Rattling Communicator

Memories of Mama

2012-01-22T23:51:00.000+08:00

Every time I say/think of mama, I can clearly visualize his smiling face and 'what next' attitude. He was like a rock to all of us. He was always young at heart and used to enthrall us with his escapades.

It all happened 2 years ago, when he came back from the US. He had lost about 10kgs within 6 months and all of us were naive enough and attributed it to the low fat diet, that too devoid of the daily dose of deep fried stuff like vadai, kaaravadai and bajji, while in US.

At the maximum we thought it might be diabetics. But, all our assumptions were wrong and he was diagnosed with with level 4 stomach cancer. Since then the fight against that deadly enemy started. He was facing it with grace.

It is hard to believe that, even 2 weeks ago, when I was in India, mama was driving, talking and laughing with us. Life is too short. His health deteriorated drastically within a short span and his last 3 days were terrible, for the family.

Though, he was unconscious the thought that he might be silently suffering was terrifying. Yesterday, mama passed away and I was unable to go home and pay my last respect. Direct flights to my home town was fully booked because of Chinese New Year. However, tomorrow morning am going home to India to be with my aunt and give her moral support at this tough time.

During my childhood, like any other electronic items, camera was an expensive stuff and only he had an imported Yashika (B & W) film camera. He was my first inspiration to photography and here is a tribute to him.

Scenic Sunday, SOOC

6th Century Sri Somanathaswamy Temple @ Palayarai

2011-12-31T02:35:00.001+08:00

As a die-hard fan of Kalki's historical novel பொன்னியின் செல்வன் (Ponniyin Selvan) I've always dreamt of visiting the places mentioned in that novel. Most of the places are near my Home town, Madurai in India. During this visit I managed to visit two top destinations, Palayarai and Thanjavur.

Palayarai, was the first capital of Medieval Cholas, until Thanjavur was built around 10th Century CE. Now, only a ruined Shiva temple is present at that place. We had to stop and ask for directions at several places, as Palayarai has lost its glory and now it is an insignificant sleepy village.

Ruins of the temple - viewed as we turned in that village

My heart sank, when I saw the locked gates of the ruined the Raja Gopuram (Tall tower) However, I got down from the car to take some shots of the tower and beautiful sculptures along the wall.

Only 2 levels of the gopuram exists

Pathetic reminder of the past glory:(

In remote villages, even now if they see a car, the villagers approach it with great curiosity! My dad asked one such villagers if there is anyone who could help us in entering the temple...'don't worry, the temple in-charge would have seen your car and anytime he would he here', before he finished the sentence, the in-charge came there with the keys!!!

Shrine of the Goddess

There is only limited online literature about this temple and town, so I tried to gather local info/folklore from the in-charge person. He said that this temple is more than 1400 years old...true it was built by the Chola dynasty in in 6th Century CE. He added that Raja Raja Cholan, the famous Chola king used to worship here before he built the Thanjvur Periya koil in the 10th Century CE.

The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Somanathaswamy

This shrine is designed like a horse drawn chariot!

Stone horse n wheel

It is unacceptable as per the Hindu customs to take pictures of the main deity...however, I did click at one of the most powerful Goddess worshiped by the kings, especially to give them moral and physical courage during war times.

Goddess Durga - carved out of single stone!

The half-gone murals behind the Goddess is supposed to be done by the Maratha rulers around 16th Century CE. Luckily, no one had tried to white-wash it!

Ardhanareeswara

Ardhanareeswara - is a beautiful concept where Lord Shiva manifests Himself as Half Man and Half Woman, to show that the male and female powers should co-exist! Later, on the same day, we saw similar beautiful sculptures in Thanjavur Periya Koil as well.

Yali - For SOOC

Yali, is a Hindu mythological creature, with Lion's head on a horse's body and this form is usually seen in Shiva temples.

The in-charge said that the temple renovation was underway as they were planning for Kumbabishekam. Now, I've mixed feelings, because they were sort of destroying our heritage by white-washing the precious, beautiful stone buildings and sculptures:(

Again, I've a big misgiving on Indian Archeological Dept, as to why do they fail to promote our assets? At least, can't we take care and preserve such glorious monuments of historical importance?!

Camp Site @ El Sanctuary, Lendu

2011-11-27T22:06:00.001+08:00

Always I look forward to different experiences. This time I had a chance to visit El Sanctuary, a camp site in Lendu, which is about 30 minutes drive from Melaka, Malaysia.

