wanhengwah

The Genting Plantations Bhd signage installed close to the Tenegang Besar River bank in the riparian buffer zone. The buffer zone lies between the river and the Tenegang Estate belonging to Genting Plantations Bhd. Genting Plantations Bhd in its Sustainability Report (included in its 2010 annual report) mentioned that "When it comes to plantations development & expansion we take a careful & meticulous approach to avoid any encroachment to HCV (High Conservation Value) & riparian buffer zones."

The Great Egret (Egretta Alba) is a solitary bird & they are found in abundance along the Kinabatangan River banks. They wait patiently by the river bank while hunting for fish. This Egret took off after being disturbed by our boat when it came too close for its comfort.

This is a close-up of one of the Oriental Pied Horn-bills

This is a flock of Oriental Pied Horn-bills. They are resting after they had foraged for fruits especially figs before they return home to roost later in the evening. Photo taken in the riparian buffer zone along the Tenegang Besar River.

The Asian Forest Scorpions thrive in most of the tropical forests in Asia. These black shiny scorpions will readily sting when they feel cornered or threatened. Our guide however can coolly & gently handle them in a manner that they would not sting.
This family of long-tailed macaque monkeys seek refuge from a herd of much fierce pig-tailed macaque monkeys by playing along the "monkey bridge" built over the Tenegang Besar River a tributary of the Kinabatangan.

This young long-tailed macaque is standing on the branches of mangrove trees along the Tenegang Besar River bank in the riparian buffer zone. It is foraging for wild fruits as well as hunting for fishes which come close to the river bank within the monkey's reach.

This is a monitor lizard found in the Tenegang Besar River riparian buffer zone. It is fond of clinging to the branches of trees as it enjoys basking in the sun. It is perched high up to look for prey which comprise rats, small animals as well as fish as it is a good swimmer. It also like to steal all kinds of eggs for food. In addition it feeds on all kinds of carrion.

This is an Oriental Darter found atop a tree by the banks of the Tenegang Besar River. It is also known as the Snake Bird as it looks like a snake when it is swimming in the river with most of its body submerged except for its head while hunting for fish. It uses its long sharp beak to pierce the fishes.

This is a sleeping black-backed kingfisher. We spotted it during our jungle night walk. These birds are often found in the swamps which are subject to periodic flooding from the river tide. They are hardly found along the river as their favourite food are the insects & worms.

This blood sucking critter crawled stealthily into my right rubber boot while I was trekking in the swamp forest. It lodged on my leg just above my ankle. I only discovered its presence when I removed my boots when I returned to the nature lodge. It was still enjoying its meal & I had to pry hard to remove the pesky fellow. Blood continued to ooze for another half an hour before it started to clot. My fellow visitor found another blood thirsty leech clinging strongly to my neck below the Adam's Apple.I therefore qualified as a blood donor to Kinabatangan River Basin.

Tiger Leech, a vicious blood thirsty creature commonly found in tropical rain forests. They live on the blade of grasses & leaves & are attracted to animals by body heat. Their bite are painless as they inject a kind of anesthesia & they also inject a type of coagulant which ensures that the blood of their victim keep on flowing while they are feeding. They will drop off when satiated, otherwise their grip to the skin of the victims are tenacious.

CHINESE NEW YEAR: Fun & Joy on February 6 2011 at Ancestral Home.

2011-02-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

Inquiring &

Curious

In Pensive Mood

A Young Michael

Schumacher

With a Little Help

from Grand Aunt

Tasty isn't?

Wanna try?

Preening

In his CNY Best

Big Bully

Astonishment

Sharing Happily

Younger sibling directing

Wonderment

Mesmerised by new toy

Ecstasy

Sibling Love

Bundles of Joy

for "Ah Yee" (Auntie)

TAIWAN: BEYOND EVERY IMAGINABLE DREAMS

2010-03-24T19:43:00.001-07:00

The National Palace Museum

The Pavilion within the 2-28 (Feb 28) Peace Park, downtown Taipei

The former Colonial Building now Oxford College

The former British Consulate in Dansui

Fort Santo Domingo, Dansui built by the Spanish in 1628

The Longshan Temple

The iconic 101 Tower now beaten by new buildings in Shanghai

The Presidential Building

The Changing of Guards at the Martyr's Shrine

Zhonglieci or Martyr's Shrine

Residence of former President Chiang Kai-shek at Shilim

The statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen founder of the Chinese Republic in 1911

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

The statue of Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The last time we were in Taiwan was in late December 1977 & early January 1978.

In fact we ushered in the new year from Kaohsiung. We could still vividly recall the sounds of the bull-horns being blown excitedly by ships in the harbour to welcome 1978.

So in early January 2010 I made a second visit to Taiwan traipsing the much changed Metropolis of Taipei & we took the High Speed Rail (HSR) from downtown Taipei to Kaohsiung disembarking at New Zuoying which is two railway stops from Kaohsiung Main Station at the city centre. By Metro New Zouying is 5 MRT stops away from the same rail/metro interchange of Kaoshiung Main Station.

Travelling by HSR my brother & I took 96 minutes to the dot from the time the whistle blew at Taipei Main Station to arrive seamlessly at the New Zouying Station. The bullet-shaped train stopped only once at Taichung. The journey was smooth & uneventful although the train at times gained speeds of up to about 300 kilopmetre per hour. We could hardly feel the bumps & vibrations.The one-way fare was Taiwan $1265. So there is a price to pay for speed, efficiency & comfort. We did not realise that we had arrived at the end of our journey until people started standing up to remove their luggage from the overhead compartment or to looked at themselves via their mirror, adjust their clothing or do other things to preen themselves in order to make themselves more presentable. Indeed everywhere people are vain & ostentatious.

The changes we witnessed after a lapse of 32 years is to say the least astounding. Back in 1978 Taiwan was a poor agriculture-based country with a per capita income lower than Malaysia then. In every city & town we passed by we observed that every available nook & corner were not laid to waste but used to grow vegetables, fruit trees & other plants for food consumption. Most of the land hitherto planted have now been invaded by roads, buildings & other man-made structures. The Taiwanese nowadays import much of their foodstuff although in the countryside agriculture activities still predominate. Rising labour & land costs mean that her agricultural products have lost their competitive edge.The economy was then very much at subsistence level. What we now see in 2010 was something beyond the wildest imagination of the economists if they were to compare & evaluate the economic performance between 1978 & now.

Taiwan's transportation infrastructure nows boasts as the third or fourth best in Asia-after Japan, the city state of Singapore & she is fighting neck-to-neck with South Korea. The country is the proud owner of two Metro systems, one in Taipei city & the other in Kaohsuing the second largest city Taiwan lay claim to having the second tallest building in the world, that is, the 101-storey Taipei 101 which soars up to 509 metres. Kaohsiung is the home to the 85-storey Tuntex Sky Tower which reaches a height of 348 metres. At present it is the 13th tallest building in the world.

There is still the balance between modernity & tradition & old world charm. As a matter of fact Taiwan has lots of both to offer to visitors.

