From Temple to Temple (17 - 26 May 2011)

Cambodia is one of the few countries that does not fall short on temples (or in the Khmer language: Wat/Prasat), around the town and more in the outskirt. So, when six of my friends and I finally took off to this Kingdom of Wonder, with an itinerary obtained from a Cambodian tour agent in our hands, it was well anticipated that this would be a 庙庙trip (temple-temple trip).
 

After taking an hour flight from PIA to LCCT, and hung around for a sleepless five-hour there, fast forward two hours later, we finally touched down at Siem Reap International Airport. Surprisingly, we were greeted by some drizzles which ended as soon as it began. #_# Anyway, looked right through that, our tour guide Mr. Kong sent us to Thun Borey Hotel to check in and we were allowed to rest for at least two hours before the start of our 9-day expedition.

The first pit stop was at the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the most popular entry point to the Great City, noticeable by the lining up of statues on both sides of the bridge leading to the gate. There, our tour guide started to explain some historical stories, but soon enough, the humidity began to rise and I completely lost my patience in listening to his incessant narration. That was when I hushed myself into finding some shady area. Okay, the start was real bad and soon after, we realized that he's a long-winded and talkative person in nature as for every stop we made, he would rambled out some stories which went from the ancient Khmer Empire to the Khmer Culture to his personal life!! OMG!! 

 

From top left (Clockwise): South Gate of Angkor Thom; One of the Angkor Wat towers;

Bayon Temple; Sunset view at Phnom Bakheng

After purchasing a three-day entrance pass, we proceeded to the Bayon Temple. Located right in the middle of Angkor Thom, this place houses the distinctive architecture of massive smiling faces on the towers. Another temple, Phimeanakas (need to climb up a rather steep wooden stairway), was our next destination before making our way to the infamous, Angkor Wat. This temple complex which is also an emblem on the Cambodian national flag, is famous for its detailed bas relief carvings (some people find it interesting, while others – people like me, uh……well, I’m not that arty kind of person), the well-preserved architecture, the temple towers and the steep stairways (again!). It was not the walking and climbing that got us into difficulty, it was the heat, the IMMENSE HEAT under the SCORCHING SUN which sucked up every last bit of energy left in our bodies. If that was not enough, the temple blocks radiated the heat back, giving an insulate-like effect that really suffocates!! So, thanks to that, it completely destroyed my enthusiasm in exploring this place……Duh!! The last attraction for the day (oh…finally!) was another climb up the hill terrains and a flight of steep steps (third for the day =.=), in order to reach the top of Phnom Bakheng (Phnom means hill/mountain) where a temple was built. There, we waited for at least an hour before getting a glimpse of the sunset view. Throughout that night, believe it or not, I had one of the best sleep in my entire life……………………………………

Angkor Wat

The second day kicked off with an ancient jungle temple, Preah Khan (preah means sacred), which has the ruins surrounded by trees and columns. According to Mr. Kong, the walls of the temple were actually embedded with gemstones, but were eventually stolen, which left the cavities/holes on the walls. Our next site of visit was Neak Pean, a sanctuary that hosted five ponds (Four smaller ponds surround the main one, with each side of the pond contains small vaulted chapels moored against the larger pond, and within the chapels holds different head statues including Horse, Human, Lion and Elephant, representing different elements). The water was believed to have curative powers, which earns its status as some sort of hospital. The evening was wrapped up with Pre Rup and Ta Prohm temples, in which the latter, another jungle temple, was a famous location for the filming of Tomb Raider. For the night, 7 of us amazingly squeezed into a tuk-tuk (4 adults to sit comfortably) for a ride around Siem Reap town.

From left: Cavities on walls; Trees grow from ruins; Columns in Preah Khan

From top left (Clockwise): Neak Pean; Tomb Raider shooting scene;

Trees grow from ruins in Ta Prohm; Pre Rup

As we advanced to the third day, more temples awaited us. Banteay Samre and Banteay Srei (The Citadel of Women) were the first two in the list (banteay means fortress/citadel). Frankly speaking, I haven’t got the faintest idea on how to differentiate these temples in terms of structures and architecture styles. In fact, they all look pretty the same, except maybe the color (sandstones and laterites give off reddish tone, while granite stones are gray). Each and every temple was constructed due to the advent of certain phenomenon/cause which I don’t think I’ll be able to comprehend for the rest of my life (Uh…It’s complicated. If you are interested, just Google it. It can tell you the whole bunch of these convoluted stories). Nevertheless, I was really impressed by how these temples were built with carvings of such extreme intricacies and finely decorated artworks when technology resources were a limit at those times. Our journey continued with several attractions at the Phnom Kulen National Park, which encompassed waterfalls (a popular bathing and picnic site for locals), Preah Ang Thom (large reclining Buddha statue) and river of 1000 lingas (phallic symbol of Hindu god Shiva – a symbol for fertility). The lingas were carved on the river bed stretched across a long distance. But I would like to stress that this is one place that was not worth the pay as entry for foreigners cost a whopping $20 (Double that amount, I can get another 3-day pass for Angkor Wat……WTH) while the locals pay only 25 cents, and there was nothing much to see. Not only that, to get there, we have to wind our way up a steep dirt road which had us bumping through for at least three hours, to and fro. Yikes……… The last temple that we visited in Siem Reap was the Rolous Group consists of Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko. Again, for the history, just Google it.

