Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The adventure in Malaysia has been come to an end but I do have to admit that Ulrike, you were totally right about the Kaptain Keling Mosque I am glad we had the chance to see it! After visiting all these amazing countries we finally came to one of my favourites namely Cambodia.  Ulrike and I could not wait to explore this country. We travelled all the way  from Malaysia to the beautiful capital city Phnom Penh which is located  in the south-central region of Cambodia. It was a very hot and sunny day which is not abnormal for this time of the year in Cambodia. The country has a warm and tropical climate, the average temperature is about 27 degrees, the warmest period is in March and Apri,l so we were lucky. I was the first one who had to choose what we were going to visit that day and my eye fell on the Royal Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda. These building are located near each other. It is a complex of buildings which serves as the Royal residence of the King of Cambodia.

In the afternoon we visited the national museum where you can find one of the world's largest collections of Khmer art, including sculptural, ceramics, bronzes, and ethnographic objects. Travelling through the capital city is very easy. On the other hand not every neighbourhood is as beautiful as the locations we visited, you have to realise that also poverty is strongly present in certain regions.

Tourism is a very important aspect in the economy you can find an abundance of hotels and restaurant. In the recent years the city has known an economic growth thanks to these new hotels, bars and restaurants.

I wished there were more hours in one day because we only saw a part of the city but the day was coming to an end. We were ready to go on with our adventure and secretly I hoped we had enough time to go to Siem Reap to admire the old monastery ‘Angkor Wat’. 

Naomi H.

http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/provinces/phnom-penh.htm

http://www.phnompenh.gov.kh/map-pp-attractions.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phnom_Penh

Penang - George Town

After a couple of days, we visited another city in Malaysia because we had the feeling that we hadn’t seen everything yet. As Naomi said, we first had to rest a little bit because all that travelling was pretty exhausting. The city that we visited was George Town, the capital of Penang. We went by car and drove about one hour. 

When we arrived, I immediately noticed the multiracial populace and the old but well-preserved buildings. Did you know that George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? We all decided that we wanted to see some heritage buildings.

First of all, we visited the City Hall. Currently, the local council stays there. It was the British Palladian architecture that made the building really special. Many years ago, Penang had been a colony of Britain so it’s no surprise that there are still some British buildings on the island. In my opinion, it was the most beautiful building that we saw.

Secondly, we stopped at the Cenotaph. It’s a memorial to all the deceased sailors and people who lost their lives during World War I. At this place, a couple of battles were fought.

Lastly, we visited the Kapitan Keling Mosque, one of the most popular mosques in Penang. The muslims use the mosque five times a day. Capitan Keling was actually the leader of the South Indian Muslim community. We saw this temple at dawn and I can tell you that it was absolutely magnificent. The lights next to the building gave the mosque a sort of creamy colour. Inside the temple you can see that the pillars and arches are immaculately made. When you want to admire Indian Muslim architecture, this is the place to be!  

To finish our day, we walked along the beach. Naomi, you were right about the beautiful beaches. In George Town, I was also struck by it. The golden beach and tranquil sea made me feel like I was in paradise. I didn’t know that Malaysia had such a beautiful nature. Can you imagine that all the trees and forests in Malaysia cover an area that’s almost as big as the United Kingdom? That’s absolutely amazing ! 

I can’t wait to visit our next country!

Ulrike

Sources:

http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/

http://www.penang-traveltips.com/kapitan-keling-mosque.htm

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/nationalparks.htm

Travelling through Perak, Malaysia

After travelling through the beautiful Indonesia we headed to Perak in Malaysia.

Perak is one of the thirteen federal states located on the west coast of West Malaysia. The name 'Perak' means ‘Silver’ in Malay and this probably refers to the colour of tin. In the 18^th till 19^th century, Perak was one of the wealthiest states during Malaya's colonial period because of their tin mines. Later in the 19^th century the tin industry collapsed. The second most important industry, namely Agriculture is becoming bigger and bigger, especially concerning rubber and palm oil.

Once arrived we drove to the capital of the state ‘Ipoh’ to admire the oldest and best preserved temple of the city ‘Perak Tong Cave’. Originally it was built in 1926 by priests from China. The building was colourful and surrounded by mountains. When we entered the cave we were amazed by a 15 m high statue of Buddha and everything looked so authentic.  In the cave you saw beautiful wall paintings and multiple religious statues.

If you want to visit the temple bring a flashlight because the caves are only lighted with candles so it is pretty dark out there.

After the visit we went back to the city center to grab a bite in a local restaurant which was surprisingly cheap but the food was great! It was getting late so we decided to go to the hotel and get some sleep because the next day we had planned some interesting visits.

The next morning we stood up early and drove all the way to the royal city Kuala Kangsar, it was an exhausting 50 minutes' drive from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar. We wanted to see some architectural wonders namely Istana Iskandariah, Istana Kenangan and last but not least the impressive Ubudiah Mosque.  The first building is the sultans’ residence and the last one is the royal mosque. To be honest it was worth the 50 minutes' drive we had a great time and the monuments were as beautiful as we imagined. 

