Penang, revisited, a second look.

Penang, on a more positive note is renowned for the quality of it's kitchen. The large and varied menus available would satisfy most food fanatics .Restaurants, cafes and many food markets offer many specialist and personal dishes. The " old town" which is still mainly in tact is unfortunately in a state deterioration and in need of some serious maintenance. I was told by a local that they did not want renovation, but rather restoration, an entirely different outcome. The last thing they wanted was a Melaka make over were the tourist is king. Much renovation results in a façade with a new building behind. To restore something you need to use original materials and techniques, not new plastic or incompatible material laid over the old. The Blue Mansion should be the model.

This central old town classified as heritage badly need attention. I believe rent controls and other unhelpful government measures, designed to stop demolition are a major draw back. Unfortunately this results in a total lack of maintenance by owners that naturally results in run down buildings. Given that this area is now classified as protected, and provided there is no political corruption there must be some way to encourage owners to repair and paint these structures and not demolish them if given the chance. It could be some tax incentive is required.

This is not a unique Penang problem, excessive greed is world wide, but it does offer the opportunity for some creative thinking on the part of the government in addressing the problem. Strong and honest government should be able to solve many of these difficulties. The city is more than worth the effort, so Penang can truly call itself the Pearl of the Orient.

Penang Island, Malaysia

We are finally on the road home after some three months of travel. I'm not sure if it is old age, but I am starting to look forward to that last air journey. I last visited Penang in the early 1950's during the time of the political struggle by the communists, when the survival of Malaya was very much at stake. I was quite young then and everything was an adventure. It was not hard to see that life here and in Singapore was hard for the local population. How have things changed? Well Singapore speaks for itself, a first world economy and continually goes from strength to strength. How about Malaysia, has the same progress been made. I can only speak as an outsider and express a view as such. there is no doubt much has been done, but I am not sure enough focus is being directed to improving services. I'm talking about tourism now as I am not qualified to discuss the Malaysian economy in general terms. Tourism should be a strong focal point to draw in foreign exchange, but I have found too many people intent on the selling and not enough on service. Penang has many attractions, but they are too often poorly developed, often sit in what to some may be described as a garbage dump. You would think that the Botanical Gardens would have a proper cafe to have lunch. That restaurants would be more interested in selling their food than beer, that  money travel cards would be an accepted means of payment and cash withdrawals from banks would be possible. Such facilities are available in Armenia hardly an economic power house. Sadly not in Malaysia, I have tried several banks to no avail, often spending a day to retrieve my card after the ATM machine has swallowed it. Tourists all over the world use debit cards why not Malaysia. I could go on, but if Malaysia wants a tourist industry they need to improve their act. Luckily I had some euros in my pocket as otherwise I would have been stranded here without any cash. There are however some bright spots, people are trying to preserve their heritage and I wish them well. I do not wish to sound negative, but Penang has been a disappointment.  Hopefully things will improve.

Buddha Park

Looking towards the river, Buddha Park.

 

Buddha Park.

Sometimes you find yourself caught up in a series of events without  control . My bus ride to the Buddha Park outside Vientiane was one . Arriving at the bus station ,simply to enquire about the time table, I was suddenly bundled through a crowd  of Tuk-Tuk drivers and bus passengers onto a bus marked Thadena  Road. Before being able to explain why we were there, we found ourselves on a bus heading out of town. The bus had been hailed by our helper as it was pulling out of the station. Anxiously, I asked the conductor to let us off on arrival at the Buddha Park, she assured me everything would be fine.

Eventually, we arrived at the Friendship Bridge, a road link across the Mekong to Thailand. On alighting, we were whisked once more by a friendly Lao to a very old bus that had seen better days. Our assistant this time told me not to pay more than 12000 kip. This may sound  a lot, but in fact was only $1.50. During the next twenty minutes ,we were treated to a display of pot hole avoidance The dirt road was used by many heavy trucks, and had deep pits and gullies every few metres. The springs of our old bus also were in need of urgent attention, we spent a greater part of the time air born above its torn and battered seats, hanging on as best we could.

I have always had a fascination with what is often called Fantasy Parks, no doubt my interest in using recycled materials in my work  helped .Luang Phu Bouneua Soulilat, a Lao sculptor of considerable note, created this collection of sculptures on the banks’ of the Mekong a number of years ago. He claimed his imagery was inspired by the teachings of a Hindu holy man he had meet in a cave in Vietnam. Regardless of the origins, this park is the result, and it is quite over whelming. In all such situations, is difficult to convey the overall feel of this imaginative undertaking. Dozens of Hindu and Buddhist images , demons and animals all  standing in an open field .Luang Phu  fell out with the Government in 1975, left the country , and  some  how  found the energy to recreat another similar park on the Thai side of the river.

