Malacca Day 3: Taming Sari Gyro Tower at Night over the Town

On my last night in Malacca, Malaysia, I decided to take a trip to the rotating tower high above the new downtown area just outside of the Dutch Quarter.  Though it wasn’t a long trip, I still came away with some great shots and experienced the town unlike most visitors here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKevHD2MhA&w=560&h=315]

Malacca Day 3: Night Driving

This timelapse sequence covers the entire trip from the old Dutch Quarter, through downtown Malacca, to the restaurant hub behind the newest part of town.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j6L8Ydvf-M&w=560&h=315]

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Malacca Day 2: Night Walk in the Dutch Quarter Part Two

Walking through the old Dutch Quarter of Malacca, I snapped these photos under the Banyon trees.  I put them into this timelapse sequence just to add a bit of glamour on my otherwise normal photo-walk through the old town. The trees were lit up and really beautifully with the colored lights pointed up from underneath.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MofvAlhdDI&w=560&h=315]

Malacca Day 2: Night Walk in the Dutch Quarter Part One

Walking through the old Dutch Quarter of Malacca, I snapped these photos under the Banyon trees.  I put them into this timelapse sequence just to add a bit of glamour on my otherwise normal photo-walk through the old town. The trees were lit up and really beautifully with the colored lights pointed up from underneath.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbtiVI_38uw&w=560&h=315]

Malacca: Day 1

Recommendation number one: Don’t drive to Malacca.  Take a bus, take a train – hitchhike.  Just don’t drive here.  The maps are wrong, the locals are directionally impaired and when you finally find the one road that is supposed to be a straight shot from the highway, it turns out to be a zig-zagging version of a city planners bad joke.  It winds through suburbs, combines with other tandem roadways and if you ever need to make a u-turn, forget about it unless you’re willing to take the 5-mile detour needed to get back on track.

But once you’re here, it almost seems worth it.  Just kidding.  It’s quite awesome, I must say.  I have only been to China Town and Little India so far, and I arrived at 5pm today.  So even in the short time since being here (currently around midnight), I’ve already had a great time.

After booking a nice, quiet hotel off the beaten track, I was able to find this nice little sectioned-off parcel of road that closes it’s access to cars and sets up shop for the foot traffic.  I ran into this kooky, little, old lady with a mask shop containing enough wood carvings to answer for the mysterious bare spots in the various rain forests of the world.

I’m not kidding.  This woman had more masks than the prop closet on Broadway.  I was in heaven.  I love masks so much that I nearly asked her if I could set up a cot in the back and spend the night checking them all out.  I didn’t, though.  Instead, I talked her into letting me film all throughout the shop and even got an impromptu interview – though, I am not sure that she knew it was happening.  And I think that she really didn’t like being on camera once she found out.

At first, she told me to stop filming.  But I whipped out a business card and told her that I’d put her in my latest documentary and she loosened right up.  So I will try and put the outtakes on my YouTube channel and in this blog (time allowing).

I ate what they said was a “large” pizza on the corner of the main statue in front of this makeshift night market and kept cruising the shops until late in the evening.

Once I realized how hungry I was from not having filled the coffers on the quasi-large pizza, I headed over to this Pakistani restaurant that the hotel manager suggested for me.  The food was excellent and I was happy that I took his advice.

The spicy chicken tandoori that I tried was de-li-SHUS!  And it should have been, because I was told by the hotel management that it was the best in Malacca… e’hem.  Uh, that’s, the best in Malaysia.

The chicken is open-roasted on a spit.  They rub the spices on it that you order and give you a choice of dipping sauces.  I took the “herb dip,” which included garlic and Italian spices.  In addition, the reason that people are actually attracted to this Pakistani restaurant in the first place is the bread.  They make it in a clay oven heated from the bottom and slap the flattened bread, spices already wiped on, right inside the giant caldron of an oven, and let it cook for about a minute.  You can add cheese to this, in which case they will roll it up into the inside and it will melt along with the rest of the ingredients at the sweltering 700-degree heat .

They serve it on a plate, normally still steaming, with a various pallet of dips which can be ordered to come with the bread.  I tried the bean curd.  And I can’t say enough about it.  It was a splendid contrast to the bold and spicy punch that the chicken packs.

Washing it all down was the famous Malaysian tea.  Just say “tea” and it is already assumed that you mean “Malaysian” style.  Normally just a black tea with either milk or soy, this tea comes hot.  But you can order it with ice as well.  I generally don’t recommend the iced version because you can never tell whether or not the water for the ice is filtered – though, the assumption is that it’s unfiltered.  But on this warm night, I figured I’d just dive in and worry about the repercussions later.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3EJmsD3ek&w=560&h=315]

(In this article) Highly recommended: stay at ABC Hotel.  The rooms are comfortable, but don’t plan on a discount (single/double RM70 – RM90 on weekends).  The showers are hot, the AC is cold, and the management is friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating.  Contact Mr.Selvam at Mobile: 0126396577 or Email:abchotel1954@gmail.com.  Address: No:34, Jalan Kota Laksmana 3, Taman Kota Laksamana, 75200 Melaka. Phone: 062816670.

