My wife and I joined a group tour to Balkan for 10 days covering Greece, Mecodonia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania. We did not know the others in the group but it turned out the group made a good company.
We visited many tourists spots , the one I remembered the most was a visit to Christian monastaries on top of limestone hills. I cant imagine how difficult life was for the nuns in those days without electricity, running water and modern facilities. These self dependant community survived in unhospitalable enviroment where they served their Lord and do farming to support themselves.
The old cities of Dubronic and Kotor were also very impressive fort city I visited. It appeared to me these cities didnot have a hinterland to supprt themselves in the olden days. They must have depended on trade.
The Balkan countries have nature which they preseve well. The hill slopes are wooded, the rivers have sparkling clear water and the waterfalls are clean and natural and the air fresh
Bosnia is the country familiar to me because of the Bosnian War and atrocities some 30 years ago. The scars of war could still be seen on the walls of houses pockmarked by bullets. Our guide was just a baby during the time and he nerrated how difficult for the family to secure food at the time of constant fear and distrust in Sarajevo.
I could say that despite my aversion for organised tour, I enjoyed the trip because of the bus load of friends I made during the trip. Most of us were in the same age group and so we spoke in the same lingo. A doctor in the group made my motion sickness of being in the bus too long more bearable.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
Cycling Brunei and Limbang
It took a while for me to make this cycling trip a reality. I had never ventured on this kind of long distance trip and there were some planning and preparation involved in this venture.
At last the day came. I embarked on Air Asia plane with my bicycle as its sports luggage. Soon I was checking in at a Kota Batu Road hotel , unpack my bicycle and test run it on Bandar Brunei and was ready to shoot off.
The next morning I was on the road to Limbang. As it was rush hour for Brunei car commuters it was quite an ardious ride through the city to get to the other side of it. But it was not too bad for Brunei motorists were the accomodating type and let me have my way most of the time. About 30 minutes later, I was on the quieter road road to Limbang. I passed through the immigration checkpoints and rode the ferry crossing, and by noon I was already on the Limbang side.
By noon it was extremely hot and I had to take a shelter in one road side shed with a house about 25 meters away. A woman came out to offer shelter and take bath in the house which I politely declined. Nevertheless she made coffee for me before I resumed my cycling. After two hours of cycling the road became bad and I rode over a boulder and stumbled over. Luckily I was not hurt, but my bicycle tyre was pucures and ream needed to be fixed up. Seeing me struggling on the lonely road, a four wheel truck stopped by and offered to take me and the bicycle to Limbang. By the time I reached Limbang, it was almost dark, but lickily the repair shop was still open and I got my bicycle problem fixed
The next day I continued to cycle to Bangar which is the other part of Brunei. The road became very good again in Brunei and the ride was an easy one. By noon I reached Bangar and continued upstream along Sungai Temburung, passing therough lon houses along the way and stopped at the end of the road for a night at one of those retreats. It was a beatiful river with crystal clear water and I took a dip on arrival and the next morning before returning to Bangar. Back at Bangar the following day, I put my bicycle on the speed boat and landed in Bandar Sri Bangawan to spend the night there.
On this trip I went to Labuan too through Muara ferry terminal. It took 2 hours to cross over to Labuan by ferry. Labuan is a port town in Sabah and I cycled in Labuan before taking the same ferry back to Brunei. As it was night when we reached Muara, and sinece my bicycle was not equipped with night, it was a struggle to reach our hotel in Bandar Brunei.
The next day was free and easy . I cycled around the city sighteeeing its attraction such as Kampung Air , the Sultan Mosque , the open market and ithe Royal Musuem.
At last the day came. I embarked on Air Asia plane with my bicycle as its sports luggage. Soon I was checking in at a Kota Batu Road hotel , unpack my bicycle and test run it on Bandar Brunei and was ready to shoot off.
The next morning I was on the road to Limbang. As it was rush hour for Brunei car commuters it was quite an ardious ride through the city to get to the other side of it. But it was not too bad for Brunei motorists were the accomodating type and let me have my way most of the time. About 30 minutes later, I was on the quieter road road to Limbang. I passed through the immigration checkpoints and rode the ferry crossing, and by noon I was already on the Limbang side.
By noon it was extremely hot and I had to take a shelter in one road side shed with a house about 25 meters away. A woman came out to offer shelter and take bath in the house which I politely declined. Nevertheless she made coffee for me before I resumed my cycling. After two hours of cycling the road became bad and I rode over a boulder and stumbled over. Luckily I was not hurt, but my bicycle tyre was pucures and ream needed to be fixed up. Seeing me struggling on the lonely road, a four wheel truck stopped by and offered to take me and the bicycle to Limbang. By the time I reached Limbang, it was almost dark, but lickily the repair shop was still open and I got my bicycle problem fixed
The next day I continued to cycle to Bangar which is the other part of Brunei. The road became very good again in Brunei and the ride was an easy one. By noon I reached Bangar and continued upstream along Sungai Temburung, passing therough lon houses along the way and stopped at the end of the road for a night at one of those retreats. It was a beatiful river with crystal clear water and I took a dip on arrival and the next morning before returning to Bangar. Back at Bangar the following day, I put my bicycle on the speed boat and landed in Bandar Sri Bangawan to spend the night there.
On this trip I went to Labuan too through Muara ferry terminal. It took 2 hours to cross over to Labuan by ferry. Labuan is a port town in Sabah and I cycled in Labuan before taking the same ferry back to Brunei. As it was night when we reached Muara, and sinece my bicycle was not equipped with night, it was a struggle to reach our hotel in Bandar Brunei.
The next day was free and easy . I cycled around the city sighteeeing its attraction such as Kampung Air , the Sultan Mosque , the open market and ithe Royal Musuem.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Bursa
I donot want to visit Istanbul only but wished to experience a town other than its capital which I had visited twice already. Bus and finall
When it came to me that Bursa was an old historical ad was Turkey's former capital for hundred of years since the time of the Seljuk, I became very interested to see this city.
To get to Bursa, I had to cross the Mamara by boat, then take a bus and finally a metro to its old town city centre named Osmangazi, a well respected ruler who built up Bursa .
The epicentre of the old city is the Sultan's Mosque built in the year 1300s.Its architecture is Seljuk with many domes and two minerets. From the outside, it looks impresive with minerats rising to sheer height. On the inside the whole structure is supported by huge pillars. The main domes allows light to flood the interior. The walls are decorated with calligrahic drawing, nothing elaborate, except for the intricate wood carving of the mimbar. As the mosque is open to everybody, prayers come to pray , and non praying visitors come to view the mosque , it is hard to feel the holiness ambience of the great mosque, especially when there were children running around.
The area around the mosque is the grand bazaar. The title grand really fit the description of the place. I cannot figure out where it starts and where it ends. All sort of things are on sale here from fresh fish and vegetable to jewellary items in hundres of small shops and stalls.It seems that the name bursa means market place , a venue for buyers and sellrs hundred of years ago since Bursa was on the famous Silk Trade Route.
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There are more places to visit in Bursa, but because time is limited I dont manage to see them
Budapest
Aku sampai ke kota Budapest dari Prague selepas menaiki bus selama 5 jam melalui Slovakia. Perjalanan tidaklah menjemukan kerana pemandangan merentasi ladang ladang yang diusahakan kemas serta kehijauan dan bus singgah di 2 bandar besar iaitu Byro dan Balistava.,
Sesampai di stesyen bas Budapest, akungan mempunyai impression seolah Budapest ialah kota di dunia ketiga memandangkan bangunan di sekelilingdiri stesyen dan tramnya, tapi satelahBuda mmemasuki tengah kota, impression ku berubah.
Liameb
Peninapan ku di sini betul betul di tengah kota. Banyak kedai makan, kedai beraneka barang dan bar serta cafe di kawasan ini. Pukul 2 pagi masih lagi bising dengan pelanggan.
Budapest terdiri dari 2 bandar iaitu Buda dan Pest yang di pisahkan oleh Sungai Danube. Ia menjadi pusat kerajaan Hungary sejak dulu dan bangunan parliamennya berbentuk gothic yang tersergam menjadgai mercu kota ini. Susun atur bangunan bangunan yang diselang seli dengan taman bunya sangat menyalaman bagi pejalan kaki.
Di sebelah sana sungai terdapat Castle Hill yang menjadi benting pertahan kota. Di sinilah ada istana raja di puncak bukit yang memperlihat pemandugan Sungai Danube yang cantik. Merentasi sungai yang di lalui oleh kapal kapal pelancung dan komersial terdapat 3 jambatan, satu darinya jambatan gantung yang ramai dilalui pelancung berjalan kaki.
