Monday, October 13th, 2003 – Day 237
what a long night. It was packed and I was like a sardine in a tin. People were all over me. The men kept on adding firewood until 2.00am. It was a long drawn out affair. The devotees were else where taking a ritual bath and building up there courage. If anyone stood up, a PR firm and security told us to sit back down. It seems we may block the TV cameras view of the event from upstairs. There were some angry scenes. Most of the people seated on the ground were the mothers, wives of the people under taking the walk on hot embers. They had little chance of a view.
The 20 or so men worked throughout the night adding timber, stoking it, leveling it. It was a big pit and was red hot. By 3.00am, they decided it was time. I sneaked half way up the stairs and told security I was a free lance journalist. It was hard to get a decent shot as it was so dark. In any case I thought these brave men would walk through the embers. Out of the maybe 100 I sway, 3 walked (and received loud applause) and the rest ran as fast as there legs would carry them. Some of the guts were quite old and they rang like road runners. There were the few that walked and fair play to them. There was no illusions here. Those embers were red hot. They were not left to cool down. Wood was added from 8.00pm to 2.00am.
I you see one man walking accross embers, you have seen them all. I was kicked off the stairs at 4.20am. It was a poor show not allowing the ordinary Joe Soap stand up. It was to give the approx. 7 camera crews a better view. I head out. It was crowded. I decided to wait for the first train to take me back to Little India, but I had to wait 1.5 hours. I got a drink and snacks from a 7-11 store and waited. Witnessed a brother beat up his sister because she wanted to stay with her friends instead of going home with the family. No bother took any notice.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI. (13-10-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI – Who’s First (13-10-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Singapore – THEEMIDHI – run Forest Run (13-10-2003)
I was wrecked as I head back. It was 6.30am when I reached the hostel. It was open and I got my bag.
Contents of my bag as of the 13th of October 2003
- A Canon Powershot A40 Camera and Bag.
- A battery recharger and 14 rechargeable batteries
- MP3 Player (ministry of Sound) and a few MP3 CD’s
- One Diary and One Notebook.
- One Alarm Clock.
- Lonely Planet South East Asia Guide 2001.
- Day Pack
- A pair of Adidas Runners (Argentina), a pair of Flip-Flops (Argentina) and a Pair of Magnum Boots (Cambodia).
- One Irish Rugby Jersey (Ireland).
- 3 pairs of Pants. One was bought in Marks and Spencer (Ireland), one in Bolivia and one in Peru. Two are jeans while one is a cargo pants.
- One pair of long sleeved shirt (Bolivia) and 3 pairs of short sleeved shirts (Indonesia) which are second hand.
- I Adiadas Baseball hat bought in Bolivia.
- Two towels (Ireland and Bolivia).
- One Qantas Blanket
- I toilet bag and various toilitries.
- Three t-shirts. They were bought in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.
- One pair of Shorts (Ireland).
- A few pairs of Socks and Boxer Shorts.
- A taking Watch (Bolivia).
I walked down to Little India. It was full of people coming back from the temple. I got a snack and head to lavender bus station. The trains were already full of people going to Work. Many of them were asleep.
I got there at 7.20am, Nearly 1.5 hours before we were due to leave. I bought the Straits times newspaper and it passed the time.
The bus was fine. It has air-con and had only 3 big seas across. I had a seat to myself. I relaxed the whole journey. I heard this journey is a nightmare during the week as people from Singapore go for cheap shopping, but we were the only people going through Singapore EXIT and Malaysia ENTRY procedure. They were modern and very efficient. We passed in minutes. We got a nice on board meal and drinks. I took little notice of the scenery as I had no sleep last night and I stank. In the temple you are not allowed wear socks or shoes, so I was standing on crap, sand and piss most of the night not to mention sitting on it.
We got to Kuala Lumpur around 2.30pm. They let us off at a tourist office (MATIC) where I secured a map.