MES, my kid's school had arranged for a camp. The dates clashed with my daughter's classical dance performance and our long holiday. I just took my kid for a short visit as she was keen to get a feel of what her friends do in the camp. While she was with her friends, I was busy with my camera, devouring the beauty of the place!

Miniscule sign board that can be missed very easily!

Bukit Hantu in Malay means Ghost Hill! With hesitation, I drove in to that obscure lane...

Reality is even more picturesque!

For SOOC

Ready for a camp fire - Dorms in the background

Chalets - around 7 persons can comfortably stay

I feel that the Sepia finish enhances the beauty!

Well, I need to do another post to share floral pics that I took at this place!

Pevensey Castle - Photos the Archives

2011-11-20T22:27:00.000+08:00

While visiting a friend in Eastbourne, Essex, UK, she was kind enough to take me to Pevensey Castle, which was about 20 minutes drive from her house. Thanks to her generosity:) As usual, I was excited to visit a place of historical importance. It is said that the Pevensey castle was originally built by the early Roman settlements in the Southern Coast around 3rd century AD. Additions and modifications should have been done, however there is no documentary evidence of this castle after the Roman empire, until 1066!

A 12th century chronicle says,

Pevensey is a castle rising on a very lofty mound, fortified on every side by a most beautiful wall, fenced impregnably by the washing waves of the sea, almost inaccessible owing to the difficulty of the ground.

Here is a sketch of the castle in its heyday and its pitiable current state

It is very sad to see just the remains of this lofty castle...

View from afar

Entrance

Side view

Gate House built in 1200AD

Remains - For SOOC

Foundation stones of the Chapel and remains of the font in the nave

Pool by the Beach

2011-11-11T21:10:00.001+08:00

Every Friday, we go to the Malacca Club for my daughter's badminton class. It has a good sports complex with tennis, table tennis and badminton courts, gym and a lovely swimming pool by the beach!

The sky was overcast, but still I love the blues in these shots:)

Pool by the beach

Shallow pool in the foreground

Lap pool in the background

Skies - from the archives

2011-11-04T14:00:00.000+08:00

Beachyhead beach - Sussex, UK

Beach view from USM, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

Night shot from my corridor - Melaka, Malaysia

Maritime Silk Route Museum - Singapore

2011-10-30T19:28:00.000+08:00

I didn't want to go to the Universal Studio, Singapore for the 2nd time, even if it meant I had to hang alone by myself at Resort World Sentosa. Luckily, there was a new attraction, Maritime Experimental Museum and Aquarium. When I purchased the entrance and the Typhoon show tickets (SG $5 & $6), I was told that the aquarium is still under construction!

Entrance - For SOOC.

The museum tries to portray the significance of Admiral Zhen He's seven voyages in the ancient maritime silk route. In those days, this maritime route was equally important like the silk road route that linked East to West.

This maritime route stretches from the South China sea, across the Indian Ocean and connects to the Roman Empire along the Red sea. It is considered as the oldest trade route since 200 BCE. Besides trade, it also helped in nourishing International relationships and cultural exchange.

This museum houses some of the artifacts collected from 8 major ports along this route and in this post I try to picturize my experience!

Chinese navigation instruments - Qunazhou, China

Bamboo products from - Qui Nhon, Vietnam

Colorful puppets - Palembang, Indonesia

Model Ship - Melaka, Malaysia

Mats and vessels - Galle, Srilanka

Snake Charmer - Calicut, India

Arabian Navigation aid Kamal - Muscat, Oman

Exotic products and animals - Malindi, Kenya

It had some interactive displays and games, which reflects ancient mariners life. The interior of the museum was interesting as well!

Miniature ships hanging in midair

And the souvenir shop curios...

Gift items - exorbitantly priced^^

As for the typhoon show, well, you can watch it once, especially for that starlit ocean view. However, the typhoon and underwater experience was below average, anyway here is a shot that I took before and after the show.

Typhoon Theater, before the Show - Chinese village view

Typhoon Theater after the Show - Under the ocean view

Dawn @ Ocean Palm, Klebang

2011-10-25T19:01:00.001+08:00

The bus for our day trip to Universal Studio, Singapore was supposed to start from Ocean Palm Condominium in Klebang, so we stayed overnight with a friend who lives there. Thanks for her hospitality. It was lovely to watch the sky and the ocean from the 9th floor, here are the shots that stole my heart:)

Sea view from the balcony - For SOOC Sunday and Monday Blue

Look at that beautiful back water jetty!

Shoreline view from the balcony

View from the guest room - For Skywatch

Land reclamation is in progress, which is a sad thing as it affects the nature

Cloud resembling a smoker!

