that is by the Erhai Lake. On arrival, we all boarded a metal boat. The boatman with the help of some of us rowed the boat to a deep spot of the lake. Then a show started.

Cormorants

A man in another boat brought our attention to his birds, cormorants. He was holding a long pole with two birds perching on it. Besides, he had several other birds perching on his boat. At his command, the birds jumped into the lake. But, two stubborn birds refused to enter the water. The man had to used his pole to nudge them into the water.

We could see all the birds swimming, ecstatically, in the water. But, when the man shouted at the birds, they all dived into the water looking for fish. A few minutes later, one of them caught a large one and brought it to the surface for the owner. Later, another large fish was caught, and it was caught by three birds. The owner took the fish and rewarded all the birds with small fish he kept in his boat. One of our tour-members bought one of the fish for RMB 60 and the other fish was bought by a tourist in another boat. Later, we were brought to a lakeside where a Bai lady fried the fish for us.

Dwindling Number of Cormorants

According to a Bai lady on the lakeside, using birds to catch fish is not a common practice anymore, as young Bai people prefer to go to cities to look for more stable jobs. As a result, the number of cormorants has dwindled to less than 100, and they are now used for showing tourists their skill in catching fish in the lake.

Soon, we left Sa Village, and went to the old Dali Town to have lunch. In the afternoon, we left Dali and went north to Lijiang City in the higher mountainous area.

Black Dragon Pool Park, Lijiang

After three hours of safe but tiring journey, we reached Lijiang City which has a population of over 1.1 millions. In the city, a local guide, Lee, welcomed us. He brought us to an old, small but beautiful park, Black Dragon Pool Park.

Black Dragon Pool Park is a tourist attraction. It has a small lake, Black Dragon Pool(Heilongtan), surrounded by shady trees and well-kept gardens. An ancient Chinese marble bridge, Five-Arch Bridge, can be seen across the lake in the middle. Besides, some ancient buildings are found at the park, e.g. Moon-Embracing Pavilion or Deyue Lou(built in the late Qing Dynasty but it was rebuilt in 1963), Dragon God Temple or Longshen Temple(built by Naxi people in 1737) and Five-Phoenix Tower or Wufeng Tower(built in 1601 but moved there from Fuguo Temple, 30 km away, in 1979) 

Old Lijiang Town

After going round the tranquil and romantic park once, we left for the Old Lijiang Town of 800 years old. In 1977, it was declared as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. It is now a popular tourist destination.

Flowing through the town are three streams: East Stream, Middle Stream and West Stream. They originate from the main river, Yuhe River(Jade River) which flows from the Black Dragon Pool in the north of the town. Large colorful fish can be seen swimming in them.

The old Lijiang town has over 3,000 ancient Chinese wooden buildings. They are built, closely, along the streams and streets paved with stone-slabs. These buildings are now shops selling all kinds of local products that tourists might be interested in, and bars with red lanterns hanging outside them.

Located in the centre of the town is a small square where four streets converge. It was once a busy trading place for tea, and a busy market for the local residents.

Wooden Water-Wheels

When we arrived at the Lijiang old town in the evening, the first thing that attracted our attention was the twin large, wooden water-wheels. The Jade River kept them turning, continuously. Many tourists, including myself, liked to take photos with the wheels as a background. We noticed that the popular old town was crowded with tourists.

We spent a few hours browsing the shops, watching people dancing in a large circle in an open space(Yuhe Square), and looking at the quaint buildings of ancient architecture of the Naxi ethnic minority.

Later, we left the place and checked in and retired for the night at a nearby hotel known as Puruiduom Holiday Hotel.

Day 5 Thursday 9, June 2011

Naxi Village in Dongba Valley

In the morning, we traveled to a Naxi village in Dongba Valley which is 15 km north of Lijiang City. (Naxi is an ethnic minority.) That place was thronged with tourists. We joined them to learn about the Naxi people’s tradition, culture and religion.

When we entered the village, we saw small stalls on both sides of a path. The stall-keepers were ladies dressed in Naxi traditional costumes. They were selling arts, handicrafts, food, drinks, souvenirs, traditional clothes, etc. The path led to some Naxi houses, e.g. Taliu’s and Pumi’s. The houses were simple and made of logs. No modern gadgets, like TV, gas-cookers, refrigerators, etc. were seen inside those houses.