Update: Headed to Malacca

Coming up this next weekend (Mar 15-17, 2013), I’ll be headed out to Melacca for my first visit to the country’s cultural and historical hub.

There are a lot of places throughout Malaysia that have a truly unique feel and look.  There are many places with their own distinct line through the recent past.  But in no place is this idea more encapsulated in such a condensed area.

In fact, Melacca is the third smallest state in the country.  It’s been dubbed the “Historic State,” and it’s located on the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

It’s placement and history here have even so entrenched in the history of global trade that the Strait of Melacca got its name from the millions of international goods that entered its port every year during its height as a trade mecca during the colonial era.

In 2008 it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  And though it was the home of the first Malay Sultanate, the monarchy was quashed with the Portuguese claimed rule here in the 16th century.

But you can read more about all that when I return from Melacca with a new photos and footage in tow.

Till then, enjoy this short documentary and get an idea of what I’ll be enjoying when I head there for my three-day weekend!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc50CAvnUJw&w=560&h=315]

Malacca Update:

This weekend, starting March 15th, I’ll be headed out to Melacca to check off one more of the amazing filming junkets that I have planned for the Malaysia Documentary.

I’m very excited about this trip since Melacca is one of those old-world places that should be on every anthro-nerd’s to-do list.  It’s got something for everyone.

There’s history, culture, great sights.  There’s even a lot of old architecture for the eyes to feast upon.  It’ll be a great experience and I look forward to coming back with not only some great interviews from the locals, but also a nice gallery of photos.

I’ll be taking my time, since this is the first three-day weekend of which I will be actually be spending its entirety in one of my Malaysia destinations.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc50CAvnUJw&w=560&h=315]

Adventure on a Roll

Wan

This past weekend, I headed out to Serdang and had a blast at the Giant Hamster Ball.  I also met some amazing new friends and shot some really cool footage for my latest documentary here in Malaysia.

GAC Adventures Malaysia, hosted the event which included a water orb, bumper orb and, of course, the downhill orb (and even had an archery set-up while you wait!).  I suppose that calling them “Giant Balls” might have brought on the wrong impression.  So they ended up with “orb” instead.

In any case, I met Wan, the environmentalist pictured above, and his cousin, the lovely and bubbly, Amaal, who have both been wonderful contacts to meet along the way.

Wan works as a conservation forester in one of the oldest forests in Malaysia.  They call this the virgin forest because of its untouched beauty.  And Wan said that I will be welcomed to join him on many weekends when we can explore this wonderful place.  So I will definitely be taking him up on that.

Amaal has sent me some amazing contacts for going out all over Malaysia and seeing the country that most people don’t get to see when they visit here.  So I am happy to have met such enthusiastic and knowledgeable folks that can show me the ropes.

So, thanks to her, I will be looking forward to filming wild elephants at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Center, doing zip-lines with SkyTrex Adventures, checking out the National Museum and seeing what kinds of amazing masks they have on display, visiting a plethora of breathtaking waterfalls all over the country (including a 4WD trip to the Jereng Kang Waterfall), going to the largest continuous rain forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia, Belum- Temengor, and even hope to do the famous North Borneo Railway through the jungles of Sabah!

And let’s not forget the skydiving that I still have planned!  CJ, the owner of GAC Adventures, has even told me about the motorized paragliding that he and his friends do.  So I’ve also been invited along for that.

It looks like I have my work cut out for me in the coming months.  And it’s gonna be an absolute blast traveling all over the country to get this amazing footage.

Don’t worry; I will be blogging all about it and bringing you along with me.  But don’t forget that this will all be going into an ultimate documentary that exposes the Malaysia that only shows itself to those willing to live and stay here long enough to meet the right people (like Amaal and Wan) to make it happen!

Check out the short video below to get a sneak preview of the downhill orb and other events that went down this past weekend.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtEGWAMp26Q&w=560&h=315]

Thaipusam Festival 2013

For the Thaipusam festival, 2013, I took off to the Batu Cave, just north of Kuala Lumpur.

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Thaipusam Festival is actually a Hindu Festival.  And since there are swathes of Hindu descendants and Indian emigrants here, there’s plenty of Tamil in the air.  There’s also plenty of uniquely Indian scents abound as well.  I’ll let you make your own assumptions as to which one is less pleasant.

In any case, this celebration comes at the Jan/Feb Tamil month of Thai — hence the name.  And it falls on the last full moon in this period.

The festival itself is more of a gathering of people collected with a focus on sacrifice.  But it doesn’t start at the festival.  The Hindus who show up in 2013 are the ones who had their prayers answered sometime in 2012.  They came to this cave, prayed in the temple built into its cavern and were fortunate enough for their wishes to be granted by Murugan, the god of the Tamils.

Of all the mythical religions in human history, the two great Sanskrit epics, the Mahabarata and the Ramayana, are my favorites.  The stories are more colorful, widely expanded and creatively linked and more intricately intertwined throughout the hundreds of years over which they were created than the Greek, Norse or Egyptian mythology combined.