Glowing Dusk

2011-10-17T21:33:00.000+08:00

I guess the Great Painter was extraordinarily pleased with something, so decided to paint the sky like this...

And the clouds were rushing to add glow to the dusk!

Sceneries on the Move - Kota Kinabalu

2011-10-07T10:45:00.001+08:00

During our holidays in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, East Malaysia - Borneo Islands) most of the time we were traveling by cab. Therefore, I had the luxury of enjoying the sceneries and capture them with my DSLR using Sports Mode. Here are some of the shots taken in the city.

This picture is unedited, except for reducing pix - For SOOC Sunday and Monday Blue

Though I'm not much of a fan of this kinda glass and steel buildings, that too in places with temperate climate, l must admit that I fell for this building at that moment purely because of the beautiful cloud reflection!

For Skywatch

Those clouds reminded me of a long train!

Watery reflection!

Navaratri/Dussehra - Victory over Ignorance!

2011-10-01T23:09:00.000+08:00

Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit and this festival is celebrated at nights in the Hindu temples and homes. It is a colorful festival, celebrated throughout India in different names like Navaratri, Dussehra or Durga Pooja. The basis of this festival is to celebrate the Destruction of evil power, Appreciation of Spiritual & Material Riches and Enlightenment. These three factors are represented by Goddesses Durga (Parvathi), Lakshmi and Saraswathi respectively. During Navaratri, 3 days are dedicated for each Goddess successively.

In temples, deities are adorned in various forms of the Goddesses in the evenings and special prayers are conducted at nights. On the 9th day, in most of the temples all 3 forms of the goddesses are presented!

This is from my family's trust temple. For SOOC Sunday

In the above shot, Saraswathi the goddess of education (enlightenment) is on the 1st left and she holds Veena (a classical musical instrument). Lakshmi the goddess of wealth is in the center and the next is Durga or Parvathi the goddess of power. At homes, children celebrate by arranging dolls to depict various religious and day to day life activities and it is called as Kolu. So, in this season, handicraft shops and shops beside the temples sell colorful dolls.

Kolu dolls at Pudhu Mandabam in Meenakshi Amman temple, Madurai, India

Ninth day of celebration is also called as Saraswathi Pooja. As children, we were always looking forward to this day, mainly because our school books would be kept in prayers and left overnight in front of the deity, which meant we didn't have to TOUCH the books^^.

After 9 days of celebration, 10th day is called as Vijayadasami. There is a belief that Lord Rama killed Ravana (demonic ruler of Srilanka) on that day, hence it is considered as triumph over evilness. This epic war is enacted in most of the Vaishnava temples.

Rama from (Sourashtra) South Krishnan Temple, Madurai. For Skywatch.

This shot shows Lord Rama with bow and arrow!

Spiritually, Vijayadasami means victory over ignorance and gain enlightenment. Hence, goddess Saraswathi is given importance on this day and in South India, this is the most auspicious day to start a child's education. Most of the schools take new admissions for Reception classes!

Boats (in and Around England) - from the Archives

2011-09-25T01:33:00.001+08:00

Narrowboat in Birmingham canal For SOOC Sunday

Cruise boats on the Thames, London. London Eye and Big Ben are in the background!

Stratford

This ferry is used to reach the other side of the Avon river...

Intelligent Signage!

Boats n yachts dotted at Beachy Head, Eastbourne during Red Arrows Air Show!

This ferry is used to reach the other side of the Avon river, so there is an 'intelligent signage'...

Mid Autumn or Moon Cake Festival

2011-09-12T21:43:00.000+08:00

Like Indian festivals and related beliefs, Chinese festivals are equally colorful and filled with deep-rooted beliefs.

Purnima or Full Moon (Presenting this for SOOCS)

There is an interesting array of traditional food associated with the Mid Autumn or Moon cake festival, which falls on Full Moon day of the 8th month (Sept/Oct of Georgian calendar) of the Chinese calendar. Well, I'm not repeating the many stories associated with this festival, as you can find vivid representations online!

Moon Cakes - center filled with Lotus paste is my favorite

It is believed that in Ancient China, to dethrone a malevolent invader, message and plan for rebellion were passed through hidden slips in Moon Cakes during this festival!

A sweet with rabbit design, specially consumed during this festival

Pomelo - a type of citrus

Dragon Horn

Some of my friends call this as buffalo horn! Actually, it tastes like chestnut:)

Usually, all the family members gather to celebrate this festival and enjoy these goodies. We had one such celebration few years ago, at work...

