Sunday, October 12, 2008

Melaka-Malaysia

Melaka-Malacca... two ways to spell the name of this city in Malaysia. It is an old trade center that was ruled by the Dutch and Portuguese at one point in the Malaysia history. This is a remnant of a fort that was left behind... destroyed and left to remember them.




This is a Catholic Church that shows the red bricks in the memory of the Dutch. They used to bring the spices back to Holland and to load down the ships when they came back; they would put in red bricks. There is a whole street with red buildings.










This is a tombstone of a Dutch person that was left in another church on the hill. There were two men playing their guitars in the demolished church. At the time that we visited, I saw the guitar there and the whole picture set the mood of what was happening in the church.











This is a altar for the Tiger God in the Chinese temple. People will make an offering of food to the altar and tell their problem to the god. Then, afterwards the tiger would come and scare away any problems that the person had. 









This was at the top of the Chinese temple. I love all of the ornate details on the temples.



















Sunday, October 5, 2008

Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Here is one of my favorite pictures in the Mekong Delta. Becky and I had to take a small row boat because the water was low in that area. No we weren't rowing... a small Vietnamese lady had four passengers and directed the boat with ease.






This is a typical picture of the daily life. The women work extremely hard and are selling food, drinks, vegetables, fruits, books, etc. In extreme heat and rain, they are carrying around the items from place to place.






This is inside the Presidential Palace. I am looking official in the Presidential war room. It is in the basement of the palace and in that area were many rooms with old typewriters, telephones, etc.

This is the Notre Dame Cathedral. The French architecture can be seen throughout the city! Right next to it is the Post Office that also displays the French architecture!