Paris

Under construction...

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My Double Life - Part 2

I have been busy traveling (read "leading my double life") and therefore too busy to update my blog. So here is a briefing of where I have been. More pixs and narratives will be forthcoming. Other than Paris, they are often off-the-beaten track places of interest.

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Paris

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Scouts Camp in the Ardennes, Belgium

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Streets of Brussels

Comic Shop, Wavre, Belgium

Dinant, Belgium

Museum of Photography, Charleroi, Belgium

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La Fouquez, Belgium

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Chateau de La Hulpe, Belgium

Lake Genval, Belgium

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United Arab Emirates

This is my third time into the UAE. On my first visit, it was during the Second Gulf War in Iraq. Many major construction projects were put on hold.

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During my second visit a two years ago, Dubai was in a construction frenzy. The frenzy did not stop. It may have even accelerated considering the number of cranes we see around us. Twenty-four percent of the world construction cranes are currently operating in Dubai. Property analysts reckon that this market optimism will go on till the Year 2010.

. . Like Singapore, the UAE is a relatively small place compared to their neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman and Iraq. Like Singapore, it has to make it up with its open policies towards trade and investments. I heard the residential properties that they construct attract buyers from Iran, Pakistan and India, among others. It is said that there are many tax avoided money amongst such investments in Dubai. Rich Pakistani businessmen are said to run their factories by wire from Dubai and enjoy the security of Dubai.

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Our trip is a business trip to Abu Dhabi, with a stop-over in Dubai. From Dubai, we took a bus to Abu Dhabi.

pix from ESPN.com
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When we hear the place "Dubai" uttered these days, the first image we have is of a place full of construction sites and magnificient modern high-rise architecture, like the famous "The Sail" above.
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Before all the construction sites, much of Dubai was just sand and desert. Desert land is cheap. So the trick is to buy a big piece of desert land, spend lots of money building an icon like "The Sail" and see the surrounding land (owned by you) appreciates; then sell the surrounding land parcels. That's where you make your money. The cost of constructing an architectural icon like "The Sail" is more than likely an unrecoverable cost, if considered in isolation.

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So, you have other minor icons like this one above. Everyone competing for attention.
. All of them look pristine and futuristic with all the curved metal and glass forms.
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This is a foundation pile for a new site. Notice that they are using bore the hole before lowering the steel cage reinforcements in? This is because you can hammer a pile in, as the ground is all sand. :)

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More interesting architectures.

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This one is a major icon coming up. It's going to be the tallest tower in the world.

.pix from vixed.com
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This is the artist impression of when it is completed. Complete with surrounding waters, which is a symbol of wealth in Arabic culture.

pix from sightsofdubai.com

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The Burj Dubai tower will be more than 800m tall. To get an idea, the Petronas Tower is only slightly more than half its heights; and I remember in the mornings I could see clouds that hovers at two-thirds of the height of Petronas Tower, probably at 300metres.
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Despite the rapid modernisation of the UAE, their women are still veiled up.

.However, UAE women are allowed to drive. Saudi women only got this right last month.

Compared to my first trip to the UAE in 2003, I find the local men more relaxed in the presence of unveiled women. They do not ogle at them anymore. This is not the case in Saudi Arabia where they are more repressed

.This is the long morning queue for the bus in Dubai. Most of them are foreign workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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This is the famous Royal mosque where the late Emir was buried. It looks collosal. We didn't have time to visit it though.

.Here's the bus station. I love those curves! :)

The pixs of the Emir and the late Emir in the station.

.We discover this charming restaurant in the station. They sell mostly roti prata, popular among the Pakistani and Afghan taxi drivers.

.This impressive pix was capture by chance. He didn't know I was pointing my camera his direction and just wanted to take the chair.

This is the delicious roti prata - I think Pashtun or Pakistani style.

.This is a cute looking mosque besieged by the tall new buildings.

.We happen to pass by the office of the Social Security Fund. My contact in Abu Dhabi tells me there are no poor citizens in UAE. When the find someone poor, they call them in and asks what they need. If they do not have a house, they will give them a house.