Naxi’s Gods

In one of the houses lived a Naxi priest. The Naxi people worship many kinds of gods(over 2,000 of them), including the God of Nature. They believe that all the gods can bless them with good luck, happiness and good harvests. Besides, the people believe that the gods can get rid of ghosts, like evils or monsters, that can harm their lives.

 A Horror Demonstration

In a dark room in another house, we watched a middle-aged man showing off his scary prowess. He used his right foot to step on a red hot iron spade and then his tongue to lick it. His act shocked all of us, as the temperature of the metal spade was over 1,000 degrees Celsius. He would repeat that horror demonstration whenever a new group of tourists entered the room. According to a local guide, he had done that since he was a boy. (I will not recommend anybody to watch that performance if he has a faint heart.)

In an open space, a young man was seen climbing up and down a tall ladder with sharp swords as its rungs(sword ladder). He could do it, easily, without his soles getting cut. He was an amazing person.

Lovers’ Room or Youth Cabin

There was an interesting room in a Taliu house. According to the Taliu’s custom, if a girl wants to look for a future husband she will, secretly, invite a boy to a room(Lovers’ Room or Youth Cabin) provided for her to talk about love. She can do this on different nights with different boys until she gets the right one to marry. This is quite an unusual way of allowing a young girl to date a young boy in a room in the absence of their parents.

After seeing all the activities and learning about the Naxi’s tradition, culture and religion in the village, we went to a popular scenic spot, Yulong Snow Mountain. It is not far from the village.

Yulong Snow Mountain

Yulong Snow Mountain is very important to the Naxi people. They consider it a sacred place and call it Wulu which means Silver Rock. The mountain has 13 steep peaks that are over 5,000 m in height. The highest peak is 5596m above sea-level. As the combination of the peaks looks like a large flying dragon from a distance, the Naxi people call the mountain, Yulong Mountain(Jade Dragon Mountain). They also call it Black and White Mountain because of its colours.

Yun Shan Plateau

While we were on our way to a cable-car station, we saw the mountain not very far away, but it was partly covered by clouds. Then we took a cable-car to a higher ground, Yun Shan Plateau, which is over 3,000m above sea-level. Coming out of the station, we walked on a wooden path which cut across the plateau of pine trees to a small grassland.

 Disappointment

Thirty minutes later we reached the grassland. There were many tourists on the edge of the grassland. We joined them and hoped to see the Yulong Snow Mountain at close range. But, unfortunately, the mountain was completely covered with clouds then. We stayed around for awhile hoping that the clouds would disappear.

Several minutes had passed, but the stubborn clouds were still covering the mountain. As we could not wait for the whole day, we left the place with great disappointment. We walked back, took a cable-car and descended to the lower cable-car station.

Baishui River(White Water River)

Outside the station, we took a 12-seater car to a river known as Baishui River(White Water River). The river was wide and shallow, and its water was crystal clear and cold. It was flowing from the Yulong Snow Mountain and other mountains. From the river we saw a spectacular view of the landscape of the partially cloud-covered Yulong Snow Mountain, the pine tree-covered mountain-slopes and the river.

Walking further down the river, I was surprised to see the river flowing into terraced ponds which looked lake paddy-terraces. It was a splendid sight with the ponds added to the landscape.

Yaks

While we were enjoying the scenery, we saw some large yaks with colorful saddles on the river side and in the shallow river. These animals are tame oxen with long curved horns and hair, They are used by their owners to help them to earn some extra money. For a small fee, a tourist can ride a yak to the middle of the shallow river and back.

As we had been told by our local guide about the risk of riding a yak, none of us in our tour group wanted to ride one. We feared that tiny creatures hiding in its long hair might crawl into our groins and cause a terrible itch.

V.I.P. Restaurant

Later, we left the place and traveled south to another place, Jade Water Village. On arrival, we had lunch at a restaurant, V.I.P. Restaurant. As the restaurant was on a high ground, we could see the wide and long Dongba Valley where the Naxi people have been staying for many generations.

