Clan Jetty, George Town, Penang Island
Lee Joe, 31 August 2009

The Clan Jetties in Weld Quay are part of George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. These jetties were built by poor Chinese immigrants who fled their hometown of Fujian Province in China due to the hardship they faced there,back in the nineteen century. They later brought over their families and made this waterfront their home.

It is believed that there were 15 jetties during its hey days but now there are only 7 left. Each clan jetty is made of communities of a particular surname, from north namely Wong Clan Jetty, Lim Clan Jetty, Chew Clan Jetty, Tan Clan Jetty, Lee Clan Jetty, Mix-surname Jetty and Yeoh Clan Jetty. Migrant families with the same surname would live together in the same area. Check this site for some great info on origins of chinese surnames http://www.yutopian.com/names/

The people in the jetty have very strong community spirit; one need not worry about the security and always leave their doors wide open. Chew Clan Jetty, being the longest jetty with 75 houses remains sitting on the silt between the high and low tide lines, is the most active jetty that receives over 8000 visitors per month.

This community on stilts, connected by a labyrinth of narrow wooden passageways,is preserved in time, seemingly oblivious of the rapid development happening around it. The jetty houses may look old and depleted but surprising clean,tidy and complete with modern facilities like tv, waching machines etc. Water and electricity was installed for them in 1954.

One of the best times to visit the jetties is during the Jade Emperor (Sky God) birthday on the eight day of the Chinese New Year. Residents spend hours cleaning and preparing a feast of offerings from roasted pigs, chickens, assorted buns, fruits to anything you name it, they have it. The offerings are laid out on a 50 meter long alter by the side of the main road. The alter is surrounded by many huge decorated and colourful giant joss sticks. The table sides are tied together with sugarcane and red origami paper hanging from the sugar cane stem. At the stroke of midnight fireworks are let off, turning the street into a magical sight.

Staying with the locals
Experience “life on stilts” and check in with the home stay programme here. Experience firsthand the hospitality of the clan’s kinsmen as well as staying in one of Penang’s most unique settlement’s which has been around for over a century. Besides riding on one of the wooden “sampan” tours around Swettenham Pier or the nearby islands, you might also try your luck and join the locals for some fishing. At night, grab a beer, draw out the deck chair and immerse yourself under the twilight stars showering the jetty.

Address of Chew Jetty Home Stay
59A, Chew Jetty, Weld Quay
10300 George Town
Penang, Malaysia
E-mail: infor@mychewjetty.com
Telephone:
Chew Siew Pheng +6013-4381217
Chew Lay Pheng   +6016-4020411
Chew Yong Seng  +6016-4561884

The Chew Clan is by far the largest among the Weld Quay family of clans. Not only are these communities unique and the oldest surviving cluster settlement in Penang, the Clan Jetty is a priceless piece of Penang’s history and significantly contributing to the rich cultural heritage.

What to do?

1. Get up from bed before dawn, sun rise from the jetty is spectacular!
2. Haggle it down! Strike a deal with the boatmen for a ride out the jetty or to the nearby islands.
3. Fishing is popular hobby among the locals here, why not you bring your fishing kits and join them? Species of fishes available here are more than you expected!
4.  Yachting services is available. It is available at RM 60 per hour to rent a small yacht with a “captain”.
5. The nostalgic jetty is also a favourite spot for photo-shooting activities.
6. Dwindle the hours away as you unwind to the gentle rolling of waves and seabreeze here on the wooden docks.

Where to eat?

1. Along the edge to the main road there are humble hawker stalls whereby you can find various kinds of local delicacies. The tip is going the stalls which there are a lot of people queuing! Penangites are so into food that they are willing to spend extra couples of minutes for the best.
2. There is a strongly recommended homey restaurant in the far end of Tan Clan Jetty. Savouring the Siamese style home-cooked dinner and enjoying the scenic view of Strait of Malacca is awesome!

Friendly Reminder
Do respect the privacy of the local residents, together we can avoid irresponsible tourism that could disturb the authentic daily lifestyle of the locals.

