Kuala Terengganu

In addition to enjoying the soul soothing island of Leng Tengah, we also squeezed in some sightseeing and cultural experiences on the mainland of the state of Terengganu thanks to the kindness of some wonderful Rotarians.  Terengganu is one of the most ethnically Malay states in the country and we spent some time in the capital of Kuala Terengganu (population: 360,000).  It was nice to experience a quiet, more laid back side of Malaysia. 


Coastline of Kuala Terengganu

Before the island we visited the Terengganu State Museum which is touted to be the largest museum in SE Asia.  We only had a few hours so we didn’t get to see every exhibit, but there were wonderful and informative displays of textiles (history of batik), royal regalia, crafts, and a important historical artifact- a stone carved with Jawi (traditional Malay text) that dates the arrival of Islam to the nation.  Replicas and statues of this stone are seen all over the town in traffic circles, parks, etc.  We practically had the entire museum to ourselves. 

Terengganu State Museum

Rotarians were so helpful in transporting us around, sharing their knowledge, and treating us to local food.  It wouldn’t have been possible without them as K. Terengganu is practically void of taxis.  I can’t help but include this photo of a typical Malaysian dessert which I believe is called ais kacang (bean ice) or 'ABC' (acronym for Air Batu Campur meaning ‘mixed ice’).  It can come in a variety of forms but its basically shaved ice with red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, and can also include cendol, evaporated/condensed/coconut milk, and then drizzled with some kind of sweet syrup.  Needless to say, I did not order this concoction, but I have indulged in tastings. 

Ais kacang

 On our way back through town from the island, I had a chance to visit Taman Tamadun Islam, the world’s first Islamic civilization park.  It seemed so odd that I couldn’t pass it up.  It is essentially a series of miniature models of famous Islamic landmarks from across the world.  Where else can you see the Taj Mahal (India), The Sacred Mosque (Mecca, Saudi Arabia), and the Minaret (China) all in one location?  There were 20+ replicas, most of them were just replicas of the outside, but a few you could go inside and were complete with stain glass and all.  There were informative sign boards, but they mostly discussed the architecture of the mosques and I felt they could have given more context and historical details for someone who isn’t all that well versed in Islam as it exists around the world.  The park was big enough that I rented a bicycle for $2USD and cruised around the quiet park.  I was definitely the only foreigner there and only non-Muslim so I must have looked pretty strange riding a bike around in the middle of heat of the afternoon in my skirt with bare legs, but oh well.  You can also take boat rides and enjoy a carousel and other small rides.  The brochure calls it a “one stop edutainment park.”  I believe it was constructed sometime within the last 10 years and was fairly new looking. 

Kul Sharif Mosque, Russia

Suleyman Mosque, Turkey

Aleppo Citadel, Syria

The Sacred Mosque (Masjidil Haram), Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Taj Mahal, India

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
This is a shrine built around a rock.  According to Islamic tradition, the rock is the spot from
which Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angle Gabriel. 

Another highlight right outside of the park is the Crystal Mosque.  It’s the first and only mosque built from steel and glass which gives it is crystal like image.  Its build on a jetty out into the Terengganu River and did offer an exhibit with much more information about Islam.  I had to wear a robe and headscarf to enter and within the 10 minutes I spent inside I probably sweated my body weight.  As I mentioned before, it’s just getting hotter and hotter here and the temperature was around 34C/93F outside plus 85% humidity. 

Lastly, right before we went to the airport we joined some Rotarians for a quick visit to the community’s Wesak Day celebration.  Wesak Day is informally called Buddha’s Birthday as it celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Buddha.  We stopped by the Buddhist Society center where they were preparing for a candle light procession to commemorate the day with youth and adults from different groups lining up and distributing candles in lotus flower holders.

Although a quick trip, I really enjoyed experiencing this edge of Malaysia.  Everyone was so kind, friendly, and welcoming.  I hope to visit again as there is definitely more to see!