Yushui Xiang(Jade Water Village)

After lunch, we entered the Jade Water Village(Yu Shui Village)which is next to the restaurant to learn about the Naxi people’s tradition, culture and religion. In the village, there is a prominent, shining, tall, golden statue of the God of Nature. The Naxi people worship Him for good harvests, peace, harmony, luck, happiness, etc. In return, they promise Him to protect Nature’s forests, animals, plants, etc. and keep the environment clean. Their religion is known as Naxism or Dongba religion.

In the village, there are other attractions, like clean ponds with salmons, Dongba Museum, Calligraphy and Painting Institute, Naxi Ancient Village, Wine and paper workshops, etc.

After a tour of the quiet place, we travelled back to Dali City. On arrival, we had dinner, and then visited the old Dali town again hoping to buy something for ourselves, loved ones and friends. At night we stayed at the magnificent Landscape Hotel, the same hotel we put up two days ago.

(continue on Yunnan Travel III)

Yunnan Travel III

(continued from Yunnan Travel II)

Day 6 Friday, June 2011

Travelling Back to Kunming City

At 8 in the morning, we travelled from Dali City back to Kunming City. After over four hours of sitting in the moving bus and rocking inside whenever it travelled on bad roads, we, finally, reached the city. We, immediately, went to a restaurant for a late lunch. 

Xishan Scenic Spot(West Hill Scenic Spot)

After lunch, we went to a famous Yunnan tourists’ spot, Xishan Scenic Spot(West Hill Scenic Spot). Located close to the Dianchi Lake and 15 km from Kunming City, this lush-green mountainous area has some places of interest to visit. But the only place our local tour-guide, Swee Poh, thought it was worth visiting was the Dragon Gate. He told us that some Chinese leaders had visited that spot, like Zou Enlai, Liu Shoqi, Jiang Zemin and Zho Rongji. Besides, foreign dignitaries, like Queen Elizabeth(Britain), Henry Kissinger(ex-Secretary of State of USA) and Helmut Kohl(ex-Chancellor of West Germany), had visited the place too.

On arrival at the scenic spot by our tour bus, we hopped onto a 10-seater car and went straight to the entrance to Dragon Gate near the Taoist Sanqing Pavilion. Starting from the entrance, we climbed a long flight of stairs to the Dragon Gate.

The flight of stone-stairs is built on the steep slope of the Xishan Hill(Western Hill). Along the flight, there are some interesting things to see, such as the breathtaking view of the large Dianchi Lake, Kunming City in the distance and temples along the way.

Dianchi Lake

Dianchi Lake which is at the foot of Xishan Hill covers an area of 200 sq. km. Shaped like a crescent, it is 39 km long and 13 km wide at the broadest. Over 20 rivers from the surrounding mountains flow into the lake. It is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan and the 6^th. in China.

Temples

Among the temples along the flight of stairs are Sanqing Pavilion, Lingguan Pavilion, Doumn Taoist Pavilion, Hall of the Divine Parents and Daitian Pavilion. But the most important thing that all the tourists want to see at the scenic spot is the little, simple arch known as Dragon Gate. It is located at 2300m above sea-level and 300m above Dianchi Lake. Most of these structures were constructed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

As we went up the crowded stairs, we stopped at some of the temples to find out the kinds of deities that were worshipped. We also stopped at different heights to see the stunning scenery of the Dianchi Lake and the city.

God of Fortune

In the middle of the climb to the Dragon Gate, there is a dark red statute of a fierce-looking deity holding a golden egg in his left hand and a sword in his right hand. Besides, he is stepping on the head of his carnivorous pet with his right foot. Two Chinese characters are written on his tummy that say he is the God of Fortune.

According to our tour-guide, Swee Poh, this deity may give you wealth if you can jump and touch his golden egg. While I was there, I watched with amusement some tourists trying their luck. As the God of Fortune was standing on a rock, many failed to reach it. Those who failed would touch his pet’s nose hoping that it would give them wealth instead.

Dragon Gate

After less than an hour of slow climbing and occasional, accidental jostling against some people on the crowded steps, we, finally, reached a spot where we could see the Dragon Gate that was 200m further up on a cliff. To reach that structure, we had to climb narrow, steep steps through a small but short tunnel, Yunhua Cave.

 

According to the information given there, there was a diligent Taoist monk who took 14 years(1781-1795) to cut a path and tunnel(Yunhua Cave) on the cliff from the Phoenix Rock to Dragon Gate and another tunnel(Ciyun Cave) higher up. The person who risked his life doing that on the cliff of  Xishan Hill(West Hill) was Wu Laiqing.

