Lessons on Buddhism and Stephen Hawkings @ Chin Swee Temple, Gentings 2April2011

The Genting Skyway from Highlands Hotel to Chin Swee Temple costs RM3/person at 30 minutes intervals or take the free shuttle bus from the entrance of the hotel.

Blowing balloons while waiting for the cable car. x

Although we have been to Gentings many times before, this was the first time we are visiting Chin Swee temple. Midway between Awana and Genting Highlands, we had only seen its pagoda from afar.

The nine storey pagoda.

I was very out of breathe by the time I reached the 4th floor...puff...puff..but Fai and Han happily ran up the spiral staircase.

Fai and Han found a long-horned beetle on the 5th floor of the pagoda. It made a rasping sound when Fai picked it up. The boys observed it as it tried to climb up a stool and used its antenna to prop itself upright when it turned turtle.

The gateway to heaven.

Beautiful stone carvings of creatures such dragons, pheonix and carp on the railings leading up to the archway.

The kids and their grandma lighting joss sticks.

One of the realms in hell. The boys were horrified by the gory scenes. One of the realms were for tax evaders.

Fai and Han had spent the night before drawing chinese dragons. So they were fascinated by the sight of so many dragons - stone carved, statues, around pillars...

More stone carvings.

The main temple was beautifully decorated with dragons circling the pillars.

Han and Ean got to ring a bell and beat the huge chinese drum three times when they made a donation under their names.

Dear Hubby who had to put up with my many queries about the religious customs his family adheres to, was busy talking to the curator.

Later, DH related this to me:

1) It is a tradition to light joss sticks. It is not part of the religion. the burning of joss sticks can be done away with, if you so wish to.

2) The deities in the temple should not be prayed to, just 'greet' them and send well-wishes.

3)What ever was written and proven mathematically by Stephen Hawkings is all 'kindergarten level' in terms of buddhist sutras. All that and more has already been proven and written down thousands of years ago. Anything you want to know about the universe and the relationship between the cosmos is written in there somewhere. He went on to say that you might not find the answers within this lifetime. That's why there is reincarnation - to continue where you left of; to finish unfinished business.

Now, the last thing I expected was hearing Stephen Hawkings being mentioned in a chinese temple. It was mind boggling. Science in religion. Makes me want to dig deeper. I need air!

This trip to Gentings was a refreshing change from the usual theme park visit. My kids reconnected with their grandma. she was the perfect doting grandma. The boys had fun with her. JY taught her origami.

And DH and I got new insights into life and religion.

Day 1 with Machika 10March2011

We have been waiting anxiously for Machika since December last year when we met her at the Rotary District Assembly in Shangri-La Hotel. Machika is an international youth exchange, IYE, student from Tokyo, Japan and will be here in Malaysia for a year. She is currently studying in a secondary school in Temerloh and we were told that we can only host her during the school holidays.
We met up with her host family at Genting Sempah and the first place she wanted to visit was Batu Caves.
Another cave?
Han: I don't want to go to the long cave
Fai: The long cave is Deer Cave. We are not going there, Han

I was worried that Han might baulk at the idea but I needn't have worried. The moment he caught sight of Lord Murugan, he said " Oh, I love this cave!!"

The boys chasing pigeons

The 272 steps up.

Long tailed macaque grooming each other while others wait for handouts.

A big aggressive male snatched my water bottle away. When I tried to retrieve it, he got defensive and bared his fangs. Scary!

Han: Hurry up, mummy!

Me: puff, puff....coming!!

Han makes it a point to look after me. Han, my guardian :)

Machika was eager to try out everything. Here, she is holding a paraffin lamp and saying a prayer as she made huge circles in the air with the lamp.

Lighting cubes of camphor. They were instructed to remove their shoes.

JY and Machika comparing feet.
With their shoes off, Machika exclaimed "Such big feet!"

Applying pottu onto each others' forehead.

There were 3 bowls available for pottu. The grey one on the left contains blessed ash, the red and yellow ones are red and yellow saffron.

JY and Machika spotted a mermaid on a statue of Lord Shiva.

JY and Machika wanted henna art on their hands. RM10/hand

Machika and JY showing off their henna designs

The girls' were told not to move a muscle and to wash the henna off after 45 minutes.

From Batu Caves, we headed to the Orang Asli Museum in Gombak. The girls made a beeline for the gift shop.

Fai pulled me to the wood carvings and wanted to hear the folklore behind each one.

Then we headed to Gentings for a whirlwind tour. We were all in shorts and t-shirts and we were half frozen when the chilly breeze blew at us.

Back onto Genting Skyway and home. In the cable car, Machika said that Mount Fuji, Fujisan she called it, was a 'funny' mountain. When asked to explain. She said that it was sandy. That instantly reminded me of Broga. So I said "Tomorrow we are going to climb a hill. Everyone be up by 5!"

Lichen @ Gentings

Ean examining an orange flower.

I need to upload Botany 101 into my brain (think Matrix).

I need a guide book on the flowers, trees and weeds of Malaysia.

I need a botanist with me.

JY has an obsession with flowers since she started making gum paste flowers.

She would look at its petals, pistils, stamen, comment on its colour, petal formation and the fact that it looks like a gum paste flower...

When your child looks at a flower. What do you say?

Ean prodding moss growing on the road.

My boys caught on on my sudden moss attack and Fai excitedly pointed at the moss on the road and said "Look mummy, Moss! Moss! Moss!"

No need to go to Mossy Forest to look at moss.

Look at the variety of moss and lichen on this tree trunk.

Ean taking a closer look at lichen.

Looks like a flat cabbage to me and a flat fuschia to JY.

I didn't know there was such a thing as lichenology. Interesting.

Lichen is sensitive to air pollution. By the amount of lichen growing, air quality here must be great.
This lichen site is easy to understand. I will definitely do a project on lichen with the kids on my next visit.