From top left (Clockwise): Banteay Samre; Phnom Kulen waterfall; 
River of 1000 Lingas; Banteay Srei

After three days of temple walks, we found ourselves taking a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake (one of the largest freshwater lake in Asia) to a floating village on the fourth day. Here, the residents are mainly the Viets, living in wooden houses on stilts but in dilapidated conditions. They rely heavily on fishing and selling cold drinks etc to tourist in order to make a living. The dark side amidst the spectaculars of this Kingdom is that most of the people in Cambodia are still living in hardcore poverty as they have to endure the hardships that inundate them every day. Children begging tourists to buy souvenirs from them is a common phenomenon around Siem Reap. Sometimes, I do pity them very much, but on the other hand, the practice of utilizing innocent children to steal compassion from the tourists actually irks me lot. After the ride, we headed to the Cambodian cultural village where we managed to visit a wax museum and witnessed some traditional performances including dances, sketches, wedding ceremony and acrobatic show. The performers were quite amusing at times, but generally the shows were lackluster and tactless as they were performed in the Khmer language. While the locals seemed to enjoy it, I almost fell asleep throughout one of the show – Peacock dancing. Lame!!!

Floating village (above); A floating church and house (below)

The next morning, we departed from Siem Reap to Battambang, the second-largest city in Cambodia after Phnom Penh. It took about three hours, sitting in a van with not-so-function-able air-conditioners, travelling at 60 km/h!! That’s horrible! We arrived here around noon, just in time for lunch before heading to the Khemara Hotel for a rest. We headed for our first attraction in Battambang, which was Prasat Ek Phnom, another Angkorian ruins. Constructed next to it is a rather modern temple known as Wat Ek Phnom, where a giant Buddha statue sits right outside of it. Our next destination was a monastery, but I have no idea what was the name of it. I guessed it should be Wat something…@@ The next day, we had a quick stop at the Provincial Museum (omit this, it is a complete worthless) before heading to the capital city, Phnom Penh. To get there, we travelled for about six hours, using the same van, under the same conditions...damn pathetic-lah!! And soon after we reached Phnom Penh, checked into Pacific Hotel and loitered at Surya Supermarket (seriously nothing to do), we had to call it a day.

From top left (Clockwise): Prasat Ek Phnom; Buddha statue; Wat Ek Phnom

Day 7 started with a climb up Phnom Chisor, a hill that offers a panoramic view of surrounding countryside plains and a temple, known as Suryagiri, which belonged to another Angkorian ruins. After so many days of “chilling out” plus the hot weather at that moment, the effect of climbing up the huge steps started to take its toll. I didn’t calculate how many steps available, but according to internet sources, that’s 461 steps! Whoa……time to sweat, again! Our next stop was at Tonle Bati, a small lake famous for picnic. Several bamboo shacks were seen built over the waters and we had our lunch in one of those. Although dishing up of the food took quite a long time, nevertheless, it did offer a unique kind of experience. However, brace yourself for the pricey food and hidden charges though. Pretty soon after our lunch, it started to rain heavily. So, we have a quick stopover at Ta Prohm (identical name with that of Siem Reap) before travelling towards the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. The latter has a Buddhist stupa, which houses human bones and skulls, and mass graves which once contained thousands of human bodies annihilated during the Khmer Rouge regime. Our tour ended with visits to the Central and Russian markets, which are havens for souvenirs. Remarks: Cambodians in general have very high “melting points”. My sweat was oozing out and trickling down incessantly like broken water valves and could hardly get a breather in that hot and stuffy Central Market, yet some of these people were wearing jackets and long-sleeves shirts…………*faint* *faint* *faint*……>.<

From top left (Clockwise): Steps to Phnom Chisor; Surrounding plains;
Suryagiri temple; Tonle Bati; Bamboo shacks on water

On the very next day, we had an approximately three-hour ride down south towards Sihanoukville province to Ochheuteal (how to pronounce?) beach and Kbal-Chhay waterfall. This was actually an ad hoc trip that was not arranged prior by the tour company. The reason was due to our itinerary which was too sparsely arranged, leaving us with plenty of “free time”. In the end, we found ourselves submerging in places where Malaysia is surrounded with, has in abundance and even better still – beaches and waterfalls…@@ And each of us end up paying $20 for this…Cynical isn’t it? But you’ll never know until you try. XD

From left: Beach chairs; Water-sport activities at Ochheuteal Beach; 
Kbal-Chhay Waterfall

The last day of our journey in Cambodia started off with a visit to the Royal Palace, which made up of several buildings, structures and gardens such as the Royal Throne Hall (where official functions and duties were performed), the Silver Pagoda (which houses national treasures such as gold, silver, Buddha statues, gems etc, and has silver tiles laid all over the floor of its interior), the Moonlight Pavilion (where dance conservatory and stage performances were held), stupas (memorials for the King and Queen) and lots more. After that, we scurried off to take a cruise along Mekong River before arriving at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a place to commemorate those victims involved in the imprisonment and massacring by the notorious KR regime. It was pretty eerie just by looking at the gruesome photos and torturing equipment. The part of the story that still lingered in my mind was that “children and infants were killed by having their heads bashed against the trunks of trees”. I couldn’t bear myself to see it and even shunned thinking about it again…………………ever.