Taiwan is generally a safe country as unemployment is low & her factories which have mushroomed over the years do not depend on any foreign labour at all. Her per capita income has overtaken Malaysia's several years ago.

March 25 2010

Memorable Sights in Bali

2009-05-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) Restaurant in Ubud The well-known crsipy deep-dried duck from Bali.

Sunset over Tanah Lot
Silhouette of people watching the disappearing sun at sun down. Tanah Lot is renown for its magnificent sunset.

Sanur Beach
Sanur offers 6 kilometres of pristine sandy beaches

Kuta Beach revellers
People sit & relax along Kuta Beach at sun down. "Life is sweet" seems to be harboured in their minds.

Home-stay cottages at Ubud
Just behind Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) Restaurant are two long row of home-stay cottages

A place to rejuvenate & re-charge our energies.

Hard Rock Cafe at Pantai Kuta

One of the most prominent landmark along Kuta beach

Bali Land of Shrines, Temples & Places of Worship

2009-05-03T08:26:00.001-07:00

Newly built temple along Jalan Raya Seminyak, Kuta in front of the well-known Balinese restaurant Warung Mades

A Balinese Shrine Within Compound of A House

An Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy at Matahari Bungalows, Kuta

Image of Chinese Goddess of Mercy with Hindu Goddess of Mercy at Matahari Bungalows

Tanah Lot Temple (Land in the Middle of Sea Temple)

Pura Tirta Empul (Temple of Holy Water)

Melasti A Balinese Ritual To Cast Away Impurities & Miseries

2009-05-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Women Carrying Offerings of Fruits, Sweet Cakes & Flowers

Men Carrying Jempana or Sedan Chairs & Effigies & Hallowed Representations Like Barong (Good Spirit) & Rangda (Monster)

Men Dressed In White Walking Towards The Sea

Villagers Dressed In Their Finery Carrying Long-poled Umbrellas Walking In Line
The Melasti Ritual occurs three to four days before Nyepi the Balinese Day of Silence, Bali's Lunar New Year which fell on March 26 2009 this year. Nyepi is reserved for self-reflection.

Hence anything which might interfere with that purpose is restricted. Hence there should be not lighting, no working, no entertainment, no pleasure, no travelling, and for some no talking or eating during daylight. The radios & TVs are switched off & the streets are empty. The airport at Denpasar was closed for the day.

On the other hand Melasti is a boisterous affair. It is the time of the year when villagers all over Bali gather together & dressed in their finery & in white to signify purity. They walk in unison towards the sea or a water source such as a spring to cleanse their deities & for them to cast away their miseries. Near the water source the men will rush their sacred objects into the water to symbolically wash them & thus purify the deities.

On the day of Melasti one will find offerings of meat at cross-roads the haven of evil spirits. The offerings are to placate the evil spirits. In the evening much noise & din are created in order to awaken the evil spirits and demons to feast on the offerings.

Bali On The Go

2009-05-01T02:14:00.000-07:00

Barong Dance
The Barong Dance represents an eternal fight between the good spirit and evil spirit. Barong, a mythologival animal represents a good spirit and Ragda,a mythological monster, represents an evil one.
The masks of Barong and Ragda are considered sacred items and before they are brought out
a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy waters taken from Mount Agung, Bali.
Music is presented by a repertoire of musicians playing with traditional Balinese musical instruments.
Most modern Barong dances included skits incorporating jokes and humour as well as risque acts which are at times not tastefully demonstrated.

Pasar Badung, Denpasar
This local produce market is the largest market for all types of local Balinese products. It is situated in the heart of Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali. It consists of a multi-storey building as well as the surrounding open-air market for food, fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers & poultry. Connected to the building via a bridge over a river is another multi-storey building known as Pasar Kumbasari which offers a wide range of souvenir products.

Rice Terraces at Tegalalang
Many paddy terraces are found near the village of Tegalalang. However they compared poorly with the mountainous Banaue Rice Terraces located in Northern Luzon and built by the Ifugaos two thousand years ago. They also cannot compare with the majestic and scenic paddy terraces found in Longsheng, Guangxi Province, China

Dirty Duck (Bebek Bengil) Restaurant
The best crispy deep-fried duck I have eaten was at the Dirty Duck Restaurant or Bebek Bengil in Balinese language.
The restaurant faces a paddy field with newly constructed home-stay buildings lined on both sides of the restaurant. Indeed the rustic setting provides a tranquilising relief for "battle-wearied" tourists, fighting to keep their eyes open due to lack of sleep.

Gunung Batur and Danau Batur at Kintamani

Kintamani is a popular tourist destination due to the scenic beauty of its active volcano, Gunung Batur and the surrounding Lake Batur. There are six ancient villages at the foothills.

Gunung Batur is still an active volcano. It has erupted 24 times since the year 1800. The black lava can been visibly seen from the road built along the ridge of the next hill.

From the viewing gallery of the restaurants as well as from some spots along the road-side one can enjoy a panoramic view of Gunung Batur, Lake Batur and the tiny houses dotting the villages of the surrounding countryside.

Glimpses of Kuta, Bali

2009-05-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Kuta Beach
This was what I was waiting for at about 6.20pm on Friday March 20 2009. Many people local Balinese and foreigners made a bee-line each evening towards sun down to watch the sun set.
Well Elton John, You can't say "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".
We rather prefer you to say & sing "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?".

Matahari Bungalows

A garden resort within the heart of the town of Kuta. Many of the guest rooms faced a myriad of fruit trees, ranging from mangoes, avacadoes, star fruits, passion fruits, coconuts, as well as tropical flowers. The deluxe multi-storey rooms face an exquisite Balinese gardens as well as a landscaped swimming pool with sunken bar.
Matahari Bungalows' Balinese Garden

One can find & enjoy quite solitude & tranquility in the woody & shady Balinese garden.

Share quite moments with the birds, bees, butterflies, crickets and other creatures of Mother Nature.

Kuta Beach at Sunset

A group of westerners presumably Australians relaxing & chatting while waiting for sunset over Kuta Beach.

Poppies Lane 2

This is the place for shopping all kinds of equipment for sea sports, surf boards, scuba equipment, snorkels, swim gear as well as for food, clothing & souvenirs.

The entire Poppies Lane 1 & 2 are lined with little shops selling all kinds of stuff.

The two Poppies Lane connect Jalan Legian to Kuta Beach.

Kuta Beach
Bali's Happening place, the 8-kilometre long Pantai Kuta or Kuta Beach.

Every kind of beach-related activity can be found in Kuta Beach. At sundown throngs of people gathered along the beach to relax & re-charge themselves whilst waiting & watching for the sun to set.

The Night Peace Was Shattered in Bali: October 12 2002

2009-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Close-up of Bali Memorial
The names of the 202 people who were killed in the two fatal bombings detonated by suicide
bombers are displayed in the plaque. One hundred & sixty four were foreign nationals of whom Australians comprised the majority, that is, 88. Thirty eight were Indonesian citizens.
Another 209 were injured.
The Bali Bombings Memorial
The Memorial is sited in the middle of Legian Street next to the Sari Club where most of the deaths took place. Along the same street close by in the 4 O' Clock direction from this photo is the site of the former Paddy's Bar. The first of the three bombs were triggered off by a backpacked suicide bomber inside the Bar.

