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Published: March 28th 2006
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Mr. Naidu
He drove me around a lot and I liked him because he used the meter not just "guessed" what the fare should be. Poor Mr. Naido. Well, Mr. Naido had driven me in his taxicab on a previous trip from the airport to downtown Kuala Lumpur. He is a very nice 69 year-old retired civil servant who operates a taxicab to get out of the house and remain active. Important for me, he used his taxi meter, which many taxi drivers don't do and thus overcharge. He was confused about my request for him to drive me around to the different cemeteries, but I convinced him it would be fun. So he shrugged his shoulders, smile a bit, and went along with the scheme. I guess people who travel to Malaysia don't normally ask to visit the local cemeteries, but I thought that it would be a great adventure.
Mr. Naido first drove me to the old Chinese cemetery which is in the Jalan Belamy area. It is very old. It is big but there is limited space, so it's crowded. One area, which was long, sunken, and snaked around like a river appeared like an amazing river of graves and headstones. I never saw anything like it in my life. At one point in that graveyard, there was the most amazing view
River of Graves
Part of the Chinese cemetary where the graves formed a river of graves. of downtown Kuala Lumpur. I wondered if the deceased had to pay extra for the view. I assume that these were Chinese Buddhists.
Next, we visited the Cheras Road Christian Cemetery, which is newer and has Chinese Christian residents. It was well maintained and had lovely flowering white and pink trees all around.
We also visited a Muslim cemetery at Jalan Kuari, Cheras. I didn't think they would let me in and Mr. Naido said they wouldn't. There were workers who were tending to the flowers, bushes, and graves. They saw me but let me walk around without any problem. Here, the graves were an entirely different design. They generally consisted of a small plot of earth surrounded by a stone border and often with small pillars with inscriptions, presumably in Arabic. The cemetery was very well maintained and was a quiet and peaceful place away from the hustle and bustle that is Kuala Lumpur. Interestingly, that cemetery was across the street from a Hindu cemetery and crematorium.
The Hindu cemetery was rather small and appeared old. Today they use cremation rather than burial in part because of limited land. At the entrance of the Hindu cemetery
Back of the River of Graves
Looking at the back side of the river of graves-- was a small shrine, and the man who maintained allowed me to take his photograph and then allowed me to walk around the cemetary. But he was very confused about why anyone wanted to take photographs there. The Hindu cemetery was in need of maintenance but was very interesting. And then three dogs started coming after me and scared the heck out of me. It's really hard to outrace dogs in an old Hindu cemetery in Luala Lumpur! Nearby, a crematorium was in active use, and funeral activities going on while I was there.
Overall, by visiting the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and Hindu cemeteries, I was able to see a part of Malaysian life (and death) that most visitors do not see. It was quite a privilege. Thanks to Mr. Naido for driving me around!
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Nisa
non-member comment
Interesting
Interesting!!!!!!!! For some reason I like the idea of visiting cemeteries. There is a saying in my language (I don’t even know how to interpret in English) every one has go to a cemeteries often to remind themselves that there is the end of life and this is the final path, where every one has to travel, as this is every ones destiny