Here’s a few more photos from the island to make you feel warm and relaxed: 

Although very different from Lake Tahoe, some landscapes here reminded me of the beautiful body of water near where I grew up.  This scene with the shades of blue reminds me of Tahoe's blue water, and blue mountains, against the blue sky.

This pier reminds me of the one below from Nevada Beach at Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe

Bersih 3.0

Freshly back to the big city from a nice time on the tropical East Coast, I jumped at a chance to join in the Bersih 3.0 demonstration.  Bersih, which in Bahasa Malaysia means “clean”, is a coalition for free and fair elections and is made up of NGOs with the aim or revising the current electoral system to ensure fair elections in Malaysia.  Some of the demands for clean politics/elections include:

1. Clean the electoral roll
2. Reform postal voting (Malaysians living abroad cannot vote unless military personnel or students)
3. Use of indelible ink
4. A minimum campaign period of 21 days
5. Free and fair access to mainstream media
6. Strengthen public institutions
7. Stop corruption
8. Stop dirty politics

Please take note that everything I write in this post is only a reflection of my own understanding.  Of course the political situation here is much more complicated than I can holistically comprehend after spending only 9 months in the country, so please investigate for yourself to enhance your understanding of my scant attempt at describing this demonstration and the politics behind it.   

Unlike the USA, where the presidential campaign drags on for years, in Malaysia, the ruling party can call an election at anytime and it can take place within a few days!  An election must be called within every 5 year period, but it can be at anytime.  Last year they gave 10 days notice, and that was generous from what my friends described. 

Although the U.S. Embassy warned that American citizens should stay away from the demonstration areas, I couldn’t resist the urge to witness this cultural gathering for myself.  I joined with two Malaysian friends around noon and we walked from my apartment to Pasar Seni (Central Market near the Chinatown area) which was a staging area for participants that would then walk to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) for a sit-in demonstration.  The government had refused a request from the organizers to use Merdeka Square, and had offered them a stadium instead. 

Police prepared for any misbehavior.

But the funny thing is that leading up to the Bersih 2.0 demonstration in 2011, the government had in previous talks agreed to allow the demonstration in a stadium, but then as protesters were approaching the stadium, police officers were ordered to disperse them so that they couldn’t even reach the stadium.  More than 1600 people were arrested.

Bersih 3.0 was deemed to be a duduk bantah or “sit-in protest.”  After some fiery speeches to excite the crowd, we began to slowly walk from our location the short distance to the square.  Demonstrators had gathered at several other locations around the city and were walking toward the square at the same time. 

A reflection in a building of demonstators walking toward Independence Square.

When we arrived near the square, they called for everyone to sit down.  We did so, but several times we had to get up and move back as the crowd was so huge that there wasn’t enough room for people in the front to sit down.   From my vantage it is difficult to even make an estimate of how many people there were in the vicinity, and I had no clue as to how many people were on different streets in different directions. 

News source photo of a portion of the crowd.

Enjoying the sit-in.

After a while of peacefully sitting, shouting rally chants, and melting in the hot sun, my companions decided they were hungry and we decided to leave our posts and find some makan (food).  Most restaurants and businesses in the area where closed in anticipation of the rally and so the ones that were open were overly crowded with other hungry demonstrators.  We finally found an open table and as soon as we had filled our tummies, we saw people running.

It didn’t take us long to realize why.  The police had begun to spray tear gas.  We scooted out of there with everyone else and I didn’t feel any effect from the tear gas as we had been on the outskirts of the pulse of gas I suppose.  At that point we started to wander back toward the direction of my apartment, but eventually found it impossible to avoid any tear gas. 

Tear gas being sprayed from the tops of buildings.

Can you see the low flying helicopter assessing the crowds?

What the streets looked like once they began spraying tear gas, quick dispersal.

Apparently some protestors had breached the barricade that was protecting the square (even after strict instructions from the Bersih organizers not to) and the police were taking action to disperse the entire crowd (which now has been estimated as high as 100,000 people or more).  One news agency reported:

[The organizer] told a press conference that the some 250,000 to 300,000 protesters who turned up were “extremely well-behaved and excellent,” until “someone” pushed through the barriers in front of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) leading to Dataran Merdeka.