The Site of Sari Club

This rather dreary & ghastly weed-filled site was once-upon-a-time a very boisterous bar-cum-pub known as Sari Club. Most of the Bali bombings fatalities comprised patrons of the Club as well as by-standers outside along Jalan Legian. The second but deadiest bomb exploded about 15 seconds after the first smaller bomb placed inside a back-pack inside Paddy's Bar close by.

Part of the site is now a motor cycle parking lot.

The site of former Paddy's Bar
This was the site of Paddy's Bar. It is known as Resto Tapas Lounge. This first bomb was detonated inside the bar by a sucide bomber at about 23:05 October 12 2002. The second bomb, a massive one placed inside a Mitsubishi van parked in front of Sari Club nearby was detonated 15 seconds later after patrons from Paddy's Bar spilled onto Jalan Legian. A third much smaller bomb was detonated in front of the US Consulate at Denpasar the provincial capital of Bali. There was little damage caused by the third bomb.

Ground Zero, Bali
This marked the spot where a meter-deep crater was formed by the powerful bomb placed inside a Mitsubishi van parked in front of Sari Club. It was detonated by a suicide bomber.

The van was also rigged to detonate by remote control using a cell phone in case the suicide bomber had a change of heart or mind.

The starred pavement stone lies, quite unintrusively, along the busy Jalan Legian.

Unlike the stars in Hollywood's Walk of Fame the star here symbolised infamy & shameless killings of innocent men & women. There were ordinary people who worked, struggled & suffered in vain.

"Imagine.....Nothing to kill or die for. Imagine all the people. Living life in peace" John Lennon

Faces of Bali

2009-03-29T09:37:00.001-07:00

Tanah Lot
Participants of Melasti Ritual
Every year aound March Balinese will perform the Melasti ceremony. On that day the Balinese villagers will purify their deities known as "Pratima" with water.
The villagers will dressed in their finery (in white) & carrying long-poled umbrellas, proceed in lines and proceed towards a souce of water, either a holy spring or the sea.
In this walking procession the women will carry with them offerings of fruits, flowers & sweat cakes. The men will carry the sacred family deities on bamboo litters. On arriving at the source of water the "Pedanda" (High Priest) will pray and ring his small bells. The men carrying the litters will rush their sacred statues into the water to wash them in order to symbolically purify them.

Sanur

Mdm Melly St. Ange, President of Bali International Women's Association

BIWA). She is standing for election to Indonesia's Parliament as a candidate for Partai Democratic in the forthcoming elections in April, 2009

Sanur Beach

Satay seller operating a stall at the cross-roads between the Sanur market & the beach. His satay is of the type popular in Madura, an island off Java. The sweet black sauce is quite similar to the Chinese thick soya sauce, not the typical Indonesian/Malay peanut sauce cooked with chilly/curry paste.

Faces of Bali

2009-03-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

Denpasar, capital of Province of Bali

Wayan Wana

Tour driver. He drives tourists all over Bali using his Toyota van

Matahari Bungalows, Legian Street, Kuta

Anom

He is a bell-hop working in Matahari Bungalows, Legian Street, Kuta

Matahari Bungalows, Kuta
Endrawati

She serves as a waitress in the restaurant of Matahari Bungalows, Legian Street, Kuta, Bali

Sukawati, Gianyar Regency

Weavers of coconut leaves

The girls are weaving coconut leaves to make them into trays to hold offerings or canangs which are placed everywhere by the Balinese Hindus.

The offerings are to appease the deities & ward off evil spirits.

The offerings consists of flowers, sliced bananas, rice, fragances, bamboo strips etc.

Matahari Bungalows, Kuta
Wayan Sugiri

He is one of the waiters in the restaurant

where guests are served thei breadfast from 7.00am to 10.00am daily.

The restaurant faces a swimming pool with a bar island & surrounding the pool and the restaurant is a luxuriant Balinese garden. Alongside the rooms are a long line of fruit trees, including jack-fruit, avocado, star-fruit, mango & other common Indonesian fruits.

Faces of Bali

2009-03-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

Gang (Alley) Bedugul, Off Poppies Lane II,
Off Legian Street, Kuta

Putu

She is the owner of Putu Shop a clothing store located in Bedugul Alley

which is one of the narrow alleys off Poppies Lane II.

Resto Lounge & Tapas Bar, Buta

Stilt Dancers
On certain evenings there will be a dance performance by stilt dancers in front of Kuta's Resto Lounge Tapas Bar. The Bar is situated next to most prominent landmark, The Bali Bomb Memorial with the names of 202 who were killed. Across the street (Jalan Legian, Kuta) is site of Sari Club which suffered most casualities when three bombs were detonated at about 11.05pm one at Sari Club, another at Paddy's Bar opposite Sari Club (now the site of the Memorial) & a third at the US Consulate in Denpasar where there were no casualities.
At present the site of Sari Club is a motor cycle park. It appears to be semi-abandoned.

Banjar Temen, Susut, Bangli Regency

Father of Murtika, the owner of Sai Land which operates a small-holding cultivating spices, coffee & cocoa plants.
He is pounding roasted coffee beans.

Banjar Temen, Susut, Bangli Regency

Girl roasting coffee beans.
She is roasting coffee beans. The roasted beans after they had been pounded in powder form will be sold from a small shop very closed by.
The shop also sells roasted coffee beans, cocoa powder, tea leaves as well as a number of spices & traditional medicine.

Tampak Siring, Gianyar Regency

Young devotees at the Temple of Holy Water
The two boys are taking a rest after prayers at the Temple of Holy Water (Pura Tirta Empul) one of six most important temple in Bali.

The head-dress worn by the two boys are often donned by Balinese men most of whom are of the Hindu faith.

Close by Pura Tirta Empul is the late President Sukarno's Istana Negara palace which on top of a hill which overlooks Tirta Empul.

A Dazzling Christmas at Sunway Pyramid: Thank You, Appreciation & Touching Lives

2008-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town from J Fred Coots
Its In The Right Mood! Santa Claus Galore

Coming Together from The Beatles
Its Godly! Pastor Paul Jegan, Man of God, on the far left. He is from the New Life Care Centre, Port Dickson. He brought along 32 of his children or rather God's Creation to receive goodies from Mr Kevin Tan the General Manager of Sunway Pyramid who stood next to him in this photo.

Send Me Flowers from No Angels
Its Spiritually Self-fulfilling! After a job well done by the Honourable Hannah Yeoh Selangor state assembly-woman from Subang Jaya.. A bouquet of flowers from Mr Kevin Tan General Manager of Sunway Pyramid.

Pretty Woman from Roy Orbison
That's pretty Xandria Ooi, celebrity emcee, TV host, Radio DJ & Newspaper columnist. She has a bubbly personality and voluble too as evident from her fortnightly "Sights and Sounds" column in The Star.
The guys did not dare to come up close and personal as she was sitting next to Pastor Paul Jegan most of the time. They only eye-balled her from a safe distance.
We need to be in the good books of the pastor because he will pray for us for God's love and our love for God too.