The "Killing Boredom in Hadyai Airport" manual

If you so happen to get stuck in Hadyai Airport, chances are you are not local and do not have transport to go for a wander. Hadyai International Airport, handles high traffic of international and domestic flights daily. Upon stringent x-ray checks, you will enter into the check in hall where you will see the Thai Airways counters first, then the Nok Air and lastly to the end Air Asia.

There are few ATM's here (but no money changers). Some shops and a small cafe on the ground level. Cheaper food can be found on the second floor at the cafeteria. No smoking is allowed inside the terminal. So if you haven't got your fix before you entered the terminal, no sweat, there's a smoking area on the second floor. You will see a small stall selling cakes and drinks on the left of the departure lounge. Walk to the left and there are some small tables on the left, alfresco style where you can smoke.

There isn't many chairs in the terminal, but you would be better off inside with the cool aircond than facing the unbearable heat outside. Toilets can be found on all floors.

For those taking the international connecting flights, on Thai Airways, you can directly check your luggage in through to the final destination (known as CIQ check in). This avoids the hassle to collect your luggage from Bangkok, if you are connecting through Bangkok.

The chairs inside departure lounge are more comfortable. So if you do have the chance, it's best to get seats inside.

Kezil Thousand-Buddha Caves, Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang, is an autonomous region located in North-West China. This region takes up about one-sixth of China’s territory. When I first landed in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, I was so amazed at the people around me, because they simply do not look CHINESE! Xinjiang has a population of 17.2 million, composed of 47 ethnic groups, of which the largest is the Uyghur ethnic group. What’s more surprising is, the Uyghurs are Muslims, thus it came as no surprise to me that Islam is the main religion in Xinjiang.

I went to Xinjiang, to work in the oilfield. The Tarim basin in Xinjiang is believed to contain large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. On one of my trips to one of the numerous drilling rigs in Tarim basin, my colleague and I managed to get the driver to take a detour to my first ever encounter with cave temples. These cave temples are called the Kezil Thousand-Buddha Caves, situated at the north bank of the Muzat River (refer to map). They are reputed as one of the 4 great cave temples in China, and also the earliest cave temples built in China.

These cave temples were built at the foot or on the cliffs of the Mingutag Mountain. There are altogether 236 cave temples at this mountain, out of which only about 80 of the caves are still well-preserved today. The work for chiseling these cave temples started in the 3rd or 4th century, during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The construction took 500 years.

Personally, I find two main attractions to these caves. Firstly, the front view of the unique architecture of the grottoes was simply amazing. The looked like little homes that grew out of the mountain! And like many ancient structures, these caves were man-made with the most basic of technology, the chisel.

Another main attraction to these caves lies in the beautiful frescos or simply colorful paintings on the walls of the caves. I particularly like the work of the ancient artists painting murals to tell the Jataka tales. Jataka tales, native to India, are tales concerning the previous births of the Buddha. Before Islam was introduced into Xinjiang, Buddhism, born in India, was the first religion to be introduced into Xinjiang through Kashmir around the first century B.C. Soon after, it became the main religion in the region and reached a very high level, leaving a precious cultural heritage of statues, paintings, music, dancing, temples and sacred grottoes, greatly enriching the cultural and art treasury of China and the whole world. The Kezil Thousand-Buddha Caves were one of the products of that era.

The conversion to Islam started in the 8th century and since Islam condemned iconography, most of the Buddhist statues and wall-paintings on these cave temples were damaged or destroyed. We paid for an English-speaking guide, who brought us into some of the better-preserved temples that survived the wall paintings damage. We were strictly not allowed to touch the paintings on the walls because we were not supposed to spoil what was left of the paintings. He told us the stories depicted by the painting and it was rather inspirational. He was clearly a Buddhist, and so he told the tales with great pride and emotions. The Jataka tales inspired me to want to know more about Buddhism.