Kota ini mempunyai sejarah menarik kerana sejarah lampau sasaran jirannya saperti German, Austria, Mongol, Turkey, dan Russia. Ia juga bandar terbesar penduduk Yahudi sebelum perang dunia ke2 sehingga digelar Mecca untuk orang Yahudi. Komuniti Yahudi dengan synogue yang besar masih aktif di bandar ini
.
Amsterdam
Kota Amsterdam adalah antara kota yang tak pernah jemu aku kunjungi walaupun sudah enam tujuh kali aku disini sejak tahun 1983.
Aku tiba di Amsterdam awsl pagi dengan keretapi dari Paris. Secara fisikalnya Station Centrum masih kelihatan sama dengan tram menunggu di luar station membawa penumpang ke berbagai destinasi kota. Aku menaki tram ke hotel yang kira kira 15 minit perjalanan
Selesai check in aku menaiki tram semula ke kawasan Rembrent di tengah kota di mana tugu Rembrent di kelilingi pengawal pengawal bersize human. Dari situ aku berjalan menuju ke Dam di mana terdapat satu square di keliliigi bangunan lama dan tugu tugu tokoh bersejarah bersejarah. Tempat ini padat dengan lokal dan pelancung Dalam hiruk pikuk orang ramai, aku dapati polis polis berkuda memacu kuda dan beberapa truck polis dalam position siap sedia. Rupanya di seberang sana square ada demonstrasi peminat kelab bola sepak bekumpul dan menyanyi lagu pasukan mareka. Polis bergerak ke arah mareka sambil melaung ingatan bersurai tapi ahli kelab masih tidak berganjak malah masih menyanyi. Polis tidak membuat apa apa lebih dari setakad amaran bersurai , dan lama kelamaan peminat kelab dengan sendiri meninggalkan square itu sambil menyanyi untuk bergerak ke stadium entah di mana.
Aku bergerak ke kawasan Red District untuk menekmati suasana canels dan kedai kedai di lorong lorong podestrian yang sempit. Keadaan tempat ini memang tidak berubah walaupun sudah hampir 50 tahun dulu aku disini.Berbagai bentuk bot komersial dan rekreational mudar mandir sepanjang canel. Kedai kedai sex, bar muzik bob marley dengan bauan ganja dan arkitektur bangunan tidak berubah. Ada beza pun dari segi pengunjung yang penuh sesak di kawasan ini berbanding dulu.
Esoknya pagi pagi lagi aku sudah menaki tram ke kompleks muzium Amsterdam. Ada 2 muzium terkemuka di sini iaitu Muzium Van Gosh dan Muzium Ratj. Kerana kedua muzium sudah kehabisan tikit dan full house dan aku tak ada punya masa menunggu, aku rasa cukup puas menekmati suasana santai taman dan istana raja Rajs saja.
Hari terakhir aku gunakan untuk berbasikal di Amsterdam , satu kultur gaya hidup orang Belanda. Aku mula kayuhan sepanjang trek basikal Sungai Amstel dari muara mudik ke hulu. Pemandangan di kawasan hulu sangat tenang dan kehijauan. Aku sampai ke koloni gaya hidup hijau tanpa kereta di mana rumah rumah kecil dengan taman diselenggara rapi di duduki oleh penghuni yang komital dengan gaya hidup sebegini. Dari hulu sungai aku berbasikal semula ke kawasan bandar dengan route lain sambil berhenti di banyak taman taman rekreasi yang tidak ada kereta untuk bersantai. Bolehlah aku katakan ini kawasan suburb Amsterdam , dan masuk semula pinggir bandar yang bersirat dengan canels yang dilalui oleh berbagai jenis bot. Kerana aku asyik berhenti menghayati keindaham kawasan kawasan yang aku lalui Aku tak sempat ke pasar terbuka yang menjual berbagai antik dan curio kerana hari sudah gelap dan peniaga sudah punggah jualan.
Walaupun pertama kali berbasikal di Amsterdam, aku hanya perlu sedikit masa memahami trek trek basikalnya. Amserdam mempunyai infrstrutur berbasikal yang lengkap dengan lorong basikal khas, bertrafik light dan bersign board serta rangkaian penyewa basikal dengan bermacam jenis basikal untuk semua peringkat umur. Aliran trafik yang berdisiplin membuat kayuhan lebih mudah walaupun di pusat kota. Malam itu aku terlena awal kerana kepenatan dan tidak mahu risiko terlepas keretapi pagi ke Brussel
Selesai check in aku menaiki tram semula ke kawasan Rembrent di tengah kota di mana tugu Rembrent di kelilingi pengawal pengawal bersize human. Dari situ aku berjalan menuju ke Dam di mana terdapat satu square di keliliigi bangunan lama dan tugu tugu tokoh bersejarah bersejarah. Tempat ini padat dengan lokal dan pelancung Dalam hiruk pikuk orang ramai, aku dapati polis polis berkuda memacu kuda dan beberapa truck polis dalam position siap sedia. Rupanya di seberang sana square ada demonstrasi peminat kelab bola sepak bekumpul dan menyanyi lagu pasukan mareka. Polis bergerak ke arah mareka sambil melaung ingatan bersurai tapi ahli kelab masih tidak berganjak malah masih menyanyi. Polis tidak membuat apa apa lebih dari setakad amaran bersurai , dan lama kelamaan peminat kelab dengan sendiri meninggalkan square itu sambil menyanyi untuk bergerak ke stadium entah di mana.
Aku bergerak ke kawasan Red District untuk menekmati suasana canels dan kedai kedai di lorong lorong podestrian yang sempit. Keadaan tempat ini memang tidak berubah walaupun sudah hampir 50 tahun dulu aku disini.Berbagai bentuk bot komersial dan rekreational mudar mandir sepanjang canel. Kedai kedai sex, bar muzik bob marley dengan bauan ganja dan arkitektur bangunan tidak berubah. Ada beza pun dari segi pengunjung yang penuh sesak di kawasan ini berbanding dulu.
Esoknya pagi pagi lagi aku sudah menaki tram ke kompleks muzium Amsterdam. Ada 2 muzium terkemuka di sini iaitu Muzium Van Gosh dan Muzium Ratj. Kerana kedua muzium sudah kehabisan tikit dan full house dan aku tak ada punya masa menunggu, aku rasa cukup puas menekmati suasana santai taman dan istana raja Rajs saja.
Hari terakhir aku gunakan untuk berbasikal di Amsterdam , satu kultur gaya hidup orang Belanda. Aku mula kayuhan sepanjang trek basikal Sungai Amstel dari muara mudik ke hulu. Pemandangan di kawasan hulu sangat tenang dan kehijauan. Aku sampai ke koloni gaya hidup hijau tanpa kereta di mana rumah rumah kecil dengan taman diselenggara rapi di duduki oleh penghuni yang komital dengan gaya hidup sebegini. Dari hulu sungai aku berbasikal semula ke kawasan bandar dengan route lain sambil berhenti di banyak taman taman rekreasi yang tidak ada kereta untuk bersantai. Bolehlah aku katakan ini kawasan suburb Amsterdam , dan masuk semula pinggir bandar yang bersirat dengan canels yang dilalui oleh berbagai jenis bot. Kerana aku asyik berhenti menghayati keindaham kawasan kawasan yang aku lalui Aku tak sempat ke pasar terbuka yang menjual berbagai antik dan curio kerana hari sudah gelap dan peniaga sudah punggah jualan.
Walaupun pertama kali berbasikal di Amsterdam, aku hanya perlu sedikit masa memahami trek trek basikalnya. Amserdam mempunyai infrstrutur berbasikal yang lengkap dengan lorong basikal khas, bertrafik light dan bersign board serta rangkaian penyewa basikal dengan bermacam jenis basikal untuk semua peringkat umur. Aliran trafik yang berdisiplin membuat kayuhan lebih mudah walaupun di pusat kota. Malam itu aku terlena awal kerana kepenatan dan tidak mahu risiko terlepas keretapi pagi ke Brussel
Prague
Saya sampai ke Prague dari Vienna melalui dengan keretapi.
Aku dapati stesyen keretapi Prague memudahkan penggunanya dan masa 10
minit aku sudah menaiki trem untuk ke hotel.
Tempat pertama yang aku tuju ialah Old Town Prague. Untuk
kesana aku melalui pekan baru yang dibina dalam kurun 18 yanh mempuyai
banyak butik dan kafe. Selepas berjalan 10 minit aku mula memsuki Old
Town Prague.