You Light Up My Life from Debbie Boone
Its Touching Lives! Look at the children's beaming radiant faces and their smiles are as wide as a mile!

A Dazzling Christmas at Sunway Pyramid: A Touch of Las Vegas

2008-12-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Catch Me If You Can from Ana Johnsson
Its Sensual!
Was she doing the Baby Elephant Walk?

Honky Tonk Woman from The Rolling Stones
Its Mind-boggling!
"The lady then she covered me with roses. She blew my nose and then she blew my mind." Lyrics from the Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Woman.

All You Need Is Love from The Beatles
Its Romantic!
Its a tame version of the Folies Bergere show I attended one evening after I finished with the day's work while in Paris.

Hold Me, Thrill Me & Kiss Me from Gloria Estefan
Its Tantalising!
She ain't heavy she is my sister? Memories of 1960's school days welled up on this thought.

The Final Countdown from Europe
Its Satisfying!
Didn't this dance resemble the Crazy Horse Paris show from MGM Grand in Las Vegas?

A Dazzling Christmas at Sunway Pyramid: The Official Launch on December 4 2008

2008-12-08T05:59:00.001-08:00

We Wish You A Merry Christmas from Ray Conniff
'Tis the Yuletide season. Time for joy, fun and merriment.
Melodious Christmas carols wafts the air. The Sunway Pyramid is stylishly festooned with a myriad of Christmas emblems.
Taking pride of place at the Pyramid Concourse are three Christmas trees bathed in glitzy lights. Aren't they majestic and magical?

The Show Must Go On from the Queen
Here is the petite Selangor state assembly-woman, the Honourable Hannah Yeoh. She is the Selangor state legislative member for Subang Jaya.
She officiated at the formal launch of Sunway Pyramid's "A Dazzling Christmas".
Oh what an inspiring speech she delivered. And with compassion too.

A Dazzling Christmas from Sunway Pyramid
This is the advertisement put up in the print media by Sunway Pyramid.
In these times of fierce competition the shopping malls have no choice but to meet head-on with one another for the attention and patronage of shoppers. The consumers are indeed pampered with choice.
In present-day turbulent and troubled times consumers the world over have turned cautious and pessimistic as the news are currently all about gloom and doom and the impending economic slump. But bad times, good times and quotidian times come and go just like the seasons.

The Beauty & The Beast from Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson
Its Mesmerising!
A sneak review of a Broadway dance a la New York?

Dancing Queen from ABBA
Its Seductive!
Reminded me of the Flamenco dance routine I watched several years ago during my visit to Andalucia in Spain.

Shaoshan, Where the Search for Young Mao Zedong Begins......

2008-04-29T03:52:00.001-07:00

Statute of Mao in Village Square. Being an avid history buff I would not let an opportunity to visit Shaoshan the birth place of Mao Zedong slip pass even though it meant getting up from my comfortable bed at 5.00am to catch the 6.30am Changsha-Shaoshan once-a-day train. I too did not mind sacrificing Hunan Civil Aviation Hotel's scrumptious Hunanese breadfast with, among others, congee taken with fiery fried anchovies and long beans and Hunanese dry noodles with generous dollops of hot chillied spices.
I walked out of my hotel at 5.50am and walked briskly along Wu Yi Dadao which was much shrouded in ghostly mists with only my footsteps breaching the silence of the breaking dawn. It took me only six minutes to reach the gate leading to the train platform but many of the seats were already taken up by locals with their huge polystyrene bags containing all kinds of personal effects and tourists who were all travelling light for the day-trip to the shrine dedicated to Mao Zedong.
While waiting for the train to arrive I put my time to good use by munching the "pau" or Chinese pies (bought from the railway station's side-stalls) which are ubiquitious throughout China and most places where there are any sizable Chinese communities throughout the world. The "pau" stuffed with different kinds of meat or lotus seed or red bean paste or plain veggie inputs are standard breadfast fare.
At the centre of old Shaoshan is a gigantic statue of Mao Zedong. Hordes of Chinese would pay their almost mandatory obeisance to the Great Helmsman by bowing three times in front of the statue in the presence of a phalanx of young soldiers from the Peoples' Liberation Army.
The Ancestral Hall of the Maos. Shaoshan is about 100 kilometres south-west of Changsha. The journey took some three hours with two stops in between. The first stop was at the major rail cross-road town of Zhuzhou which took us 40 minutes to arrive. A number of locals hurriedly disgorged and the train quickly moved but it did not pull out much from the railway station as it seemed to be moving backwards and forwards but not pulling away. Only when it started really moving did I realise that the locomotive had been furiously shunting the train. I discovered that I was no longer facing the head of the train but the back. I naturally changed my seat.
The next stop was an obscure non-descript almost nameless hamlet where again the remaining locals disembarked. By 9.30am our train pulled into Shaoshan railway station. The rail came to a dead-end as the last sector of the railroad was specially constructed in the 1980s to enable the Chinese to gain easier access to the Great Helmsman's birth place. Another six kilometres separates the new railway side of Shaoshan from the old village of Shaoshan.
Just across the main village street from the statue of Mao is the ancestral hall of those bearing the surname of Mao. The building is now the Museum of Chairman Mao and there were many photos and exhibits which charted the career and the times and life of Mao.
The Childhood House of Mao Zedong. Next stop the ancestral house of Mao Zedong and his birth place. The house is made of mud-bricks with a thatched roof and a stable connected to the main house. It has many rooms including separate bed-rooms for Mao's parents and rooms for Mao and his brother. There is a barn and a pen. Inside the house are exhibits such as kitchen utensils, beds, odd pieces of furniture, furnishings and photos depicting his parents and young Mao. So Mao'Zedong came from a relatively well-to-do farming roots based on living standards of China in those days.
In front of his house is a pond and as was common then and even nowadays ducks and fish were be reared by the Mao family. The Stelea Park. A visit to Shaoshan would not be complete if one did not visit the forest of stele which contains many tablets some in old Chinese calligraphy depicting many poems written by Mao. The Stelea Park comprise three elevated levels and it leads visitors along a winding path up to the summit of Shao Hill Peak or Shaoshan Feng. But if you want to choose the easy way up the Peak you just need to walk up the concrete stairway to the base station of the Cable Car. For a small sum you can spare your leg muscles as well as your lungs from working on an over-drive mode. On arriving at the cable car destination you would be ushered to a Taoist temple with fierce-looking warrior-deities standing guard. A few structures away is a shrine with the images of Mao Zedong and a few of his unlabeled Mao ancestors. Most people chose to gather around a bed of boulders and rocks behind the temple to relax and enjoy a breath-taking view of the surrounding Shaoshan country-side.
The Pavilion at Peak of Shao Feng (Summit). After strolling along the winding stone pavements and entering in and moving out of the single-storey buildings the most dumb-wit thing to do is to walk up or run up a hundred or so steps up the summit of Shaoshan Hill Peak. After much huffing and puffing aren't you glad that you have arrived at the gates of a Pavilion which sits on top the the peak? An old Chinese bell welcomes you. There is nothing exceptional about the peak-top Pavilion other than that it affords you a majestic view of the hills and valleys and dotted villages. But you have already done that thing at less lofty heights without any sweat and deep breath. So the brainiest thing to do is to beat a hasty retreat by making your way to the cable car station and head for the Shaoshan Railway station unless you want to be a one-day prisoner in Shaoshan village. But can you do for the night? Changsha is therefore a much safer bet!