 

From top left (Clockwise): Royal Throne Hall; View of a Stupa from Sliver Pagoda;
Sala tree (associated with the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha);
Garden; Moonlight Pavilion

From top left (Clockwise): Cruise ferries; Mekong river (captured from ferry); 
Royal Palace facing the river

Ever wonder why I did not mention anything about cuisines in Cambodia? Because we had a tour guide that only has a particular craving for 空心菜, also known locally as Kangkung. I’ve made a simple search through the net and found that it actually has plenty of names: Ipomoea aquatic, Water Convolvulus, Water Spinach, Hollow Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Ong-Choy, Swamp Cabbage and in Khmer language, Trawkoon. So, that’s one particular dish he kept seeking for, and sometimes we had to follow suit……@@ Other than that, due to our strict budget, we had no choice but to find cheaper food that cost no more than $3 per pax. Another reason was none of us dared to attempt the food stalls by the roadside, which lacked hygiene. But still there were several Khmer dishes we got to savour: Loc lac, Amok, Nom Korm, Cambodian sour soup (Samlar machu) among to name. One thing for sure, fried rice and fried noodle are very common everywhere you go and all you need is to pick the choice of meat that you prefer. We had a buffet dinner which featured some Cambodian dance performances but I personally think that the taste for some of the food was pretty awful (I don’t usually make critics on food, but it was really bad). The staple food for Cambodians is rice, but baguette is also widespread there. For almost every breakfast, I had toasts with jam/butter and egg, which supposedly is a typical breakfast, served in whole Cambodia. Durians in Cambodia are different from that of Malaysia, the latter taste better because it is collected only when ripen and fallen to the ground. The former was neither aromatic nor pungent in smell, but it has an indescribable distinctive taste. Last but not least, a must try in Cambodia is their locally-brewed beer, the Angkor beer. The beer is sweet and light with a slightly stronger taste of malt yeast, and is best drunk in cold. I actually kind of like it, at least it was so much better than China beer…LOL 

This had been quite a pleasant tour, if not for the blazing sun and humid weather, it would have been better. Our tour guide, Mr. Kong (the Kangkung man) had kept us entertained with his witty jokes, and his jovial personality made this trip very much lively and amusing. He gave us plenty of treats and even footed some of our bills too. I’ve seen many tour guides, but not as altruistic and candid as him. Hats off!

Our journey had finally come to an end when we reached Phnom Penh International Airport. Lee-hye Cambodia!!

Thanks to all my friends who have made this trip possible and fun in every way. Aw-kun (ch'ran)!! 

At Phnom Penh International Airport (courtesy of TKH)

Journey to the East (1 - 8 Mar 2011)

7 inhabitants hailing from Peninsular Malaysia embarked on a 7-day 7-night trip to the Land below the Wind in the East Coast of Malaysia – Sabah. After a long wait of 7 months since the booking of flight ticket, flew 1900 km across the South China Sea for 2 and 1/2 hours, finally I found myself landed on the heart of Sabah – Kota Kinabalu (International Airport).

Kota Kinabalu-Ranau-Kundasang-Kudat-Kota Kinabalu

Our itinerary covered the Pantai Barat and Kudat Divisions, which include KK, Ranau, Kundasang and Kudat. While there were lots of tourist destinations available, we managed to explore only a few of them. Travelling from one place to another itself took most of the time. As the roads were built on hilly terrains, they were pretty winding in extreme slopes (need to engage into the lowest gear). Some of them were dirt (gravel) roads and potholes were also a common sight, which gave the bumpy and rough rides at times. Now that's a real PAIN in the ASSSSS!!! So most of the vehicles used were 4WDs, MPVs, land cruisers and trucks, which are more capable in sustaining the fatigue road conditions. Poor Sabah!!

Our first pit stop was the Poring Hot Spring in Ranau. We lost our time waiting for the hot spring water to flow from the taps. It was like taking forever!! By the time we were done with the hot bath, it was already 5 pm. So, we missed out the canopy walkway. Argghhh…Wasted!! The next day, we departed to Sabah Tea Garden and went for a Fish Spa Therapy at Kg. Luanti. Strictly speaking, it was not really a therapy. The fish swims to you because they smell food. When you clasped the fish food tightly, in a split second, whole school of fish will swim to you and nibble your hands, brushing against your legs and feet. That is when you will get that ticklish sensation, the so-called “massage”!! Undeniably, it was really fun. Soon after, we took off to Kundasang, and visited the Desa Dairy Farm and Kundasang War Memorial and Gardens. Before that, we headed all the way to the Mesilau Nature Park, only to find that it was raining cats and dogs. Another wasted journey!! We stopped by at the fruits and vegetables wholesale stalls (but bought nothing) en route to Kinabalu Pine Resort for an overnight stay. As the name suggests, the area was surrounded by pine trees with awesome view. At 1600 meters above the sea level, it was pretty cold during the night and early morning. The only unpleasant thing about this place was that we had to bath with a not-so-function-able water heater, which was truly an immense torture under this chilly weather!!! @.@