Old Town adalah bandar penuh kelainan.Jalannya sempit ,
bercoble stone da tidak boleh dilalui kereya dan sesak dengan
pengunjung. Satelah melalui kedai sepanjang lorong, aku sampai di satu
medan luas iaitu Old Town Square. Ada 3 bangunan tersergam di square itu
iaitu clock tower, town hall dan 2 gereja. Semua berbentuk medieval dan
bina pada sekitan masehi 1200. Square ini di penuhi pengunjung
sepanjang masa.
Satelah duduk di square itu selama dua jam, aku bergerak
kearah Charles Bridge yang merentangi sungai , Aku berjalan atas
jambatan menikmati keindahan sungai dan gelagat orang2 yang bersiar2
seoanjang jambatan.Disebelah sana sungai terdapat bukit kecil di mana
terdapat istana lama dan gereja tua. Ia merupakan backdrop pemandangan
dari arah bandar tua Prague.
Kerana pemandangan bukit sebelah sana sungai sangat cantik,
aku teruja untuk kesana esoknya . Agak sukar juga mendaki ñ si sana.
Diatas puncak terdepat gereja tua awal kristian dan istana raja yang
sufah dijadikan parliamen dan kediaman rasmi president. Panorama koya
Prague dati sini sanhat cantik.
Aku dapati Prague memang kota yang cantik dan penuh
sejarah. Jalannya diturap dengan cobble stone dan bangunannya di jaga
rapi. Ada juga bangunan baru , tapi lama dan baru blendef dengan baik di
kota ini.
Cycling Trip Sabah
Cycling trip sabah
This is the 2nd night of my 10 days cycling trip. We started fro kota kinabalu at around 1 pm and after hours of lunch, looking for my medicine which i forgot and looking for bicycle shops, we actually kick off aroud 3 30 pm.
By the time we reched the foothill of crocker range there was a heavy rain. But the biew along the road was beautiful covered by green rainforest. The road was winding but well mantained and the gradient was steep. It was lucky thay zaini offered to drive us up the mountain. Should we be cycling by ourselves that would almost like an inpossible task.
After climbing for about an hour we at last starting to go downhill. We stopped at gumug albab rest area which to me appear to be in the middle of nowbere. As the rain never stop and it was getting darker i decided to spend a night at gunung alab. The next morning i woke up fresh and ready to start cycling again.
From gunung alab the road was downhill all the way to sensuron and soon i reached tambunan. Tambunan has grown into quite a town. After a short break at tambunan we continued to keningau.
The road to keningau was hilly with hill after hill to go through. I can hardly ride so i have to push the bicycle. It was a tough job. I must have done hill number 3 when a lorry stopped by to take us as he saod there were a few more hills ahead. I agreed and pit my bicycle on the lorry. Somewhere 6 or 7 km after the driver dropped us to continue or journey to keningau. We stopped by at a frnds houst and rezumed after lunchnto keningu. We stayed in keningau for 2 nights because we have frieds to see there.
My next destination was tenomm we cycled there for 4 hours and reached tenom in time for Friday prayer. There is nothing much in tenom and as it was raining, we stayed in door.
Tenom is connected to beaufort by an old train. I loaded my bicycle into the passemger cargo where there is no chairs and the passegers have to sit on the floor . The train stopped at assigned stations and whenever ot was flagged down by passengers. It runs parallel to pedas river , a beautiful river with strong rapid that cut through steep forested slope. The journey lasted about 4 hours and when i reached Beaufort i was already too tired that i checked into the hotel.
The next leg of the ride is covering the west coast staring from Beaufort to Kota Kinabalu. On the ay to papar we went to a small town named Kimanis and joined the villagers at a coffee shop talking about the current political issues. We couldnt spend more tie with them because we have a schdule to follow. We reached papar before noon and cycled around looking for a hotel. The town of papar s still recogisable due to the railway stataion in its centre. But there is no hotel. We searched in the new town and found one where we spent the night. Later rosli Joined us for tea tarik in the nearby mamak joint.
The next day we started off early to KK as we promised rosli we would drop in to his house. Rosli’s house has been expanded and the house is being prepared for his daughter wedding reception. Despite his medical condition rosli is full of life to do the best for his houze and to follow up on his tinkering hobby. We spent about 2 hours with rosli before continuing tp KK
The road to kk was quite challenging due to heavy traffic and small lane road. It was also blazing hot. At kepayan i received a call from rosli asking us to put up in his vacant house in kk rather than renting a hotel. As we made no booking that day we agreed to his invitation. Rosli came down to kk and that night we slept in rosli ‘s house.
From rosli’s house in Tanjung aru, we proceeded to our hotel at api-api which is only a short distance away. We cycled along to the waterfrot visiting the market and some touristy spots. This mark the end of our cycling tour of sabah interior and west coast
In conclusion i would say that this cycling trip is a good thing for me. This excersise Improves my overall health because of the physical preparation and the actual cycling that make my muscle and my heart to work harder. I also strengtened my friendship with some old friends and made friends with new people. Also i saw that sabah has made big progress in physical development since the time I was here in late 60s both in term of physical infrastucture and the wealth of the people from the cars they drive, their houses and the restaurant they patronise.
This is the 2nd night of my 10 days cycling trip. We started fro kota kinabalu at around 1 pm and after hours of lunch, looking for my medicine which i forgot and looking for bicycle shops, we actually kick off aroud 3 30 pm.
By the time we reched the foothill of crocker range there was a heavy rain. But the biew along the road was beautiful covered by green rainforest. The road was winding but well mantained and the gradient was steep. It was lucky thay zaini offered to drive us up the mountain. Should we be cycling by ourselves that would almost like an inpossible task.
After climbing for about an hour we at last starting to go downhill. We stopped at gumug albab rest area which to me appear to be in the middle of nowbere. As the rain never stop and it was getting darker i decided to spend a night at gunung alab. The next morning i woke up fresh and ready to start cycling again.
From gunung alab the road was downhill all the way to sensuron and soon i reached tambunan. Tambunan has grown into quite a town. After a short break at tambunan we continued to keningau.
The road to keningau was hilly with hill after hill to go through. I can hardly ride so i have to push the bicycle. It was a tough job. I must have done hill number 3 when a lorry stopped by to take us as he saod there were a few more hills ahead. I agreed and pit my bicycle on the lorry. Somewhere 6 or 7 km after the driver dropped us to continue or journey to keningau. We stopped by at a frnds houst and rezumed after lunchnto keningu. We stayed in keningau for 2 nights because we have frieds to see there.
My next destination was tenomm we cycled there for 4 hours and reached tenom in time for Friday prayer. There is nothing much in tenom and as it was raining, we stayed in door.
Tenom is connected to beaufort by an old train. I loaded my bicycle into the passemger cargo where there is no chairs and the passegers have to sit on the floor . The train stopped at assigned stations and whenever ot was flagged down by passengers. It runs parallel to pedas river , a beautiful river with strong rapid that cut through steep forested slope. The journey lasted about 4 hours and when i reached Beaufort i was already too tired that i checked into the hotel.
The next leg of the ride is covering the west coast staring from Beaufort to Kota Kinabalu. On the ay to papar we went to a small town named Kimanis and joined the villagers at a coffee shop talking about the current political issues. We couldnt spend more tie with them because we have a schdule to follow. We reached papar before noon and cycled around looking for a hotel. The town of papar s still recogisable due to the railway stataion in its centre. But there is no hotel. We searched in the new town and found one where we spent the night. Later rosli Joined us for tea tarik in the nearby mamak joint.
The next day we started off early to KK as we promised rosli we would drop in to his house. Rosli’s house has been expanded and the house is being prepared for his daughter wedding reception. Despite his medical condition rosli is full of life to do the best for his houze and to follow up on his tinkering hobby. We spent about 2 hours with rosli before continuing tp KK
The road to kk was quite challenging due to heavy traffic and small lane road. It was also blazing hot. At kepayan i received a call from rosli asking us to put up in his vacant house in kk rather than renting a hotel. As we made no booking that day we agreed to his invitation. Rosli came down to kk and that night we slept in rosli ‘s house.
From rosli’s house in Tanjung aru, we proceeded to our hotel at api-api which is only a short distance away. We cycled along to the waterfrot visiting the market and some touristy spots. This mark the end of our cycling tour of sabah interior and west coast
In conclusion i would say that this cycling trip is a good thing for me. This excersise Improves my overall health because of the physical preparation and the actual cycling that make my muscle and my heart to work harder. I also strengtened my friendship with some old friends and made friends with new people. Also i saw that sabah has made big progress in physical development since the time I was here in late 60s both in term of physical infrastucture and the wealth of the people from the cars they drive, their houses and the restaurant they patronise.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Backpacking USA Coast to Coast
Upon
retiring I have been toying with the idea of backpacking the USA from coast to
coast. My backpacking trip would start from San Francisco on the west coast,
heading south to New Orleans and San Antonio, and then heading north towards Washington
DC and New York and ending up in Boston. The plan became a reality last year in
a month long road trip by self-drive, train and buses.