Shaoshan, the Guessing Game

2008-04-28T03:10:00.001-07:00

Masquerade by The Carpenters. This unveiled statute lies besides the statute of Mao Zedong, in the centre of the village-town of Shaoshan, the birth-place of Chairman Mao. As it is barricaded tourists were not allowed to go near. So we were all puzzled as to the statute's identity.
Is that the statute of Liu Shaoqi, the Chairman of the Peoples' Republic of China from April 1959 to October 1968? He was born on November 24 1898 in the village of Huaminglou 30 kilometres north of Shaoshan, Hunan. Liu Shaoqi was arrested in 1967 during the Cultural Revolution and accused to be the Number 1 "Capitalist Roader". He died incarcerated on November 12 1969 after he was expelled from all party positions in October 1968.
Ticket to Ride by the Beatles. Like many cable cars they link the foothill to the summit. What is the name of the mountain? Well it is Shao Hill Peak or Shaoshan Feng which lies north-west of the village of Shaoshan, close by.
Like A Prayer by Madonna. Deification of Mao Zedong. When Mao was alive he was a demi-god. After he joined Marx and Lenin in the Netherworld he was still revered and worshipped by some although the Communist Party of China now considers that he was 70 % correct and 30 % wrong in his deeds and actions. This ancestral altar with the image of Mao Zedong is found in one of the shrines close to the summit of Shao Hill Peak, Shaoshan.
Three Times a Lady by Lionel Ritchie. Who are they and where do they come from? They are local villagers living close to Mao Zedong's ancestral home in the village of Shaoshan. The villages comprise mainly farms and paddy fields.
On a Golden Pond by Katherine Hepburn & Henry & Jane Fonda. This is a typical rural scene in China, rustic and idyllic. This pond lies in front of Mao Zedong's ancestral house. His parents were relatively rich farmers. He considered that he came from a peasant background.

Changsha City of My Youthful Wonderment-Moving to the Greener-side of the City

2008-04-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Xiangjiang Bridge. Bridge to Knowledge & Prosperity. It is no longer Bridge over Troubled Water 70 years ago. As we were crossing over the long bridge which links Changsha city centre to its western suburb my sub-conscious mind was transported to the year 1938 (when my father who was then a 12-year old had just returned from war-torn China to peaceful Malaya). At that time the Xiang-jiang was dumped with bodies of innocent Chinese who were caught in the cross-fire between the invading Japanese troops and the valiant Chinese defenders from Changsha. On November 13 1938 the Chinese started to burn their city to render it worthless to the Japanese. The fire lasted for five days and the entire city was totally burnt down thereby destroying historical antiques of more than 2500 years' vintage. Today the western suburb occupies much of the vast grounds of Hunan's most prestigious institution of higher learning, the Hunan University. The city centre on the eastern side of the bridge is the most economically vibrant and prosperous section of Changsha. So China is nowadays frantically building bridges of knowledge and prosperty.
Yuelu Academy. The Power of Knowledge. Forget for a while about The Power of Love! Suddenly my somnolent condition was jolted back to full consciousness apparently from the sounds of laughing university students walking with their latest cell-phones and i-pods along the leafy narrow roads which wind their way around the campus. Close to faculty buildings and the residential colleges is a "must visit" site, the Yuelu Academy which is one of the four famous academia in China. It was established by Zhu Dong, a Magistrate of the Northern Sung dynasty. The Yuelu Academy accepted disciples through the Sung, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was only in 1903 that the Academy was transformed from a school of traditional Confucian learning to an institute of higher learning. In 1926 the Academy was officially known as Hunan University.
Aiwan Ting, (Loving the Dusk Pavilion). Musing & Day-dreaming. Our next task was to scale up the Yuelu Shan, a famous breezy hilltop and scenic spot lying a little north of the campus. On the way stop to rest your tired legs or re-energise yourself at the foothill's Aiwan Ting. This pavilion overlooks a placid pond surrounded by lush greenery. The small pavilion is one of Mao Zedong's youthful haunts. Here there is a tablet in Chinese calligraphy written by Mao. The tablet is a verse from a poem entitled "Ascending the Hills" written by soulful Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu. It reads:-
"A stony path winds far up cool hills
Towards cottages hidden deep amongst white clouds
Loving the maple trees at dusk I stop my cart
To sit and watch the frosted leaves
Redder than February flowers"
Men and women should not live by bread alone. We need to philosophise, day-dream ( but not have night-mares) and muse too.
Wangxiang Ting. Footloose and Carefree From the foothills narrow paths flanked by food and souvenir stalls
lead up to the park gates. From this point one can either meander uphill making for a-forty minute stroll through pleasant woodland to Wangxiang Ting a pavilion with majestic views of the city. However if you were running out of time or if you do not own a pair of strong calves or do not like to huff and puff then pay 20 Yuan and the motorised trolley would do the arduous job for you. We decided to join a group of Chinese youths already in the trolley car all set to go.
They were singing merrily on top of their voices a few Putunghua (Mandarin) songs. When they discovered that I was a foreigner (the only one) they invited yours truly to belt out an English song.
As it would bring joy to the Chinese youths if I were to fellowship with them I readily accepted their invitation. I was in a fix as I had to think of a simple melodious and bouncy tune with meaningful lyrics to suit the happy occasion. By quick thinking my mouth spontaneously blared out the song "You Are My Sunshine" the Louisiana State Song which was co-composed both lyrics and music by former Governor Jimmie H Davis with Charles Mitchell.
Surprisingly most of them could hum along to the music and a few even knew the lyrics. So we sang together :-
"You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You'll never know dear
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away"
Oh my! my! They were on top of the world.

View of Hunan City. On top of the world feeling. From the balcony of the pavilion we stood in line to enjoy the spectacular view of Changsha city. Although it was a misty early Autumn day all of us had our breath taken away by the wonderful sight. Time to move on..............

