Trip Plans to Singapore

"Selamat Hari Raya."

The term "Hari Raya" literally means "Day of Celebration" — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of "Hari Raya Aidiladha".

"Selamat Hari Raya" which means "Happy Eid" in Malay is the main greeting used by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore.

Soon, I will be writing more about Singapore as I steadily make plans for my trip there this year, and that will be soon.

Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia. Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, since independence it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries and sports the world's busiest port. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a vibrant nightlife scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.

Singapore is a small country on a small island, but with just over five million people it is a fairly crowded city and in fact second only to Monaco as the world's most densely populated country. The center of the city — consisting roughly of Orchard Road, the Riverside and a chunk of Chinatown — is known in acronym-loving Singapore as the CBD (Central Business District).

o Riverside (Civic District) — Singapore's colonial core, with museums, statues and theaters, not to mention restaurants, bars and clubs.
o Orchard Road — Miles and miles of shopping malls.
o Marina Bay — The newest bit of Singapore, dominated by the enormous Marina Bay Sands casino complex.
o Bugis and Kampong Glam — Bugis and Kampong Glam are Singapore's old Malay district, now largely taken over by shopping
o Chinatown — The area originally designated for Chinese settlement by Raffles, now a Chinese heritage area popular with tourists.
o Little India — A piece of India to the north of the city core.
o Balestier, Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh — Budget accommodations and Burmese temples within striking distance of the center.
o North and West — The northern and western parts of the island, also known as Woodlands and Jurong respectively, form Singapore's residential and industrial hinterlands.
o East Coast — The largely residential eastern part of the island contains Changi Airport, miles and miles of beach and many famous eateries. Also covers Geylang Serai, the true home of Singapore's Malays.
o Sentosa — A separate island once a military fort developed into a resort, Sentosa is the closest that Singapore gets to Disneyland, now with a dash of gambling and Universal Studios thrown in.

Source: Wikitravel

A Holiday in Malaysia

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

It is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr (also seen as Hari Raya Idul Fitri and Hari Raya Puasa, literally "Celebration Day of Fasting"). Hari Raya is also known as Lebaran. Muslims in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. The term "Hari Raya" literally means "Day of Celebration" — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of "Hari Raya Aidiladha". The main greeting used by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore is "Selamat Hari Raya" which means "Happy Eid" in Malay. Another greeting is "maaf zahir dan batin" which translates loosely to "I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually", for Hari Raya is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.

Promotions and Decorations
In big cities and towns, shopping malls and commercial centers may hold big promotions and price discounts for festive shoppers as people purchase clothes and supplies. Decorations are hung in public areas and Hari Raya songs will be played in shopping complexes. The media, such as the television may host various programs in conjunction with the celebrations.

Returning to One's Hometown
Many people also traditionally return to their hometown generally from big metropolitan cities to rural areas. This is known as balik kampung — literally going back to one's home town to celebrate Hari Raya with family and friends.

Fasting
During the Muslim month of Ramadan leading up to Hari Raya, it is mandatory for Muslims to fast from dawn to dusk. All Muslims except the young, old or infirm must fast.

Breaking the Fast
Widely, markets, or 'Ramadan bazaars' are held in many areas around the country, where all sorts of food and kuih — traditional Malay delicacies — are sold for breaking fast or buka puasa.

Preparation during the Eve
On the eve of Hari Raya, Muslims will recite the takbir, which is held in mosques and surau (smaller place of worship). In some communities, there will be congregations reciting the takbir from house to house.

Usually on the eve of the celebrations, family members, especially mothers and housewives, become busy preparing food, cakes, sweets, biscuits and various delicacies to be served on the day of Hari Raya. Delicacies such as ketupat or rice cake and a meat cuisine called rendang are among the most famous cuisines that are served during this day. Other family members may help in other chores such as decorating and cleaning up the house.

Customs
Days before Hari Raya, house compounds, particularly those in the countryside may be lit up with oil lamps known as pelita or panjut. This display of oil lamps will reach its height on the 27th night of Ramadan, called the Tujuh Likur night. 'Likur' literally meaning a figure between 20 and 30, hence 'tujuh likur' means twenty seven. Originally during the early days of the arrival of Islam among the Malays, the purpose of lighting the oil lamps was to attract spirit of passed relatives and angels to descend to people's homes during the night of Lailatulqadar. Nowadays, the oil lamps are lit solely for decorative purposes.

It is customary for Malays to wear traditional Malay costumes. The dress for men is called baju Melayu while the women's are known as baju kurung and baju kebaya. Traditional textiles such as songket and batik are worn favorably during this day.

Day Activities
Muslims will attend Eid prayer in the morning and consecrate together harmoniously while taking the chance to meet and greet each other. Once the prayer is done, it is also common for Muslims in Malaysia to visit the grave of their loved ones. During this visit, they will clean the grave, perform the recital of the Yasin — a chapter (surah) from the Qur'an and also the tahlil or prayers for the deceased. All these are done in hope that their loved ones are blessed by God and they are spared from the punishment in the grave.

The rest of the day is spent visiting relatives or serving visitors. Hari Raya is a very joyous day for children for this is the day where adults are extra generous. Children may be given token sums of money, also known as duit raya from their parents and elders.

Night Activities
During the night, there are often celebrations with sparklers and firecrackers. Some Malay children turn to home-made firecrackers such as meriam buluh (bamboo cannon) as alternatives to commercial fireworks. Usually, the lighting of firecrackers begins a few days before the end of Ramadan, and continues for about a week afterwards.