The
starting point of my backpacking trip was idyllic city of San Francisco that gave
me a good introduction to the US. The very next day upon arrival I savoured this
beautiful city with renowned landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz,
the sprawling Chinatown and the Fishermen’s Wharf with its never ending street shows.
I got the impression that nobody seemed to be working, but living to the American
ideal of pursuing happiness and liberty. Yet this city is the most important
financial and technological centre of the US.
Moving on within the US has been a breeze with
the help of long distance express buses and trains. That’s how I travelled to Los
Angeles, Las Vegas, St Bernardino, Phoenix and Santa Fe before crossing the
continent down south to San Antonio and New
Orleans . I didn’t miss the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, driving there all
the way from Las Vegas
.
.
Each
of these cities is special in their own character especially San Antonio and New
Orleans. San Antonio is a city uniquely built on river sides where the city
life revolves and tourists flock to enjoy the boat cruise, the restaurants’ cuisine
and the riverbank street walk. New Orleans started as a French city with a peculiar
colonial architecture and buskers performing streets shows. The street artists
performed their art for the love of it and this is the trade they live for their
whole life. This is the place where jazz music was born and indeed its airport
is named Louis Armstrong International Airport.
The
gems of the US cities are Washington DC, New York and Boston. These cities had
too much to offer that I found the two weeks I spent in the three cities were
just fleeting by. Among other things, Washington DC has so many museums and
they are all free. Despite the extensive underground network serving the city,
I had to do lots of legwork in the gardenlike historical monuments like The
Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, the White House and many more. I spent a lot of time in front
of the White House seeing the antics of the demonstrators expressing their causes,
after all this is America, the epitome of democracy .Then there is New York
with its Ground Zero, Times Square the underground
rail network and its cosmopolitan people on the streets. My last city was Boston, where i
roamed about the ivy league campuses of MIT and Harvard, the institutions
that make America great.
Travelling
this way made me learn quite a bit about America through meeting its people and
observing the way they live their lives. The US is a big country with diversity
in its people, culture and even dialect between the west coast, the east coast
and the south. On the surface of it, the West Coast people are more relaxed
with strangers and the East Coast people more reserved. Overall I can say that the
Americans are helpful lots offering unsolicited assistance to strangers who
appeared to be lost. The service level given by service providers is high and
they seem guanine to assist customers.
As a senior person i got many privileges in public facilities and assistance even from some
intimidating looking punk. Travelling around the US has been made very easy because many things like ticket and hotel bookings are on line and most purchases are cashless. I had visited some of the US cities some 30 ago, when the downtowns were neglected, dirty, high crime areas and were lived by the poor. Not now anymore, for the downtowns within the cities have transformed to be very modern and hype. In New York I stayed in Harlem, once a notorious crime hotspot, but I didn’t encounter any bad experience in its subways or streets even at night. What surprised me most was that there were a few madrassa and halal food joints in Harlem.
As a senior person i got many privileges in public facilities and assistance even from some
intimidating looking punk. Travelling around the US has been made very easy because many things like ticket and hotel bookings are on line and most purchases are cashless. I had visited some of the US cities some 30 ago, when the downtowns were neglected, dirty, high crime areas and were lived by the poor. Not now anymore, for the downtowns within the cities have transformed to be very modern and hype. In New York I stayed in Harlem, once a notorious crime hotspot, but I didn’t encounter any bad experience in its subways or streets even at night. What surprised me most was that there were a few madrassa and halal food joints in Harlem.
Even though I travelled from coast to coast
stopping in most of its major cities, I didn’t feel I had seen enough of the US.
I am planning another similar trip to the US to its Midwest states and other
places I missed during my last trip.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Istanbul
Aftet a month on the road I am coming to the end of my trip at Istanbul
I have always been fascinated by Istanbul because of its past history and the special beauty that the city has. This is the 3rd time I visited the city and I feel I discover new things each time
As I approached the city of 12 million from the airport I realized this is truly a big city and it looks like it never stop expanding. New satellite townships are spring up and bustling with real estate development. Tall buildings are making the skyline
As I approached the city centre called Sultan Ahmed , little has changed. The Blue Mosque , Hega Sophia, the Water Cistern, the Hippodrome, the Sultans Palace and the old building and houses are well preserved But the number of people in the city centre has increased tremendously , the shops are doing roaring business and the city trams are packed like sardine.
Unlike my earlier trip, this time I roamed about the city more freely using its public transoprt. Taksim, a suburb built about 300 years ago, the epicentre of protest demonstration 3 years ago, is even more crowded with shoppers compared to Sultan Ahmed. I have never seen such a long shopping avenue with shops and boutiques on both sides. People seemed to be enjoying themselves window shopping, eating and drinking and circling around buskers' performance. I hardly covered half the avenue before deciding to turn back.
There is another place called Onomonu with its imposing mosque and a busy ferry terminal a few kilometer from Sultan Ahmet that I went to. I was at first interested only to see the bridge with restaurants underneath and people fishing at the top. But as I wondered around to the hilly part, I was amazed to see the bazaar with hundred of shops and their milling patrons. Not intending to purchase anything, I sat down in a cafe, enjoying the movement of the crowd, and soon found out that I had spent a day in Onomonu.
I also ventyred outside Istanbul to a city called Bursa, which is an old capital city of Turkey. I had to ride a 2 hours ferry and then about an hour by land transport to reach the city centre. The city centre is Osmangazi. It has a huge seljuk style mosque built in 1300s around which a gigantic bazaar in existence since the silk trade days. The whole area is full of life with merchandise and foodstuff of all sort. I sampled the kebab and the fruits and they are the most fresh I have had. Unfortunately I didnt have much time to spend as I heard that the places around this city have many splendid venues to appreciate
I think one can never be satisfied with just one or two visits to Istanbul for the city with make you discover new things at every turn and corner.
I have always been fascinated by Istanbul because of its past history and the special beauty that the city has. This is the 3rd time I visited the city and I feel I discover new things each time
As I approached the city of 12 million from the airport I realized this is truly a big city and it looks like it never stop expanding. New satellite townships are spring up and bustling with real estate development. Tall buildings are making the skyline
As I approached the city centre called Sultan Ahmed , little has changed. The Blue Mosque , Hega Sophia, the Water Cistern, the Hippodrome, the Sultans Palace and the old building and houses are well preserved But the number of people in the city centre has increased tremendously , the shops are doing roaring business and the city trams are packed like sardine.
Unlike my earlier trip, this time I roamed about the city more freely using its public transoprt. Taksim, a suburb built about 300 years ago, the epicentre of protest demonstration 3 years ago, is even more crowded with shoppers compared to Sultan Ahmed. I have never seen such a long shopping avenue with shops and boutiques on both sides. People seemed to be enjoying themselves window shopping, eating and drinking and circling around buskers' performance. I hardly covered half the avenue before deciding to turn back.
There is another place called Onomonu with its imposing mosque and a busy ferry terminal a few kilometer from Sultan Ahmet that I went to. I was at first interested only to see the bridge with restaurants underneath and people fishing at the top. But as I wondered around to the hilly part, I was amazed to see the bazaar with hundred of shops and their milling patrons. Not intending to purchase anything, I sat down in a cafe, enjoying the movement of the crowd, and soon found out that I had spent a day in Onomonu.
I also ventyred outside Istanbul to a city called Bursa, which is an old capital city of Turkey. I had to ride a 2 hours ferry and then about an hour by land transport to reach the city centre. The city centre is Osmangazi. It has a huge seljuk style mosque built in 1300s around which a gigantic bazaar in existence since the silk trade days. The whole area is full of life with merchandise and foodstuff of all sort. I sampled the kebab and the fruits and they are the most fresh I have had. Unfortunately I didnt have much time to spend as I heard that the places around this city have many splendid venues to appreciate
I think one can never be satisfied with just one or two visits to Istanbul for the city with make you discover new things at every turn and corner.
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Bunaken and Minahasa, Sulawesi
It was trip I thought I had made mistakes all along before embarking on this journey. Firstly I made a mistake of booking an 8 day trip, instead of 3, because I keyed in the wrong date of return. On this trip too, I was travelling solo, without tour agent , no hotel booking and no itinerary. I took this journey to Manado ,an exotic place on the fringe of the Indonesian archipelago. the birthplace of famous filmstar Maria Manado.
