Hari Moyang

During my blog writing hiatus I did some really cool things.  One of them was going to Pulau (Island) Carey to celebrate Hari Moyang (Ancestor's Day) with the Mah Meri tribe.  This had to be one of the coolest things I've done since moving here!!!

Pulau Carey is about an hour to an hour and a half away from KL.  The Mah Meri tribe is part of the Orang Asli (original/indigenous people) that make up less than 1% of the Malaysian population.  They are mostly coastal dwellers and fishermen.  There are less than 500 people in the village we visited.  These people still live by their adat (cultures, social mores and traditions) including intangible heritage such as their distinct language, myths and stories, songs and dances, and handicrafts.  They are well known for the crafts they make including wooden masks, wood carvings, pandanus pouches and bookmarks, marriage puzzles and ornamental leaf weavings made from nipah palm fronds and shoots.  The leaf weavings are featured in many of their adat ceremonies.

Here are some pictures so you can better understand...

This is the leader of the tribe during one of the traditional dances.  The mask was made by him and the "hair" and skirt are leaf weavings mentioned above.

Here is a close up of his mask.  Very detailed and amazing!!  The bottom jaw even moves when he talks.

These are girls from the tribe performing one of the dances.  Everything that is green and yellow is made by them using the leaf weaving.

Another shot of the girls in their costumes.

These are the women that provided the music for the dances.  They were accompanied by a man in the village that played violin.

More shots of the festivities.

A group shot.  I don't know who the guys in the white shirts are.

As part of the festivities we brought goodies and sweets to share with the villagers along with some school supplies and other items for families.  They were all very grateful for everything that was brought.  At the end of the ceremony the girls gave their costumes away, mostly to some teachers that were with our group so they could use them as teaching aids.  There were many decorative leaf weavings that were hung and draped around the area.  We were all asked to pick what we wanted and take it home.  We were told that they made these just for us to have.

I was told about this outing by friends that had been here a while.  They told me that it was an amazing day and that I should not miss it.  I'm glad I listened to them!

I would like to give credit to my friend, Angela, for the pictures.  I had a blonde moment and didn't charge my camera battery before going on this adventure.  Angela got some incredible shots and I thank her for them!

See you next post!!

Singapore...Final Day

We woke up to a new day...the last day we would spend in Singapore. 

Plans are a funny thing.  While we were getting ready we were deciding what to do with our last day in a new place.  We had agreed on going to the zoo (which I had been told was amazing) and then checking out the night safari that is next door to the zoo.  We also wanted to ride the cable cars over to Sentosa Island and back just for the experience.  This was our plan.

We decided to start with the cable cars so we could finish the day with the animals.  When we got to the start of the cable car line on Mount Faber, we (mostly I) got sucked into an entertainment package on Sentosa Island.  That is basically what Sentosa Island is, a resort island with lots of entertainment such as Universal Studios, beaches, golf courses, Underwater World and more.  So we wound up with tickets to Underwater World, the Maritime Museum, the butterfly and insect park, and a 4D adventure ride.  The cable car ride was also included in this package...

The cable car line started at a place called the Jewel Box on Mount Faber.  After we bought our package we headed up to get on the cable car.  This view was amazing so, of course, I had to have our picture in front of it.

Here is a cable car as we were starting our journey.

These are a couple of the pictures I took while we were riding across to Sentosa Island.

Funny story to share about our ride over to the island.  There was a pick-up/drop-off spot on the way over.  Since there were only two of us in our car we had two more added at this spot.  Two nice, talkative ladies got on and we were making the usual small talk.  The lady that was sitting across from Patric looked at him then blurted out "Are you from Houston?!?!"  Now, we are used to people over here (not just expats) understanding that we are from the US and most of them understand Texas then there are the few that understand Houston.  So we weren't really surprised by this question especially since he was wearing his U of H t-shirt.  What did throw us off was her next statement - "So are we!"  It turns out that she was transferred to Singapore with the software company she works for and her friend works for United so she flew over to visit her.  What a small world!

When we got to the island we met up with our tour group.  The first thing we did was go on the 4D adventure ride.  It was actually a lot of fun.  The chairs we sat in went through the motions we were seeing on the movie screen.  Trust me, it was more fun than it sounds.  Anyway, after that we went to the Maritime Museum.  This building has the seafaring history of Singapore.  It was very educational.  Part of our experience here was another 4Dish type of attraction.  It simulated a trip on the ocean in the 1400s including going through a typhoon.  It was pretty interesting.  Again, it loses something in the translation to written word.

After the museum we were turned loose to explore as we wanted.  Our first stop was the butterfly and insect park.  There was also a section of birds.

I couldn't get any good pictures of butterflies...mostly because there weren't many butterflies out that day.

This was just me sharpening up on my mad skills of self picture taking!

After the butterfly park we headed over to the Underwater World.  This is the aquarium and here are some pictures of it...

This aquarium has dolphin and seal shows.  These dolphins are called pink dolphins.  They almost look like they have sunburns.

The Underwater World was our last adventure on the island.  When we had our fill of it we headed back to the Singapore side...

Some of the architecture here was just amazing!

One last self portrait!