The first image a visitor meets when arriving at the park, is a large spherical Stupa like structure. You enter through the large gaping mouth of a demon. Once inside you follow the circular path around and around to the top. On the way up you may view an internal chamber through openings to see  the  independent  diorama within. Each level tells a different story, starting with hell, then earth, and finally heaven were you emerge onto the domed roof .Great care is required as you walk around this dome as several areas are fairly slippery, and the ground seems a long way down. The low concrete rail wall running around the edge does not give great confidence.

Despite my vertigo, I decided to make a number of drawings of the park from the roof, some of which I have included here. Most sculptures were of Buddha, and various Hindu Ramayana characters .The whole collection is extraordinary, even with the assistance of amateur artists under Soulilates’ direction the park must have taken many years to build. This eclectic collection, also includes elephants, crocodiles, enormous  insects, along with vestal virgins dancing on giant coiled cobras. Most of these sculptures have been constructed with an internal brick core, then rendered with concrete and  have tool  textured surfaces. Others have been built over metal armature, that is also rendered with concrete. Unfortunately, many works have not been well maintained resulting in missing arms, legs, and serious fractures in the concrete.

                                                                     View from dome top.

When I first read about this park, I imaged Luang Phu had created a critical vision of Buddhist and Hindu belief, but in fact the park has a strong religious feel, and many locals pay religious respect to the various images. At the far end of the meadow, past a large reclining Buddha running down one side of the park, there is a small cafe that serves lunches. The day we were there a young musician was playing plaintive music on his flute under a banyan tree. Both visitors and the contented cows grazing at the river’s edge much appreciated  his efforts. It seemed to create an atmosphere of a harmonious and peaceful world.

Night arrival in Kuala Lumpur

 

Night Impression of Kuala Lumpur.

 

Arriving in a new city in the middle of the night, often engenders a sense of excitement. An  unknown, hidden behind  walls of darkness, broken only by the random cry of brilliant lights. All the colours of a rainbow, spreading out, twinkling in a tapestry of patterns. Speeding through the dark from airport to hotel, your eye and mind only see the brilliant floral display of colour without the distracting presence of any ugly sight. Kuala Lumpur seems dressed for some great occasion, its’ public parks and streets dressed in Sunday best. Trees combed with bright coloured lights lead the eye from one delightful vista to the next. Iconic building clothed in a coloured light show, that travels down walls and across  streets. My driver informs me it is all for Independence Day later in the week.

 

The unforgiving light of dawn draws back this wondrous curtain, revealing the underbelly of reality. Still first impressions remain strong, fixing themselves in mind and soul, prompting further exploration of this new world. The urban landscape offers up an extraordinary contrast of old and new. Adventurous architecture stands shoulder to shoulder like sentries guarding the past. Buildings with stained tropical cement walls, support rows of air conditioners that piece their rooftops. Trees and greenery somehow survive in their elevated position among solar panels, and assorted roofline additions. All cities from an elevated height offer this exciting canvas to the eye, and inspire new ways of looking at the world.

The Asian World of Tuk-Tuk.

Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-Tuk that quintessential form of transportation in most of Asia vary greatly in comfort, size ,and price. In Indo-China some drivers go to extraordinary lengths to validify  their price demands, often producing fare tables to prove their point. I have found the wandering ones are the best value, those you hail down on the open road. Vehicles out side tourist spots and hotel are a no no. Recently when landing at Luang Prabang after sailing down the Mekong, I needed to load and unload a couple of times in order to avoid some outlandish price demanded by the owner. These drivers have a great advantage for unlike the traveler, know their town and the distances involved giving them a great entrepreneurial  advantage, in this case I only needed to go around the corner to my guest house. Here in Vientiane the same seems to apply.

Tuk-Tuks come in a variety of sizes depending on the motorcycle's horsepower. This influences not only the seating capacity, but to some extent the comfort of your ride, particularly over rutted roads.The larger ones may have a "type" padded seat, but these comfort factors don't influence the price, this is always determined by what the driver feels he can extract There are times the rather erratic driving habits require a firm grip on the railings. To fall out would not be a good look as your Tuk-Tuk weaves its way through traffic and pedistarians. Last year while in Phuket prices varied from 200br to 800br for the same journey' so you can see there is considerable flexibility.  Not that I feel you need to exploit various situations, after all they need to earn a living. But this is a two way transaction and a fair price needs to be arrived at by a two-way effort.