Upon arriving at Manado, I surveyed the town and ended up at the busy waterfront market. This was the focal point of the town acting as transport hub, market place, meeting place and pit for cockfighting. As I sat at a warong, contemplating my next move, a young man sitting at the next table suggested that I should go to Bunaken , an island about two hours boat ride from the market. Having no plan whatsoever, I took a ride on an underpowered boat to the idyllic looking island.
I didn’t disembark on the touristy jetty of the island, but at another point called Udjungbenua. I then walked along the island path and came upon some attap huts on the hill slope facing the sea, a homestay of a kind operated by two elderly sisters. There were no running water and electricity, but the two sisters promised me breakfast , lunch and dinner for my 5 days stay.
Unknown to me, Bunaken is a marine park, with a reputation that says “If divers dies, they go to Bunaken”. Not an avid diver, I found snorkeling among the spectacular coral most absorbing and taking most of my time. I didn’t have to go far to find a good snorkeling spot, just 50 meters from the shoreline, I was already in the underwater world teeming with luxuriant corals and other marine life. I got the whole field of coral to myself, fringed by dark abyss that plunged to the depth with barracuda , sharks and big sardine shoal leisurely swimming in the background. When not snorkeling I would explore on foot the whole length of the island which was only about 5 kilometer long, meeting villagers who were Sanghir,Tidorese ,Minahasan,Talaud,Christians,Muslims,all living side by side on this island for years.
On my last night, as I sat on the verandah listening to sound of waves that lapped the beach, a villager came for a chat. We talked over many subjects, but one topic that was new to me was his statement that the Malay had its beginning in this very area,Melayu Tua, he called them. I was puzzled by his opinion because my history book told me it all begun along the Straits of Malacca, which was the birthplace and the heartland of the Malays . He elaborated that Melayu Tua in its pristine and uncorrupted form is evidenced in living language by Orang Sanghir, a predominant ethnic group of this area. He proved this by listing some common words, which despite some phonological variations, were the same in Malay vocabulary. Manado had been a bustling port like Malacca during its old days and Melayu Manado had been the lingua franca for this part of the Malay world that had known no geopolitical boundary. This perspective was new to me and I wondered where this guy learnt his history.
I took a boat back to Manado but the hotels were fully booked because of a maritime convention in town. I proceeded to Minahasa Highland on a minibus that took me to its last stop at Tomohon,a small mission town on a hill plateau . This town reminded me of mountainous Kundasang in Sabah except its many volcanic features-active volcanoes,geysers,hotsprings and crater lakes. As I found no hotel in Tomohon , I hitched a ride to Danau Lokon but most of the hotels along the lakeside were closed. I walked to Desa Lielam, a village adjacent to Danau Lokon, where I met a trusty Minahasan, and he took me to his house.He was a hospitable host and we talked a lot about culture , religion and politics into the wee hour of the morning, until he was in insobriety after draining down glasses after glasses of the home concocted samsu.
The next morning I woke to the noises of loud talking and shouting. I looked outside to see about 30 villagers had gathered to do gotong royong to repair the village road and drain. I walked to the village morning market where items like rat meat and babi panggang were sold . Desa Lielem had many churches of different denominations-Pentacostal, Seven Day Adventist, Methodists-providing the people good education and building religiousness to a society already good-natured and open. Despite their rural setting, the people of Desa Lielam lived in well-kept houses, enjoyed affordable electricity generated through thermal energy and had running hot water in their backyard through flowing hotspring.
It was trip I discovered a lot about society and culture because I spent time with the people I visited.There were surprises and anxious moments, but I would not have experience more should I make this trip through a tourist agent.
Written by AR Mohamed
The impromtu Trip
The Trip that opened my window
It was trip I thought I had made mistakes all along before embarking on this journey. Firstly I made a mistake of booking an 8 day trip, instead of 3, because I keyed in the wrong date of return. On this trip too, I was travelling solo, without tour agent , no hotel booking and no itinerary. I took this journey to Manado ,an exotic place on the fringe of the Indonesian archipelago. the birthplace of famous filmstar Maria Manado.
Upon arriving at Manado, I surveyed the town and ended up at the busy waterfront market. This was the focal point of the town acting as transport hub, market place, meeting place and pit for cockfighting. As I sat at a warong, contemplating my next move, a young man sitting at the next table suggested that I should go to Bunaken , an island about two hours boat ride from the market. Having no plan whatsoever, I took a ride on an underpowered boat to the idyllic looking island.
I didn’t disembark on the touristy jetty of the island, but at another point called Udjungbenua. I then walked along the island path and came upon some attap huts on the hill slope facing the sea, a homestay of a kind operated by two elderly sisters. There were no running water and electricity, but the two sisters promised me breakfast , lunch and dinner for my 5 days stay.
Unknown to me, Bunaken is a marine park, with a reputation that says “If divers dies, they go to Bunaken”. Not an avid diver, I found snorkeling among the spectacular coral most absorbing and taking most of my time. I didn’t have to go far to find a good snorkeling spot, just 50 meters from the shoreline, I was already in the underwater world teeming with luxuriant corals and other marine life. I got the whole field of coral to myself, fringed by dark abyss that plunged to the depth with barracuda , sharks and big sardine shoal leisurely swimming in the background. When not snorkeling I would explore on foot the whole length of the island which was only about 5 kilometer long, meeting villagers who were Sanghir,Tidorese ,Minahasan,Talaud,Christians,Muslims,all living side by side on this island for years.
On my last night, as I sat on the verandah listening to sound of waves that lapped the beach, a villager came for a chat. We talked over many subjects, but one topic that was new to me was his statement that the Malay had its beginning in this very area,Melayu Tua, he called them. I was puzzled by his opinion because my history book told me it all begun along the Straits of Malacca, which was the birthplace and the heartland of the Malays . He elaborated that Melayu Tua in its pristine and uncorrupted form is evidenced in living language by Orang Sanghir, a predominant ethnic group of this area. He proved this by listing some common words, which despite some phonological variations, were the same in Malay vocabulary. Manado had been a bustling port like Malacca during its old days and Melayu Manado had been the lingua franca for this part of the Malay world that had known no geopolitical boundary. This perspective was new to me and I wondered where this guy learnt his history.
I took a boat back to Manado but the hotels were fully booked because of a maritime convention in town. I proceeded to Minahasa Highland on a minibus that took me to its last stop at Tomohon,a small mission town on a hill plateau . This town reminded me of mountainous Kundasang in Sabah except its many volcanic features-active volcanoes,geysers,hotsprings and crater lakes. As I found no hotel in Tomohon , I hitched a ride to Danau Lokon but most of the hotels along the lakeside were closed. I walked to Desa Lielam, a village adjacent to Danau Lokon, where I met a trusty Minahasan, and he took me to his house.He was a hospitable host and we talked a lot about culture , religion and politics into the wee hour of the morning, until he was in insobriety after draining down glasses after glasses of the home concocted samsu.
The next morning I woke to the noises of loud talking and shouting. I looked outside to see about 30 villagers had gathered to do gotong royong to repair the village road and drain. I walked to the village morning market where items like rat meat and babi panggang were sold . Desa Lielem had many churches of different denominations-Pentacostal, Seven Day Adventist, Methodists-providing the people good education and building religiousness to a society already good-natured and open. Despite their rural setting, the people of Desa Lielam lived in well-kept houses, enjoyed affordable electricity generated through thermal energy and had running hot water in their backyard through flowing hotspring.
It was trip I discovered a lot about society and culture because I spent time with the people I visited.There were surprises and anxious moments, but I would not have experience more should I make this trip through a tourist agent.
Haj trip-Medinah
Performing the haj is one of the must do thing for a muslim.It is a religious obligation for those who can effort and whom god has chosen to be His visitor to his House.My Haj performance happened at the beginning of my retired life at 62.Usually people go earlier, but I just waited until I was fully ready.It was a journey of a lifetime anyway, so I attended a series of courses organised by Tabung Haji.
The day for the trip hjas finally arrived. My send off was a simple occasion, unlike the one I had witrnessed when sending my friends away on similar trip.I got hold of a friend to say the muazim and I was off driving my car to the haji complex at Kelana Jaya. There were many people already there to send off their loved ones and friends .But my entourage was a small one as I hate big send off. After doing all the necessary paperwork and check in procedure, we were assembled in a hall for a briefing and marched to the bus that took us to the airport.Soon we were in the air for the five and the half hours flight to Medina.So far so good.It has been a smooth journey.