Changsha, Hunan, City of My Youthful Wonderment

2008-04-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Changsha Train Station. Chang'an (now Xian), Beijing and Hangzhou have always held me with awe as they had been dynastic capitals of imperial China. Changsha, however, have held me with wonderment in my teen years as the only ruler I knew in my formative years was Mao Zedong, then fondly revered as Chairman Mao and I knew that he was born in Hunan Province. The only place in Hunan I knew then was Changsha, its capital. Therefore in view of this early fascination with Mao and Changsha yours truly made a five-day visit to Changsha in September 2007.
The most popular way to get into Changsha from Guangzhou is by rail. So on one blustery and misty day I found myself taking the N556 Express Train from Guangzhou Railway Station. After experiencing the roar and din in the waiting lounge I was happy to exchange it for claustrophobia to board the train which departed right on the dot at 22:40 hours. The only memorable event in the train was that I had to struggle my way up to my third level berth in order to get to sleep. There were no ladders so I had to cling on tight to the bars and use brute strength to abseil up to my bed! Fortunately yours truly still retain some of his "Tarzan" skills! All night long I was in tranceland, neither awake nor in deep slumber as the train's bull horns roared hauntingly every time we passed a train station or an on-coming train. With one brief stop-over at the major cross-railroad town of Zhuzhou half an hour from our final destination the train slipped sheepishly into Changsha Railway Station at 06.50 hours on timetable schedule. The 780-kilometre journey took eight hours 10 minutes. I whispered: "Changsha, here I come". That's wonderment, I sighed.
The Changsha Railway Station lies at the eastern end of the City's main thoroughfare, Wu Yi Dadao or May First Highway which is a three-kilometre long straight road terminating at the Xiang River at the western end. The majestic Xiangjiang Bridge links the city centre to its quieter west bank suburbs.
Jiezi Dao or Tangerine Island. The City's name, literally "Long Sand" derives from a narrow midstream sand shoal or bar now called "Jiezi Dao" or Tangerine Island. On either side of the bridge there is a slipway road which leads to the island. In addition somewhere near the middle span of the bridge there is a spiral staircase to descend to the island. So yours truly ambled his way to the island past old stones houses prviously occupied by Europeans who had moved into this enclave after the foreign quarter in Changsha was totally razed during the riots over the raising of rice prices in 1910.I stopped short of rows and rows of vegetables and some fruit trees. No prize for guessing correct that tangerines predominate! Big Brother is watching me for any transgression, my mind kept telling me. At the water edge there were a few amateur anglers whiling their time away. Indeed time appeared to stand still in sharp contrast to the milling crowds half a kilometre away around the intersection of Wu Yi Dadao with Huangxing Lu the main shopping drag. Here one would not miss the two landmarks of modernity, Parkson's Superstore and Carrfour Supermarket. Aren't they the new gods or prophets we nowadays worship or pay homage to like Qin Shi-huang in BC times?

Chonglie Gate Pailou. As Changsha was the site of many fierce battles between the Chinese and invading Japanese during the 1937-1945 Sino-Japanese War one of the places where Chinese visitors would visit is the Chonglie Gate Pailou (Pailou means an archway of a memorial) in remembrance of their country-men who had sacrificed their lives fighting the still much detested Japanese.
There are two couplets on the archway. The one in the middle says:-"Smash the invaders and guard our nation." The other one reads:- "Fight for our country. Forget our safety. Devote our lives for the lofty cause."
Tianxin Pavilion. Moving from the world of quiet solemnity into the times of past imperial glory yours truly found himself close by at the site of one of the symbols of ancient Changsha. The Tianxin Pavilion is regarded as one of the four historic sites of Changsha. Here is a remnant of an ancient wall which is 2000 years old. The wall initially made of wood was first built during the Qin and Han dynasties. It was reconstructed into a stone foundation bed and brick wall in 1372 in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. The Tianxin Pavilion which has a history of more than 400 years stands majestically on the ancient wall. The main pavilion which is 14.6 metres high has three storeys and there are two subordinate pavilions that are connected to the main by a corridor. If one were into old Chinese architecture then this would be the place to marvel, gaze and even to eye-ball at the fine intricacies of carvings and handiwork. It is a great therapy to travel in a time machine to the days when the Ming and Qing emperors held sway. But not for too long because we would certainly miss our beloved world of PCs, i-pods, mobile phones, internet surfs, blogs, the "idiot boxes" and not forgetting our perpetual traffic snarls and shopping malls, bistros and the many other "happening places".

When Death Strikes & Bombs Rain Over The Sky of Ha Long Bay, Gulf of Tonkin

2008-04-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site (1994). The Dreadful Past. These days Ha Long Bay presents picture-perfect scenery of unmatchable beauty. There are about 2000 limestone outcrop small islands bobbling in the azure sea in the bay which forms part of the Gulf of Tonkin separating Vietnam and China. Between 1966 and April 1975 danger and fear lurked in the waters as the surrounding seas were the hunting ground of the aircraft carriers and the other war-ships of the US Seventh Fleet. From the aircraft carriers naval planes were launched and together with the giant B-52 bombers from bases in Okinawa and Guam bombing raids were made over Hanoi and the industrial cities in North Vietnam especially Haiphong. Submarines stalked Soviet and Chinese ships carrying war material bound for North Vietnamese ports. Aerial dog-fights between the North Vietnamese MIG-21 and the US F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers, F-105 Thunderchief fighters and A-4 Skyhawks bombers provided an unwelcome relief to the humdrum of daily life.One of the naval pilots shot down was Lt. Commander John McCain whose A-4 Skyhawk was hit by a Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile after dropping bombs over a thermal power plant in central Hanoi on November 26 1967. He ejected safely but almost got drowned as his parachute landed in Truc Bach Lake a short distance from the Presidential Palace and The Citadel. He was imprisoned in "Hanoi Hilton" and was released on March 15 1973 after the Paris Peace Accord. He is now Senator John McCain a presidential hopeful. Nowadays if you are mesmerised by the karstic landscape of Guilin you will certainly be enthralled by similar limestone crags but with the seascape thrown in.
Ha Long Bay cruise junks equipped with cabins. Reminiscence. Those were troubled times then. The years 1966 and 1967 were my Pre-U days and in the next four years I was an under-graduate. Like many youths of that generation we were influenced by the almost daily war protests and demonstrations in the colleges and universities all over the United States and many other countries. We were horrified by the shootings and killings of four students on May 4 1970 by the Ohio National Guardsmen. Anti-war songs such as "The Times They Are A Changin" and "Blowing In The Wind" both by pacifist-activist singer Bob Dylan were the "international anthems" of angry, disenchanted and alienated youths of that era. Our rallying cry was "Make Love Not War".
As the war worn on it became increasingly unpopular and more young American youths had to be drafted into the military using public lottery draw based on their birth dates. My primary and lower secondary classmate SL Yee who lived in one of the shophouses along Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) was drafted into the US army.He is a cousin of my travelling companion, Siew Kong. He saw fierce action in Vietnam and he survived the war to tell us horror war stories. He had emigrated in 1962 to join an aunt who operated a supermarket in Phoenix, Arizona as Chinese people then no longer operated laundry business and the men opened railroads throughout America unlike the 1800s and the early 20th century. Another secondary school senior joined the renown "Green Berets" (a movie of the same name was made in the 1970s) but after a brief stint in the jungles of Vietnam he fled to Sweden on political asylum as a "conscientious objector" either due to disillusionment with the war or he feared death. Mohamad Ali, (previously Cassius Clay), the boxer, too dodged military draft as he claimed that his religion forbids wars and killings.
We sang: "Yes, 'n' how many times must cannon balls fly. Before they're forever banned.......How many times must a man look up. Before he can see the sky. Yes and how many ears must one man have. Before he can hear people cry? Yes how many deaths will it take. Till he knows that too many people have died? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind."
Ha Long Bay, Floating Fishing Village. Trepidation. Unfortunately my generation bore witness to many newspapers, Life, Time and Newsweek as well as radio and TV reports on suspense-filled events such as 77-day seige of South Vietnamese-US manned fortress at Khe Sanh by combined Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops from January 21 1968 to April 8 1968. The World's attention was also gripped by the Tet (Lunar New Year) Offensive launched by the Communist forces starting on January 30 1968 and ending on September 23 1968. The US and the rest of the World were outraged by Huynh Cong Ut's photo taken on June 8 1972 which showed an image of a naked terrified crying 9-year old girl Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing from a napalm attack on her village.
Ha Long Bay Islets of Imaginable and Unimaginable Shapes and Forms. Happier Times. Since the unification of North and South Vietnam on April 30 1975 but was immediately followed by the tragic fleeing of thousands of "boat people" (many of whom perished in the South China seas ) Vietnam saw better times from the mid-1980s. With the opening of her doors to foreigners, investments poured into Vietnam including many from Overseas Vietnamese known as Viet Kieu. Tourism too boomed and many of her visitors are returning Americans and Frenchmen or their descendants. They tried to re-live the lives of their loved ones in a land far away from home. Some 58,000 American soldiers were killed in Vietnam. Their names were immortalised on the walls of the Vietnam Veterans Monument in Washington DC. I had visited the Monument and recalled the air of solemnity at the site. Millions of Vietnamese perished but there were too many casualties to be accounted for or named. They were forgotten, unmourned, unremembered not even by name_even a number is more soulful.