The 4^th day started with journey to the Kinabalu National Park, where we were able to catch a glimpse of the infamous Mt. Kinabalu with a panoramic view of it. We then adjourned to Kudat, towards Pantai Kelambu and Tg. Simpang Mengayau. The former beach is distinctive as a small hill being sandwiched in between two bays of the beach, which make it looks like an island in the middle of the sea. The latter is where the Tip of Borneo is situated, a place where South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea, and from here, one can see the complete breathtaking view of coastline and beautiful sunset. On the next day, before heading back to KK, we stopped over at the Rungus Longhouse in Kg. Bavanggazo. Supposing there should be some traditional and music dance performance by the natives there, but I’m not sure if we were there on the right time, because it seemed quite deserted. =.=

The best parts of the whole trip were the Larry and Vince’s Farmstay in Inanam and island hopping at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. The farmstay is located at Kg. Sinulihan, quite a secluded area which I guessed only the locals are familiar with. The place used a self-acclaimed "Village Concept" Wooden House, surrounded by nature forest. It looks like a typical farm from the outside as we were greeted by chickens, ducks, swan and several dogs. A total of nine fishing ponds are available for the guests to fish for their dinner. Don’t get it wrong, you will still get your dinner even there’s no luck in fishing!! Haha……Fishing is not difficult if you have the patience. Even a greenhorn like me also can catch two. Muahahaha. But I’m reluctant to do it again because it made me kind of sinful……>.<

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park consists of a cluster of islands, including Manukan, Sapi, Mamutik, Sulug and Gaya. We only hopped on to the first two, as they were highly recommended. All of my “first time” happened right here – parasail, jet-ski, banana boat and fly fish. I was trembling with fear prior to each of those watersport activity because I’m critically an acute aquaphobic, a terrified non-swimmer who always has the thought of not being able to get out of the water once I got in!! But it was really a fun-filled excitement with a truly indescribable feeling. I would definitely go for it again (except for the banana boat, I swallowed 50 ml of sea water for that), sometime in the future, somehow. ^.^

The one disappointment that we faced was at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. Firstly, it started to rain as soon as we arrived there. We decided to drench through the rain to see several animals only to find that the whole Aviary Section, Reptile House and another section were closed due to maintenance, but no notices were put up. The dwelling for Orang-utans was also closed for maintenance as well. The whole of Botanical Garden was inaccessible due to the heavy rain. The animal show was cancelled too. As the rain got heavier, we embarked on a tram that took us round a small section of the park, twice, using the same road!! OMG! What’s the point anyway? The animals went hiding in their sanctuaries due to the rain; none of the animals was active. And we have to pay an additional RM2/pax for that tram. I would have suggest to the management might as well close down the whole park for thorough maintenance, once and for all. Otherwise, have some discount on the ticket. Another thing, it is wiser if some drapes or curtains can be placed over the tram to block the splattering rain. Lesson learnt: Never ever visit a zoo, wildlife or animal park or of any kind similar to this in Malaysia! You will end up wasting time, energy and money for that!!

The prices of food in Sabah can almost compete with that of KL. Nice food can only be found in KK, while the rest of the eating outlets in other areas were simply to fill in our empty stomach. Seafood is commonly available around KK, but the cheaper ones can only be found in more remote areas. The prices were half of that compared to Penang. Another famous delicacy in Sabah is the coconut pudding (puding kelapa), which is a must try. Many stalls are located in Jalan Salut, Tuaran, selling the pudding, baked coconut (kelapa bakar) and lokan (big clams) bakar. I have no preference for the baked coconut though, as it’s like drinking hot coconut juice without the taste of coconut. At the farmstay, we had a BBQ dinner, a typical kampong style fried rice and Chinese buns for breakfast, and home-cooked food for lunch. Those meals were one of the best I’ve ever had since the trip. Hahaha………

Sabah is not just a land with sun, sea, sands, hills and forest, it has lots of roundabouts too!! And do have a look out for the snooker centers in the outskirts. That's the only form of entertainment available to the residents there, I guess. Despite some minor hiccups during the trip, all in all, it was fun and pleasant, with much laughter and silly jokes going around, making it sort of entertaining as well. Thanks to all my friends who made this trip possible in the most enjoyable and amusing way. Special thanks to WTY and her bf for the arrangement of the food and farmstay, seafood galore at Gayang Seafood Restaurant, the KTV and cake at Damai Club, and guiding us to the markets, museum and chocolate shop. And also TKH’s uncle for lending his Unser to us, in which otherwise we would have to fork out another sum of money to cover for car rental.