Things began to check challenging when we reached the airport at Medina.The plane couldnt find a spot for taxing because the airport was jammed with plane arrivals.The plane just sat on the tarmac for about 3 hours without moving.I had been a seasoned travellor and had always been eager to get off the plane after every flight.But waiting for so long had kept me anxious and jittery.It was my wife who kept me under control reminding me that god has put a small test on our journey and we should be patient. At last the plane moved to a taxing spot and I was relieved to the possibility of relaxing my aching body and perhap enjoing a cup of hot coffee. The soor of the plane finally open and I rushed out to the fresh air to the airport terminal.
But problems were far from over.The airport terminal was jammed with haj arrivals from all over the place.There was no place for the planeload of us to sit, and we must be seated together for easy cxommunication. At last space was found for the 800 of us and we make do with whatever area to relief our tiredness.There was no foodoutlet and the habitual cup of coffee to start my morning off was not there.We waited again in the arrival hall for the passport clearance.There were earlier arrivals from India, Pakistan, Turkey, African countries still in the que for the passport clearance. Looking at the crowd im front of us, it must have taken a few hour more before out turn would come.Waiting has always been a torture I could bare even for a few minutes, but waiting for 3 to 4 hours in a line is unimagineable.Again my wife consoled me syaing that this is the journey that God really put a test on our endurance and we must learnt to take his tests.At last my que started to move and I got to the immigration officer for my passport inspection.
The passport inspection point was actually the bootle neck. The computer was slow and ocassionally jammed.When my turn came there was a a power failure because somebody was hacking the floor to do renovation and he disturbed the power cabled.. The clearnce procedure itself was cumbersome wiuth finger print and iris identification which the computer found it slow to recognised and we have to redo the procedure again and again.The Arab staff manning the counter themseleves were not very active in trying to clear the passenger.They were all males and were taking their time with no sense of urgency. But at last I had my passport chopped and headed for the bus that would take us to our hotel in Medina.
The bus journey was uneventful.The road to the city was nice and the traffic was not heavy despite the fact that this is the peak season.There seemed to me Medina has no industry or commerce other than activities related to the haj. I had been to Medina a few years ago, but this city this time is completely different from the one I visited before for there were so much buildings and roads now and the suburb has grown.
At last we were in the hotel and I felt comfortable again being handled by our own efficient tabung haji staff.Soon we moved into our hotel room.Despite being put 4 to a room I was happy because my room was right in front of Nabawi mosque.It was already zohor and I quickly joined the crowd for the zohor prayer in the mosque.I am going to spend 8 days in Medina and I pledge not to miss a single prayer.
The day at Medina began very early before subuh. At 3 am people were alraedy marching to the Nabaw2i mosque to secure a good spot to say the prayer and the best spot was the one neareast to the imam.One hour later the mosque was full to the brim and many more thousands sat on the covered verandah until the city street. Subuh started at 500 am, which meant that that a person normally sit for 2 hours waiting for Subuh and in the meantime he have a lot of chance to perform sunat prayer, After subuh, I procceed to the cafetaria for breakfast and went back to the room to unwind.After some rest I went for ziarah both within the mosque parameter and outside.normal places we visited were baqi which is the burial ground of shuhadah, rowdah which is the most holiest part of the mosque to pray, Mohamed and shahabah mousoleum, and historical sites around Medinah.
Before noon we were already in the mosque for zohor.After lunch break we were back to the mosque for ashar, but some stayed in the mosque between zohor and ashar.At night we performed the maghrib and isyak.In between thos prayers we have religious lesson given by tabung haji.
Medina nabawi mosque was a huge mosque that accomodate 2 million people. It amazed me to see how people of various ethnic and colour can be so focus in harmony in saying their prayer. The crowd was thick no doubt, but they were orderly. When prayer time come after the muazim call, everybody p[erform their prayer together.
After 8 days at Medina, we wore our ehram dress andboarded the bus for Mecca to begin our haji ritual.The journey took about 10 hours with a stop for prayewr at Bir Ali.There was big traffic jam in mecca, and so it was almost subuh when we made it to the hotel which was about a kilometer away from the masjidul haram.
The day for the trip hjas finally arrived. My send off was a simple occasion, unlike the one I had witrnessed when sending my friends away on similar trip.I got hold of a friend to say the muazim and I was off driving my car to the haji complex at Kelana Jaya. There were many people already there to send off their loved ones and friends .But my entourage was a small one as I hate big send off. After doing all the necessary paperwork and check in procedure, we were assembled in a hall for a briefing and marched to the bus that took us to the airport.Soon we were in the air for the five and the half hours flight to Medina.So far so good.It has been a smooth journey.
Things began to check challenging when we reached the airport at Medina.The plane couldnt find a spot for taxing because the airport was jammed with plane arrivals.The plane just sat on the tarmac for about 3 hours without moving.I had been a seasoned travellor and had always been eager to get off the plane after every flight.But waiting for so long had kept me anxious and jittery.It was my wife who kept me under control reminding me that god has put a small test on our journey and we should be patient. At last the plane moved to a taxing spot and I was relieved to the possibility of relaxing my aching body and perhap enjoing a cup of hot coffee. The soor of the plane finally open and I rushed out to the fresh air to the airport terminal.
But problems were far from over.The airport terminal was jammed with haj arrivals from all over the place.There was no place for the planeload of us to sit, and we must be seated together for easy cxommunication. At last space was found for the 800 of us and we make do with whatever area to relief our tiredness.There was no foodoutlet and the habitual cup of coffee to start my morning off was not there.We waited again in the arrival hall for the passport clearance.There were earlier arrivals from India, Pakistan, Turkey, African countries still in the que for the passport clearance. Looking at the crowd im front of us, it must have taken a few hour more before out turn would come.Waiting has always been a torture I could bare even for a few minutes, but waiting for 3 to 4 hours in a line is unimagineable.Again my wife consoled me syaing that this is the journey that God really put a test on our endurance and we must learnt to take his tests.At last my que started to move and I got to the immigration officer for my passport inspection.
The passport inspection point was actually the bootle neck. The computer was slow and ocassionally jammed.When my turn came there was a a power failure because somebody was hacking the floor to do renovation and he disturbed the power cabled.. The clearnce procedure itself was cumbersome wiuth finger print and iris identification which the computer found it slow to recognised and we have to redo the procedure again and again.The Arab staff manning the counter themseleves were not very active in trying to clear the passenger.They were all males and were taking their time with no sense of urgency. But at last I had my passport chopped and headed for the bus that would take us to our hotel in Medina.
The bus journey was uneventful.The road to the city was nice and the traffic was not heavy despite the fact that this is the peak season.There seemed to me Medina has no industry or commerce other than activities related to the haj. I had been to Medina a few years ago, but this city this time is completely different from the one I visited before for there were so much buildings and roads now and the suburb has grown.
At last we were in the hotel and I felt comfortable again being handled by our own efficient tabung haji staff.Soon we moved into our hotel room.Despite being put 4 to a room I was happy because my room was right in front of Nabawi mosque.It was already zohor and I quickly joined the crowd for the zohor prayer in the mosque.I am going to spend 8 days in Medina and I pledge not to miss a single prayer.
The day at Medina began very early before subuh. At 3 am people were alraedy marching to the Nabaw2i mosque to secure a good spot to say the prayer and the best spot was the one neareast to the imam.One hour later the mosque was full to the brim and many more thousands sat on the covered verandah until the city street. Subuh started at 500 am, which meant that that a person normally sit for 2 hours waiting for Subuh and in the meantime he have a lot of chance to perform sunat prayer, After subuh, I procceed to the cafetaria for breakfast and went back to the room to unwind.After some rest I went for ziarah both within the mosque parameter and outside.normal places we visited were baqi which is the burial ground of shuhadah, rowdah which is the most holiest part of the mosque to pray, Mohamed and shahabah mousoleum, and historical sites around Medinah.
Before noon we were already in the mosque for zohor.After lunch break we were back to the mosque for ashar, but some stayed in the mosque between zohor and ashar.At night we performed the maghrib and isyak.In between thos prayers we have religious lesson given by tabung haji.
Medina nabawi mosque was a huge mosque that accomodate 2 million people. It amazed me to see how people of various ethnic and colour can be so focus in harmony in saying their prayer. The crowd was thick no doubt, but they were orderly. When prayer time come after the muazim call, everybody p[erform their prayer together.
