^ We visited the Arab Quarter today. You'll notice the mosque, the women in hijab, and the men in traditional clothing. There were some Arabs in this segment of the city, but most of the Muslims were Malays, the original inhabitants of the peninsula. They are much like Indonesians, both ethnically and linguistically. There was a poster all over the place for an escaped leader of Jamaat Islamiya, an arm of Al Qaeda in Malaysia and Indonesia. Creepy.
^ We also went to a place where they teach you the ritual of having tea here in Asia. It's a very elaborate thing, with each step having some meaning, and a particular sequence of making and presenting tea must be followed. It was a great deal of fun and Aidan and Liam showed they are naturals here in Asia. They both did a great job.
^ We also went to Chinatown. There was a Buddhist temple there where the buddha's tooth is kept as a relic. I got busted taking a video. There was no flash, I thought that was the only prohibition. They made it clear I was mistaken. One of the security guards got a bit miffed and looked like the kick-butt statue guy you see above.... it all ended ok, though.