We came upon one intersection where the police were using water cannons so we turned back another direction only to find tear gas streaming from the tops of strategically located buildings.  Rushing away from the gas that was stinging our eyes, skin, and throats, we took refuge with many others in a small makan shop (restaurant) until it dispersed.  Washing our eyes with water and eating salt to ease the burning in our throats, we attempted to leave several times but were turned back again by tear gas. 

Hiding from the tear gas in a crowded makan shop.

Eventually, we wandered out hoping to make it to a LRT (light rail) station nearby, only to find out upon our arrival that all the stations in the area had been shut down due to the demonstration.  The police were attempting to disperse the crowd, but then the demonstrators had no way to disperse as the public transportation was suspended.  We eventually found a safe way out of the maze of tear gas and water cannons and walked back toward my apartment. 

I only suffered one battle wound from the experience, and that occurred when we were walking back, haha!  I stepped on a concrete tile on the side walk, it was not secured and it tilted causing me to collapse into a deep hole.  With a gouged knee bleeding more than it should have, I had to wrap my bandana around it to keep it contained the rest of the walk. 

Ouch!

We’ll see how this demonstration goes down in history, or at least how it is reported in the media tomorrow.  For me it was refreshing to experience the multiracial unity among the protestors.  There were Malays, Chinese, and Indians all joining together to stand up for their human rights.  I saw hardly any other Caucasians besides those watching from the roofs of their hostels in Chinatown.

Here is a link to the Associated Press article:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=151572974

Some articles from independent Malaysian news sources:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/04/28/bersih-condemns-violence-wants-investigation/

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/litee/malaysia/article/bersih-admits-lost-crowd-control-after-police-action/

Here is a play-by-play as reported through information gathered through social media:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/196320

It’s also suspected that the protestors who breached the barriers and over turned police cars were saboteurs:

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/196343

From the Mountains to the Sea

Greetings from the South China Sea!  I’ll take a break from the Everest posts  for a moment to blog in real time.  I write from the island of Lang Tengah off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.  We flew to the city of Kuala Terengganu and spent a day with some lovely Rotarians, and collected information for Tomoko’s thesis, before hopping a small boat for 1 hour to the island.  There are several beautiful islands off the coast here including the Perhentian Islands which I visited in August when I first arrived, and Redang Island which is a very popular holiday spot for locals.  The island we are staying on only has four hotels spread out around the island so it is nice and quiet.  Tomoko is taking the opportunity to earn her dive certification, and I am indulging in relaxing on the beach, swimming every 30 minutes in the warm clear blue water, reading and napping.  Maybe if I have the energy I will go snorkelling, haha.  The beach here has redefined my concept of “white sand beach” with its powdery soft shoreline.

This part of Malaysia is well known for their batik crafts.  At the resort, everything is batik from the table cloths to the curtains...and matching robes. 

I hope everyone is enjoying springtime in America, there is no such thing here in SE Asia, it just keeps getting hotter and hotter and hotter.  I can handle the heat when all I have to do is lay on the beach and dip in the sea once in a while, but it’s a different story on the mainland when you have to wear something more than a swim suit and trek around on the hot pavement to catch public transportation to get from one place to another.  I can’t believe it’s only another few months before I return to a place with four seasons!  It seems like all of the sudden it’s almost the end of my time here, ahhh!  I will miss many many things about Malaysia, but walking out of an air conditioned building and feeling like someone tossed a hot, wet blanket over you is not one of them! 

Luxury Trekking

For me, the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) is what I would call "luxury trekking." This is because, in my world, trekking (or what I would normally call hiking/backpacking), consists of carrying a heavy backpack, sleeping in a tent on the ground, and cooking all your own food. Teahouse trekking includes a porter to carry your gear, a bed of some sort to sleep in, and a wood stove heated dining room in which to consume the meals that someone else prepares for you three times a day. Plus endless cups of steaming tea when you walk in off the trial.