But these 'poor ones' are mostly desert bedouins. They are used to living in tents in the desert and soon return to the deserts. Some bring sand into their house to make themselves feel at home.

Many native city folks are related or connected to a sheikh one way or another. From there, they get jobs or part of a business. The young ones who are able are sent to study in universities in the US and the UK on government scholarships.

.Soon evening falls. Our friend in Abu Dhabi brought us around to see the sights by the sea.

.This is their six-star hotel in Abu Dhabi. The only one there.

.This is a monument of the late Emir. A Pakistani businessman built this.

. This is the Marina Mall, by the sea. It is plushed with marble. It even has a indoor Parisian mall, that 'rains'!

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This is the building housing the famously wealthy Abu Dhabi Investment Fund, one of the five big Souverign Wealth Funds in the world that the USA and EU is apprehensive about, as it went round buying US banks and assets.

.Next morning, we woke up early to go to our business meeting near the airport. To save time, we went to this Turkish bakery to get some sandwiches and eat them in the car.

.The shop attendants are very friendly. They all asks for their pixs to be taken! :)

.Beware of their desserts though. They are very sweet!!!

.Al Raha Beach Hotel, near Abu Dhabi airport. This pix may look ordinary to most, but remember we are looking at green grass, shrubs, flowers and a fountain pond in a desert.

.Traditional wall motif.

.I love the bright colours used in this hotel...

. Retro...

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. Here, we went about 30kms away from city centre into the 'cottage industry' zone.

. We soon find ourselves far from the posh glossy lobbies and showrooms of Abu Dhabi to a place where work actually gets done. :)

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This is my friend's workshop. He makes aluminium frames. Good and steady business.
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After our business meetings, we headed back to Dubai. Instead of the ubiquitous marble and glass hotels, we decided to stay in the old town.

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I took this pix in the morning, where a mother accompanies her son waiting for the school bus. Notice the buildings in the backdrop are built in the traditional architecture, where they have tall ventilation cooling towers for the hot air to get out of the building.
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Here's the old town where they sell gold jewelry.

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It is a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the more touristy and modern part of Dubai.

. A typical goldsmith.

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The backlanes of old Dubai.


Goods are still carted by hand as some of the shops are along small zig-zagged lanes where it is hard for motorised vehicles to reach. Backlanes are built zig-zagged to keep itself cool from hot winds of the desert. Same principles as the cooling fins of an air-conditioner.

.Pakistani workers resting in between ferrying goods from the trucks to the shops.

Most of the shops here are wholesale centres. The displays are mostly samples for smaller shops in the region to see and make orders on.

. This shop has refurbished its shop front with chrome metal, but still keeps its protective plastic covers. Perhaps, to keep the chrome metal new! :)

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Amid the shops, we found one or two buildings entirely occupied by Chinese shops wholesaling shoes, bags, and Chinese products.

. Funny enough, we even found a "Singapore Shop" with many people waiting outside, probably for some goodies.

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One of the many mosques amid the old town residents and shops.

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Some of the mosques are above commercial shops.

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We stayed in a small traditional hotel next to the Admadiya School. It is a heritage area.

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Note the lovely air vents. Everyone is different.This is the front door of the old Al Ahmadiya School.

.The sleepy charm of the area is surreal amid the busy surroundings of the old city with wholesale shops and goldsmiths.

.Outside the hotel.

.This is the place we stayed. Lovely!

.Hotel courtyard.

.Checking in...

.The interiors are kept in the old traditional designs.

.This is the close-up of the cupboard.

Lunch at the hotel courtyard. We had traditional Lamb Birani Arab style. By the way, Rice Birani has its origins from here.

. Mint tea - an essential drink for me after every meal in Arabia, otherwise, I would not be able to digest the food and have a bloated stomach.

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This is the school courtyard. Now a museum.