If we celebrated with this many variety of food during tea time at work, you can imagine the actual spread at a typical family gathering!

Utensils, Vessels and Hand Engraved Plates

2011-09-11T13:02:00.000+08:00

Even now, in most of the Indian households stainless steel utensils and vessels are used. Whenever I go to my hometown (Madurai, India), I am tempted to checkout the shops for new arrivals. Let me try to relive the experience of how it feels to visit a prominent utensil seller.

At the entrance of the shop, the distinct sound of chisel and hammer emerges above all the chaotic noise that is predominant in Indian roads. I take time to look at the silent craftsmen, laboring to beautify brass/copper/stainless utensils.

Hand Engravers - very cheap labor

This time, they were working on brass plates, which are used in pooja (Hindu religious activities).

Doing wonders with chisel and hammer

Engraved with Vinayaka

Once you enter the shop, the dazzling array of utensils from wall to wall is a sight in itself!

It's hard to decide on what to buy and what not, finally I end up buying things that I don't need as well^^.

Like teasers, vessels with handles are hung on the roof and it looks so colorful that I can't stop myself from gazing at them!

Colorful food containers

Actually, this type of carriers is eco-friendly, because locals use it to pack food instead of plastic containers and covers.

Ushering the Monsoon

2011-09-07T20:20:00.000+08:00

Dragon flies have arrived to celebrate the monsoon!

Recently I learned that these beauties with its organza material like wings can fly as fast as 35 miles per hour!

Light and Shade

2011-09-03T11:40:00.000+08:00

I have guilty conscience, whenever I go through my photo archives (2 + years of captures!). Yes, I feel that I've created a huge backlog in preserving the memory. I intend to make at least a weekly post from the backlog. Here is a series of shots that has light and shade...

@ Jewellery Quarter Museum - Birmingham, UK (Yet to post photos from this Museum)

Somewhere in Reading, UK

Apartments in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore

Ancient Egypt - Universal Studios, Singapore

Dome @ Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque Brunei

Thorn shrubs @ Madurai, India

World War II Memorial @ Labuan, Malaysia (yet to write a post on this)

Hoping to catch up, before my memory fades!

Vinayaka @ Meenakshi Amman Temple Madurai

2011-09-01T00:48:00.003+08:00

Prime God of Hindus, Vinayaka or Ganapathy is worshiped before the beginning of anything like a wedding or business. And today is His birthday. He has an elephant's face and stout with a pot belly. Here are some of His avtars @ Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Vibuthy Vinayakar

He sits near the entrance of South Tower, and people shower him with vibuthy or holy ash and pray.

Mukkuruni Vinayakar

He is the largest Ganapathy within this temple and today, special pooja or prayers will be performed. Extra large modhagam (rice based cake) will be offered to Him and later distributed to the public.

Narthana Vinayakar

Narthana means dancing, this dancing Vinayaka is near the Mottai gopuram and people pray to Him on special occasions like Sasthiaptha poorthi (60th birthday).

Couples who are not blessed with a child are advised to do milk absheka (bathing the deity with milk) for this Narthana Vinayaka. Though many beliefs sound superstitious, at times, out of desperation and yearning I tend to believe in age old customs. Belief is everything, I too have done milk abeshikam here, as I had my kid only after a long time.

Replica of a Ship - Malacca Maritime Museum

2011-08-29T23:26:00.001+08:00

Playing tourist in the town where I live (Malacca, Malaysia) is one of our favorite activities during my daughter's school holidays. This time we went to the Melaka Maritime Museum.

Malacca Maritime Museum

The museum is housed in a replica of an old Portuguese Ship, known as Nau. Nau is a 16th/17th century ship that was used for trading and warfare. This museum showcases paintings and other artifacts that represents maritime history of Melaka from 14th to 20th century.

King welcoming overseas Islamic Missionaries

Traders selling spices - Era of the Melaka Sultanate

Trade Route - taken by Magellan

Pulau Besar - Wu Shu Island near Malacca - Chinese travelers used this island for filling water and food

Foreign traders at Melaka Port

Fight with the Siamese army

Portuguese Ships

Foreign Invasion

Model of a British Ship

Confinement or Prison in a Nau

Melaka Port during 19th Century - Sumatran and local ships

Besides scanty descriptions along each painting, not much information was available. It has been my long time dream to work as a volunteer in a museum, be it in documenting or guiding the visitor. So, I wanted to meet the curator or any other responsible person to get info regarding this. Unfortunately, there was no one, except for the security guards! Tried to find info online without any success. Planning to visit the other museums and try to get info, hopefully.