Officially, Thaipusam is the date which Parvati, the wife of Shiva, gave Murugan, her son, a spear with which he was to vanquish the evil from Soorapadman, the demon son of an Persian princess.

Unofficially, the story says that upon instruction by Shiva to his dwarf sage, Agastya, two hillocks (conically shaped hills or small mountains) were to be built for ceremonial purposes in Southern India.  Agastya in turn charged his disciple, Idumban, with the task.

Even for mythical creatures, lifting mountains must be a huge task.  So after finding a suitable mountain he needed to move, Idumban sought assistance in a seemingly homeless boy in rags.  But the boy refused, saying that the mountain that Idumban wanted to move actually belonged to him.

Angered, Idumban punished the boy with lashings.  But as it turned out, the boy was Murugan in an earthly form, sent there to keep an eye on the completion of the task.

Idumban pleaded for forgiveness. And in doing so, he carried a hillock-shaped rock to the top of the mountain.  And in return for his sacrifice, Murugan spared Idumban’s life and granted one wish.

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Today, devotees who’ve had their prayers answered by Murugan, come from all over the world to this and other locations to perform similar acts of sacrifice.  And while it is celebrated all over Malaysia (and India, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia), the two places that this festival is the grandest here are at the Batu Cave and in Penang.  In both places, the visiting Hindus climb the many stairs up to the top of a cave.

Some carry giant, colorfully ornamental items on their shoulders in a show of their appreciation (thus their sacrifice) for their answered prayers.

The main part of the celebration involves the procession of devotees from the mother’s temple, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, in the Kuala Lumpur’s China Town area, to Batu Caves. It is a 13-kilometer journey done barefoot.

The day before the procession begins, the murti, a majestic silver chariot, is cleaned and elaborately decorated. The murti normally waits in the mother’s temple. But on the day of Thaipusam, the murti is brought to a chariot and tugged along by men with hooks in their backs attached to ropes pulling the cart.  This journey usually takes about 8 hours.

Those who choose to engage in castigation normally shave their heads (not just limited to the men) or carry items up the stairs in the blistering Malaysian heat.  The hillock-like ornament that some men choose to carry up the hill is called a Kavadi.  It is generally made of the lightest material possible (aluminum frame with peacock feathers and colored paper, balanced on the shoulders and the “penitent” observer who is even assisted up the hill, many times by their friends carrying them to the top.  But I am sure Murugan still appreciates the gesture.

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Most people walk around and pretend to be in a trance in order to “let the gods in” and allow them to be free of the pain involved in skewering themselves along the chest, back, arms and face.  A similar festival takes place in Thailand in October called The Vegetarian Festival.  They like to trance it up and pierce themselves with everything from hypodermic needles to the muzzles of M16s.

What most people carry around at Thaipusam, though, is a jug of milk balanced on the head and carried to the top where it is poured into a giant vat.  I never figured out what happens with the milk by the end of the day when it’s surely acquired a pungent aroma in the humid Southeast Asian heat.  Where’s an army of kittens when you need one?

What I liked most about the festival is that many people aren’t praying for more money, a nice car, or a new video game.  Okay, some are.  But most come here to give thanks for Murugan’s blessings in healing a sick child, getting lucky in love, or the most revered miracle of them all; to become pregnant.  And in the event that this last stroke of luck has befallen those who’ve asked it of the great Murugan, the women will carry their babies draped in saffron robes and balanced on sugar cane stems throughout the journey.

It’s an interesting three days in Southeast Asia.  And I highly recommend that you catch the next one!

New Extended Cut of Travel Geek Documentary Hong Kong & Macau out now!

In addition to the newly published Travel Geek Documentary: Philippines, I have taken my reader response and YouTube subscribers’ comments seriously.  And in that, I have spent many hours re-editing, refashioning and finally re-releasing this new, extended version (call it a “Director’s Cut”) of the original Travel Geek documentary from Hong Kong and Macau.

Like the documentary from the Philippines, this film has been hugely successful (by my meager standards, anyway) on YouTube and Vimeo, collectively bringing in more then 10,000 views and 40 new subscribers since its release in June, 2012. That’s 1,400 views per month!  Almost 50 per day!

So I am very excited about this new edition.  And hopefully, this will motivate new attention and attract new subscribers (wink, wink) from this blog and it will be passed around and enjoyed in its new, longer rendering.

Below, it is my pleasure to announce Travel Geek Documentary: Hong Kong & Macau (Extended Cut, Feature Length).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF3zfPcAEns&w=560&h=315]


If you liked this video: Subscribe to me on YouTube

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Original video description on YouTube:

The director’s new release of Travel Geek Documentary: Hong Kong & Macau, includes, among other things, the ability for YouTube to broadcast it worldwide.

This extended cut of the Hong Kong & Macau Travel Geek documentary features extended scenes, a copyright-free soundtrack and additional footage not shown in the original version.

Original Description:

Follow Cyle O’Donnell, the Travel Geek, as he visits China’s two Special Administrative Regions. Nearly being arrested for filming in casinos, jumping off the world’s tallest bungy jump and sneaking around a black market in Hong Kong’s notorious underworld are just a few of the sights in this edition of the Travel Geek series.

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