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The Al Ahmadiya school is the first school for public education in Dubai and was first constructed in 1912. The school was started by Ahmed Bin Dalmouk, a philanthropist pearl merchant. At first the Al-Ahmadiya School taught only limited subjects including basic math, Islamic studies as well as Arabic language and grammar to about 200 boys.

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This is the grand entrance of the Bank of Iran. Luxurious entrances like these are common place in Dubai. I was told that if you are to open a business in Dubai, they all have to look really posh and slick.

.At the creek, I spotted this dhouw. A dhouw is a boat made of wood and tarred over.

.Look at the intricate joints and wooden rivets. It's a work of art.

.Goods are still loaded and unloaded along the banks of this creek.

. Soon it is sunset and the lights of the mosques and building along the opposite banks glitter amid the fading sun.

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Boats like these ferry workers from the old town to the new town and vice versa, together with the tourists.
. Back in the hotel.

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Our lunch in a restaurant in the old town before we leave for the airport.

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The flying saucer.

... and the dispersed light...

We are going home...

Down in Your Own Backyard

Just bought a new camera and have been going around testing it in a beautiful condominium in Singapore.

Notice the brilliant white of the orchid?

This is how small this flower is.

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This the old camera. RIP 2001-2008

Route Number 2

Service Number 2 is probably the only bus service that still runs along the same route in Singapore since the 1960s. Back those days, Changi Road was a long and winding two-lane country road starting from Changi Point, where the army camps were, proceeding onto farmlands and kampungs (villages) till it reaches Geylang where some urbanisation started.

The bus terminus is at Changi Point. It is still a quiet place, as it is 'land's end'. The pix here shows Sungei Changi or Changi River leading out to the Straits of Johore. In the distant horizon is Pulau Ubin. The boats here ferry people to Pulau Ubin and Pengarang in Johore, Malaysia.

There are no high rise in Changi, due to height restrictions, since it is near the airport.

There is still this village feel about the place. Very unlike elsewhere in the island.

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This is the famous Changi Nasi Lemak stall. There is a perpetual queue at this stall.

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The Village centre. Now mostly coffeeshops, restaurants and pubs.

This taxi stand has been around for ages! Probably since the 1960s.

For some old photos of Changi, dating back to the 1930s, click here .

This where our journey starts...

The Village centre. These big trees are home to many escaped parrakeets and cockatoos.

An idyllic escapade in busy Singapore.

Follow Changi-Tampines-Bedok-Geylang-Kallang-City (that's the route)

Over the last 30 years, the original Changi Road has been cut, straightened and widened to become "New Upper Changi Road", running parallel with the MRT tracks and high HDB apartment blocks. The kampungs are all gone and the landscape is highly urban, but arguably more varied and interesting.

I put up this post to document the passing scenary that many commuters may take for granted, ignoring the stories that surround the various landmarks that they pass. Our journey here starts at the bus terminus at Changi Village to cruise along the remaining country road that meanders like a river to more intensed urbanisation downstream in the city. The journey ends at the Neil Road terminus, by the Singapore General Hospital. Shown as 'City' on the map. The entire journey covers about 30 kms and 90 minutes. So this is a long posting, which I hope you will enjoy the scenery and little stories with me.

For a quick history of public bus services in Singapore, click here

It was a sunny day, so the ambient light is ideal for capturing the pixs, but I learn that to do that, I must be really fast. Given my cheap old camera, this was a challenge. Also, the bus jerks and throws you about. You can get a full-size view if you click on each pix.

This old section of Changi Road survived the cut and thrust of urban redevelopment. Largely, it serves Selarang Military Camp and the prison reform centres.
. I love cycling along this road. It still has a country feel. I need this peace.

This is one of the Prison day release reform centre.

These are old British Army quarters. Now used for civilian residence.

As you can see, the old house still standing with lots of green green grass of home.



It looks a bit like England on a sunny day. The road names are still very English, like St John's Crescent, Abingdon Road and Cosford Road.

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A rare sleepy road in Singapore
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I found this lonely church by the road.