This is the Jewel Box from the cable car side.

We found ourselves back at Clarke Quay for dinner and wind down time before heading back to the hotel.  We even picked up some rainbow cake from our breakfast spot to indulge in when we got back to our room.

All in all the trip was well worth taking and we enjoyed every minute!  I can see us going back since we didn't make it to Universal Studios and the zoo.  There is also a Hard Rock Cafe that I didn't get to go into so I know there are shot glasses there with my name on them!  I can't wait for our next adventure together!

See you next post!!

Singapore...Day Two

After a great start to what I hoped would be an awesome get-away we began day two with no expectations but with high hopes.  I can honestly say that we were not let down!

Kuala Lumpur has a hop-on/hop-off bus but I have never been on it.  I have heard that it is an amazing way to see the city.  We decided to take this approach to our second day in Singapore.  After finding a great little eatery just around the corner from our hotel and enjoying a quiet breakfast, we walked to the nearby bus stop to embark on our adventure.  The hop-on/hop-off bus is a double decker  bus that is open on top.  On a hot day (such as it was) the wind generated from the drive was more than welcome.  There are three bus lines that each have a different route so you can go according to your mood: Heritage Tour, City Tour and Original Tour.  There are several stops where any two will cross so you can change the line you are on.

We started off on the Heritage Tour.  This took us to the first place we "hopped off" which was near the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  This hotel includes a mall across the street from it.  It might be best if I share this with pictures...

This is the hotel with the mall in front of it.  Across the top of the hotel is a deck that is shaped like a ship.  This is where the hotel's pools are along with trees and entertainment areas.

All good malls have an ice skating rink, right?

This picture was taken from a bridge.  The building in the foreground (kind of flower looking) is the Singapore Art and Science Museum.  When we were there they had an Andy Warhol exhibit but we didn't go in to see it.

This is the bridge I was on for the previous picture.  This bridge took across the Singapore River to...

...the Singapore Flyer!  This is a Giant Observation Wheel that stands 165 meters tall.  There are closed in capsules that will hold at least eight people.  To complete a full circle takes 30 minutes.  Here are some shots that were taken while on the ride...

We enjoyed the ride but when it was over we were ready to move on so we went to the nearest bus stop and hopped on the next bus.

This was our view from the top deck.

We went to the other side of Marina Bay to the Merlion Park.  The statue behind us is part lion part fish.  I would tell you the significance of that but I don't know it.  I just thought it looked cool.  =)

See?  Looks cool!  The buildings in the background make up the financial center of Singapore.

This is us on the last bus of the day.  We had so much fun that we lost track of time and wound up on a bus that couldn't take us back to Chinatown (where we were staying).  It got us close and the cool part is that the area it dropped us off in turned out to be a great place to spend the evening.  We were dropped off in Clarke Quay (pronounced "key").  It is a strip of restaurants and shops along the river.

We had dinner near the river and roamed around a bit afterward.  From here we walked back to the hotel.

After the long day of sightseeing we were happy to be back in our room - AC and cool showers!!  We both slept very well and got up ready for a new day.

See you next post!!

Finally Out Exploring!

So we have been living in Malaysia for eight months now...where does the time go?!?!

We have discussed several places that we wanted to visit but due to different reasons hadn't gotten the chance to venture out...until today!  As I type this entry I am laying in bed in a hotel room in SINGAPORE!!!!!  We got here just before 2:00 this afternoon and we have been blowing and going since then.

This is the exterior of our hotel.

We ventured out to the Botanical Gardens this afternoon...

This is Patric just inside the entrance.

This is us in front of the fountain at the entrance to the National Orchid Park that is inside the Botanical Gardens.

Some of the orchids that I took pictures of and liked a lot.

This was a view that I really liked.

Me behind a waterfall at the Gardens.

When we finally got our fill of one of the most tranquil places on Earth, we headed out to fill our incredibly empty tummies.  We had planned on going to Hard Rock Cafe to eat but when we got in that general area we found California Pizza Kitchen.  Now...before I get a lot of comments about the lack of originality in our choice let me explain.  We live in Malaysia now which is an Islamic country.  Restaurants that serve pork are in short supply since Muslims don't/can't eat it.  Here in Singapore pork is a natural staple just like at home.  We haven't had pizza with real pepperonis or any kind of ham in eight months so we took advantage of our current location and ENJOYED some really good pizzas!!!  I have no regrets...  =)

We did go to Hard Rock across the street so I could add to my shot glass collection - woohoo - and pick up a new shirt for my amazing grandson, Colton.  Then we stopped at Coffee Bean so I could get my caffeine fix.  I have discovered that Starbucks here in Singapore sells chai lattes...hmmm...

After filling up we went walking on Orchard St. which is a popular shopping street.

This one of the more interesting buildings on the street.

So, why a picture of McDonald's you ask?  Well, let me tell you!  This is a walk-up kiosk that is on the sidewalk.  There were a few of these on Orchard...very different.

Tomorrow we are getting on a hop-on-hop-off bus.  It is exactly as it sounds and we will be able to visit more of Singapore on it.  Lots of pictures will be taken, I'm sure!

See you next post!!