After 8 days at Medina, we wore our ehram dress andboarded the bus for Mecca to begin our haji ritual.The journey took about 10 hours with a stop for prayewr at Bir Ali.There was big traffic jam in mecca, and so it was almost subuh when we made it to the hotel which was about a kilometer away from the masjidul haram.
Gunung Chemerong
Chemerong is one of the most beautiful nature's park many have not known yet. The park has a a variety of typographical features such as mountain peaks close to one another, waterfall, clear water river , a diversity of flora and fauna and beautiful campsites. But this place is hardly visited and so when it was suggested to me that we should trek this park, I hardly can figure out where in Treangganu is this place because I had known Trengganu for its beaches and coral islands.
To get to Chemerong, one must drive to a town called Durian Mas or Bandar Billah which is situated midway along the Kuantan Jabor Highway . From the highway junction one has to take an ancillary road iinland towards Banjaran Titiwangsa which is the backbone of Peninsular Malaysia.Traveling for about 40 km of country road along palm oil plantation, the road ended up at Chemerong Forest Reserve, a park maintained by the Forestry Department.This place is well maintained with facilities like campsite, jungle track, running water and electricity ,toilets and gazebo. From this station there is a track two hours track leading to the beautiful Chemerong Waterfall which is the highest waterfall in Malaysia at 300 meter
Our journey started early in the morning towards Kem Balak trekking through jungle trek and climbing steep terrain in a never been logged tropical forest .It was steep climbing at the first leg of the journey, followed by steep descend, until we were just about to reach Kem Balak four hours later to take a good rest by the side of the stream which was the upper reaches of Sungai Chemerong. We continued to walk through undulating ground following closely to the bank Sungai Chemorong until we reached the first camping site.
The first camping site was beside a river and we pitched our camp at the riverside.It was raining most of the night and we stayed under the flysheet. We cooked our supper and had a good night sleep despite the rain. The next morning we pushed forward after breakfast for the summit of Gunung Berembun.From where we were in the morning we were somewhere midway to the 5000 ft summit, and most of the rest of our journey was ascending. But the trek was interesting with stunted bonsai type plants and small trees and cool air.After five hours of climb we reached the summit. After taking some rest we trekked down towards Langsir Waterfall.The journey to the campsite was a tough descent with steep gradient and difficult track.It was only when we almost reach the campsite, the track got better as we traced Sungai Langsir downstream towards the waterfall.
The campsite at Langsir waterfall was among the best I ever stopped in my outdoor experience. It was by the side of clear water Sungau Langsir and on the upper reach of Langsir Waterfall.The waterfall dropped to a depth we could not fathom because the sheer slope of the fall made it impossible to see its bottom.But at the beginning of the fall, just above our campsite, the skyline was a vista of mountainous forest with Gunung Keling as the backdrop.We could sit for hours enjoying the vista before us. The site , even though small and could accommodate only about 5 tents, was clean and had little sign of being trampled about.
The next morning we trekked Sungai Langsir on our downward journey to Kem Balak again .From Kem Balak we proceeded to Chemerong Waterfall which was one of the most beautiful Waterfall I had ever seen. At Chemerong Waterfall, water fallout of sheer slope cascading thunderously to a depth of 1000 feet.Where it fall there was enormous pools which cascading down to many more fools big enough for swimming and diving. It was getting late , we did not spend too much time and trekked for about two hour to Chemerong Camp
We reached Chemerong Camp when it was almost dark and as it was too late we spent another night camping at the campsite.
To get to Chemerong, one must drive to a town called Durian Mas or Bandar Billah which is situated midway along the Kuantan Jabor Highway . From the highway junction one has to take an ancillary road iinland towards Banjaran Titiwangsa which is the backbone of Peninsular Malaysia.Traveling for about 40 km of country road along palm oil plantation, the road ended up at Chemerong Forest Reserve, a park maintained by the Forestry Department.This place is well maintained with facilities like campsite, jungle track, running water and electricity ,toilets and gazebo. From this station there is a track two hours track leading to the beautiful Chemerong Waterfall which is the highest waterfall in Malaysia at 300 meter
Our journey started early in the morning towards Kem Balak trekking through jungle trek and climbing steep terrain in a never been logged tropical forest .It was steep climbing at the first leg of the journey, followed by steep descend, until we were just about to reach Kem Balak four hours later to take a good rest by the side of the stream which was the upper reaches of Sungai Chemerong. We continued to walk through undulating ground following closely to the bank Sungai Chemorong until we reached the first camping site.
The first camping site was beside a river and we pitched our camp at the riverside.It was raining most of the night and we stayed under the flysheet. We cooked our supper and had a good night sleep despite the rain. The next morning we pushed forward after breakfast for the summit of Gunung Berembun.From where we were in the morning we were somewhere midway to the 5000 ft summit, and most of the rest of our journey was ascending. But the trek was interesting with stunted bonsai type plants and small trees and cool air.After five hours of climb we reached the summit. After taking some rest we trekked down towards Langsir Waterfall.The journey to the campsite was a tough descent with steep gradient and difficult track.It was only when we almost reach the campsite, the track got better as we traced Sungai Langsir downstream towards the waterfall.
The campsite at Langsir waterfall was among the best I ever stopped in my outdoor experience. It was by the side of clear water Sungau Langsir and on the upper reach of Langsir Waterfall.The waterfall dropped to a depth we could not fathom because the sheer slope of the fall made it impossible to see its bottom.But at the beginning of the fall, just above our campsite, the skyline was a vista of mountainous forest with Gunung Keling as the backdrop.We could sit for hours enjoying the vista before us. The site , even though small and could accommodate only about 5 tents, was clean and had little sign of being trampled about.
The next morning we trekked Sungai Langsir on our downward journey to Kem Balak again .From Kem Balak we proceeded to Chemerong Waterfall which was one of the most beautiful Waterfall I had ever seen. At Chemerong Waterfall, water fallout of sheer slope cascading thunderously to a depth of 1000 feet.Where it fall there was enormous pools which cascading down to many more fools big enough for swimming and diving. It was getting late , we did not spend too much time and trekked for about two hour to Chemerong Camp
We reached Chemerong Camp when it was almost dark and as it was too late we spent another night camping at the campsite.
Transborneo Trip-Sabah and Sarawak.
It was a memorable trip undertaken by 3 friends covering Sabah, Sarawk and Brunei in a 4 wheel jeep. The trip took 8 days covering a distance of 2500 kilometers, crossing borders during which our passports were stamped for 16 times.
We started in Kota Kinabalu and travelled towards south to Sarawak.On the first day we came over many towns in Sabah such as Papar, Beaufort, Sepitang,Lawas and Limbang where we stopped for the night.I had been to these towns before, nearly 30 years ago, but these towns had changed very much with better roads, more buildings , increased population and more traffic.Take Beaufort for example, when I stopped at this town in 1972 on my train journey from Tenom to Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort was a one street small town with shop houses on stilt.Now Beaufort is sprawling with a new township on the opposite side of the river, which was before a small plantation. Indeed all other towns like Papar and Sepitang had grown in size and had become very busy.
Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak are riverside towns that have grown to become important commercial centres serving its riverine hinterland.Despite their remoteness these towns look very clean and very organised with good roads, well tendered landscaped gardens and clean restaurants. The people are homogeneous lots making up the Malays, Chinese ,Limbawang,Ibans,Murut and many more, but they are friendly and easy to engage them in casual conversation.We spent a quiet night in Limbang, and the next morning I headed for the wharf where life started early in the morning.Boats were plying to and fro on both banks of Sungai Limbang cvarrying goods and passengers.There was a hive of activities in the market selling agricutural produces and husehold iten and clotings.Limbang is an active commercial town serving the riverine.
After 6 hours on the road we reached Brunei.Being a petroleum producing country Brunei is wealthy.This is evident from the good infrstuture, good houses and good life the Bruneian are experiencing.The towns that we passed through looked like they were well managed with good roads, clean restaurants and good housings.Hospitals, playgrounds, townhalls,stadium , public park and playground were visible facilities in the town.Brunei beng the capital city is adorened with office complexa band mosques. The landmark is Sultan Omar mosquie which is situated in the centre of Brunei city.
After crossing Brunei, we travelled to Miri which is an example of a booming Sarawak oil town .It is a town which is easy to live with amenities for modern lifestyle set in rural setting.Around Miri there are many things to see and enjoy such as Niah Cave and Forest Reserve, and Miri is an embarkation point to Mulu National Park and Upper Baram
Two days to the end of our 8 days foray, we travelled north to Kota Belud and Kudat to meet some old friends.The road to Kudat was good, and Kudat waterfront has extended into the sea.I met a few friends who had been staying in Kudat for the last 40 years and never intend to move, for life is easy, seafood is fresh and friends are plentiful in Kudat.
