Trip to Taiping

Today was a trip to Taiping to visit two places I missed during last year's visit. The first was the elusive Kamunting Road Christian Cemetery. The reasons I had such trouble finding it were erroneous directions given by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, the fact that the cemetery is not located on Kamunting Road, and the fact that the cemetery's official name has been changed to Christian Cemetery Taiping. I needed to actually visit the place to confirm that it was indeed the right cemetery, and it is. I've found in my cemetery research, directions and descriptions of locations of cemeteries are so poor and spotty that I often have to go there in person to get the location nailed down.



I discovered it quite by accident last year... I simply noticed it as the bus I was riding in happened to pass by it. Now part of the cemetery is being worked on by the CWGC.



My next stop was All Saints Church, which happens to be Malaysia's oldest Anglican church. I heard in the news not long ago that an attempt to firebomb the church was made by angry Islamic fundamentalists after the Malaysian Supreme Court ruled that non-Muslims had the right to use the word "Allah" to refer to their god. Thankfully the plot was foiled, but it made it even more urgent for me to visit the place lest any damage be done before I see it.



I photographed as many of the legible gravestones as I could, and then had a quiet little picnic on the cool, shaded steps at the church doorway. It was Sunday, but nary a soul was around.

Then I took the local bus back to the bus station. As I was waiting for the bus to leave, an Indian woman who was quite overweight struggled to board the bus. The two Malay teen boys in front of me (the very first row) started laughing at her, and she launched into a tirade at them. I gave up my seat to her, with the double benefit of giving her an easy plce to sit, plus she ended up sitting right behind the kids for the entire busride, berating them! The kids deserved it! I ended up sitting next to a man who sat with a wide stance and who would start laughing unprovoked (he had no headphones on, so he wasn't listening to comedy). Then when the bus came to the terminus, he stayed on board. Methinks he was a little bonkers.

After that short but hellish local busride, I boarded the intercity bus back to Penang.



Then at night, there was a Lantern Festival parade. It was 14 days after Chinese New Year, which is when the most festive CNY events usually take place. In the parade, the gods from different temples around the island were being paraded around. The gods Fude (the god of the earth) and Matsu (goddess of the sea) were highly represented. Tigers were a major theme too, it being the Year of the Tiger.

At one point, it became Night of the Dueling Gods. During the parade, the Muslim call to prayer rang out from the mosques around the city. The goddess Matsu with her blinking lights and banging drums was passing right in front of the mosque next door as that happened! I gotta say: diversity makes things interesting!

Here you can see a winged tiger, behind which, sitting on a small throne under an ornate roof, is Fude.



And what better way to celebrate the Year of the Tiger than a Tiger Beer?

A laid back day

Today I slept in quite late, blissfully unaware of the morning call to prayer broadcasted from the nearby mosque, thanks to my earplugs (which I consider, next to my passport, money, backpack, camera and clothing, my most essential travel gear).

I've recorded the call to prayer, and will put it up here as soon as I figure out how.

I went for a late breakfast at the dim sum place. On the way there, I walked along this walkway.



After breakfast, I went over to the Protestant Cemetery again, looking for more overlooked names. I found perhaps a dozen. I even spent several minutes trying to read a well-worn gravestone, finally figuring out it wasn't in English at all; it was in Armenian!

While there, I encountered an Australian guy, and he was interested in what I was doing. I told him I was an amateur researcher transcribing the cemetery and putting the data online. He told me, "You know, there's a website where you can add your own burial records... 'Find A Grave', or something like that."

After that, I decided to go to the Sheikh Omar Basheer Mausoleum. It's quite small and off the beaten path.



Next to it is a small Muslim cemetery.


A closeup of an Islamic gravestone


Then I went back downtown.

Chulia Street, the main drag of the old part of town.


As I walked from the bus stop, I saw this: one of the most poisonous plants on the face of the earth!

Oleander (Nerium oleander)


Street food: one of many things Penang is renowned for

A fruitful day

Today I took a trip outside of Penang, into the center of Perak State. I went in search of two cemeteries I missed last year...not enough time. Problem is that because of the somewhat screwy bus system here, it required a lot of effort to get to my main destination: the small town of Batu Gajah. To get there, you first have to go to Ipoh, the state capital, and change buses. Fair enough. But oddly enough, to get to Ipoh, a major city, you first have to go to Gopeng, further to the south by about 13km, then change buses and go back north.

So the ride from Penang (well, actually, Butterworth, on the mainland) went smoothly and surprisingly quickly. Changed buses at Gopeng, but I had to ask several people before I found the right place to catch the bus. Anyway, so far so good.. arrived at the Ipoh City Terminal.

Fortunately, the Ipoh Christian Cemetery is an easy ten-minute walk from the bus station. This was one of my intended destinations, and it made an easy stop.



Back at the bus station, I found the bus to Batu Gajah. The driver was playing music that sounded like Bollywood's Greatest Hits. It was comfortable, air conditioned. Finally, at Batu Gajah, the bus pulled over, and the conductor said, "Here we are," and left me at the side of the road with no idea where I was. I couldn't find the location on the map I had printed out. (Turns out the big highway intersection where I was dropped off at is so new that Google Maps doesn't have it mapped yet!)