To terminate our trip we visited Pangkor Island, we all agreed we deserved some rest. It is a small Island which is very popular by tourists. You can find there peaceful and beautiful beaches. Near to the beach you can find a lot of high-quality restaurants, so it is the place to be if you want to relax a little bit.

Naomi H.

http://www.peraktourism.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perak

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g298298-c98912/Ipoh:Malaysia:Perak.Tong.Cave.Temple.html

http://www.touristlink.com/malaysia/ubudiah-mosque/overview.html 

Padang, Indonesia

Our next stop in Indonesia was the city of Padang on Sumatra’s western coast. Once again we took an airplane for ease of transport because otherwise we would have had a journey of over 800 km by car. Padang, meaning ‘The beloved city’ in Indonesian, is a metropolitan of almost a million citizens renowned for its rather spicy cuisine.

Padang has used this reputation for the good, as a matter fact, Padang’s cuisine and its popularity has spread throughout Indonesia and the world. Especially the Nasi Padang is very popular and as a result, Padang restaurants have spread throughout all major cities in Indonesia. As a result, the city’s local economy relies heavily on its culinary abilities. In Padang, many traditional ingredients meet, including the very spicey sambal of which Padang has its own variant: sambal ijo. Having a meal in Padang isn’t something for the faint of heart because Padang cooks don’t shun the use of ingredients that seem very unorthodox to our European ways. Hearts, brains and other organs are used in the delicious looking dishes.

We decided to take a leap of faith and give the local dishes a go. After all the other option was to starve. Generally, there are no menus in Padang because the food is displayed by stacking the plates. You just have to indicate what you would like to eat and they’ll cook it for you. This makes it a lot harder to actually know or guess what you are being served. I ordered something that kind of looked like fish, but it was actually chicken engulfed in a greasy and very hot and spicy sauce whose fiery taste spread like a wildfire, this isn’t the kind of dish where you ask for seconds. Nevertheless, I’d better get used to it because we still have a long way to go through Asia

Thomas

Sources:

http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/467/padang/article/18/padang-food

http://www.padangbaycity.com/culture/a-unique-of-padang.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn76dJzjvKA

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d28VDcUbPpBYiuxZmZCcJkIkWBxpa93r7PrpT9XIBEFdo2UWrbwaEgxvNiViKm00Bpj_yi6SNHkyVLI8G1Aqj2JkzDKgSY9YcOOnUVIzEIz2mxcS5bvSBh0-2JC6OPDLXN85VBK5NUdY/s1600/masakan-padang-jakarta-indonesia+1152_12979373637-tpfil02aw-22803-1024x768.jpg

Palembang

After three days, we travelled further in Indonesia to Palembang. We had to fly with a plane because this was the quickest way to get there. If we were going by car, we would travel for almost 10 hours.

Palembang is the capital of the South Sumatra province. This city is also the largest city after Medan in Sumatra. It is also one of the oldest cities in Indonesia. Palembang is divided in two parts because of the river “Musi”, the longest river in Sumatra. The northern part is “Ilir” and the southern part “Ulu”. But the “Ampera Bridge” connects the two cities.

More than thousand years ago, Palembang was the capital of the Srivijaya-Kingdom. Palembang came into existence in 1382, by the King of Srivijaya, who, according to stories, came down from heaven on a small hill in the west side of the city. He belongs to the ancestor of all Malaysian rulers.

After the political fall of the Srivijaya Empire, the city remained an important port. In 1370, a mission was send to China to join for recognition in the Ming dynasty. The Ming-emperor sent people to the city to admit the city as a vassal state of China. But these people were killed in Java. In 1392, de ruler of Palembang tried to become independent but a Javanese navy destroyed the villages on the main basic maritime, Banka. In the 16^th century, Palembang was no longer a Chinese enclave but an important port under the Javanese government, dominated by the Javanese culture.

In 1942, the Japanese bombed the airport with combat planes. All the planes were destroyed.

Since 2005, the city is known as the “city of Water Tour” by the testimony from the Indonesian President (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono).

The city is very interesting to visit because of its rich history and good climate.

Delphine

Sources:

http://mysriwijaya.blogspot.be/2008/05/history-of-palembang.html

http://ksap.dpr.go.id/puic2012/page/detail/id/8

http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14274/ID

http://palembangcityguide.blogspot.be/2012/10/palembang-city.html

Jakarta

On the 20^th of March we travelled to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. I was really impressed by the differences in business etiquette and communication style between Indonesia and England. First of all, I want to tell you something more about the business etiquette.