The decor of these unique vehicles represents their greatest attraction.Many are overall painted in different designs from flowers to abstracts. The important things is the colours must be bright, so as to be noticed. Some drivers I have noticed rig up a hammock in the back to have a sleep while waiting for custom. Others will sit under a nearby tree, no doubt discussing the world economic crises, and the lack of customers. No matter, travelling by Tuk-Tuk can be fun and is a great local experience not to be missed. I have produced a few drawing of these unique vehicles, but will not be able to post them onto the blog until I return home.

Mekong and Luang Prabang

Mekong Hills

There is no better way to approach Luang Prabang than by boat, sailing down the Mekong on the slow boat from Huay Kai.    You are lulled into a sense of complete relaxation as you wind your way along the Mekong through a magic landscape of green hills and valleys.   They seem to open up before your eyes like the leaves of a picture book.    It is best in the wet season , to sail with the swift flowing currents that swirl around rocky outcrops that rise through the dark brown water from the river bed.    You pass through whirlpools, eddies and contrary currents for the Mekong has no markers and therefore you must sail in daylight.
Sitting in the bow of the ferry you drift into a state of peace with yourself and the world in general, surrounded by hills of various greens.   Hills covered in tropical forest , others with plantings of rice, corn, and hops, the life blood of the hidden villages along the river.   Time seems to stand still, so its best to relax and run with the flow.

                                                                                                                               
                                                Typical French Colonial Building, Luang Prahang


Luang Prabang the old town runs the length of the peninsular and has the capacity to carry you back to a distant past, a time of few cars and time to think.  Of course this is not for everyone, but as a place to relax it would be hard to beat.    Few buildings are more than two stories, built in the French Colonial style of shuttered windows and balconies,streets lined with trees, cafes and bistros.   You could walk down the middle of most streets with relative safety.   You could count the minutes between cars along streets without the need for traffic lights.   This is a lost pre-industrial world..   There is no hurry and everything seems to be done in due course.
I spent a few hours drawing the buildings in these picturesque streets, and walking down such a street it is possible to suddenly find a road that has been blocked at each end with a plastic chairs.   Table and chairs on enough settings for 100 people have been set up on the road under canvas, musicians and singers have been hired after all this is the wet season.    What is the occasion you might ask, well it could be an anniversary of the celebration of a child's birth or simply people having a mass B/B/Q/   With time people start to dance and enjoy themselves without all the undue regulations so common in the west.  It's a bit like stumbling upon Alice's tea party.
It's difficult to convey the sense of freedom, peace and well being without experiencing it.  If you haven't been to Laos, put it on the top of your list before it is discovered by mass tourism.

Vat Xieng Thong, Luang Prahang.

Hmong Village on the banks of the Mekong.

Mekong banks

Port of call a Buddha resting cave.

Malacca's street party market.

It would appear every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings are party time here in Malacca's Jonker district. Thoroughfares are closed, along with  narrow connecting lanes to make way for hundreds, no thousands of stalls, road side cafes, and everything in between. A vibrant mass of humanity, shoulder to shoulder enjoying themselves, chocking the narrow street, as could only happen in Asia. Tables and chairs placed randomly along the roadway, while their owners cook up a vast array of unforgettable dishes. People flattening fish through a mangle, or deftly dissecting a chicken with a cleaver. The vitality of all these people is hard to describe. Everyone with their few metres of space have no difficulty co-operating with each other.

Yesterday evening after finishing some drawings of a Chinese Temple, I was suddenly swept up by the crowd unexpectedly. Before I could say Jack Robinson, I found myself in a Chinese Club in full throat Karaoke mode. The singers were quite elderly, but still in fine voice as they sang a varity of Chinese love songs. They were accompanied by a vidio voice and musicians that produced a very professional result. From what I could gather you were able to obtain a CD of your efforts, no doubt to play endlessly to your friends. Then I found myself in the middle of a square dancing class, that looked a little like a high tempo Tai Chi session in some park. The dancers were very earnest and followed their leader carefully. The only thing missing was the cowboy hats, but all seemed to be having a lot of fun as they worked their way around the floor.

There appeared to be little regulation in place, as long as your table stood upright without the need of a brick you were in business. The overall impression was one of vitality, imagination, and energy that overwhelmed the onlooker. Everyone in top gear without any sense of ego. Just this great sense of joy at being alive, something I sometimes feel has been lost this joy in our over regulated existence, were political correctness that has taken over our lives in Australia. Here there is that real feeling of freedom, maybe we have forgotten what the word really means.

                                                                        Melacca.

Temple roofline, Melacca.

Chinese  Landscape stone used as furniture decor. 

Impressions of Hanoi.

