1993 NCR in USA & Malaysia

1993
Saturday 6 March, 1993 to 1Saturday 3 March   I go to Tempe Arizona where a team of us is selected to be trained on writing a submission for the Pacific Region Baldrich award (a US Quality Awards prize). Pictured above are the students, one from each Pacific Region country, namely Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Dayton H.O. We meet later in Kuala Lumpur to write the submission. My camera breaks and I only have these two photos sent to me but the chap on the left, Inoue from Japan. During the stay in Tempe, I catch up with Jim Hoffman and we fly model airplanes and meet some members of his local club. Sunday 11 April, 1993 &nbsp I arrive in Kuala Lumpur to begin writing the submission. Monday 12 April, 1993 &nbsp The team assembles for dinner. We work right through from Monday 12 April, 1993 &nbsp to Thursday 22 April, 1993 &nbsp including the weekend. We then take a trip to Malacca for a break. We all fit in this mini-bus
This is part of a camp for refugees from Vietnam. I think the signs are demanding better conditions. Malaysia is modernising very rapidly. After travelling south for a bit, we stop for a toilet break. Above are Ando Kimio from Japan, Roger Nicholson our supervisor/trainer, Charlie Shupps and Mary McKendry from Dayton Pacific Region H.O. After the toilet break we comment on how interesting the toilets are.
Off the freeway heading to Malacca - a little town along the way Shop front/houses. On our way to Malacca we see this Indian Temple. 6.8% of Malaysians are of Indian descent. The country is a majority Islamic country though other religions are permitted. Part of the tour at Malacca is to stop at someone's house and look around inside it. This is the Men's entrance. Only men are permitted in the front room
This is the women's entrance. This is curious to us Westerners. This is a street of shopfront/dwellings in the Dutch section of Malacca. This is the first time I see an Asian peculiarity where downstairs is the shop front and the dwelling is at the back or upstairs. The shop front is sometimes also where they make small tourist items for sale, fix motorbikes, machine or weld repairs and so on. Malacca was first settled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch and then the British took it. Everything in the Dutch section of Malacca is painted red. The poverty is quite distressing in some places. It looks like human waster is dumped into the river
The Malacca River is not for swimming. It is a fetid mess. Past of the old town historic area. Ferry boats leave from here to Indonesia Porta de Santiago was a fort constructed by the Portuguese.
We climb to the top of the fortress hill and get this view of modern Malacca. Inside the ruins of St Paul's church. St Francis Xavier's resting place in the ruins of St Paul's Church. Francis Xavier was one of the most prolific missionaries of Roman Catholic history. He was instrumental in the establishment of Christianity in India, the Malay Archipelago, and Japan. Modern scholars estimated that he baptized some 30,000 converts during his lifetime. 1993 0093 a
Interesting sign even if you don't speak Bahasa. We're inside the grounds of the Governor's residence. The Governor's residence. A fishing boat in the Portuguese settlement. Even though they have been here for centuries, the Portuguese in this settlement are not recognised as Malaysians. Looking out across the Strait of Malacca, Indonesia is just over the horizon.
Fishing boats and nets in the Portuguese area. View from St John's fort. The jetty is part of the Portuguese settlement. Some of the housing is of a high standard. Inside St John's fort. Roger Nicholson mans the guns. This is the Baba Nonya heritage museum. Baba = women, Nonya = men.
Main street in the heritage area. Rickshaws still exist in this part of Malaysia. Approaching another temple. You could wander around here (without removing shoes) inside the temple, take pictures and talk, while people are praying. To me, It seems disrespectful of another person's religion and invasion of their privacy
I liked the intricate art work on the roof. This no doubt tells the story of a historic event related to a god or hero. More rickshaws; you don't see these in the modern city of Kuala Lumpur. We then visit an Indian temple
Holding me stomach in. Ando Kimio at an Indian temple. 1993 0110 a These are open air markets. We are, by the way, on a conducted tour with our minibus driver. We're not wandering around aimlessly.
A stone mason hand carves headstones. Part of the old Malacca. Shop front sales of very basic items. This is more of a Chinese upmarket temple. To enter, we need to take our shoes so we don't go in. Seen one, seen 'em all anyway. This ends our trip to Malacca.
Back in K.L., this is Mary McKendry. I don't hit on her (even the slightest) so we tended to do things together. Sunday 25 April, 1993 &nbsp Jenni is arriving today so I walk to the train station to pick her up. This where we a staying, the five star Hotel Istana on Jalah Raja Chulan in the prestigious "Golden Triangle" part of K.L. I ask the hotel to separate Jenni's part of the bill clearly from my part. I know that the people who run NCR in Australia (the 18th floor camp followers) will demand to see separated receipts for her expenses. I am also expected to produce a receipt for every single meal or snack that I buy so my fellow writers, give me more receipts than I can use. NCR in other countries is not as perverse. Street level restaurants contrast with modern skyscrapers.
We walk from the Hotel Istana to the central area to Chinatown. This is the famous Jala Petaling in Chinatown. After hours, the street closes and it becomes a night market. At the market, with complete disregard for intellectual property, you can buy knock-off watches, knock-off handbags, knock-off software complete with knock-off passwords, knock-off designer label clothing and you name it. City Point building once again contrasts with the old traditional buildings. Street market selling dried fish. I like nearly all Asian food except Malaysian. I think it's because of the amount of dried fish in the meals.