With daily camp duties remove, this left lots of time for recreational reading, a concept I am HIGHLY enjoying indulging in after so many years in academia where I started to consider reading scientific journal articles not directly related to my thesis as "recreational." I read a book called Buddhas Orphans by Samrat Upadhyay. An interesting novel which intertwines half a century of Nepals political and social history with a fictional story about middle class Nepalis while vividly describing Kathmandu. I quickly finished that and on a layover/acclimatization day in the village of Dingboche, traded it for A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, a 1,500 page Indian novel which I'll be luck to finish by the time I leave Asia, I let the porter carry that one.
 
Its hard to complain about the luxury, but it does provide that many more people come to this region than would otherwise. We started hiking on the early end of the trekking season March 31. While we didn't have the trail to ourselves, there weren't mobs of people either. You could trek at least a little way with out seeing others. We did however share the trail with multitudes of donkeys, yaks, and dzope- a cross between yak and cow pronounced jopeh.

This dzope brought to you by Gore-Tex!

The trail was yak-tastic, but I don't really need to be able to buy a Coca-Cola, Pringles, and a Snickers bar at 17,000 ft.



One foggy morning with 3 inches of snow the night before, we followed
the sounds of the yak bells to keep from losing our way.

On the way back it did seem like there were far more people on the trail than on the way up, but that can also happen when the weather is bad a no flights can land in Lukla for a few days, causing large pulses of trekkers. I enjoyed meeting people from all around the world on the trail and getting to chat with others in the guesthouses while relaxing by the wood stove. We were on roughly the same itinerary with a group from Hong Kong staying in many of the same lodges and independent trekkers from many other places. Closely mirroring our itinerary, but thankfully not staying in the same lodges, was a group of about 30 high school boys from the UK. I also met a 29 year old woman from Bangladesh who is attempting to climb the 7 Summits (highest peaks on each of the 7 continents). Visit her Women Reaching Heights website for some inspiration and find her on Facebook at Bangladesh on 7 Summits.

This year is the 50th Anniversary of the first American (James Whittaker) summit of Mt. Everest. Because of this, Outside Magazine sent one of its senior editors to blog from base camp about everything from the effects of tourism on the Khumbu region to the Everest Ultramarathon to a S. African guy who is attempting to swim across a glacial lake near the camp to raise awareness about climate change. James Whittaker, now 84 years old, was on the EBC trail this year to commemorate the anniversary. Here is a National Geographic article about his legacy, although it was published on the 40th anniversary, its still a good story.

While there is always great respect for those who summit Mt. Everest, it is important to remember that their success wouldn't be possible if not for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of Sherpa porters and local support that expeditions hire and rely on. Two Sherpas have been declared National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year for 2012. This title was earned by successfully climbing Mt. Everest, paragliding from the summit, and kayaking down the Ganges River to the Indian Ocean.

Here are a few photos from the trail:

Sherpa child



A wildfire visible on our second day on the trail.  It had been burning for four days locals said and there was no way to battle the blaze.  Having been frequently disturbed by wildfires during many adventures, but never seriously threatened, I selfishly worried that all the smoke would destroy the fantastic mountain views.  It did a little bit down low but we left it behind as we ascended.  More serious was the deforestation it was causing as wood is a valuable commodity in the Khumbu region as much of it lies about tree line.  Intense deforestation took place as tourism became popular in this area and before it became a national park and regulations took effect to control the stripping of the hillsides to provide bonfires for trekkers.

Everest Base Camp Trip Statistics: Rotary Climb for a Better Tomorrow

Number of Participants:  14

Oldest participant: 64

Youngest participant: 26 (me)

Reached Everest Base Camp: 12

Summited Kala Pathar: 4

Cups of tea personally consumed:  62 (roughly 4 to 5 per trekking day)

Photos taken: 1,108 (just on the trek itself, not including Kathmandu and Pokhara)