Camerons, where "hot" is an understatement

Hot aaaaa! Bellowed one of the local tourists in the crowd trying to shield her self from the "skin roasting" sun, using her newly bought "mini strawberry" umbrella. Cameron Highland which once used to have an average temperature of not higher than 25C has seen its fair share of global warming. Rapid development, to cope with the increasing number of tourists each year is probably the main cause for deforestation. Tour and school busses comes in train loads during peak and holiday seasons, choking the hill. Driving up Cameron Highlands, Pahang is probably the easiest way up and around this hill resort. Theres also express bus services to get up here from most major cities/towns. To get around this resort, you have an option of a taxi, or taking a tour. Walking is possible, but the terrain (up hill/down hill) plus the distance makes it tiring.

As Kangs Hotel was fully booked, the friendly receptionist pointed us few rows down, to Kangs Travel Lodge. The room we got was a steal. For RM 30 bucks, we got a double decker, with comfy pillows and clean sheets.

We opted to skip the trekking options, which the guide was ardently telling us that the Rafflesia (Biggest Flower in the world) had just bloomed yesterday, and it was a good time to see it. Having seen the "Ugly Beauty" before we kindly declined.
Note: The best time to see it is just a day or two after it has fullly bloomed. Although it usually stays open for 7days, it does tend to wilt out after day 4, as you would be really dissapointed to have hiked all the way in the jungle to have just a brown patch of dying "cabbage" to show for.

Taking a leisurely drive up to Brinchang from Tanah Rata, you could actually skip frequent hotspots like Kea Farm or Rose Valley and stopover at any of the tiny farms/nurserys along the way (it's just to skip the crowd and also avoid being charged like a tourist -maybe!). We went up to the Sungai Palas Boh Plantation (Must Visit) where we ate breakfast at the half suspended restaurant and took a free tour to see how tea was "processed", we had fresh strawberries and strawberry shakes up at Raju's Strawberry Farm (our best kept secret, as everyone knows Mr and Mrs Raju has the best service in Cameron Highlands). We stopped at some of the nurseries along the way to pick up some cactus - RM 2/each, RM10/for 7 which is cheap if your wondering why.

Camerons is practically vege heaven for any of you vegetarians. Watch out for the daily sales! Veges are sold in bulks (which often feed a family) for RM 10.

At night up at Brinchang we went to the night market for some night street market, it's where the farmers are out armed with produce of the day selling it mostly at a reasonable price - don't forget to bargain. Here basically they sell everything and anything. Strawberry parafenelia, organic produce, shirts, home made fondues, ice creams and even fake perfume!

Its a good chance for the people of Camerons to sell their goods, as well as an activity for tourists, because it is one of the only activities to do at night. The streets are empty and most shops close by 10. Searching for a pub to chill, we came across the Jungle Bar beside Kangs Lodge in Tanah Rata. The joint didnt look like a pub from the outside. Inside, it really really looked like a jungle! Theres probably 4-5 sections of decent seating, although we didnt get a good look cuz it was raining. Beers were from RM 6.50 to RM 7.50. Its ruggard but kewl to chillax in. There's a tv showing BOLLYWOOD movies, courtesy of the indian bartender there. All in all, Camerons is a cool mild runaway from the Cities below, where its back to nature, peace and quiet. A stay of 4-3 days is ideal. Would definately go back there anytime.

Flower Offerings

Roadside offerings are seen all over bali on the sides of roads, beaches and alters. Balinese people are very religious and superstitious, and they believe in UNSEEN spirits coexisting with humans.

These offerings are believed to appease the spirits in hope that they will leave humans alone, not to create trouble so that life can go on smoothly.

Typical offering basket "canang" is weaved from young coconut leaves, and has 4 types of coloured flowers (red, white or yellow and purple), incense (dupa) and whatever they intend to offer, biscuits, sweets, and sometimes even money is offered.

Try to respect the culture by not stepping on the offerings when you travel. Have a great stay in Bali!

Balinese Masks and Dance

Digging deep into their Hindu roots, Balinese performances seem to conjure up images of ancient mystery. A spectacle whirlwind combo of sound, colour and intricate dance assaults the very senses of the viewers, leaving them in awe to unravel the many layers of meanings behind these dances.

One essential element in these dances is the rich colour and wood art of the "Topeng" or mask. The word Topeng is derived from the Balinese root "tup" which means, "to cover". Originally created for divine temple theatric purposes, to depict gods, humans or animals, both spiritual and mundane.