It offers services in the Chinese dialect Hokkien!! Incidentally, Hokkien is the street language in Singapore and incidentally what the gangsters use! :) Anyway, I wonder who attends those services, as most Singaporeans now understand English and Mandarin. Could it be that it serves the old folks or those who did not have an education in English or Mandarin?

When I left Singapore in 1983, most Chinese speak dialects like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka...etc. Then, Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister at that time, wanted to standardise and managed to convince the Chinese Singaporean that their mother tongue is now Mandarin, a northern tongue thousands of kilometres from their ancestral home. :) For the record, none of my parents speak Mandarin, so it can't be my mother tongue. :)

When I came back in 2002, Singlish and Mandarin has taken over!

This is the famous Changi Prison Chapel. It has a museum in it, which chronicles how civilians suffered during the Japanese occupation during the Second War World. The atmosphere in this place is so sad. Many Brits, Aussies and Kiwis come here to remember their grandfather, father or husband who had died in the War.

This is the infamous Changi Prison. Two years ago, it has been entirely reconstructed and modernised. I heard with lots of technology and monitoring systems, making it less labour intensive.

This is the old prison wall. It looks like a fortress. The post there used to have full-time Gurkhas guarding. This wall is now but a landmark.

This is the new prison block.


Remember always to live on the right side of the fence - it's the sunny side!

The left side of road were once upon a time kampung houses with zinc and attap roofs.

This is the Institute of Technical Education (East) or ITE. ITE has come a long way since the early days through its predecessor called the Vocational Institutes (VIs). Students who fail in school too many times got thrown into the VIs to learn a trade vocation, like metal work, wood work, electricity...etc. Morale was low as they feel that they are dumped into a box as a last resort. Therefore its nickname as "It's The End" for "ITE".

However, today's ITE holds its head high, as their graduates perform well in industry and have more up to date courses added to their curriculum to keep up with industry needs. I think a nice campus like this helps to perk up the morale of these students. It is complete with sport facilities, great architecture and well-equipped lecture theatres.

After ITE East, the bus moves on to Bedok, where it is largely a public housing estate (HDB estate). 85% of Singaporeans live in HDB apartments. The dwellings look like this... Before that, most people were living in kampung houses.

Masjid Darul Aman by Eunos

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PKMS Building, the only political party in Singapore, other than the ruling party to have their own building. PKMS stands for "Pertubokan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura", which translates to Singapore Malay National Organisation. It is originally the Singapore branch of the Malaysian ruling party, UMNO (United Malay National Organisation) Singapore branch, but become PKMS after separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Sian Keng Tong temple, a Heng Hwa temple built in 1965 by local crafsmen

For more pixs from flikr, click here

Found a Youtube video, click here

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Uniquely Singaporean ad. :) I haven't seen this kind of public announcements anywhere else in the world before. Sounds like a happy problem! :)

These are Singapore styled shop houses. Notice that the architecture is a combination of Roman columns, Portuguese wall tiles, Mediterranean window slates, and sometimes Chinese motifs. The ones you see in Geylang still have their internal architecture preserved. Many in Clarke Quay and Chinatown only have their facades preserved. If you are a purist, that does make a difference, as for instance, where they put the staircases, toilets,...etc, do tell different stories about way of life of the place during the time when it was constructed.
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This is a typical Geylang coffeeshop, along Lorong 34. "Lorong" means "dirt track" in Malay. A misnomer, as these lorongs are now fully paved two lanes roads.

. This one sells Teochew Porridge, which is rice porridge eaten with salty dishes, like salted fish, salted eggs, salted vegetables...etc. I think the Teochews dialect group must have come from salt basins in China.

This one is specialised in claypot meals. Since it was around lunchtime, I alighted from the bus to go on a short walkabout. A lot easier taking photos on the ground and also without the dust stained glass in between the object and the camera.
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There are many religious organisations that have their temples and places of worship/practice in Geylang. Perhaps it is because land is cheaper here since it is a redlight district.
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From here, the Geylang sleaze begins to intensify.