Sun Sparkle

2011-08-21T16:48:00.002+08:00

For the first time I managed to capture the sparkle and here I present the photo without any modification!

Ghost Festival

2011-08-09T23:57:00.000+08:00

You can see this giant sized incense sticks all over Malaysia, during the month of Chinese Ghost Festival.

However, until now I haven't bothered to stop by and find out more. This time, I made it a point to drop in one of these tents and chat up. Heat waves hit me the moment I opened my car door. The aroma was so strong that I sneezed.

A volunteer was kind enough to patiently explain and answer my questions:) This festival falls in the seventh month of the lunar calendar (usually around July/August) and is celebrated thorough out the month. Each community/family selects a convenient day to celebrate it.

Yellow - dead people list, Red - live persons seeking prosperity and peace!

On that day, the monks visit this type of prayer tents and pray for the dead souls in general and specifically for those listed on the yellow posters! They also pray for the peace and prosperity of the living, and special prayers for those listed in red posters!!

Colorful idols are placed at the alter. The center one was very large.

God of Heaven

"This is the Heaven God. He guides the dead people, so we pray to him" said the volunteer.

Demigods

"These small Gods are like angles and they help us during natural disasters like earthquake...and see these are the gold and silver mountains that will be there in the Heaven"...

Golden Mountain

It was very fascinating to learn about their beliefs. And the most surprising article was this cute model.

Toilet for the DEAD!!!

The loo model was placed outside the tent and was meant for the visiting souls! It seems that the right toilet is for men and it was marked by 'red tail' like character that represents spade, which is used in farming. Whereas, the left was for ladies, which is marked by red dot, that depicts hand!

One of the Buddhist Goddess Kuan Yin - capable of taking 32 'avatars' to help the believers!

The offerings kept in front of Kuan Yin would be distributed at the end of the prayers, after midnight 12 am! I was proudly shown that the candy, dates and cereals towers were hand crafted by community members!

Vegetarian food

As it was a Buddhist community, all the offerings were vegetarian food, which had mock chicken and other soya/flour based meat. Along with a gift hamper, this food too would be distributed to the donors.

Finally, I was told that all the paper idols and articles would be burnt at the end of the prayer at midnight. Though I strongly respect the tradition and culture, I am concerned about the environmental pollution that occurs due to these burning. And I have a doubt if this could be the cause of the haze at nights during this season!

Who Cares?

2011-08-07T22:55:00.000+08:00

Crying Calf - hungry?

Blissful Kittens -satiated!

How to Describe this?

2011-08-05T13:22:00.001+08:00

This time of the year when we came to Kuala Lumpur 8 years ago, I was surprised to see national flags hoisted in the vehicles and in front of the houses. Later, I learned that during August, here the citizens were encouraged to display the flags to celebrate 'Merdaka' (Independence), which falls on 30th August.

Now, I saw this motorcycle..

As I was driving, my kid took the above shot on my mobile phone. When I overtook the biker, we noticed that he had flags hoisted on his helmet as well!

Temple - Dwajasthambam (Flagpole)

2011-08-01T22:59:00.000+08:00

The tall flagpoles in the Hindu temples have always fascinated me, that too it is a sight to see during holy festivals, as they are adorned with flowers and other religious things.

@ Sri Astha Thasa Buja Kali Temple, Durian Tunggal, Melaka

As per Hindu agama shastra (religious rules), the temples are built to reflect the human body and Dwajasthambam (Flagpole) forms the backbone! Well, am not too sure of the explanations (and I can't find trusted resources online), so let me not elaborate on it.

At Sri Astha Thasa Buja Kali Temple, I saw another, very tall flagpole, which was devoid of adornments. The rotating flash light gave a beautiful touch to that pole!

Now, am not sure why this pole was placed in front of the Dwajasthembam!

Bulgogi - Meat on Fire

2011-07-12T22:19:00.000+08:00

It was totally a new lunch experience with expat friends. Well, our Korean friends suggested that we go for lunch at Korean House Restaurant, in Bukit Baru Malacca.

As we didn't know what to choose, our friends (Korean) Sara, Catherine and Yong Mei decided on the menu and ordered for all of us. First, we were served with rice tea...

Rice Tea

It tasted like Chinese tea. After that a stove was placed on each table, so I was assuming that something like Steamboat is going to be served...