Ha Long City's Bai Chay town. Friendship & Amity. With new friends at the tourist wharf where cruise boats to Ha Long Bay are moored. This photo shows yours truly with his travelling companion Siew Kong on the far right. In between were two young Chinese couples one from Shanghai and the other from Beijing. We met them on the cruise. So times are a changin' indeed. Vietnam now enjoys new-found friendship with China which had for centuries been their enemies. The most recent conflict was a border war with China in February 1979. Historically Vietnam had over the centuries swung between being a territory of China and an independent country. For some 1000 years from the Han dynasty to the Sung dynasty Vietnam was part of the Chinese empire. So Chinese culture and religious practices hold a strong grip over the lives of the Vietnamese people. Vietnam nowadays is very much a part of ASEAN in spirit, belief, thought and action. Another friend not easily forgotten was Markus Gamper an affable and jovial fresh university graduate from Heidelberg who was touring Vietnam with his much reserved fraulein. We, poking fun at him, called him Hans Fritz a throwback to our pre-teen days when we gobbled with gusto comics on the Second World War. In a similiar vein he addressed yours truly as Mr Lee in deference to Singapore's first prime minister and Siew Kong as Jackie Chan, a contemporary Chinese brand par excellence.
Don't you think this is true?: "Come gather 'round people. Wherever you roam. And admit that the waters around you have grown. And accept it that soon. You will be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you sink like a stone. For the times they are a changin' " Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are A Changin'"

Ba Dinh Square and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

2008-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Min's Office. Within the grounds of the Presidential Palace is a simple house with an annex used as a garage for the cars used by Ho Chi Minh. It is a spartanly equipped office.

The Citadel. The Citadel was constructed by Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyen dynasty and completed in 1812. it was built over a larger Citadel of the Le dynasty. It now houses military facilities. It lies at the eastern border of the Ba Dinh Square the nation's ceremonial epicentre. Ho Chi Minh read out the Declaration of Independence on September 2 1945 and here Independence is commemorated each national Day with military parade and much fanfare and pomp and pageantry.
Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. The Mausoleum faces the Ba Dinh Square. It is the most important cultural and historical monument of Vietnam. After Ho Chi Minh died in 1969 his body was embalmed by Russian experts and in 1975 his body was displayed for public viewing inside the Mausoleum.
The Presidential Palce. The Palace was built in 1901 and was the place of abode of the Governor General of French Indochina. After independence in 1954 President Ho Chi Minh built a modest dwelling house nearby and another small building complex to house his office and garage. The Presidentail Palace was reserved for ceremonial functions such as for welcoming of foreign dignitaries and state banquets.
Ho Chi Minh's House. Ho Chi Minh built this modest house behind the Presidential Palace modelled on an ethnic minority stilt-house with open sides and split bamboo screens. The stilt-house faces a garden and a fishing pond.

The Old Quarter of Hanoi

2008-03-31T06:18:00.001-07:00

The Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is more than 2000 yeras old. In the 13th century it comprised 36 streets (The name "36 Streets" still sticks to this day) and each of the street housed a distinctive type of business or Hang in both Vietnamese and Cantonese. Even today to a certain extent some of the streets are still dedicated to the original craft or their modern form although for recent inventions like the PCs and mobile phones such shops are found all of the Old Quarter. The most colourful is Hang Guat Street decorated with bright red banners and lacquerware for funerals and religious festivals. The shop houses are all very narrow as the tax was based on the width of the shop front. Hence the traditional shop houses are known as "tube-houses". Many of the streets in the Old Quarter are very narrow but it is not much a problem even nowadays for the vehicles to navigate as they comprise mainly of motor cycles, bicycles and pedicabs known locally as cyclos.
Guan Chuong Gate. Found along Hang Chieu Street (street of mats and ropes) in the Old Quarter is the remnant of the old City Gate. The city wall was built in 1010 AD and the area inside the wall housed the emperor and his court. Of the four gates only the Guan Chuong Gate remained.
Sitting on low stools for their meals. A common sight in the Old Quarter are people sitting on low stools holding their bowl of food along the street pavements. Such sights brought back memories of my childhood in the 1950s and early 1960s. I enjoyed yam cake and Chinese crullers and "ham chin bank" (salty Chinese deep-fried cake) washed with watery rice porridge and red bean gruels sold by food vendors operating in the five-foot way along Bukit Bintang Road in Kuala Lumpur close to then BB Amusement Park. One or two old shop houses are still there although I do not know the fate of the vendors or their descendants.