Entering the land of SARs (17 -22 May 2010)

Darn....it has been such a long time since my last blog, almost a year! I can only blame it on my indisputable laziness....yikes!!

This was the second time I set foot on Asia's Pearl of the Orient - Hong Kong, one of the SAR of China. I'm recalling well the very last time I wrote about my first trip to this place (about 3 years plus ago), it was a not-so-pleasant experience. See here. I pointed my fingers at the tour company's arrangement, and indeed, I was not off-centered. This time around, it turned out to be quite a fun and enjoyable ride, despite the weariness of having to walk miles of road (it's a backpacking trip after all). But, here's the catch - I can't completely deny that travelling with friends and travelling with family DOES differ a lot!! :p

The itinerary was simple:

Day 1 – Roaming the streets of Hong Kong and Avenue of Stars + Symphony of Lights

Day 2 – Disneyland

Day 3 – Lantau Island

Day 4 – Ocean Park

Day 5 – Macau

Of course, I've been to these tourist attractions, but it was never been as fantastic and laid back as this time. At least, I got to taste some of the infamous Hong Kong cuisines and snacks, a few to name actually – Curry fish balls, congee (艇仔粥, 肉丸粥), dried shredded squid, red bean pudding (砵仔糕), eggette(鸡蛋仔), sugar cane dessert (蔗汁糕), toasted bun with butter and condensed milk (奶油豬仔包), pork chop bun (猪趴包), stinky tofu (I still can't believe I ate that @__@”’), wonton noodles (this bowl was really worth the pay, about RM 10, four big succulent wontons, you'll never get that in Malaysia), HK-western style breakfast and etc.

On the average, the trip went on smoothly, except for the amber thunderstorm on 3^rd day at Lantau Island. Not only it got us all wet and drenched, our schedule for that day was completely set back. On top of that, we missed the opportunity to sit in the Ngong Ping 360 Crystal Cabin, the cable car that was equipped with glass bottom. What a waste!!! But it sure did a memorable thing as I got myself a new pair of shoes later. Ahem………thanks to the rain!!

Hong Kong has one of the most well-developed and efficient public transportation in the world. The average Hong Kongers depend on all these, including their metro system (Mass Transit Railway), double-decker buses, trams, taxis and ferries for their daily travelling purposes. Comparing their MTR and Malaysia's LRT/KTM/Monorail, it's a disgrace to say that we have a lot to learn from them in terms of efficiency and punctuality. Even their buses, taxis (they stick with meters) and trams can be seen everywhere on the road, which is a real convenience. During peak hours, it's a normal sight to see the subways thronging with people, but trains that arrive at stations every 3 to 4 minutes could quickly dispersed the crowd.

Another thing that I must commend on is the public restrooms. Oh, did I mention this before? Oops, I did actually, but I can't help it, because they are way too clean not to be mentioned……XD. Firstly, they have janitors to keep those lavatories spick and span at all times and the floor is always dry, most are installed with automated flushing and hand washing system, soap dispensaries are provided, toilet papers are well-supplied and in some shopping malls, they even have plastic sheet covers and antibacterial disinfectant wipes provided. And the most important of all, it's free!!! Not a single cent has to be paid for all the facilities. Ask any Malaysian, one is sure to reply that toilets that has somebody bugging for payment before entering, is surely the dirtiest and stinkiest of them all. I hate to say that though, but that's the truth……>_<

Perhaps, that is what we call the cultural practices and the mentality of the people. Look at the restaurants and cafes around Malaysia, let alone hawker stalls; wherever there is food, insects and pests are sure to come along. Houseflies are some real menace, but you can't see them anywhere in Hong Kong, even in food outlets. Yes, and you can actually eat in peace without those irritating bugs. There are people in Hong Kong that smoke too, but they are somewhat more obedient to abide by the rules. So you can actually sit comfortably in your non-smoking zone, without having to endure the puffs from the cigarettes or be a passive smoker. In open-air places, as long as there is a non-smoking sign, nobody breaks the law. Malaysia-wise, slow slow wait lah………wait for miracles to happen. In fact the law enforcers themselves are smokers too, so just shut one eye and close another lah. Period.

I've just read in the newspaper today, reporting that the government wishes to inculcate reading habits among the citizens. It says that RM 1 million worth of reading materials would be distributed to 1000 schools nationwide, and even suggested to place books inside buses and stations for commuters. The problem is those books will either be vandalized or vanished in no time. Perhaps, we can emulate Hong Kong, whereby there are free distribution of selected newspapers (very much like The Sun, but there are tons of copies available), usually near the MTR stations. Anyhow, I think on the average, commuters in Malaysia prefer to either sleep or wander around rather than holding a book and read. That's the Malaysian culture after all, but can we really change that?? Uh……erm……hmm…………

On the last day, we embarked on a journey to another SAR of China – Macau, a former Portuguese colony. Here, we visited the well-known St. Paul ruins and head on to the gardens of Mount Fortress (Fortaleza do Monte). When night fell, we roamed the streets of Macau, entered a few casinos (Lisboa, Wynn and MGM etc.), grabbed a few bottles of free mineral water, and headed back to our hotel. For us, there wasn't really a night life in Macau as the real night life is in the casinos. But the flashing and running neon lights illuminating the buildings of casinos were really some fascinating sights, in which also signifies a city that never sleeps.