Bulgogi

Well, it didn't look like a steamboat and when Sara said the name of the dish, I heard it as wolgoki and was unable to pronounce it properly, so she wrote on paper as 'Bulgogi', where Bul = Fire and gogi = meat in Korean! So, it was meat (beef) on fire!!!

Bulgogi comes with an assortment of vegetables and meat, so our table was filled with lot of mini-plates:) Though am a die-hard vegetarian, I must admit that the meat dishes were aesthetically presented.

Bulgogi Set

Bulgogi has Beef as the 'king', followed by sides - fried anchovies, pickled shells, fish balls, omelet and steamed egg. Then few veg dishes - pickled cucumber and radish, fresh lettuce with thin slices of garlic, lotus root fry and salad with thousand island sauce. On top of it, a small plate of bean sauce was placed for everyone and it was reddish and resembled Malaysian Sambal or Indian kara chutney!

All of us were given a small box of rice. But, by then another plate of what looked like glass noodles was placed in our table and Sara and Yong Mei told that it was vegetarian. When I said 'I dun want rice, I'll just have this noodles', Sara insisted 'no no, this is a special dish we make only on occasions and you should eat it with rice'.

1st time eating noodles as a side dish for rice!

As the owner of that place was Sara's friend, he gave us two complimentary dishes...

Pancakes

They were Kimchi pancake with crab meat (the one on top) and Veg & egg pancake (the one @ bottom). I didn't try it, because they were not vegetarian.

Overall, I was surprised to see that I had quite a choice of veg-dishes! Especially I liked the way the Koreans eat the rice. Yong Mei gave a demo on how to eat rice...take a fresh lettuce, add a spoon of rice, followed by bean sauce and meat or any side. Now, fold it and eat! It was yummy:)

A Tale of Mount Kinabalu - Crocker Range

2011-07-08T00:02:00.000+08:00

If I just say Mount Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Crocker Ranger in the Borneo Island, it sounds like a mundane primary school Geography lesson. To make it interesting, let me tell the local story that we heard from Hatta, our cabbie (similar version is available in Wikipedia as well).

After few KMs down the road from Kota Kinabalu, Hatta pointed at the distant mist covered Mount Kinabalu and I wanted to take a picture, so he pulled over. From then, he started telling about the legendary folklore vividly:)

Kinabalu sneaking out of mist

Eons ago A Chinese Prince was marooned in this part of the Borneo. He fell in love with a local Kadazan tribal girl and married her.

View from Bundhu Tuhan - a kampung (Village in Malay)on the way to Kinabalu

They lived happily and had children!

The Prince started missing his parents, and wanted to visit them. He told his wife that he would go home, meet and get permission from his dad (the Chinese Emperor), and take his wife and the children to China.

Pic taken from the moving cab - using sports mode

Though the girl was apprehensive at first, she believed in the prince's promise that he would come back for her and bid him farewell.

From the moving cab - Village where the Kadazan girl lived!?

Entrance to National Park - UNESCO site

The Kadazan girl was eagerly waiting for the prince. However, the sea shore was far from her village. So, she climbed the tallest mountain near her village to gaze at the South China Sea, hoping to see the prince' ship.

Guest houses for the climbers

As months passed to years, there was no sign of the prince.

Timpohon Point view - Kinabalu

Forced by the Emperor, the prince married another princess for the benefit of the kingdom, and kept away from the Kadazan girl with a heavy heart. Sounds like a typical bollywood movie plot, or any mythological, mystical, historical story, right?

Timpohon Point view - valley

Well, the poor girl was not aware of the prince' betrayal, so she went up the mountain everyday at dawn and came back to the village only at night, to tend to their children.

Entrance to the trekking path leading to Mount Kinabalu

Only climbers with permit are allowed and guide are allowed

We heard only seasoned climbers could make it!

As you go higher, the weather is cold. Imagine how the Kadazan girl would have suffered the harsh weather! By, now the villagers had started calling her the widow of the Chinese prince, as they assumed that the prince might have died on the sea!

Mount Kinabalu - from the viewing deck above the trekking entrance

Finally, the dedicated wife died on the hill top, still longing for the prince. The villagers started believing that her ghost was up in the mountain, waiting for the prince' return and they honored her by naming the mount as Kinabalu meaning Chinese Widow in Kadazan language!

We were touched by the story:)
You might also like to read/see pics of my other Borneo experiences...

Poring - Canopy Walkway Bridge
Aerial Views - Borneo
Water ways of Brunei - Air Kampung, Venice of the East
The Giant Flower - Rafflesia
Jesselton - Kota Kinabalu