I spent 24 hours is Melaka (or Malacca).  Its a great place for photography, but the time I was there, the skies were grey and it rained from time to time.

Its full of history.  The Portuguese conquered it in 1511.  St Francis Xavier spent several months in Malacca in 1545, 1546, and 1549.  The Dutch launched several attacks on Melaka during the first four decades of the seventeenth century.   Not surprisingly the oldest Church (1521) in South East Asia was St Paul’s (originally Catholic, and later Dutch Reformed) which eventually was turned into a fortress.

Jonker Street seems to be the main tourist attraction – and I was surprised at the number of tourists in Melaka.  Its also a place for foodies!  There are colourful rickshaws offering rides along the streets, with music blaring…

Colourful Rickshaws

I’ve been in KL for a few days but I haven’t done much.  The sky has been generally grey and hazy, and there have been several storms. I’ve only taken a few photos, including that of KLCC.  It is (was?) the tallest Twin Tower in the world, measuring 452 metres.  Other buildings around the world have since dwarfed it.  It has been described as the heart of Kuala Lumpur.  As the photo shows, it is one of the most popular landmarks, with non stop selfies happening in front of it.

The lower floors inside house an incredible shopping mall.

KLCC – a place to do selfies!

Here I am on Langkawi – after a change of plans.  Unfortunately the 3 nights I’ll here, the forecast is rain, rain and rain…. but let’s hope the sun will shine through the clouds occasionally.  I haven’t explore the island fully yet, just a stroll from the hotel to the beach, so only a few pics at the moment.

The wild life is interesting – I’ve seen monkeys and squirrels darting along the trees and power lines!  Will explore more tomorrow….

Monkey Business – Langkawi

Day 2

Although the forecast was bad, it turned out quite good.  I managed to explore half the island even though I did not do the ‘tourist thing’.  Its incredible how there are still small villages, and untouched rain forest.  The wild animals come out on the streets!

I also managed to locate many nice beaches and bays (“Teluk” in the local language)

Monkey Face!

Day 3

Laze around…… went to the Wet Market at Kuah.

Chicks for sale – Langkawi wet market

On the beach, many tiny crabs busy themselves digging holes and depositing sand (look for the crab near the hole – tiny little thing less than 1cm).  Couldn’t hep observing this tiny crab depositing marbles of sand….   Later for lunch it was sweet and sour Mud Crab!

Look at the tiny crab (less than 1cm) busy digging a hole and depositing sand

Visiting Penang must include exploring some of its streets.  Some streets are food haven – mainly in the form of Hawker street food.  Others like the Old Georgetown Street of Penang  gives a sense of Penang’s history and culture.   The Old Georgetown Street  is also a UNESCO Heritage site containing architecture from the British colonial times.  Parts of the present streets are still in the original gird as laid out by Francis Light for the early settlement of George Town in the late 18^th century.

Penang’s Unesco Heritage Site

In 2012, the Penang municipal hired a London-trained Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic, and charged him with breathing new life into some of the Chinese shop-houses around the inner city.  Zacharevic turned certain areas into thriving tourist destinations that also became the much-talked about object of attention among locals.    His artwork is spread out along several roads

This morning in Penang, Malaysia, more or less marked the start of my travels on my Sabbatical.  I went to check out two Buddhist temples. They seem to be in competition with each other,being located right opposite each other on the same street: The Chaiyamangalaram Thai Buddhist Temple and the Burmese Buddhist Temple.  The names themselves present their cultural difference.  In a way it highlights how Buddhism is very much intertwined with the culture in which it takes root, and how the local culture adds to its colour.

I was very much surprised at how large dragons guarded the entrance to the statue of the reclining Buddha.  Dragons have been part of Chinese culture for at least 7,000 years. In China, dragons have long symbolized power, creativity, heaven, and good fortune.  In time, Chinese Buddhist artists adopted the dragon as a symbol of enlightenment.  Obviously it is also part of the Thai culture and it represents for the Thais, magical and supernatural powers.

Buddhist dragons often are depicted holding a mani jewel, which represents the Buddha’s teaching.

There are also usual live animals kept in the surrounding of the temples: tortoise, teraphim, fowls and fish…..  I am still to work out the reason why.

For more pictures, click ‘overseas’, then ‘Malaysia’

16th June

Went to the Snake Temple. The Temple Viper is only one specie.  The snake display next to the temple was very interesting….

Penang Snake Temple