Magnificent buildings beside the Sungai Kelang (or Kelang River).   K.L. sits astride the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak rivers; Kuala Lumpur in Malay means “muddy estuary.” This is the K.L. railway station. We leave from here next Sunday to go to Singapore for a "conference." This is the Malaysian Railways head office done in traditional Islamic style. K.L. railway station. We buy our tickets for next Sunday's trip to Singapore. It costs RM 68.00 (Ringgits) each first class, that's $A37 in Oz Dollars. Cheap.
I love the contrast between Islamic and Western architecture. By the way, the beautiful Petronas Twin Towers, based on the Islamic Star, is yet to be built The UMBC Public Bank building strikes the eye. In the Central markets they sell a range of dried fish and dried other things. These are some of the oldest shop houses in K.L. They were built circa 1885.
We're nearly back at the hotel Istana. The streets are crowded with cars, delivery trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians. View of Jalan Raja Chulan from my hotel window. Foyer of the Hotel Istana 1993 0135 a
Thursday 29 April, 1993 &nbsp Jenni and Jai McKendry are now with us. Wing Loh is on the left standing. We get on well and travel together through SE Asia next year. Wing Loh's wife joins us for Tepanyaki. Friday 30 April, 1993 &nbsp Mary and Jai McKendry together with Jenni and I take a countryside tour. The first exhibit is a rubber tree. The poor thing gets hacked for tourists X times/day. Do trees feel pain?   Given that plants do not have pain receptors, nerves, or a brain, they do not feel pain as we members of the animal kingdom understand it.
Then we visit the Selangor pewter factory. Jenni buys a bunch of stuff. The modern factory of Royal Selangor. Then on to a taxidermist's butterflies and stuff. This the first time we experience another Asian peculiarity and that is: it a supposed be a tour of interesting things like animals, waterfalls, rivers, mountains, forests, buildings, natural wonders, etc. but in reality the driver takes you to lots of small craft stores, probably run by a family member, to sell you you things you don't want. When you're from the West, you don't expect to be conned like this. Stopping at that Malaccan House on the way to Malacca is a perfect example. Live scorpions. Why are we stopping here?
Yeah right. Hand painting a batik. Who cares? We're on a trip to see the Batu Caves, that's what we signed up for, but that's not what we're getting. In Bankok one time time I told the Tuk Tuk driver I didn't want to stop for shopping. He said that he had to stop because the shops gave him petrol money. Finally the Batu Caves.
The walls are solid limestone. This means it was at the bottom of the ocean at one time. There are lots of monkeys [playing around. We climb to the top of maybe one thousand steps and get this view from the top. The monkeys are quite tame and are dreadful scroungers.
The caves themselves are destroyed by human habitation. There is even an Indian Temple inside the caves. The cave exits back to the open air through a huge hole. It is very spectacular with the sunlight shining through. More monkeys. Jeffrey and Jennifer.
Next day Saturday 1 May, 1953 We're back in K.L. after our shopping tour of the Batu Caves. This is the Masjid Negara, the National Mosque. The four of us visit the K.L. Bird Park. The Bird Park is a 20.9-acre public aviary in Kuala Lumpur. It is located adjacent to the Lake Gardens within a KL green lung in Bukit Aman, close to the National Mosque. The aviary is part fo the parklands to the west of K.L. Jenni and Mary at the Hibiscus Garden in the parklands.
Beautiful gardens in the parklands It's very hot and very humid and we're starting to feel it. Oh oh, look at my hair loss. The Perdana Lake Gardens. The National Museum.
One of the exhibits inside the museum. Near the Central Markets. This is the junction of K.L.'s two rivers, the Klang and the Lombak. The Sultan Abdul Samad building near Perdaka Square. It was built 1894-1897. The Judicial Department and the High Court are housed here.
Citypoint in the background. This building is gorgeous at night. This is the Jamek Mosque. It is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur and is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers. The mosque was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, and built in 1909. We take a taxi back to the hotel and have a final dinner out with Loh, Ando, Donald and Inoue. Tomorrow we go to Singapore. Next day, Sunday 2 May, 1993 We travel by train down through the heart of Malaysia to Singapore. The train trip is dreadful because there is a loud TV in the (first class?) carriage that blasts out quizz shows and ads the whole way to Singapore. Next day, Monday 3 May, 1993   Jenni and I take a ferry to Sentosa Island. NCR expects you to travel in your own time by the way, but I get around that each time by planning a conference each following Monday.
1993 0171 a 1993 0172 a 1993 0173 a 1993 0174 a
1993 0175 a 1993 0176 a 1993 0177 a 1993 0178 a
1993 0179 a 1993 0180 a 1993 0181 a 1993 0182 a
1993 0183 a 1993 0184 a 1993 0186 a 1993 0187 a
1993 0188 a 1993 0185 a Asian toilets are unique in that they are squat toilets. I have never used one of these for number two's.
At the airport. I scrupulously separate Jenni's expenses from mine and submit my expenses. After five signatures (including the Managing Director's) my expenses are approved.