Something to Declare

Final Post (No. 11). If it’s Friday, this must be the end.

This way to the egrets; on to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Friday, March 31. Okay, finally figured out how to insert a map (thanks to Val, my Blog Mentor). Here it is:

Arrived in Singapore (1) via Taipei. Then to Bali (2). On to Yogyakarta (or “Jogja”) (3), on the island of Java. Because of airline schedules, we had to get to Sandakan (State of Sabah, on the island of Borneo (4) via Kuala Lumpur (5). After Borneo, back to Kuala Lumpur (5), with a one-day side-trip to Penang (6).

Now, to fill you in on what’s transpired since Post No.10.

We left Sukau, on Borneo, on Tuesday, March 28. Another speedboat ride (2+ hours; more egret sightings, and a large crocodile) back to Sandakan airport for flight to Kuala Lumpur (“KL” to the cognoscenti).

Next morning (Wednesday, March 29), we were off to the Batu Caves (from Malay “batu,” meaning “rock,” 400,000,000-year-old limestone in this case). it is guarded by a huge golden statue.

The natural limestone cave houses a temple accessed by stairways that total over 330 steps (whew!), with macaques hanging out on steps and bannisters, grabbing food from visitors.

The temple itself, a Hindu shrine, was originally used as shelter by indigenous people. The temple is “staffed” by monks, one of whom appeared to be wearing sort of Hindu tefillin.

Next stop was the Jamek Mosque, where we were required to don more modest clothes (get a load of Stef in a hijab):

We were given a tour, which included a poster describing the Abrahamic faiths, and which claimed that Abraham was “neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a strict believer of one God, a Muslim, submitting to the will of Allah. And he did not associate partners with Allah.” Also that Noah (“Nuh”), Abraham (“Ibrahim”), Moses (“Musa”) and Jesus (“Isa al-Masi”) were all “prophets of Islam.”

Stef’s efforts to challenge our tour guide regarding these assertions were unsuccessful. He insisted that, since “Islam” meant “submission to the one God,” all of these folks had to be, by definition, Muslim prophets. Uhhhh….sure.

A visit to Chinatown and another temple, then to Little India for lunch. I thought it was great, but Stef thought it was too spicy; to each their own taste, I guess. And then on to the “pièce de résistance“, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

Great view of one tower from the other:

88 stories, 1,483 feet high. The world’s tallest twin structure. As New Yorkers, we feel a pang (9/11 and all that). Steel and glass façade, designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art.

Thursday, March 30. The last day of our trip was a whiz-bang finale. Up at 4 am for our flight to Penang. By funicular to Kek Lok Si Temple, followed by visit to….

…the Jewish cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1805, believed to be the oldest single Jewish cemetery in southeast Asia. It’s on Jalain Zainal Abidin Road. Formerly “Jahudi Road” (Jews’ Road). The graves go back to 1835, of one Rachamah Levi, who donated the land for the cemetery

The triangular shape is said to be consistent with ossuaries found in the Middle East. There is no longer a Jewish community in Penang (many emigrated to Australia), and the most recent grave is dated 2011. In keeping with Jewish tradition, we left small stones on some of the tombstones.

Several more ornate temples, including one housing a Reclining Buddha. Followed, in Georgetown (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) by some walks around compounds owned by Khoo Kongsi and other Chinese organizations.

These were, we were told, the local Chinese equivalent of “mafia” families. There were wars between these clans, and the Brits had to intervene occasionally to maintain order.

The day in Penang was grueling, with intense heat and humidity. It ended with a tour of the home of one of the wealthy Peranakan (mixed Chinese-Malay) families.

We got to the Penang airport in the late afternoon, but a delay prevented us from leaving until 8:30 pm. Since it’s a Muslim country, no bar at the airport to pass the time; but we did score some decent chocolate gelato. Got back to KL very late, but we made time for a romantic cocktail on the roof of the hotel, with a view of the KL Tower, before turning in, before the long haul back to NYC.

That’s it, folks. The next edition of “Something to Declare” will be from a short tour I’m taking of Poland in May. Trading the southeast Asian dumplings for pierogi. Stay tuned.