The French Quarter of Hanoi

2008-03-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

The Opera House. Now officially known as the Municipal Theatre. The French based it on the neo-Baroque Paris Opera with Ionic columns and grey slate tiles imported from France. It was opened in 1911 and was the focus of French colonial culture and arts. Soon after independence audiences were treated to performances in praise of the socialism and the achievements of the proletariat. The building has recently been restored to its former glory reminiscent of the days of the French Indochina empire.
The Grand Metropole Palace. Nowadays known as Hotel Sofitel Metropole. Opened in 1901 it became one of South east Asia's great hotel in the class of The Strand in Rangoon, the Oriental in Bangkok, The Raffles in Singapore and the E & O in Penang. Illustrious guests included British writer Graham Greene who came in 1952 and wrote The Quiet American there. In 1972 actress Jane Fonda stayed in Metropole while making her infamous broadcast over Radio Hanoi condemning President Nixon and charged that Nixon would never succeed in making Vietnam a neo-American colony. For that she was cruelly nick-named Hanoi Jane.
Residence of the Governor of Tonkin. This imposing Art Deco structure was constructed in 1918 and was the residence of the Governor of Tonkin which together with Annam in central Vietnam and Cochin China in south Vietnam formed the three governate of Vietnam. The supremo the Governor General of French Indochina encompassing Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia resided at the Presidential Palace in another part of Hanoi. It is now the State Guest House. It also houses the State Bank in its lofty halls and was previously occupied by Bank of Indochina or Banque d' Indochine

Hanoi, Old World Confucian Charm With A Touch Of Paris

2008-03-31T04:41:00.003-07:00

The Tortoise Tower on tiny Island in Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of Restored Sword in Vietnamese and Cantonese). The tower and the lake refer to a legend of a Vietnamese general Le Loi who led an uprising against the Chinese in the 15th century. He became King Le Thai To and after 10 years of the epic battle he returned to thank the spirit of the lake. His sword flew out of the scabbard into the mouth of a golden tortoise an omen that the gods of the lake had reclaimed the sword.
Den Ngoic Son (Temple of the Jade Mould). On another island stands a small temple founded in the 14th century and is dedicated to another hero General Tran Hung Dao who defeated the invading Mongols in 1288. This deity sits on the principal altar. The temple is also dedicated to the other dieties, Van Xuong the God of Literature, physician La To and martial arts expert Quan Vu. The temple buildings date from the 1800s.
The statue of Emperor Ly Thai To. This statue stands in a square facing Hoan Kiem Lake. Ly Thai To was the first ruler of the Ly dynasty (1009 to 1225 AD) of Vietnam who chose the site of Hanoi for his capital.
Water Puppet Theatre. Located at the north east bank of Hoan Kiem Lake. Water puppetry is a traditional art form with a distinctive cultural identy with Vietnam.

"Good Morning Vietnam" movie with theme song "What a Wonderful World"

2008-03-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

The War Remnants Museum. Welcome here if you want your mind to be tormented and your stomach churned. View the grisly exhibits depicting the horrors and carnage of war. They bring back my memories watching the TV in the late 1960s and early 1970s showing images of war planes spraying napalm bombs and defoliant known commonly as "agent orange". I vividly recall the lyrics of John Lennon songs which include "Imagine", "Give Peace a Chance" and "Happy Xmas (War is Over)".
"Imagine there is no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion too! Imagine all the people. Living life in peace".........
The lyrics are soulfully and hauntingly true but the world is still not living in peace today.

The Sights, Sounds and Smell of New and Old Saigon

2008-03-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

Municipal Theatre. The century-old theatre at Lam Son Square witnessed great operas and plays during the French colonial era. The South Vietnamese National Assembly was temporarily housed in the theatre.
Water Puppet. Vietnam's famed water puppet had its beginnings in the 11th Century. The puppet shows depict life in the countryside in the days long past.

Xa Loi Pagoda. Starting from June 1963 and lasting until just before the fall of Saigon on April 30 1975 a number of monks from Xa Loi Pagoda carried out self-immolation in public by setting fire to their petrol-doused bodies while meditating in a sitting lotus position. Initially they protested against the anti-Buddhist policies of the staunchly Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem who was assassinated in November 1963. Later the monks protested against the civil war between the North Vietnamese supported Vietcong and the American supported military regime which succeeded President Ngo. In the morning of June 11 1963 a group of monks marched out of Xa Loi Pagoda to the intersection of Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Dinh Chieu. There Thich Quang Duc a 66-year old monk from Hue was set alight while passers-by prostrated themselves before him.

Pork Galore. Such push-cart stalls selling pork are found in abundance especially in the morning in Cholon, the Chinatown. Don't worry.....no flies, no maggots and your nostrils would not be assaulted!
Hotel Majestic. Old landmark facing the confluence of the Saigon River and the stinky garbage-strewn Ben Nghe Channel.
Hotel Equatorial. The New, a Malaysian hotel chain which started operations in Saigon's Chinatown, Cholon some 10 years back.
The Reunification Palace. This was the former Presidential Palace. A North Vietnamese tank stormed the main gate on April 30 1975 thus ending the civil war. The fall of Saigon was dramatic as besides the chaos arising from the fleeing South Vietnamese army US helicopters made several landings on the heli-pad at the US Embassy to pick up fear-stricken US nationals and Vietnamese employees of the US government. They were ferried to American naval vessels lying along the coast of then South Vietnam. It was an extreme moment of anguish, pain and fear.

Photos taken at the Cu Chi Tunnels

2008-03-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

Shocked and Awed: American tank stopped in its track by Vietcong sappers.
The Vietcongs: Nowadays we can consort with the VCs with impunity. No fear of reprisals!
The Spider-hole. Poor Saddam Hussein was stucked in one of these in Iraq. The puny-sized Vietnamese can snuggly seek refuge in them.
Booby-trap. Beware! Don't fall into one of these traps. The rusty nails will impale you!

Claustrophobic World at Cu Chi Tunnels

2008-03-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Cu Chi tunnels are located in a wide area located at about an hour's drive north-west of Ho Chi-Minh City. Some 250 kilometres of tunnels criss-crossed the Cu Chi area. Tourists may visit the tunnels at two sites, namely, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc.

Statues of Great Vietnamese Heroes

2008-03-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Statue of Tran Hung Dao.
It stands majestically facing the Saigon River at Mei Linh Square close to the end of busy thoroughfare Dong Khoi road which was known as Rue Catinat in the glorious French empire days.

Statue of Tran Nguyen Hai at the roundabout close to the busy Ben Thanh Market and the city bus terminus

The Grandeur of old Saigon as reflected by her iconic buildings

2008-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral lies in the heart of the old French Quarter. It is now located within the business and commercial centre of Saigon

Hotel de Ville depicting classical French architecture at her best

The Rex Hotel. The gathering place and watering hole of the old French Colonial elite

The Caravelle Hotel.
Time for happy hours and at times a rendezvous of the French Colonialist masters.

Traipsing the streets of Saigon in search of French Colonial & Contemporary Saigon

2008-03-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Park in front of Reunification Palace. Saigon is a city of greenery. There are many parks in the city. When the sun is up or down the people love to relax or laze aound in park benches or kerb-side or even enjoy the splendour of the grass. The French had left behind an exquisite legacy of tree-lined streets and wide boulevards.
Street-side tailor. One can find many street-side tailors operating along the side-walk in busy streets of Saigon. You don't need to return home or to your hotel room to have a change of clothes. Just get the stitch done there and then!
Street-side barber. Many street-side barbers do a roaring business under the shade of trees along the side-walks. Enjoy city noise, sniff petrol fumes and shower with dust while you relax with a hair cut and shave.

The Cong Vien Van Hoa Park next to the Reunification Palace (former Presidential Palace)

Every morning and evening thousands of Saigonians throng the parks of the city. You will soon go out of business selling slimming products in Saigon!