Found this dilapidated house in the middle of the other shop houses. Somehow it has been left to rot here. A precious piece of real estate in today's crowded Singapore.

Found this very fertile jackfruit tree along the side walk of a residential lorong. .

White cockatoos outside a pet shop along Geylang Road. Cockatoos used to be sold without the cages. Owners sit them on a wooden bar and chain one of their legs so that they will not fly away. However, some clever ones managed to pick those chains and set themselves free. Many of the descendants of these freed birds now live in the trees in Changi Village. There, you will see white cockatoos and green parakeets. To find out more click here

These wild parrakeets, offsprings of escaped caged pets, are outside my window every morning. Can you count how many of them are there in the pix? You find many of these wild parrakeets and cockatoos in Changi.

Khadijah Mosque

This pix looks very much like it is taken in a Middle Eastern city.

The Sungaramuda Buddhist Institute - amongst the many religious institutions along Geylang

An old style bungalow. Now a budget hotel in Geylang.
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These apartments are probably built in the 70s. Not a very pretty sight.

Another Teochew Porridge joint

Haji Mohammed Salleh Mosque
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This Karaoke lounge is called "Pai Ler Mern" or "Gate of a Hundred Happiness" in Chinese, symbolic that we are now in the heart of the Geylang redlight district. The two characters below ("Ma Te") is supposed to be "Martell" in Chinese. However, its literal meaning is "Mother Father"!

There are two series of "lorongs" on both sides of Geylang Road. The even numbered lorongs on the left and the odd numbered on the right. Traditionally, the even numbered lorongs are where the hookers hang out and this have been tolerated by the public and the police. However in the recent years, there have been a proliferation of freelance prostitutes from mainland China and the neighbouring countries, resulting in the spillover to the odd numbered 'lorongs' on the right side.

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What old world charm! Reminisent of a time when being 'gay' simply meant being happy!! :)

Gay World was a popular amusement park in the vicinity of Kallang where this hotel is situated. It had all the joy rides, like ferries wheel, carousels, ghost rides, magic shows, boxing matches, cinemas and mini open air dance clubs where one can dance with hostesses for 50 cents per dance. Big money for a dance those days.
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Gay World Amusement Park finally closed due to dwelling attendance in the late 70s, as customers turned more to the TV for entertainment, as colour television began to turn out better quality programmes and live football matches at Kallang Stadium roared in.

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Opposite Gay World Hotel is the Old Kallang Airport. Now, the control tower is occupied by People's Association.

This is Kallang River following into Marina Bay. In the distance is the banking city at Raffles Place. There used to be many workshops that repairs the tongkangs (boats) along these banks. The place stinks like a sewer back in the 60s and 70s. Now it is teeming with fishes and soon, will be another of our fresh water reservoir for drinking. This is a new urban redevelopment, probably 40 storeys high of apartments to cater for a conscious effort by the government to increase the population from the current 4.2 million to 6.5 million people by selective immigration. There are taller apartment blocks being built now. See later...

I remember a time when the population of Singapore was only 1.7 million people. At that time, we were worried about over-population and there was a campaign to stop couples having more than two children, by voluntary sterilisation and administrative pressure.

The belief is that city states in history like Venice and Genoa, did not survive very long without a huge population. The government thinks we can buck the trend of history if we become a city of at least 10 million people. So, be prepared to see more of these cold tall residential building to come up in the next few years.

As it is now at 4.2 million people, only 2.4 million are citizens (and not all locally born), with about 1 million foreign born permanent residence and the rest employment pass holders. In other words, for every three persons you see in public in Singapore, only two are citizens. With the mass selective immigration, in future, you will see probably a 50:50 ratio of citizens vs foreigners; and that does not include tourists and people on business visits.

Singapore already a cosmopolitan city where many languages and cultures merge, will become increasingly so in the coming years.

The tents outside this mosque is for Muslims to break their fast. This photo was taken during the month of Ramadan.