The masks now serves another purpose-tourism. Masks are now common as household ornaments. The skill of hand carving Balinese masks, is handed down one generation to another, from father to son, and surprisingly everything is carved from merely visualization, without any reference whatsoever. The epic tales and tradisional dance styles of the Topeng can be traced back to the fifteenth century migration of Hindu kings from neighboring Java.

Masks represented ancestors and gods in primitive rituals as far back as the eighth century and probably earlier. When the Hindu kings of Majapahit arrived in Bali the forms of the masks were changed to conform with those of the new rulers, but the Balinese belief in the magic power associated with masks remained unchanged.

Topeng dances are regularly performed as part of village temple festival. Usually taking place on the first evening of the three to eleven day temple festivals held frequently in every Balinese village. Each Topeng is preceded by ritual offerings to the temple gods. Using frangipani petals, holy water is sprinkled on to the masks before sprinkling on to themselves. Temple priests chants mantras as the head of a baby chicken's neck is snapped off and its blood is dripped on to the arenas floor signaling the start of the performance. The gamelan orchestra fills the arena with rhythmic melodies, then stops and shifts tempo as dancers start filling the arena on by one. The topeng dance has begun!

The topeng is also associated with healing and exorcism rituals. A profound symbol in Balinese religion is the Barong and Rangda masks, manifestations of the struggle between good and evil. They are usually preserved in special temple sanctuaries. Therefore do treat these masks with care even if you are going to hang it on the wall.

One night in downtown KL

"Bursting with life", Bukit Bintang's crowd seemed unmoved by the slight showers outside with its neon lit stalls and pestering ladies offering massage services, pointing to head upstairs to a coffee shop(dodgy as it may sound). Seemed like half of KL's residents are night walkers! There was even a golden man (literally covered in gold paint) posing with huge snakes. RM 10 for a photo! Sorry I was stopped before I could steal a shot with my new zoom lens.

There seemed to be an awful lot of people on the roads. Turn in at KFC (opposite Starbucks), to Changkat Bukit Bintang, where there's more decent pubs to drink at. The road to the left, lined with food stalls is the famous Jalan Alor (Alor Street). The stalls serve delicious grilled fish, a selection of cooked dishes and even hawkers food. Do check the prices first as its tuned to the tourist market. Also this area is notorious for vice activities especially prostitution, and not all you see are girls. It's normally safe if your here just for a drink and food. There's a durian stall at the corner of the street, where people seem to be enjoying the Durian aka" King of Fruit" oblivious to the crowd staring at them. The pubs around here are decently priced - beer at RM 10/bottle. Prices go up if the place is fancier. Still the cheapest places to drink from are the local coffee shops.

If Jalan Alor (Alor Street) is on your left, up ahead is where most backpackers hang out. The place is filled with guesthouses ready to cater your every budget. Due to its strategic location downtown, it's normally filled up fast. Also near to the vicinity is Malls like Sungai Wang, Pavillion and Low Yat Plaza - KL's premier IT center.

To get to this part of Bukit Bintang, the best way is to take a monorail to the Bukit Bintang stop. Taking a cab is a hassle as its always jammed up. The place is just a few stops away from KL central (KL's communication hub).

There isn’t much clubbing here, as most of it you will need to grab a cab. Places worth trying out are Heritage Row where there’s a row to choose from. Either that or head over to Jalan P. Ramlee near KLCC. It's usually walkable (15 mins). Beach Club, Thai Club are the normal rowdy ones.

Touch down Kuta, the thought of surf, sun and awesome indo food was mind boggling.

It costs a standard Rp 50k for a cab from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Kuta. (Additional 50-60k if you have a surfboard).

Dark, welltoned surfer dudes sporting boardshorts and bikini babes lazily strolling the pavements of Kuta. Laughter of locals and tourists alike miggling guzzling down cheap Bintang beer - Rp 9k in local marts to Rp 11k in 24 hour marts.