That's it. 5 days 5 nights in Hong Kong and Macau. Time to get back to my humdrum life in Nibong Tebal. My next trip: Where? When? Haven't got a clue… ʘ_ʘ

Finally..........a Mortarboard!!!

And it took me 4 years to acquire it…

Of course, by no means it was an easy task when there were lots of sweats, worries, troubles, tears and fears involved along. Remember way back in 2005, when I first set foot on this place, a so-called “University in Garden”, that really took me a whole semester to acclimatize with the surroundings. I thought it was more like a “University in Oil Palm Estate”!! LOL. Then, assignments, projects, tutorials, tests and quizzes kept pouring in, and how I’d wished I’ve graduated at that time!! Now, it’s finally happening. I’ve attended my first convocation, wore my first graduation robe and mortarboard, and obtained my first piece of “paper”……Ah, feels like it was just yesterday!! Perhaps, that’s what it meant by time really flies, with just another blink of an eye!!! With health screenings and health kits provided on the move to prevent Influenza A (H1N1), this convocation has turned out to be a truly “memorable” one……………………
And I’m pretty thankful to those who came, dropped by to congratulate and gave me presents. Just feel sorry to have them under the scorching sun…@_@|||

These 4 years, I’m glad to know a bunch of good friends whom I played, learned, studied, mingled along and not to forget those that lent me a helping hand at times. Well, a reminiscence of the good old days indeed!! We grew up with one mission – Graduation. Now, each of us has other missions ahead, pursuing another dream, heading towards a new world of our own. As for me, it’s serious business now. My next mission – a second degree...How long will it take? Hmm…that is a good question!!! … *sweat*…

PPSMI Busted...What the heck!!

I was appalled to know that the ministry has decided to do away with eTEMPS or PPSMI after carrying out barely 9 years. My batch was considered the first to go through this programme (I was in Form Six at the start of it), and hello, I'm just graduated!! So based on what ground are they to say that this programme is useless? How are they to assess the outcome of this implementation? Giving the reason that teaching and learning Science and Maths in English is difficult was ridiculous!! If our parents and predecessors can do it, can't we? Or is it to say that children nowadays are not that intelligent as our forefathers? Crap!!

What about the huge amount of money invested? Millions spent on buying computers, teaching aids, projectors and sending teachers to courses, in the end, they want to scrap it. Those are taxpayers' money, and they just flushed away the hard-earned money of the people!! Another thing is that they are compromising the future of Malaysia and putting the next generation in jeopardy. It seems that Malaysia is a developing country and still looks pretty good on it. But there are many countries in the world that are overtaking us and are taking the lead now. Even the Chinese are working hard to improve their command of English Language nowadays. Do not compare ourselves to the Japanese or Koreans or Germans. They have the brains and they are hard working. My father told me that after World War II, the Japanese sent their people to learn about technologies from US and when they return to their own country, they spread the knowledge and taught their own people. Where were we at that time? Malaysia was not even born yet!! They have the knowledge, they own the technologies and they are way ahead of us, it should not be a problem at all for them to study Science and Maths in their own mother tongue. I’m not saying that Malaysians do not have the brains; the truth is Malaysia is experiencing brain-drain. All the experts and the knowledgeable ones have been “drained” out from the country. So what is left here? Now parents have decided to send their children to international schools and abroad to study, the situation will eventually turn from bad to worse.

The objective of PPSMI is not to improve on the English Language, but rather to ease the learning process. Science and Maths are different from other subjects as they have specific terminologies, and needless to say, most of the BM terminologies are direct translation. I once accidentally translated “lipase” as “lipas”!! Hell knows I'm laughing my head off this!! We are to face global challenges and we need English to access the resources from the world. BM can only be used in this country, but English can get you traverse the world!! Those people opposing this programme are living in denial and refuse to face the truth. The truth is when we are busy doing translation, the others have come out with new inventions and discoveries!! It is pathetic to say that this third world mentality will never get us far ahead. I do not know why they fear that BM will no longer be preserved if PPSMI continues to be implemented. It's a national language. Can we bury away a national language? Crap!! After all, we still have other subjects using BM. I can't see as what they claim that it is at stake or anything “precarious” about it.

Some teachers and students are not making an effort to learn it in English. They grumbled that English is tough for them. But trust me, I've been through this before. It only takes time and effort to adapt to it. Some students said that their results have been declining since the implementation of this. But I am curious. Is it because of the subjects itself are difficult for them, or is it because of the language? If that’s the case of the former, despite any languages used, they just would not cope with it. On the other hand, if the latter gets into the way, they will be in deep trouble. When I was studying in Form Six, I hardly came across any “tough” words or “complicated” sentences. The language used was simple and straightforward. If this they cannot comprehend, means the standard of English in this country is far worse than what I've expected. And if the situation continues, we might as well live inside our coconut shell, and barricade ourselves from the outside world because there is no way we will be able to communicate when we can’t even understand simple English.