The Dragon Gate is a well-known small, low arch of height about 2m and width 1m. Just below the arch is a “dragon ball“. Lots of people like to touch it, as they believe that the “dragon” will bring them riches. Adjacent to it is a small temple, Daitian Temple which houses three divine deities.

Spectacular Panoramic View

When we reached the Dragon Gate, we felt a sense of achievement in climbing up so high. Standing on a platform near the Dragon Gate, we got a spectacular panoramic view of the large lake and the city. But when I looked down below it, I could not see the slope of the hill. Then I wondered how the people in the olden days managed to build such a platform on the vertical slope of the hill.

A moment later, we saw heavy rainfall over Kunming City in the north. As we had seen enough of the place, we descended the hill. When we reached the bottom, we were caught in a heavy downpour. A few minutes later when it stopped, we went back to our bus. It then took us to a Chinese medicine shop in the city. In the shop we were introduced to some “miracle cure” medicines. Two of our tour-members bought some of them. Later, we checked in at Yunnan King World International Hotel where we had our dinner and retired for the night.

Day 7 11. June 2011

Day 7 was the last day of our tour in Yunnan. Our local tour guide would bring us to shopping malls in the Kunming City centre to buy something to bring back home.

Jinma Biji Square

But before we went shopping, Swee Poh brought us to a popular place known as Jinma Biji Square(Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Square) located along Jinbi Road in the city centre. In that square, there are two beautiful, large, similar arches, measuring 12 m high and 18 m wide. One of them is known as Jinma(Golden Horse) Arch and the other Biji(Jade Rooster) Arch. These arches are over 100m apart. They were recently built to replace the old ones which were destroyed during the China Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s. The arches look majestic, exquisite and very ancient. They have become one of the Kunming City’s iconic landmarks.

Shopping Malls

Having spent sometime in the square, we crossed Jinbi Road and entered an area of some large shopping malls, like Brilliant Plaza, Splendid Plaza, Yilong Building, etc. These malls are located along Bu Hang Road between Jinbi Road and Tong Fong Xi Road selling branded goods. In this shopping area, there is a large arch which is similar to the two in the Jinma Biji Square. It is known as Zhongai(Faithful Love) Arch.

Bu Hang Road is closed to the traffic and has become a pedestrian walkway with a few rows of shady trees growing in the middle. While we were there we saw five men, each holding a big notice-board telling the public that a person was very sick and required donation for large medical expenses. Many sympathizers donated money which they put into a red tin placed in front of them. My wife and I were touched by the plight of the sick and donated some money, too.

Back Massage by a Blind Man

We spent much time window-shopping inside some malls and browsing some roadside stalls, too. Then we went for a back massage under the trees. My masseur was an elderly blind man, Mr. Chou, who had been in that profession for 30 years. He had done a good job even though he had given me a few painful rubs on my back, shoulders and arms.

Later, we left the shopping centre for lunch at the Weilong Hotel restaurant nearby. After lunch we visited a few more places, e.g. a large shop selling all kinds of herbs for health and diseases, a silk factory selling quilt and other silk products and a coffee museum. Then it was time to go back to our country, Malaysia.

Departure

After dinner, we went to the Kunming Airport which was near the city and bade farewell to our local guide, Swee Poh, and tour bus-driver, See. At 11 p.m. (local time), we departed Kunming and flew straight back to Singapore Airport. Less than four hours later, we arrived at the airport where our tour company’s bus brought us back to our respective hometowns.

Well, that was our 7-day tour in Yunnan, another successful and memorable one which I am glad to add to my long list of travels.

Thank you for reading this travel and hope you have gained some information from it. If you have gone there before, I hope this has taken you down memory lane.

Acknowledgement

Here, I would like to thank the tour company, Vacation Hub Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd., for arranging the interesting tour, its helpful employee, Vin Ng, for showing us a preview of Yunnan tourists’ destinations, its cool, caring and efficient employee, Kent Tay(the tour leader), the Kunming careful and super driver, See, and, lastly but not least, the three diligent China tour guides, Swee Poh(Kunming), Kim Wah(Dali), and Lee(Lijiang).

Sincerely yours,

Choo Chaw, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

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