Surf Kuta in the morning and stroll its beaches in the evening. Enjoy beach front dining at its best with a meal of Bakso (noodles) for only Rp 10k. Or try kite flying - buy at Kumbasari Wholesale market for Rp 30k.Learn to surf and catch a swirl at some of the Pro Surf shops for USD 30- 60. Or just do it the cheap way - from the local beach boys at only Rp 150k / 1 hour, Guaranteed Standing at the end of the day.

Chomping down Kuta
Certainly no problem eating in Kuta for those with cash handy. If your on a budget like us, eat like the locals do. And surprisingly its a bang for the buck! Visit the local warungs, serving up Nasi Padang, Nasi Campur, Mee/Nasi Goreng to Mee Bakso and Satay. A good Rp 9k can eat you happy. Original Bali dish is Nasi Pedas or Nasi Campur - Mixed rice, where you get to pick your dishes. Egg, fish, chicken, meat, vege are there for the picking. Know this that, the difference between Nasi Padang (which comes from Padang) and Nasi Campur/Pedas (Bali) is the level of spiciness. Nasi padang is spicy only in its sambal (chili paste) whereas Nasi Pedas is an allrounder. Try also the Chilled Teh Botol - Bottled Tea.

Clubbing it Bali Style, where everything goes! Dress down in board shorts, bikini or even go topless.Great Clubs/ Bars to Check out too! Bounty, Paddys, Vi Ai Pi,and M Bargo are just a few to check out. Most clubs start booming at 10pm till 5am.

Bali deserves its top mantle position as Indonesias premier holiday destination.

“Shìjiè zhī Chuāng”? The taxi driver asked as he pulled up close to what looked like a huge theme park to me. Me, being a Malaysian Chinese who can only speak broken Mandarin, had no idea what the taxi driver meant, and so, I said “Ah” meaning this is our stop. After paying 120 yuan admission fee, the first thing I saw was… Eiffel Tower! NO, I was not in Paris, I was at the Window of the World, a theme park that’s situated in Shenzhen City, China. This theme park features over 130 mini replicas of the world’s wonders and famous tourist attractions of the world. The mini structures were built at ratios of 1:1, 1:3, 1:5 or 1:15.

Among my personal favorites from countries closer to home are the Angkor Wat of Cambodia, Borobudur of Indonesia, and last but not least, the Taj Mahal of India. Having lived in Mumbai for 2 years now, I have not had the chance to visit the real Taj Mahal, so getting a picture of myself with the scaled down structure of Taj Mahal really made my day. Another popular site at the park was at the site of the Pyramids of Giza. Here you could get on a real camel, by paying only 10 yuan, and get your picture taken. There are also costumes from various cultures of the world that you can rent, to match the country of origin of the building you are taking a picture with. Chinese girls love to put on the kimono (purely from my observation).

My top favorite among the miniatures of structures from the Western world would have to be the Eiffel Tower which was built at a ratio of 1:3 compared to the real one. It’s still so tall though. At a fee of 20 yuan, we were brought to the top of the tower by an elevator, where we enjoyed the splendid view of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Other popular miniatures include the Stonehenge, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, St. Mark’s Square of Venice, the Niagara Falls, the White House, and many others that I did not even know exist in the real world!

What's more exciting about this park is; aside from sightseeing, the park also offers cultural song and dance performance, wedding ceremony shows, and 4D digital cinema experience. There is also an adventure side to this theme park, where you can have fun getting wet on the Grand Canyon Adventure Rafting, or put your skills to test with the Inca rock climbing challenge, or try archery with the Indians!

The biggest and most amazing adventure is snow skiing, snowboarding or simply snow tubing in its very own Alps Indoor Ski Dome! Ski lessons are also available at about 60 – 80 yuan per hour. Next to the ski area is an indoor skating ring! This is just such a wonderful place to spend your weekends. You can get yourself a membership card with the park at about 680 yuan, and you get free admission to the park, to go skiing or skating or rock climbing for a year!

This is when I wish I am based in Shenzhen for a year!

So, that's me visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, enjoying the magnificent sight of the Taj Mahal in India, riding the camel near the Pyramids of Giza, thinking of the movie the Gladiator at the Colosseum, crossing the London Tower Bridge, feeling glamorous like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City among the skyscrapers in Manhattan city and finally back to Shenzhen in half a day!