Do you think that the ministry will come out with a comprehensive programme that will enable the students to brush up on their English but at the same time, improving the effectiveness of teaching Science and Maths in BM? Crap!! Look at the upshot of this PPSMI. After putting so much into it, they called for an end. PPSMI is beneficial, it is the way they implement and carry out this curriculum that is obstructing the progress, and also the mindset of those people, taking things for granted. Whatever they are doing or plan to do, as long as the attitude and state of mind remains, nothing will work!! Talk about fulfilling visions and goals, crap!!

Let's put it this way. I'm a Malaysian Chinese. Mandarin is my mother tongue but I've studied Science and Maths in BM when I was in secondary school. Both are different languages right? Still I pulled through it. Now I'm still a Malaysian Chinese, still my mother tongue is Mandarin. If I study them in English, both are still different languages right? What's the difference anyway?? If you are eager to learn something, nothing can hinder your way. That's how the saying goes, “If you think you can, you can”. If you refuse to learn, nothing can compel you to do it.

It's really none of my business anymore since I am no longer in these school years. But it is pathetic to see such state of affairs coming our way, and I can't help but to be with the hundreds and thousands of people to outburst my perspectives on this.

While others decided to advance, we chose to retreat. While people are living the dreams, we still live within our dreams. *sigh*

Shanghai-Suzhou-Nanjing-Wuxi-Hangzhou-Wuzhen Trip (1st June to 9th June 2009)

This was my third visit to China, and I was pretty contented to see how the government had made tremendous effort in refurbishing the basic amenities such as washrooms, or WC (water closets) which the people uses this term widely because it simply means "Welcome China". The number of public toilets has increased a lot, and surprisingly they are clean and free-of-charge. Anyway, I guessed this was mainly due to the Beijing Olympic held last year, and all the facilities provided seem to improve by leaps and bounds. But some of the China citizens still hold a bad habit – spitting on the road, which is a practice I abhor the most. And if you think that Penang drivers are crazy, well, take a look at China drivers; they do not obey traffic rules. The zebra crossing is simply meant for "zebras" because they never give priority to pedestrians and to some of them, red and green light does not differ from each other. There was even one time when I saw a law enforcer beating the traffic lights, squeezing through us when we were on the zebra crossing!!! Another thing is that they simply love to sound their vehicles horn and you can hear honking everywhere, at anytime......@_@

My trip this time covers the Jiangnan (江南) area, which encompasses Shanghai Municipality (上海), Jiangsu province (江苏) and Zhejiang province (浙江). The cities involve were Shanghai, Suzhou (苏州), Nanjing (南京), Wuxi (无锡), Hangzhou (杭州) and a small town - Wuzhen (乌镇). The tour group consists of 18 people.

Shanghai - The Night is Alive

Shanghai is best viewed at night, because the city with its skyscrapers will be brightly lit-up. Its famous landmark includes the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (东方明珠塔) overlooking the Bund (上海外滩) which is a famous financial centre that holds numerous banks and historical British buildings. Looking down to the city from the tower was even more spectacular. The construction of the tower itself was pretty amazing and it's the third tallest tower in the world. One of the observatory levels has a transparent sightseeing base, which means you will be experiencing "walking-in-the-air". It was pretty scary on the first thought, but when you were there, it's just too awesome to be embrace with fright. There is also a wax museum at the bottom of the tower and it's totally different from Madame Tussauds. While the latter flashes superstars and political figures, the former tells the story of Shanghai, the old Shanghai. The first day in Shanghai was really unforgettable. Never in my life would I have the chance to experience so many different modes of transportation in one day. A car ride to PIA (Penang International Airport), embark on the plane to Pudong (浦东) Airport, transit at HKIA (Hong Kong International Airport), then took a ride on the Maglev train (train that uses magnetic levitation), followed by a cruise on a ferry and finally to a hotel on a bus. Land, air and sea; what more do I have to say......I don't think I will encounter another opportunity on this one for the rest of my life!!

Of course there were other places visited in Shanghai, which include the Cheng Huang temple (城隍庙), took a walk on Nanjing Street and Xin Tian Di (新天地), travelled to Soong Qing-ling Mausoleum and enjoyed a sensational and superb acrobatic performance known as ERA (ERA 时空杂技表演). This show was the best I've seen so far, an indescribable stunning piece of work and remarkable efforts put in by the performers.

Suzhou - The Land of Silk

The third day kicked off to Suzhou, which is the hub for silk-making in China and we have the opportunity to visit one silk factory there. We started off with a visit to Suzhou Science and Cultural Arts Centre (SSCAC). This is the second bird nest-like building in China after the Beijing Stadium. We then proceed to the Suzhou Museum followed by Hanshan Temple (寒山寺), a Buddhist temple famous for its bells and a visit to the Lion Grove Garden (狮子林), a garden made famous by its rocks said to resemble lions which I don't see anyhow it is related @_@....... The day ends with a view on a Taoist temple known as Xuanmiao Temple (玄妙观) and some shopping done at Guanqian Street (观前街).