This arty pix is an accident. I was trying to capture Sultan Mosque by Jalan Sultan, but missed it totally. The whitish 'soft focus' is actually the greasy window showing!!! Many commuters on this long journey must have fallen asleep and leaned their head there. :)

Do you feel it looks like some village houses in South of France? :)

This is the Singapore Management University Administration Block. This is also the heart of the Education Hub in Singapore. Within walking distances, you can find the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, La Salle School of Arts, a proposed liberal arts college, and many other private colleges offering university degrees.

Nowadays, it is common to find groups of students of different nationalities and races in this area.

I had it all aimed well, then the bus jerked and threw me off the frame!!! :) This is CHIJMES, a former convent, now converted to a place for bars, pubs and restaurants.

Doesn't this look a bit like Regent Street in London? :)

It is actually Stamford building along Stamford Road in Singapore.

This is the Central Fire Station. It also house a wonderful Fire Fighting museum open during office hours. Admission is free.

This is the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts. This building used to be the old Hill Street Police Station.

To see how it looked like in the 1960s... click here

We are now right in the heart of the city of Singapore. This is the banking city on the opposite bank of Singapore River. I remember a time when the river was black black and smelt exactly like a sewer. That was in the 60s and 70s. Then concerted efforts was made to clean the water ways. Now fishes florish in the river and soon, the whole river and Marina basin will be turned into a fresh water lake and we will use the water for drinking.

This is Clarke Quay. Once upon a time godowns and store houses, now teeming with pubs and clubs for the trendy. Only the facades of these buildings are conserved, the internal of the buildings are mostly re-arranged - which makes it hard to retrace the usage and lifestyle of its occupants during the old times.

This is about the point where Chinatown starts.

This first shop here sells "Bak Kut Teh" or Pork Rib Soup. Check it out here

Thong Chai Free Clinic, built 1892

Used to be a free clinic that dispenses free traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment and medicine to patients of all races in Singapore. Today, it is used as a commercial building for the Singapore office for Forever Living Products.

I found some great pixs on flikr, click here

This is Yue Hwa Shopping Mall housed in the building built in 1900 as the famous Nam Tin Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel then. Fore more about the history of the building, click here

This is the former Majestic Theatre, built in 1927 by a Mr Eu Tong Sen, a tin and rubber magnate for his wife who loved Cantonese opera.

In its hay days, it was a very popular theatre, before video tapes took the audience from cinemas to the living room. Soon after, cineplexes which are cinemas with many mini theatrettes were introduced and standalone huge theatres like these faded away permanently. The Majestic is now a shopping centre.

This is a Clan association building. There used to be a Chinese sinseh where I went to when I sprained my ankle. He will fix the problem by physical brute force. It was damn painful!! Now the place is cleaned up and pretty and the sinseh is gone.

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If you want to live in Singapore, you need to know your CTE, SLE, AYE, TPE and ECP, and what sets them apart! :) But that is not all, next you have to know which of these expressways to take for your journey, as the taxi driver will ask you for your choice. Not good if you don't know. :)

Here "Jln Bkt Merah" is supposed to be "Jalan Bukit Merah" which means "Redhill Road". But when you reach there, you won't see any red hills or any hill for that matter. I used to live there, when there was still a red hill. Now you see a shopping centre instead! :)

Pretty box, but I think it is more difficult to spot a mail box from a distance these days, when you are trying to find one.

These used to be residential houses, but now they are mostly occupied by design houses and architecture companies.
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The first house (in yellow) is a replica. It was rebuilt after the North East MRT line was constructed, probably due to subsidence of the ground and damages. You can see evidence of the ground subsidence by looking at the slanting beam of the adjoining grey house.

The construction behind is "The Pinnacle", a fifty storey tall public housing apartment block. When completed, it will have a jogging track that joins all the blocks at about 35 storeys and 50 storeys. So you will see people jogging in the sky in future.

This is Duxton estate - beautiful residential area with these charming houses.

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End of the road. Neil Road Terminus.

