Month: June 2017

London, The Malaysian Magnet.

London attracts Malaysians for Christmas shopping just like how Singapore and Orchard Road draw Malaysian shoppers. The number of Malaysians one can bump into in London is legendary and a running joke among the well heeled. The historical ties of the former Commonwealth colony lives on.

I am proud to have London pics supplied by a fellow Malaysian working in London. Pictures of Regent Street and Oxford Street during Christmas festive shopping captured by Malaysian friend Shirlyn Tan. One can see some traces of the the famous Oxford Street fake snow in the air in this pic.

Shirlyn noted it will be tough finding hotels as many in the area are either super 6 star or brothel type. For the purpose of this listing, I’ll let it cover the entire city, big as it is. You can refine the area by searching with the name of the area or street.

http://www.mycen.my/london-hotel-deals-finder/

#london #unitedkindom #uk #england #oxfordstreet #festive #regentstreet #mycenhotels

Kyoto

Kyoto.

I featured a pic of my beautiful friend Naoko Shintani from Kyoto, Japan when she was at the Tottori Sand Dunes not too long ago. (http://www.tvsmith.my/travel/mauloa-nao-tottori-sand-dunes). She is a long time friend of mine from Instagram (@mauloa_nao) and @wajxaqibmanik on Twitter.

Am happy to kick off MyCen Hotel’s feature of its first Japanese city with a picture of Kinkaku-ji (or Golden Pavilion), a famous golden stupa; or monument honouring Buddha’s relics.

Captured by Nao in her home city of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu. It is famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, castles, gardens, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses.

No coincidence that Kyoto has one of the world’s largest collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in one place. A total of 17. If time is limited, you need to do your own research and decide which to visit in advance.

Hotels are a plenty and in various price range:
http://www.mycen.my/kyoto-hotel-deals-finder/

#japan #kyoto #honshu #landmark #mycenhotels #unesco

Gurdwara Sahib Tampin

At its entrance, I noticed two lifesize stone sculptures of Sikh warriors on horseback. One was a woman warrior (right). I hope a person familiar with the background can fill me in on the history.

The first Sikhs arrived in Tampin around the late 1920’s. Most of them were employed as policemen, railway workers, bus and lorry drivers, cattle owners or rubber estate workers. Since border town Tampin straddles two states, their religious and prayer needs were taken care of by the neighbouring Gurdwaras of Malacca and Seremban.

It was only on 12th July 1967 that the present site of the Gurdwara Sahib Tampin was obtained. I thought I lost the original album for good and am glad to have found it. Feeling blessed.

Mr Gurdev Singh and his dog Rajoo, from the earlier story, can be seen sitting on the steps. There are reports coming in, stating he is hale and hearty.

Find a hotel in Tampin and Alor Gajah here: http://www.mycen.my/tampin-hotel-deals-finder/

#sikh #punjabi #sikhtemple #gurdwara #dog #tampin #temple #malaysia #genderequality

The Secret Handshake

The Secret Handshake.

I saw a beautiful Sikh temple in Tampin town. Decided to photograph it up close and was confronted by one of the toughest strangers to engage with. Mr Gurdev Singh, the 85-year-old temple caretaker was wary and distrustful initially. He was, after all, a retired Special Branch police officer.

His dog Rajoo was menacing and I had to first win his faithful companion’s trust. When the dog started licking my face, Mr Singh said I passed the first test. There was to be another secret handshake. He scribbled on a piece of paper “godisnowhere” and asked me to put in the spaces. I put it is as “god is now here” (instead of “god is nowhere”).

The man finally let his guard down and we chatted like old friends. He told me the history of the temple, about the handful of Sikhs living in Tampin and even invited me to his nearby house for wild boar curry.

Tampin is such a quaint, idyllic and serene town. Stay behind to explore and meet other warm town folk. Find a hotel in or near Tampin here:
http://www.mycen.my/tampin-hotel-deals-finder/

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f6.3, 1/200 sec.

PS: Updates: reports are coming in, stating Gurdev is hale and hearty.

#sikh #punjabi #sikhtemple #dog #tampin #sepia #malaysia