Malaysia

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After cruising the South China Sea for a day and enjoying the on board activities and culinary pleasures, we arrive at Singapore, an island nation emerging from the British Empire as a former member of the Malaysian federation. It has become an economic powerhouse while still maintaining an English interest in civility, law abiding citizens and cleanliness. In the morning, after arrival, I venture out to ride the overhead cable car to visit a variety of sights, including Singapore’s Universal Studios theme park. Not needing to see a step child of Orlando’s original, I enjoy alternative sightseeing until our afternoon excursion bus tour of Singapore’s iconic sights. Stopping at Thian Hock Keng Temple for photos we continue on to Clarke Quay for a riverboat ride in the middle of the city. Our guide points out the various bridges and tall buildings that have made this second smallest Asian nation an architectural marvel. We pass up the opportunity to swim in the pool atop the tri-tiered Marina Bay Sands with the Sky Park cantilevered atop the 57 stories and including the longest elevated swimming pool in the world. On to the Colonial District and Arab Street, one of the several ethnic cultural areas developed over the years from the immigrant populations. The Sultan Mosque is magnificent from a distance and we travel on to the Governor’s Residence for more photos from afar. Raffles Hotel, named for the founder of the city-state, is THE place to be as it “stands for all the fables of the exotic East”, according to Somerset Maugham. While lowlife tourists can’t venture into the main lobby we can visit the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling. We return to the ship with a love for this vibrant city with wonderful history, sailing into the night toward Port Klang, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur (with the ship stopping at its access port Port Klang) is another emerging urban center as the capital of Malaysia. This federation of fiefdoms has come into its economic own and we see some of the progress on our whirlwind tour. First is a vantage point photo stop of the large “Blue Mosque”, named for the color of its surface covering tiles as is its parental namesake in Istanbul. Religious services prevent us from entering but the ensuing traffic on this Friday afternoon belies its popularity. The Thean Hou Temple has different Buddhist displays while the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil Hindu Temple depicts multiple individual figures on the surface of its exterior. The Kings Palace, viewed from in front of a guarded gate a mile away, reflects sunlight from its gilded surfaces. The National War Memorial was conceived when the king visited the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial in Arlington, VA and depicts the ANZAC soldiers defeating the Japanese in WWII. This is actually the only major memorial about the Japanese WWII atrocities that we’ve heard guides describe in every country we’ve visited and this beautiful marble and fountain edifice honors the international conquering heroes. (In Penang History Museum they do have a section on the brutality of the Japanese “warriors” and the registration requirements for all citizens.) International Square, at the heart of the city, awards a view of the preserved sports field and iconic cricket club with the government buildings fronting on either side. Towering over all is the oversized national flag on a magnificent pole. A fitting close to our visit.

Penang, Malaysia, or Pulau Pinang, is the northern gateway to this country and its oldest British settlement. “Pinang” in Malay refers to the areca nut palm, which provides the betel nut, an essential ingredient in a delicacy chewed by millions in the Far East (including “Bloody Mary” in the musical “South Pacific”). Today Georgetown, with 220,000 inhabitants, is noted for the largest collection of pre-war houses in all of Southeast Asia. Our excursion begins with a trishaw ride. This unique vehicle is the successor of the rickshaw and reminds one of the bicycle driven ice cream carts with the ice cream box being replaced with a sedan chair. As a group our drivers navigate through the busy streets, we breathe the auto exhaust. Our first stop is the Khoo Kongsi Clan Ancestral House, a temple like structure with no Buddha’s but many fine examples of intricate designs and carvings in lavish colors dominated by red. Clans were the social anchor for Chinese immigrants and provided finanial stability through the provision of services. This house is well maintained to educate tourists on Chinese culture and depicts the clans historical roots and successes in the city. Bearding our individual Trishaws, we again weave through the traffic to the Penang Museum. Proud of their eclectic and varied evolution the displays share a wonderful world in immigration, close mutual social interaction and political challenges. Again it’s into the Trishaws for tea at the elegant E&O Hotel and the ride back to the ship.

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