Nanjing - The Original Capital of China

Nanjing was the official capital of the Republic of China before the Chinese Civil War and now is the capital of China's Jiangsu Province. The history of how Beijing took over to become the capital city of China was really complicated and I have no interest to get my mind wandering about the matter. Our next stop was the Soong Mei-ling Palace (美齡宫), a villa for Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling. There lies a backyard which has its pillars with phoenix carvings made from precious stones. It was said that luckily the stones were not recognizable as precious because of its rough surface and dirty looks; otherwise the Japanese would have taken them away during the invasion. After that, we visited the Presidential Palace (总统府), which was the office of the President of the Republic of China back then that housed prominent leaders like Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, but now is a museum open for public. The day ends up with another shopping at Fuji Temple (夫子庙) Street, where the Confucius temple is located. It was quite a busy street, lots of people strolling after dinner, and it attracts many local tourists as well. The next day, we were brought to the Nanjing Changjiang Bridge (南京长江大桥). It is a double-decker bridge consists of road and railroad, built over Changjiang River and the Chinese took pride of this bridge because it was designed and constructed entirely by their own, without foreign aid and technologies.

Wuxi - The Home of Lake Tai

Lake Tai (太湖) is a freshwater lake popular for breeding freshwater fish, prawns and oysters (to produce pearls). Needless to say, the locals have fishing industry as their main livelihood. The pearls produced were naturally formed, not induced. It takes more than 10 years to produce large and high quality pearls, while those below 10 years are considered slightly lower grades. Those pearls that are deformed are usually crushed to produce pearl powders that can be taken orally and to make cosmetic products. Wuxi also home the largest, tallest (88 m) and heaviest (700 tons) open-air bronze statue in the world, known as Ling Shan Buddha (灵山大佛). There was supposed to be a dragon fountain display of the Buddha's birth (九龙灌浴) but unfortunately the event was cancelled due to heavy downpour on that day. In fact, according to the local tour guide, there was actually hailstorm before we got there. We checked into a hotel, and later took a 3-minute walk to a nearby Parkson Shopping Mall to get some local products at the supermarket. The next day began with visits to a Pearl Factory and a Tea-pot Making Factory, followed by a stopover at the Three Kingdoms City (三国城). CCTV (China Central Television) built this place for the filming of the Romance of Three Kingdoms (三国演义) - a historical TV drama, and has since became a television base for other film productions and a tourist attraction as well. We got to enjoy a performance that narrate part of this drama, so there were soldiers and heroes on horses battling against the rivals. I haven't got the faintest idea who is against who, roughly like the heroes (关羽, 刘备, 张飞) against 吕布......whoever they were........And there's a cruise on Lake Tai to view the scenery. The whole place is so huge that it'll take at least one whole day to visit every nook and corner of it. Of course, time was limited. So, we took a tram, dropped by at a few more favorable locations, snapped some pictures and continued our journey heading towards Hangzhou.

Hangzhou - Where Women Rules

Hangzhou is known as a Historical City, City of Love, City of Leisure, Land of Tea and Buddhism Practice. No wonder it became one of the most renowned and beautiful cities in China. Interestingly, Hangzhou is a place where women have priority and power more than men. Married couples usually must have their money kept by the wife!! Ladies should love this city quite a lot, I guess......

Our first destination began at the Lei Feng Pagoda (雷峰塔), where we could get a nice view of the beautiful West Lake (西湖). It is a five-storey tower (the rebuilt one) constructed over the ruins of the old one and this pagoda is strongly related to the Legend of the White Snake (白蛇传). There are ten scenic spots on the West Lake, but we only visited three of them, which includes Hua Gang Guan Yu Park (花港觀魚), Liu Lang Wen Ying Park (柳浪聞鶯), and Nan Ping Bell (南屏晚鐘) at the Jingci Temple (净慈寺). Also, another show was provided for us, known as the Hangzhou Xi Hu Show (西湖之夜表演). This show actually describes the whole of Hangzhou, not only famous for historical and cultural heritage, but also a place with natural beauty for relaxation. The props and backdrop settings were nice and magnificent, but I will still prefer the ERA performance over the latter.

Wuzhen - A Peasant Town

Wuzhen is a small ancient town, also known as "Little Venice", where the people there have agricultural as their occupation. Only the old folks lived there, most of the youngsters have moved out to the city. There, we boarded a Chinese-style gondola to cruise the canals and view the traditional houses along the way.

The whole trip of 9 days and 8 nights finally came to an end when we went back to Shanghai and visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which was the last pit-stop in this journey. Actually most of the time was spent travelling from one city to another on the bumpy and potholed roads, and getting trapped in massive jams. Seriously some of the time I felt like as if it was a roller-coaster ride!! But, overall, it was still an enjoyable trip.........:P

Oh ya, I forgot to mention one thing. Interestingly, when we arrived at Pudong International Airport, we were not allowed to disembark from the plane......ahh, that was not a quarantine. Officers wearing in those space-like suits boarded the plane to check for every passengers body temperature. Just a precaution taken against Infuenza A (H1N1). Luckily no one was affected. Phew!