In Indonesia, the business attire is very conservative. I thought I was neatly dressed until Mahyadi Panggabean, the chairman of EOC Enterprises, warned me that my arms were not covered properly. I knew that I wasn’t allowed to walk around in a short dress but I didn’t expect the Indonesians to be so strict! Then there’s also the importance of the business cards. When we arrived, we immediately had to give our business cards to the receptionist. If you can’t give them, there could be long delays. In England, this is not required. In Indonesia, there’s also a habit to show the cards when being introduced to a business partner. I accepted the business card of one of the representatives of EOC Enterprises with my left hand, because I’m left-handed. That man looked at me like I had done something terrible but actually I just had to take it with my both hands or with my right hand.

Now I want to go a little bit further on the Indonesian communication style. If you talk to an Indonesian, you never know what he wants to say. When he says that he wants to close a deal with you, it doesn’t always mean that he wants to do it. He might have strong conditions. You really have to read between the lines and look to people’s gestures and body language to pick up the real message. When Indonesians say ‘yes’, it doesn’t always mean that they agree with you. It could also mean ‘no’ or ‘I understand what you’re saying’. That made it sometimes very hard to communicate. I was also disappointed in the level of English that some Indonesians had. During our meetings, some people often needed a translator. According to me, it was quite unprofessional.

As you see, Indonesia has a lot of different customs. Even though I had some difficulties with adapting to those differences, I learned a lot. I think I will go back to this country in my spare time.

Ulrike 

Sources:

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/indonesia.html

http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_id.htm

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Indonesian-Business-Communication-Style.html

Dilli, Bazertete and Liquica

We continue through East-Timor by making one last visit in Dilli, namely the resistance museum of East-Timor. Up until 1976, East-Timor was a colony of Portugal and experienced brief independence in that year which was cut short by an Indonesian invasion. In the following years, the East-Timorese people resisted Indonesian reign through acts of inobedience and most importantly: armed resistance.

After a long struggle, Indonesia finally relinquished its control over the region in 1999 and in 2002 East-Timor became the first new sovereign nation of the 21^st century. The museum is dedicated to those who tried to reclaim their homeland at any cost.

As we continue our journey, we pass through a smaller town called Bazertete, which also is evidence of the country’s violent and tragic recent history. After the events of 1999, it was the scene of violent intimidations by pro-Indonesian militias who resorted to executions and rape to convince the locals to stay with Indonesia. The evidence of all these atrocities is still visible in the town, as small ruins have remained as a grim reminder what happened over a decade ago and the lives it claimed.

Our final stop is the town of Liquica, which also fell victim to violence at the turn of the century. Fortunately, peace has returned to the coastal village. Peace and quiet is the thing that suits Liquica best. It’s almost like a paradise when you think about it and ponder on the coffee plantations, avocado orchards and a gentle, warm breeze at dusk. At the local port, amongst the locals scraping sea salt for the preparation of meals and product, we’re able to take a boat that will take us to our next destination: Indonesia where we will continue our journey to Saudi-Arabia.

Thomas

Sources: 

http://amrtimor.org/amrt/amrt_exposicoes.php?lingua=en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p33cTDQ577o

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14919009

http://livrodascontradisoens.blogspot.be/2010/11/bazartete-e-mais-alem.html

Dili

We start our trip in East-Timor. Our first stop is Dili, the capital of East-Timor. It is also the largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East-Timor. We visited here some curiosities.

First, we visited the Cristo Rei of Dili (Christ the King of Dili). This statue represents Jesus, standing on a globe. This statue is a 27 meter tall statue, facing the ocean and is located at the end of the Fatucama peninsula. We had to climb 500 steps to reach the main tourist attraction of East-Timor.

We went further to The Church of San Antonio de Motael, the oldest Roman Catholic church. In 1955, this church was rebuilt in the old Portuguese style. In the independence struggle, this church played an important role.

Thirdly, we visited the Integration Monument. It is located right in front of the main wharf.  This monument represents an angst-ridden Timorese, who broke the chains of colonialism.

We also attended Chega, Portuguese for  ‘no more, stop, enough’. It is an exhibition, housed in a prison where countless human rights violations occurred and where hundreds of  resistance figures were interned by the Indonesian military. It gave us a glimpse of the realities of the notorious prison.

A bit further, we found the Santa Cruz Cemetery. Cemeteries are always very sad places. In November 1991, Indonesian soldiers fired on a peaceful memorial procession. It is said that at least 280 civilians died. The bloody attack was filmed by Max Stahl. This massacre is cited as a turning point in the independence struggle.

Because of the good weather, we visited as well a beach. There was a waterfront with a distinctive Timorese personality that is why we liked to go there. This beach has a boomerang shape and is starched for kilometres. At one end, we have the Farol lighthouse and at the other side, the Lita Supermarket.

This was a good start of our trip from East-Timor to Saudi Arabia.

Delphine

Sources:

http://www.unofficialeasttimor.com/1/post/2012/09/top-five-tourist-attractions-in-dili-east-timor.html

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/east-timor/dili

http://onestep4ward.com/a-backpackers-guide-to-east-timor/

http://www.cavr-timorleste.org/en/chegaReport.htm