I crossed the street, and randomly approached a Chinese-run lumberyard. The woman there was exceedingly friendly and helpful, and arranged to have one of her truck drivers drive me, free of charge, to my destination: God's Little Acre.

Turns out that God's Little Acre this is one of the loveliest little cemeteries I'd ever visited. The trees there overwhelmed the place with color and scents: white, pink and deep-red plumeria (frangipani), bougainvillea, hibiscus, euphorbias, stately palms and cypress. Even a papaya tree with ripe fruit I was tempted to take and make a meal out of.



Red plumeria


Bougainvillea


Now the sky was threatening... I could see massive cumulus clouds by the mountains and hear thunder roaring in the distance. Time to go.

I know... I could try taking the train back. I walked past the old prison (still in use... a guard in the tower watched as I walked by), past a historic hospital, by some splendid parks, into the city, and to the spot where the train station was listed on my map.

But it was closed!

Asking around, I learned that there was a new one, several kilometers down the road. I decided to cab it. The cabbie whisked me there, all the way past the Chinese lumberyard, and to the station. Once there, I learned that the next train wouldn't come for an hour and a half, and the trip would take 4 hours! I could get there much faster by retracing my steps: bus, bus then bus. So that's what I did. I walked back to the Chinese lumberyard (to save me about 20 minutes, I climbed an embankment up to the highway overpass instead of following the road around), and chatted with the people there, thanking them once again. They showed me where to wait for the bus to Ipoh, and told which bus to take. (Very gracious, helpful people!)

Soon the bus came, and just in time too, because the skies opened up with heavy rains and thunder. On the way back, we passed the old train station, and I noticed there was a bus stop just opposite it, where I could have waited if only I had known... So, back to Ipoh, then Gopeng, and then Butterworth... with very little waiting between buses. Pretty much arrived at the station, and hopped on. The bus got me back to Penang an hour and a half earlier than the train would have.

Now I'm cooling down in my guesthouse bedroom... I filled a towel with ice and an using it like a cold compress. Works like a charm!

Revisiting old haunts

I started my day with a dim sum breakfast at Tai Tong Restoran (45 Cintra Street), a place I discovered last year. Cheap and delicious! Highly recommended!



I walked past the place I stayed at during my visit last year. It's closed for renovations.


For those who don't know, one of my reasons for coming here is to research historic cemeteries. I'm a volunteer for FindAGrave.com, a website whose goal is to become a comprehensive listing of cemeteries and interments. It's an odd hobby, to be sure, but I love the history, the detective work and the travel involved.

So I went to the Protestant Cemetery. On the way, I passed by this place, with an interesting name.


At the Protestant Cemetery, I found dozens of graves I missed during my transcription effort last year.


The yellow flame trees (Peltophorum pterocarpum) were in bloom at the cemetery. Fallen flowers coated some tombs.


I also transcribed about 10 more graves from the adjacent Catholic Cemetery. But I was soon chased out by some huge ants!

The plumeria was in bloom too.


Then I went to the Jewish Cemetery.


At the Jewish Cemetery, I found some graves I missed last year. The caretaker showed me one corner that I hadn't seen before, and he gave me some stones to place on the graves.

Then I went for some dinner... I had some kuay teow (a tasty stir-fried noodle dish) at a coffee shop I visited last year... one that claims to be "runned by a small modal". I looked around, but didn't see any small modals.

Tomorrow, I will either go to Batu Gajah or Taiping, depending on what time I get up.

All Settled In

Landed at 5:00, on the bus by 5:30, in town by 6:30. Plenty of sunlight left!

Went to the hostel I stayed at last year, 100 Cintra, but they're closed for renovations. My second choice, the popular Blue Diamond, was full. So I went to my third choice, the Oasis Hotel, which was once the popular backpacker hangout Swiss Hotel until the owner sold the place to another local hotel operator. It's a little worse for the wear from what I remember, but they're the same price as the place I stayed last year, and they have free wireless Internet!!

I still had an hour of daylight left, so I went exploring.

St. George's Church, closed for badly needed renovations.


Chinese lanterns and Kapitan Keling Mosque


Devotions inside Sri Mariamman Temple


A Hindu shrine


Some lanterns at a Chinese temple


The amazing thing is that all these places of worship, of so many different religions, are within a couple blocks of each other.

Now for some well-deserved sleep!

Flight delay

Well, my flight is delayed, and as thing are going I will miss my connecting flight. I have no idea what time I'll be getting into Penang. I hope I can get into the hostel I stayed in last year. Wait and see, I guess.... (sigh)

Update: I'm now at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Free wireless! The flight was delayed in Taiwan for 2 1/2 hours due to fog, and missed my original connecting flight. Now I'm waiting for a flight that leaves at 4:10. Then another hour or so of flying, plus immigration, plus bus ride, plus walk... looks like I might be arriving at the hostel around sunset... I had hoped to arrive during the daytime. Oh well...

Trip to Malaysia

It's about time for my annual spring trip. I'm going to Penang again. This time I'll spend a little more time in Malaysia, and make some more distant trips.

I leave on Malaysia Airlines bright and early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

Spanish Needle

A very common weed in Taiwan:

Spanish Needle (Bidens pilosa)

Creeping Inch Plant

Another plant in my neighborhood. This creeper is commonly seen growing out of rain gutters.

Creeping Inch Plant (Callisia repens)