Hanoi has the appearance  of  "Old Asia", streets and back alleys crowded with people squatting, seated on small plastic stools, eating their evening meal from the numerous street cafe. Garbage stacked high in piles were every space allows. The aroma of spice and incense fill the air among a vocal throng. I have always found Asia exciting, both new and old at the same time. The traffic is chaotic to say least, when viewed from above the street scape takes the form a motorised ballet. Scooters weaving between  and around each other from not one, but both directions, while they incorporate a U turn here or there. Traffic turning right and left with abandon as bright splashes of coloured clothing stream out behind, while the odd car adds a new dimension.

Crossing the road becomes an art form in itself, simply walk out and trust in God, you are in the hands of a variety of driving skills. Drivers somehow make the necessary adjustment to the right or left to avoid hitting you. Generally they will pass behind, this is important as the flow in one or another direction can mean the difference between life or death. During the first few days we experienced a few close calls, the important thing is never run or stop as this will destroy the rhythm of movement, the dance of life.

The most rewarding experience is the people themselves particularly the young,  half the Vietnamese population are under thirty years. They express such enthusiasm for life, confident that their world can only get better. There seemed little bitterness towards the outside world despite the war, the hardship that followed the years of sanctions. It is hard not to admire their fortitude and confidence in the future. When ever I would sit down to draw, a crowd would gather around generally young students keen to be shown how to make pictures. Most were learning English at high school with an almost standard desire to work in tourism when they leave school. This was were they saw the opportunity to earn a good wage. The young girls seemed far more open to the outside world than the boys who were more reserved. They were all full of questions, did I like the food, was I going to teach here, how long would I stay and so on.

Heather and I tend to walk every where, when in a new city. It is the best way to gain the feel of the place, you can put your finger on the pulse of things, discovering new experiences, places, people. The energy displayed by this young population auger well for the future. We shall return , hopefully when Vietnam grants longer visa than their present thirty days.


POEM by VIETNAM'S CELEBRATED WOMEN POET
                 XUAN  HUONG.

"Praise whoever raised these poles
for some to swing while others watch.
A boy pumps, then arcs his back.
The shapely girl shoves up her hips.
Four pink trousers flapping hard,
two pairs of legs stretched side by side.
Spring games. Who hasn't known them?
Swingposts removed, the holes lie empty."

Phuket, Vegitable Eating Festival.

Yellow Festival Flags Phuket.

Street kitchen Phuket Town.

The Festival started on the 24 September, the start of my 75th year, so what more fitting occasion could I ask for than to sit here in an open air dinning room listening to a female voices chanting Buddhist  chant . They drift through the air, the music has a  soft and mesmeric quality accompanied by some form of reed pipes. This chanting was to continue for the next nine day at Kata Country House for the duration of the Vegetable Eating Festival. Their rhythmic harmonic cords follow a repetitive structure up and down. I am not sure whether nine plays any role in the chants, but the number plays an important role in the Festival as it is held in the ninth month for nine days. Tradition holds that nine immortals return to earth each year to assist people who are struggling to lead satisfactory lives.

Phuket Main Temple,
Centre for the Festival.

Another Vegan Street Kitchen.

Participants need to register and only eat a vegan diet for the nine days to cleanse their bodies of toxin. Luckily the resort at which I am staying has put on a special menue for the duration, the things they can do with tofu borders on the amazing. On the final day participants attend the temple [ hopefully they have been doing so over the nine days] to hear their names read out, so the immortals my take their names back to the other world. The Phuket Chinese built a special temple for this Taoist Lent. These fasting ceremonies as practiced by Taoist are called "Chai".

Apparently in 1825 Phuket suffered from a fever, but a group of Chinese actors under took a fast and were not affected. A Chinese resident named Kang-Si thought thought local religious practice differed from Taoist ritual in China and offered to go to China and search for the necessary statues, items and healing books. The local Chinese collected the money and when he returned on the 7th day of the ninth lunar month with talismans, magic formulas and a sign to place in front of the shrine the Festival was born. It is claimed that disease is caused by bad actions, thoughts and behavior. Fasting expels the toxin from the body allowing good feeling to return. I must say I felt very good after only six days.

Phuket Temple.

Devotees making offerings

While I was in Phuket the Chinese community dressed in white as a sign of purity and were all on best behaviour, no over charging or asking silly pricing. There are a number of commitments that need to be followed such as only eating vegetable, no acholic beverage, no sex, cleanliness and so on. If  you don't follow the commitments you fail. This verdict is arrived at by a number of tests such as walking on hot coals, piecing your body with sharp objects. On the the final days I saw a number of participants being driven around in the back of a Ute looking for intent and purposes with out discomfort with sharp spikes pushed through their cheeks. Taoist in China do not follow this self harm practices for some reason they are only carried out in Phuket.