Source: Wikipedia

Getting the Stress Out

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.
Henry Miller

I loved being alone in the island. It's called "Monkey Island", at A' Famosa in Melacca.

Actually, I can't find the monkeys. Do you think there is a possibility that they were referring to the visitors as the monkeys, that's why the name Monkey Island? Okay, just fooling around a bit.

I was there standing in front of the water, feeling serene. I found a bench where I sat down. I also found a lady staff. Your guess is right, she took my photo, of course, for souvenir.

I spent some more exhilarating moments at this place, watching peacocks' tails go wishy-washy to the left then to the right, nice rhythm.

I strolled around, deeply inhaling the cool fresh air. What a way to de-stress. This is great! I'm blessed.

A little later I saw the raft approaching the island, ready to pick up a relaxed, refreshed, grateful "me".


A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu

May and June Holidays

Hari Merdeka, as well as Labour Day (1 May), the King's birthday (first Saturday of June) and some other festivals are federal gazetted public holidays celebrated in Malaysia.

Public Holidays in Malaysia

Good Food Subscription, Malaysian

Tropical fruits : Pineapple, Honey Dew, Melon, Watermelon

My memories of Malaysia? A lot, but never to forget . . . food . . . good eats . . . coconut rice. Well, can't go without these. Malaysian food truly made my visit there a treat. I love the rice, the sambal concoction, fried fish dishes, the fresh tropical fruits. I could go on and on. The viands there were spicy because the native food goes with sambal or with curry sauce.

I ate Nasi Lemak for dinner and even for breakfast. It's practically available anytime and anywhere. However, if you wanna have a break from the native taste, you can eat pasta or burger or even pizza. There are lots of restaurants to choose from. I ate at Friday's for one of my dinner nights.

I love breakfast, but come to think of it, I don't remember any fascinating lunch. I was busy sight-seeing at that time of the day that I am suppose to have lunch. So, my tummy rests at noon. I take light meals and do my exercise, walking and climbing stairs. Still, I gained weight. Again, no worry, just savor the moment and the food, I told myself. (My sight-seeing adventures)

Dragon Fruit (but it's pink?)

Fruits in Season : Pineapple, Macopa, Papaya

Nasi Lemak (coconut rice) with Sambal Ikan Bilis anytime of the day
Nasi Lemak Recipe . . . in case you're interested like me.

Nasi Goreng Jawa

Achilles' Heels : Cakes - Fruity ones and Chocolaty goodies

I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. Jason Love

(Tourist attractions visited:
Safari, Genting, Malacca City, Batu Caves, A' Famosa, Melaka)
About Malaysia

Roaming Around Malaysia

I wanted to make the most of my trip by observing, absorbing and photo-taking, heheh. Most of the pictures I took myself, while some by the tourists I encountered and the rest by Jack. Remember Jack?

I was able to move around Malaysia alone by way of taxi. Well, I was not really alone 'coz I made a new friend. Jack is the Malaysian taxi driver I met on my second day in Malaysia. He is my tourist guide, my photographer, my driver, my story-teller and friend.


Hope you're doing great Jack! See you again someday.

Sight Seeing Tours at Kuala Selangor

There is one significant place I skipped going, when I went to Malaysia. That is Kuala Selangor where I am suppose to have dinner and see lots and lots of fireflies. It was raining the night I was scheduled to go and I got a little tired from my day tour. I planned to go the next day but unfortunately I was already set to go to another spot.

But if ever I return to Malaysia, I would definitely visit Kuala Selangor plus the wonderful resorts.

Here's something to read from the homepage of Viator:

Don't miss the chance to see the unique phenomenon of trees lit by fireflies on this late-afternoon tour to Kuala Selangor. You'll drive through the lovely Malaysian countryside, enjoy dinner at a local riverfront restaurant and take an evening boat ride upstream in a traditional sampan to see thousands of fireflies sparkling in the trees lining the river. What a magical way to spend an evening in Malaysia!

The countryside of Kuala Selangor seems miles away from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur. The small rustic town is known for its historic past and natural mangrove forest. You'll have the opportunity to walk around the jungle trails, learn about the mangrove trees and spot local and migratory birds in the bird sanctuary.

After dinner at a local riverside restaurant you'll boat upstream to see the fireflies sparkling in the thick mangrove along both sides of the river. It’s a unique natural phenomenon, resembling rows of brightly lit Christmas trees.

Kuala Selangor is one of only two places in the world – the other being along the Amazon River in Brazil – where millions of fireflies can be seen to “flash their lights”. The location along the Selangor River in Kampung Kuantan is easily accessible, and according to locals the best time to see the fireflies is during the new moon, around one to four hours after sunset.

Source: www.viator.com/kuala-lumpur

Good Tidings for the New Year, 2010

Let's all claim it will be a great 2010.

Believe that you’ll have a super blessed year! This is the advise of Bo Sanchez, a motivational speaker and a preacher in blue jeans.

It is good to travel if given the opportunity. My trip to Malaysia went well and it was a wonderful trip. I do hope I can come back.

Asia has its own beauty, both the place and the people. The food has its own tempting taste, the music as well.

Malaysia, truly Asia, my memories of the place will be like a deposit in my heart and mind's bank that will be earning interest as time goes by and as I travel to other places in the world.