November 12, 2006
To Georgetown: moving again by bike
On days we are going to ride we wake up early. Today David is going to escort us back to Georgetown by bicycle. We were ready by 0730. David was not in a hurry, he wants to show us another Hindu Temple and we will be "too early".
By 0830, we are off, after pictures are taken and many Thank you's and much gratitude. On his website, David Munusamy Sinnappan, only asks for donations. (https://www.facebook.com/bicycletouringinmalaysia) Patrick gives him $200USD and tells him, "your hospitality we considered was free, and that we want to sponsor his India Biking trip". We also will write the Department of Malaysian Tourism and tell them about what a great ambassador David is for Malaysia.
We get to the end of David's street and his tire is low. Patrick changes our bicycle pump to match David's valve, the tire is re-inflated and again we are off. It's a nice ride and very nice to have someone show us the better roads to cycle.
And of course, along the way David has another place to stop, a roadside fruit stand. We are given pineapple pieces, bananas and a star fruit to eat, we buy the drinks and onto the next stop--a Hindu Temple. There is an ear-boring ceremony that has just ended. We see all the offerings given in honor of the ceremony. The women are dressed in colorful Indian Sari's.
David shows us the hall and the kitchen where the meal of mutton for the crowd is being prepared. The hall has long tables facing each other with a separation screen between the sections. There are several functions going on at the same time. Besides the ear-boring ceremony, infants are having their heads shaved and a clay-like covering is smeared onto the scalps. The hair is saved for a later time and blessing by the priest.
David has us sit in the hall and we realize we are waiting to join a group for lunch. He seems to recognize when we are to go and sit at the table; serving and eating is done in shifts, and he doesn't want us to have to wait. There is quite the production of getting everything from the big (huge!) cooking pots to big pots on the table to dishing up the food into smaller serving pots. The first serving is given to the gods of the temple.
Then... suddenly... there is a flurry of activity.
Banana leaves are placed in front of everyone, this is the plate. Then the rice is scooped on, another server goes by and scoops the mutton and sauce over the rice, another places a mixture of cucumber and pineapple and another a "vegetable" like cabbage. Everyone is eating with their hands; we use the fork and spoon David borrowed from a shop next to the temple.
We are back on the road following David to the ferry terminal and cross to Georgetown, we first go to the Broadway Hostel then onto Nobel Hotel that David recommends. It is a Chinese-run hotel, very clean and we check in.
Then it is time to say goodbye to David. (Addendum: In 2010, David visited us in Boise ID when he did a 6 month USA bike ride)
He sets off back to home, we carry bikes and gear to our room and 45 minutes after checking in and taking a shower, we are back out on the street to explore. It's 3pm.
We find the big shopping mall, buy some supplies at the supermarket and at 5pm, there is a rainstorm and take a taxi back to the hotel. Later after the rain stops, we find a Traveler's Café for dinner.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 1,301 km (808 miles)
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