Malacca - the Sleepy Hollow

This is a trip up to Malacca, Malaysia to attend Dr Aaron Lim's seminar on "Face Reading". For more information about the seminar proper, click here .

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This post is about our gallavanting around this 'sleepy hollow' historical town and enjoying its delights.

This is the hotel we stayed in. A far cry from the hotel where the seminar is held. See later...

The consolation is that we get some 60s chic in the deco. Mostly accidental I think.



This is the room I stayed in, complete with a sixties heart shaped mirror, themo flask and window unit air-conditioner. :)


They don't make themos flask with iron and tin like these anymore. This one even comes complete with dents on the top. I remember getting a scolding everytime I dropped such themos flasks on the floor denting its top, when I was a kid. :) Great nostalgia, complete with the red, yellow and blue striped towels. hehe.

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This is the mess left after the mahjong session the night before. This cane sofa set must be straight out from the 70s. Notice that the flask stopper is made of cork and wrapped with cotton cloth. This was before the days of themo-setting plastics stoppers were invented.

This TV bench is a cut-off portion of a dis-used bar.

How resourceful!!!

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This windows are seen near the hotel.

What caught my eye is the old flowery iron grill. See next pix.

These grills are made to order. In the 60s that's the only way grills were made.

They were never mass produced.

The iron bars for the grills are even manually bent to form the desired patterns.

. Future plans turned monuments.

Don't you love this kampung life?!!

With free pastures of lallang grass and coconut trees.

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This is a typical Malaccan styled town house.

See the daring blend of European gable roof, Roman columns, Chinese doorways and motifs and Portuguese glazed tiles.

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This shop sells the famous Malaccan Chicken Rice.

It is similar to the Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice, except that the rice are sticky and rolled literally into balls. Don't know why they do that. Perhaps because it made rice more easy to transport around.

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This man sells delicious "poh piah", spring rolls... Street stalls are still common place.

Cockrel sauce dishes...

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Tamil Methodist Church

Many of you may not know, but there are Indian Peranakan in Malacca too.

They are lesser known than their Chinese counterparts.

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Pasar Malam along their famous Jonker Street.

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This looks like a Hindu Temple...

... but it is a Mosque.

In the old days, people are not so uptight about having to be Arabic to be Muslim.

There is yet another mosque that looks like a Chinese Temple.

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This is the courtyard of the Zheng Ho museum.

With the researcher from China who specialises in the voyages of Admiral Zheng He. Incidentally, his family name is also Zheng.

We started the conversation by asking if Admiral Zheng got married!!!!

"Of course not!!!", he replied to much amusement!!! hehe

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The Admiral was a Ming Dynastic Eunuch from China. He was a born Muslim and come from Yunnan.

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As he was a capable man, the Emperor got him to sail south to Nanyang (the Southern Seas).

He also brought along princesses to be married to the local Sultans in Malaya. He confirms that there are royal blood of the Ming rulers via these princesses, but it is very hard to verify who are these dispersed and forgotten royals any more.

I asked if the Zheng He ever ate pork or drank alcohol (which he shouldn't as a Muslim) and the researcher said that it was again difficult to verify, as on board, there were lots of wine and assorted lamb, chicken, beef and pork for everyone on board.

However, Zheng He later converted to Buddhism.

This is the seminar hotel - The Legacy.

Kinda posh!

On the way back to the bus station to go back to Singapore, we took this taxi. The driver is such a cheerful person and when I got out, I had to take this pix... it says "MAD 2996"!!!

After the MAD taxi, I was to take the bus sounding like "dilemma".

And it turned out quite to be one as we were stuck in the Sunday Johor Bahru Causeway traffic jam for one hour.

The Palace

Stayed over at this Palace for a conference. The Palace of Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reached there at 6am in the morning, that's when this first pix was taken.
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You will have to get used to seeing pixs of horses everywhere you go. In the lobby, in the foyer, in your room, in the breakfast hall and even in the toilets! Serious horse play!
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front porch

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It is built on a disused open cut tin mine.

The open pits are now filled with water to form a nice lake.

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