MATIC (Malaysia Tourist Information Complex): At MATIC you’ll find an exhibit hall, tourist information services for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, and other travel-planning services. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays there are cultural shows at 3pm, featuring Malaysian dance and music
I did not arrive with currency and I had to get to china town with the Metro. It took nearly n hour to find an ATM that took VISA. There were lots of banks and ATM machines but all were small banks that only took thee own cards. It was very frustrating. I finally found out and took the metro to Chinatown. It was easy find my hostel (Backpackers Lodge) where I took a single room with fan for 22 R (4.40 Euro). I walked around the area as it was 4.30pm and I did not want to do much. I have for slept for 32 hours or so.
My hostel is 30 seconds from Petaling Street.
This is the center of KL’s Chinatown district. By day, stroll past hawker stalls, dim sum shops, wet markets, and all sorts of shops, from pawn shops to coffin makers. At night, a crazy bazaar (which is terribly crowded) pops up — look for designer knockoffs, fake watches, and pirate VCDs (Video CDs) here.
I looked at the many pirate games and DVD’s and onto on the NET. I bought a few DVD’s and went for a bite to eat. chinatown here is nice and realxed.
- I see 20 protestors die in clashes with Police in Bolivia.
- Indonesia Sends in Troops After Christian Killings
- Indonesia says it could do more to curb religious Schools.
- The 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are meeting in Malaysia at the moment. Back to politics in Singapore. I learned today that Lee Kuan Yew’s (architect of modern Singapore) son, will become the next prime minister
I see Yusuf Islam; the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens; will make a rare onstage appearance at a fund-raising concert in Malaysia tomorrow, the 14th.
Islam, who renounced his music career after becoming a Muslim in 1977, will recite “messages of peace” and might also perform songs at an Oct. 14 concert in Kuala Lumpur, project coordinator Yahya Abdullah said Thursday.
Kuala Lumpur (or KL as it is commonly known) is more often than not a traveler’s point of entry to Malaysia. As the capital it is the most modern and developed city in the country, with contemporary high-rises and world-class hotels, glitzy shopping malls and international cuisine.
The city began sometime around 1857 as a small mining town at the spot where the Gombak and Klang rivers meet, at the spot where the Masjid Jame sits in the center of the city. Fueled by tin mining in the nearby Klang River valley, the town grew under the business interests of three officials: a local Malay raja Abdullah, a British resident, and a Chinese headman (Kapitan China). The industry and village attracted Chinese laborers, Malays from nearby villages, and Indian immigrants who followed the British, and as the town grew, colonial buildings that housed local administrative offices were erected around Merdeka Square, close to Masjid Jame and bounded by Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin and Jalan Kuching. The town, and later the city, spread outward from this center.
Life in KL had many difficult starts and stops then — tin was subject to price fluctuations, the Chinese were involved in clan “wars,” but worst of all, malaria was killing thousands. Still, in the late 1800s KL overcame its hurdles to become the capital of the state of Selangor, and later the capital of the Federated Malay States (Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang) and got its big break as the hub of the Malayan network of rail lines. Its development continued to accelerate, save for during the Japanese occupation (1942-45), and in 1957, with newly won independence from Britain, Malaysia declared Kuala Lumpur its national capital.
Before I leave Singapore for good (as a topic) as I will be back there for one night before I fly to bangkok – What did I think of the place. Its a place you will love for the 1st 48 hours and hate for the rest of your life.
I found another Irish Blog. Interesting ………… Still decide later.
I see a collection of more than 12 million historic photographs, capturing scenes from the Boer War to the D-Day landings, was published on the Internet Monday. May of them are from Ireland. See more here and visit the web site here.
i also visited Sri Mahamariaman Temple and a nearby Chinese temple.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
KL- Sri Mahamariaman Temple (13-10-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
KL- Sri Mahamariaman Temple (13-10-2003)
With a recent face-lift (Hindu temples must renovate every 12 years), this bright temple livens the gray street scene around. It’s a beautiful temple tucked away in a narrow street in KL’s Chinatown area, which was built by Thambusamy Pillai, a pillar of old KL’s Indian community
I must not forget that the first 2003 INTERNATIONAL RULES match with AUST. V IRELAND takes place on the 24 October.
i was in bed by 12.30am.