Labuan-Part I

I was in Labuan for 2 weeks in late October and November. It was my first trip there and it was a business trip. Since it was a business trip, I could only roam the town after office hours and during the weekend. As Labuan is situated in the eastern side and with the adjustment Malaysian Standard Time, you could see the astronomical time difference between Labuan and West Malaysia. Sun rises 1 hour earlier here compared to West Malaysia. Similarly, the sun sets 1 hour earlier here too. This reminds me a lot of the days when I was in Australia and Finland during the winter months, where the night comes pretty fast. The only stark difference was while it was cold in Australia and Finland, it was hot and humid over here. 

6.20am in Labuan

6.30 pm in Labuan

HOTEL :  

If you come to Labuan, the hotels here are quite expensive. Of course the are few cheap and affordable one around but they all look quite old and a bit rundown. My office booked my stay at the Sara Hotel. From the first impression, the hotel looks quite okay. Upon the arrival you will be greeted by this signage shown below:

At closer look, this hotel is very old and certainly it needs upgrade and refurbish. The decorations and aging furniture at the lobby look tired and need to be replaced urgently.

Lobby at Sara Hotel.

Decor needs to be replaced urgently.

The hallway and the lift smells mushy and the paint on the hallway was peeling off.  In the room, it have some sort of musty smell plus the carpet flooring has a lot of burned cigarette and iron stain. Towels and sheets looked ancient and permanently marked. Cleanliness is way out as the hotel is infested with cockroach. So be a little prepare if you want to stay here. On the plus side, the staff are quite friendly and there is no WiFi in the room, so no work can be done in the room since you can only get the WIFI in the lobby. No breakfast is provided in this hotel. 

LABUAN WALK

During the weekend, there is a bazaar lining the street known as Labuan Walk. It was quite strange to walk in the bazaar where they sell dressed chicken, fruits, agricultural products, flowers, clothing, various household ware, souvenir and food.

Roll of stalls.

Stall selling plants and flowers.

Mango tree for sale.

Orchid lar......

If you like fruits, you should try Borneo local fruits.

Borneo Durian.

 The durian flesh is red in color and the fruit is very much smaller compared to its counterpart from Thailand. A few stalls were selling the durians at that time and the price was a bit expensive.

One of the stalls offering such delicacies.

Selling in bundle.

Not cheap.

 There's one fruit I tasted but could not remember the name. Tasted like mango, but the it smell much better.

Other stuff sold in the bazaar such as earrings, brooch, pillow, and etc...
  

CONTINUE PART II

Ampang Nine Emperor Celebration

         I know this posting is a bit late, it has been almost a month since the visit to the Nine Emperor Celebration in Ampang, but I have been busy, trying to put some food on the table. I was lucky to be there on the 6th day of the celebration as the temple has some ceremony going on on that day.

The main altar at the Ampang temple. 

Upon entering the main prayer hall, I was greeted by the strong scent of incense, something you expect with thousands of devotees thronging the temple burning thousands of thousands of joss stick. 

Smoke gets in your eyes.

Praying for better life, healthy life, good money and good look perhaps.

In the main prayer hall, devotees kneeled down and murmured something to the divine. Each asking the divine to bless them and their family for the coming year. Offerings are also given to the divine, hoping that the divine will be happy and answer all their prayers.

Praying with all her heart and soul seeking divine blessing. 

Offering to the divine.

As the sun began to set, the crowd grew bigger. 

More and more devotees thronged the temple as the sun began to set

By night fall, the ceremony to fest the divines began. The ceremony were presided by three Taoist monks and the whole ceremony was accompanied by the Chinese traditional music.

Mortal guards were at the scene to guard the main prayer hall. Devotees are not allowed in during this time

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Devotees getting ready for the ceremony.

 

Taoist monk in action.

Chanting and chanting.

Prayers and chants were accompanied by the traditional music.

This boy caught my attention as he watched the whole ceremony earnestly.

Even though I do not believe in the existence of higher being(s) dictating the movement of objects and "fate" in time and space, what I saw was having faith alone itself is good enough to provide hopes to many. Some may hope for good money, better life while some may just have a simple plain wish such as healthy life for them and their love one. No matter what one wishes and prays for, praying for divine intervention is just like having new hopes again and it is hopes that keep everyone going. Overall, it was a good, educational and eye opener trip to the Ampang Nine Emperor Celebration and I definitely look forward to come again next year.