Tree Cotton

It's that time of year... the tree cotton (Bombax ceiba) is beginning to flower, bringing some color to the city. And yes, it's quite closely related to the cotton plant: both belong to the mallow family.



Find the bird in the photo.


Flowers up close

So... Why cemeteries and graves?

People have asked me why I engage in this unusual hobby, which the good folks at FindAGrave.com refer to as "graving."

If I could boil it down to one word, it would be this: "information."

Years ago I became interested in genealogy: tracing my family tree. There are many sources of information out there--vital records, Social Security indices, obituaries, library records and so forth--many of which can be searched online or ordered through the mail. But there's another source of genealogical information that most often requires personal visits, frequently involving long-distance travel at considerable expense, followed by exhaustive searches in-person searches. This would be cemeteries.

If only there were a convenient online source in which genealogists and historians could look up people's burial information.

Well, FindAGrave.com has become such a source. It's completely dependent on the work of volunteers: there are thousands of people walking cemeteries around the world (mostly the US, Canada and the UK) and inputting information onto the site.

My goals in graving are two-fold: first, to pinpoint the locations of cemeteries of which online descriptions are poor or non-existant; and second, to photograph and record gravestones in order to create online transcriptions of the data.

Sometimes I visit a cemetery and just walk around taking photos of gravestones that catch my eye; this is the case especially with large cemeteries. With a few select cemeteries, however, my goal is to record every single legible gravestone (and even decipher illegible ones if possible).

Living in Asia, I have had the opportunity to contribute data from cemeteries in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia. I hope to visit Singapore one of these days, and also India and Indonesia.

What do I get out of it? Well, apart from the thrill of the detective work and travel involved, I have also received a number of emails from people thanking me for finding long-lost relatives and friends. These emails make it all worthwhile.

Snake Temple and Kuala Lumpur

High on the list of Penang's long-promoted tourist attractions is the Snake Temple. That name alone conjures up exotic mental images of a temple slithering with deadly vipers, cobras and pythons, where you have to be careful where you tread lest one sneak up on you from some nook or cranny. Think Snakes on a Plane, but in a temple.

Unfortunately, the name of the place is a set-up for disappointment if you go there with high expectations. It's only worth going as a curiosity, and only as a quick stop-over on the way to or from the airport, where it's close to. Don't make a special trip out here unless you have absolutely nothing better to do. It's free, at the very least.

The reality is that it's little more than a run-of-the-mill Chinese temple. Snakes? Yes, there are snakes, but only a few.

Snake Temple


I walked into the main sanctuary, and saw nothing unusual: a table in the middle with offerings of fruit and incense, three niches in the back dedicated to different Taoist gods, and a desk where a monk sat quietly. One young worshipper was there; she was performing the usual "bai bai" ritual that the Chinese often do.

There was one major difference from other temples: on the altar in front of the central niche, dedicated to Qingshui Zushi (the same deity that Sanxia's Zushi Temple is dedicated to), were two wicker frames, looking somewhat like trees. Coiled on each of these frames were two or three Wagler's pit vipers (Tropidolaemus wagleri). No other snakes were to be seen in the room.



The snakes are just sitting there... it's claimed that they're doped up on the smoke of the incense. Still, this species is one to sit quietly for long periods of time, striking fast when prey happens to pass by. It's also said that these particular snakes have been de-venomed, but they still have their fangs. Visitors are warned not to disturb them.

Closer!


Closer still!


In an adjacent chamber there are two snake handlers who will try to convince you to have a photo taken with one of three Burmese pythons, charging you nine bucks US for the honor. No thanks...

Behind the temple is a pretty garden, and another sanctuary, this one dedicated to Guanyin. But that's about all there is. Nothing spectacular. I am glad that I visited, though. Curiosity satisfied.

So to the bus stop, and on to the airport. Once I arrived at the airport, they asked me if I wanted to get on an earlier flight. Sure, that would make things easier for me. More daylight time to spend in Kuala Lumpur, searching for the Cheras Road Christian Cemetery.

Long story short, I arrived at KL, took 3 different commuter trains, walked a mile, and arrived at the cemetery. It's huge, and has a special section maintained by the CWGC.



There's also a section dedicated to Henry L. G. Gurney, a former governor of Malaysia who was killed by the Japanese.



Getting there was quite a trip... hot, sweaty, taxing. Now I'm in the air-conditioned comfort of the airport, awaiting a morning flight to Taipei.

That's it! My trip to Malaysia.

Kuala Kangsar

Today I decided to go to the pleasant little town of Kuala Kangsar in search of another elusive cemetery. I've found several sources telling me the location of it, but all of them have problems of some kind. One says it's in the western end of town (it's not), another says it's on Bukit Chandan Road (it's not), and another says it's near the "Government Resthouse" (such a place doesn't exist). To pinpoint the location once and for all, I had one option: to go there myself.

It's not difficult to get to Kuala Kangsar from Penang if you're familiar with the buses in Taiping. I am, so though it took 3 buses to get there (including the Taiping rattletrap Red Omnibus #8)...


... it was quick and easy. And the drive took me through some pretty countryside. Upon arrival I checked the ticket counters and saw there was a bus going directly back to Penang at 4:15 pm. Perfect! Three hours to explore, and a comfortable, convenient return!

Kuala Kangsar is a very small town, and easy to get around on foot. I went to where I thought the cemetery might be, and soon found it: Bukit Chandan Cemetery. It's located behind the Kuala Kangsar Rest House (not the "Government Resthouse"). It's a small cemetery, and I photographed all the legible graves there.



Then I continued along the road to take a look at Masjid Ubudiah, a famous mosque in the city.



Fishing in the Perak River


Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa)


A Kuala Kangsar claim to fame: Malaysia's oldest rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), planted in 1877.


A game of cricket


Then I went back to Penang. Here's the bus terminal at Butterworth.



"May the Official of Heaven bestow good fortune upon us!"


Quiet Penang street scene


Lok Lok ("happy happy"): Pieces of food on skewers, which you boil in broth and then eat with sauces. The sticks are color-coded according to price, and when you're done, the stall owner takes the sticks and tallies up the total.


Tomorrow: the Snake Temple, then a flight to Kuala Lumpur to visit the Cheras Road Christian Cemetery!

Hanging around

Today I hung around town, taking it relatively easy. I upgraded to an air-con room at the hotel, because it's been getting pretty insufferably hot.

I lunched at Krishna Restaurant in Little India, where I had huge helpings of rice, dal and condiments for about US$1.30.



Then I walked around, never straying too far from the hotel, so I could relax in air conditioned comfort between exploration breaks.

I also revisited the Protestant Cemetery, and took a brief video. This starts at the grave of Capt. Francis Light, founder of Penang, and ends at the grave of Thomas Leonowens, husband of Anna. If you listen carefully, you can hear the call of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) at the beginning of the video.

Just click play:


While at the cemetery I came across this little critter:


For dinner I had a stir fried noodle dish called Hokkien Char. Very good.


The stall where they prepared it:


Gecko on the wall.