Highest elevation reached:  18,129ft./5,545m

I had such an amazing time on this trip and learned so much that it’s hard to know where to start in describing it and deciding how to narrow down which photos to share.  When I came to Malaysia through the graces of Rotary, I never imagined I would find myself trekking in the Himalaya!  For a girl from Alaska who loves mountains, my heart and soul were elated to have this opportunity.  Although I was very excited, once I arrived in Kathmandu, I felt the way I feel about many adventures I indulge in here, whether it be deep water soloing in the S.Andaman Sea or visiting Angkor Wat.  Leading up to it, it all seems very exotic and unique, but then once you arrive in the “location” it/you don’t feel as special because everyone else is there doing the same thing.  For example, when I arrived in Kathmandu, there were over 800 trekking related businesses in the small tourist district of Thamel!  So although I stressed about having the right gear and being able to get water purification tablets, once I arrived I found out that everything you need is easily purchasable and for a cheap price.  When you told people you were trekking to Everest Base Camp, the reaction was more like oh..yeah…everyone does it.  And there were a lot of trekkers!

But that didn’t dampen my anticipation or wipe the huge smile off my face as we began our trek.  Plus, ours was no ordinary trek, it was Rotary’s A Climb for a Better Tomorrow!  Some of the Malaysians I climbed Mt. Kinabalu (13,435ft./4,095m) with were further inspired to go bigger.  They set their sights on the Mt. Everest Base Camp (17,598ft./5,364m) and used the journey as sort of a trek-a-thon to raise money for Rotary projects back in Malaysia, specifically for Rotary Club of Bandar Utama’s (not my host club here, but another one of many that I have been closely involved with) Music Dream Center.  In particular, to send autistic students from the club's Music Dream Center who show promising advancement on to higher music education at the college level through scholarships.  Additionally, we were able to donate school supplies to some Sherpa villages along the way. 

Last minute supplies available on the "streets" of Lukla.

There are so many interesting details that I can't possibly describe everything, but I'll try through a stream of consciouness.  From Kathmandu, you fly into the "village" of Lukla about 30-40 minutes east.  I was slightly nervous about this flight 1)  because my uncle had described his memories of flying there over 30 years ago and said he could still remember his girlfriend screaming and her intense death grip on his arm as they landed, and 2) it has been described by many sources as the most dangerous airport in the world (see this History Channel piece).  It was constructed in 1964, instigated by Sir Edmund Hillary (first to summit Everest in 1953) as a a way to shave a week off the time it took to get materials and supplies to the Khumbu region for schools and other aid projects he was involved with.  It is said that he provided endless supplies of Sherpa beer to locals to stay up all night and stomp down/compact the runway since there was no heavy equipment for hundreds of miles.  Now it brings more than 500 trekker tourists daily to the region during the high seasons of April-May and October-November.  It wasn't even paved until 2001 and it has a 12% grade to aid in slowing down aircraft on landing.  Sloping uphill keeps the planes from slamming into the mountain at the end of the runway.  It reminds me of an Alaska airport...Lukla could be the counterpart to the Kodiak airport, but instead of an ocean at one end of the runway, there is a 2,000ft. cliff!    

Tenzing-Hillary (Lukla) Airport runway.

Xin chào, Namaste

I’ve been on the road since March 10^th.  First, I headed to Vietnam for 12 days to meet up with great Alaska friends and explore the country north to south.  After a one day turn around in Kuala Lumpur, I grabbed my trekking gear and headed to Nepal for 26 days of adventure and a well deserved dose of mountains.  Here are a few teaser photos, hopefully I will keep good on my promise to blog in depth about my experiences and all I’ve learned in the past six weeks!

Water puppets in Vietnam.

The crew (Tomoko, myself, Tim and Kristin-from Alaska) at Halong Bay, Vietnam.  It reminded me of Never Never Land :)

Spectacular caves in Phong Nha National Park, Vietnam.

Incense sticks in Hue, Vietnam. 

Visiting tombs in Hue, Vietnam.

View from Swayambuhnath (monkey temple), Kathmandu, Nepal.

Bodhnath stupa Kathmandu, Nepal.

Myself with Malaysian trekkers summiting Mt. Kala Patthar (18,129 ft.) in the Himalaya!

Mountains, mountains everywhere!

Sunrise over Mt. Everest.