We started in Kota Kinabalu and travelled towards south to Sarawak.On the first day we came over many towns in Sabah such as Papar, Beaufort, Sepitang,Lawas and Limbang where we stopped for the night.I had been to these towns before, nearly 30 years ago, but these towns had changed very much with better roads, more buildings , increased population and more traffic.Take Beaufort for example, when I stopped at this town in 1972 on my train journey from Tenom to Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort was a one street small town with shop houses on stilt.Now Beaufort is sprawling with a new township on the opposite side of the river, which was before a small plantation. Indeed all other towns like Papar and Sepitang had grown in size and had become very busy.
Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak are riverside towns that have grown to become important commercial centres serving its riverine hinterland.Despite their remoteness these towns look very clean and very organised with good roads, well tendered landscaped gardens and clean restaurants. The people are homogeneous lots making up the Malays, Chinese ,Limbawang,Ibans,Murut and many more, but they are friendly and easy to engage them in casual conversation.We spent a quiet night in Limbang, and the next morning I headed for the wharf where life started early in the morning.Boats were plying to and fro on both banks of Sungai Limbang cvarrying goods and passengers.There was a hive of activities in the market selling agricutural produces and husehold iten and clotings.Limbang is an active commercial town serving the riverine.
After 6 hours on the road we reached Brunei.Being a petroleum producing country Brunei is wealthy.This is evident from the good infrstuture, good houses and good life the Bruneian are experiencing.The towns that we passed through looked like they were well managed with good roads, clean restaurants and good housings.Hospitals, playgrounds, townhalls,stadium , public park and playground were visible facilities in the town.Brunei beng the capital city is adorened with office complexa band mosques. The landmark is Sultan Omar mosquie which is situated in the centre of Brunei city.
After crossing Brunei, we travelled to Miri which is an example of a booming Sarawak oil town .It is a town which is easy to live with amenities for modern lifestyle set in rural setting.Around Miri there are many things to see and enjoy such as Niah Cave and Forest Reserve, and Miri is an embarkation point to Mulu National Park and Upper Baram
Two days to the end of our 8 days foray, we travelled north to Kota Belud and Kudat to meet some old friends.The road to Kudat was good, and Kudat waterfront has extended into the sea.I met a few friends who had been staying in Kudat for the last 40 years and never intend to move, for life is easy, seafood is fresh and friends are plentiful in Kudat.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Jabbar Nur
Mountain in Arabia was very different from the tropical mountain in Malaysia.Mountains in Arabia are not very high averaging 1000-2000 feet, whereas in Malaysia the mountain is higher at 5000-15000 feet.Mountain in the desert are bare and lack vegetation, whereas mountain in Malaysia are lush and green.Also mountain in Arabia are rocky, dry and straightforward terrain, whereas mountain in Malaysia covered with intertwining undergrowth and with many flowing streams.Nobody cares for the mountain in Arabia, so it is unkempt and littered with rubbish, whereas in Malaysia mountain rangers take good care of the parks. But climbing Jabar Nur is another experience I had never had in my many years of climbing mountain peaks in Malaysia and Indonesia.
For jabar Nur, I started very early, that is just after my subuh prayer.It was about one hour by taxi from Mecca.When I reach the starting point which was in an Arab village, there were already many people, mostly from Indian subcontinent .These people consider climbing this mountain to be in Hiraj cave as part of their pilgrame necessity.They climb with such a reverance,The accent was steep with an iclination at 60 degree slope.The climb was made easy with the terrace built by the Pakistanis who collected toll for the steps he helped to create. Of course the toll is voluntary prizes, I dont have to pay if I dont want to.
After about an hour of climb I reach a spot which is a flat bed of rock on which I could rest and take a breath.It was still early in the morning and the weather was good with blowing cool wind.One could easily fall asleep under the temparature of about 20 degree celcius., and with the wind factor could even be 15 degree. After some rest I continued to walk another hour to the mid station where the ground is flatter, so there are many other climbers there taking a rest.I met many climbers from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan,and China. Because it was so refreshing I took a long rest enjoying the scene before continuing the final part of my climb.
The next stage of the climb until the summit was even more steep. Unlike tropical mountain ehere our views are blocked by tall trees, the view from the mountain in Arabia is clear and one got to see the whole vista. Also as we climb we could feel the sheer drop in terrain with nothing to hold on as tropical mountain there are roots and vegetation to give us support. One foot must be stable to hold the stony pebbles and the only support we could rely on is the rocks and flailing railing. After about an hour of climb from the lat resting spot, I finally reached the summit.
The mountain summit was small and narrow and were all rocks.Everybody was fighting for the small space on the summit.I admired the Afghan as they jumped from rock to rock like mountain goats without fear of missing their steps..May be they are used to doing this in their mountainous country. As it was still ealy, about 1000am, i took a long rest after securing a spot for myself.The temparature at the top was about 15 degree and the wind was blowing very nicely.It was a good feeling and very relaxed up t5here.I enjoyed the view of the city of Mecca with the clock tower as the landmark. Other climbers too were enjoying themselves driking cofeee and lying down on the rock bed. However many climbers were performing t5heir prayer at the mountain top.Some were so emotional in their doa which they said in a loudly and raising their palam to the sky.
From the top there was trek down to cave where Rasulallah got his message from God. Climbers particularly from India and Pakistan were fighting their way on this trek to get to the cave.With so many people making the attempt towards the cave, I dare not try for the risk of losing grip and falling is something I should avoid at all cost.I therefore skipped that part of the climb, which was the main reason why most people got up there.
The climb down was easy.One use a different set of muscle to make the journey down.; As I climbed down I met a group of Tukish climbers.They were old but they climb the mountain without much effort. It was about 1 pm that I reached the starting point and took a taxi bak to Mecca. For a half day trip, climbing Jabar Nur is worth the try.
For jabar Nur, I started very early, that is just after my subuh prayer.It was about one hour by taxi from Mecca.When I reach the starting point which was in an Arab village, there were already many people, mostly from Indian subcontinent .These people consider climbing this mountain to be in Hiraj cave as part of their pilgrame necessity.They climb with such a reverance,The accent was steep with an iclination at 60 degree slope.The climb was made easy with the terrace built by the Pakistanis who collected toll for the steps he helped to create. Of course the toll is voluntary prizes, I dont have to pay if I dont want to.
After about an hour of climb I reach a spot which is a flat bed of rock on which I could rest and take a breath.It was still early in the morning and the weather was good with blowing cool wind.One could easily fall asleep under the temparature of about 20 degree celcius., and with the wind factor could even be 15 degree. After some rest I continued to walk another hour to the mid station where the ground is flatter, so there are many other climbers there taking a rest.I met many climbers from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan,and China. Because it was so refreshing I took a long rest enjoying the scene before continuing the final part of my climb.
The next stage of the climb until the summit was even more steep. Unlike tropical mountain ehere our views are blocked by tall trees, the view from the mountain in Arabia is clear and one got to see the whole vista. Also as we climb we could feel the sheer drop in terrain with nothing to hold on as tropical mountain there are roots and vegetation to give us support. One foot must be stable to hold the stony pebbles and the only support we could rely on is the rocks and flailing railing. After about an hour of climb from the lat resting spot, I finally reached the summit.
The mountain summit was small and narrow and were all rocks.Everybody was fighting for the small space on the summit.I admired the Afghan as they jumped from rock to rock like mountain goats without fear of missing their steps..May be they are used to doing this in their mountainous country. As it was still ealy, about 1000am, i took a long rest after securing a spot for myself.The temparature at the top was about 15 degree and the wind was blowing very nicely.It was a good feeling and very relaxed up t5here.I enjoyed the view of the city of Mecca with the clock tower as the landmark. Other climbers too were enjoying themselves driking cofeee and lying down on the rock bed. However many climbers were performing t5heir prayer at the mountain top.Some were so emotional in their doa which they said in a loudly and raising their palam to the sky.
From the top there was trek down to cave where Rasulallah got his message from God. Climbers particularly from India and Pakistan were fighting their way on this trek to get to the cave.With so many people making the attempt towards the cave, I dare not try for the risk of losing grip and falling is something I should avoid at all cost.I therefore skipped that part of the climb, which was the main reason why most people got up there.
The climb down was easy.One use a different set of muscle to make the journey down.; As I climbed down I met a group of Tukish climbers.They were old but they climb the mountain without much effort. It was about 1 pm that I reached the starting point and took a taxi bak to Mecca. For a half day trip, climbing Jabar Nur is worth the try.
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