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Have you ever met people who were a great inspiration to you? I am sure you have. I did meet some in my life too. One of them was a Chinese man. I met him in Dali, Yunnan in China. He had traveled the distance Dalian, north of Beijing to Dali at least three times. That was in 1996.
For me he was the ultimate proof that whatever you do in life, it’s a mindset. You are able to do anything, even if you have handicaps and little money. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Read his story here
Traveling that distance is one thing, do it on a bicycle another. But traveling by bicycle when you have only one arm and one leg, well, that is a story to tell. Here’s this man’s story, he lives now in Yangshuo, south China. He makes his living by cycling around and some calligraphy. Contrary to some beliefs, this man is not a fraud, you may say he’s a tourist attraction, but if so, he’s a genuine attraction.
del.icio.us Tags: bicycle adventures , bicycle stories , cycling
One of the oldest temples in Malaysia, and probably world wide is the Snake Temple in Penang.The temple is located south of Georgetown city, about 30 minutes by bus or taxi. It’s worth a visit. Although the original temple of 1850 is completely renovated and most of the original temple even doesn’t exist anymore, it’s a very spiritual place. For non believers there’s always the attraction of the snakes.
An extensive explanation of the Snake Temple can be found here. It’s a worthy visit, trust me.
Moonfestival is approaching, mooncakes are available in the stores in Malaysia. It’s in some ways funny that during the period of fasting for the Muslim population, the Ramadan, some of the best food is available. Mooncakes are a good example. It’s a typical Chinese product and you will find few Muslims eating this excellent pastry.
Last week I was in Penang, and with some friends I visited one of the many local markets. I found lots and lots of different kinds of mooncakes. You will find no Chinese household at the moment, with the Moonfestival approaching, where there are no mooncakes available. Visit a Chinese family and you most likely will be offered some mooncake with Chinese tea. Here’s more about Mooncakes and the Moonfestival that will be held in early October.
On June 12 I wrote in this blog that the Prime Minister of Malaysia paid a visit to Pulau Pangkor. Additional to the original post, here it is, I can add a few things. Recently I was in the opportunity to go around Pangkor by boat. The building of the Hi-Q farm is in full swing. However, you can’t see anything of it from the island itself.
This has obviously to do with the location, Teluk Dalam in an area which is mostly Forest Reserve and not assessable for anyone. But I could take some photos. See the follow page for a not so nice picture of a hole in the hills:
Cycling, diving, hiking, all are favorite things of me. However, since I was a young kid I am much in love with music. I wouldn’t say I have heroes but if I had them, Springsteen and Earle could be close. Both have released new albums and both albums are impressive. Let’s start with Mr. Earle.
Some like to divide his work in two sections: before and after 9/11 as Steve Earle’s later work is more political. John Walker’s Blues (Jerusalem) and Condi Condi (The Revolution Starts Here…) were two of the more controversial songs he wrote, at least in the eyes of the Americans. But whatever people have said, Earle is a true American, a patriot. He loves his country. And the new album shows again how much he loves his country. Washington Square Serenade is another ode to his homeland. Earle lives these days in the Greenwich Village in New York, the same area where Dylan’s Freewheelin’ cover was shot.
He has maybe left the south, Nashville TN but he has not forgotten… in Tennessee Blues: “goodbye to Guitar Town”. He left Tennessee with “a redhead by my side.” Digital loops come and go over the album. Country purist have banned Earle years ago, but he may loose more fans with these loops. I find them fascinating.
Especially in Satelite Radio he goes on and on. It’s maybe a good radio song, but I also can hear it 20 times in a row. City of Immigrants refer to New York’s background of many nationalities. This is even more important in times intolerance and fear towards people with a different background. Earle hasn’t forgotten his roots, with an excellent ode to Pete Seeger, the communist of the sixties (though I still prefer to see him as a patriot who cared for people) Steve s Hammer (For Pete) is a sing along that deserves to become Earle’s If I had a hammer…
The album ends with a fantastic version of Tom Waits Way Down in the hole. According to Earle, Tom Waits is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. And I have to admit, there is no one like Waits. You like him or not. Earle is not trying to copy Waits, he just does it his own way. It’s the only way he could close the album.
The connection with Bruce Springsteen has always been there. Earle has covered several songs of Springsteen, more specifically the Nebraska songs, you could say Springsteens more political songs. Like Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen has an eye for ordinary people. If you think that the live in Dublin was an accident, listen again to his first few albums. All songs about people on the wrong side, losers, loners, the poor.
But Bruce is again on the rocking tour. The new Magic is another of his rock & roll albums, a bit like The Rising. Maybe it’s less surprising as even Live in Dublin, Bruce is still very much alive. It’s too bad I live in Malaysia so I will miss his live shows again. If you have a chance, go and see him. Even though tickets are very expensive these days, Bruce seldom disappoints. I doubt with this new great album he will fail to impress.
After the Malay wedding in Kedah and Pangkor I thought I had experienced the main 3 kinds of wedding ceremonies in Malaysia. True and not. Yes, I have written a few pages about typical Malaysian style weddings,
And it was great, as a foreigner to witness such an event in a different culture then my own. Then I found Pearl’s website. She writes a lot about Penang, the culture and her own personal history in that area. Pearl is a Nyonya and a Chinese. Her daughter recently got married and this was celebrated in the Nyonya tradition. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there but fortunately for me, she wrote an extensive page about the different tradition you can find only in certain parts of Malaysia. It’s really interesting to read what she has to say:
Enjoy!
South Malaysia has a few very good attractions for the visitors. Malacca is one of the worlds most famous attractions in Malaysia. But apart of Malacca there’s more. Playing golf should be one of them as the golf courts in and around Malacca and the southern province of Johor are of great quality. Here’s an overview of the golf courses in the south of Malaysia:
Golfing in south Malaysia, Malacca and Johor
In Golf, accuracy is everything! Watch this video to see how important shot alignment is to your game.
