Snake temple

Many years ago there was a Chinese Buddhist monk named Chor Soo Kong who came to live in Penang. Like the Buddha he cared for all living creatures—even poisonous snakes. It is said that he gave shelter to snakes from the jungle.

A temple was built in his memory. It was finished about 1850. After it was completed vipers, poisonous snakes, came to stay in the temple. Vipers are still living in the temple today. Although their venom is deadly to humans, they have never been known to attack anyone. The correct name of the temple is Hock Kin Keong, sometimes it's also called the Temple of the Azure Cloud but most people call it the snake temple.


I visited the snake temple recently. There is a room in the temple where there are quite a few snakes. There are some big pythons. You can have your picture taken with them if you wish. There are also a few little guys like this.


Actually, when I got there these snakes were not moving at all. I thought they must be fakes. I asked someone and he said 'No, they like to rest in the daytime. They move around more at night.' Most of them were on a tall stand but this one was on a stand about one metre high. The man prodded it and it started to move. So I took a few photos.


The man explained that all the snakes on the high stand are venomous. They have poison that can kill a man. This one has had the venom removed. They put a red mark on its forehead so they know which one is safe.

I went out the back of the temple where there are some gardens. In trees in the gardens you can see more snakes sleeping.


When I came back inside I took this closeup shot of the snake without any venom.


Some of the others were moving around a little too. So I got on a chair and took this pic of one of them.

Thaipusam

At the moment I am staying in Penang in Malaysia. Like Australia, Malaysia is a country with people from many other countries. There are many Indian people who live here. Indians have many different gods. One of those gods is called Murugan.

Each year in Penang, and in other places, a festival is held so that people can ask for help from the god Murugan. To get Murugan's help people carry a burden. The more difficult the burden, the more help they hope to get.

Some people carry a kavadi on their shoulders for a long walk to the temple.



Some put little hooks in their backs.



Some put big hooks in their backs. Remember, the more pain the more help you want.



Some pierce their mouths and their tongues.



I even saw one who put hooks in his face with coconuts hanging off them.



All this happens at a festival called Thaipusam. You can see more photos I took at the Thaipusam festival here.

love from Grandpa

Butterfly escape

Once upon a time when Grandpa was in Penang his friend took him to visit Penang Butterfly Park.

Penang Butterfly Park has many interesting butterflies and other interesting things too.

Grandpa saw many beautiful butterflies but he didn't touch them.



He saw a delightful duck but he didn't touch it.



He saw a terrifying tarantula and he definitely didn't touch it.



He got really close to a scary scorpion and even though Grandpa is a scorpion too, he didn't touch it.



When Grandpa met the biggest bug he'd ever seen in his life he became very excited. He looked around and everyone seemed to be looking the other way so he kissed it.



Next Grandpa was arrested by a Butterfly Park policeman who pointed to a sign.



They put Grandpa in Butterfly Park jail.



But don't worry, in the middle of the night while Grandpa was asleep a million butterflies flew into the jail and together they picked Grandpa up and flew with him out through a big hole in the roof of the jail. They placed Grandpa gently on the lawn outside the butterfly park.

The next morning when Grandpa woke he realised he was free. He got out of there as quickly as he could.

The end

Snake man

I went to Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, for eight days recently. One day I was walking through the streets of Kuala Lumpur and saw a crowd. I stopped to see what they were looking at. This man was there. He had a cobra rising up right in front of him. A cobra is a deadly snake. If it bites you, you could die. Many people would be very frightened of a cobra. I don't think I'd like to get too close to one. But the man was closer than me. If it was going to bight someone it would bite him first. So I got my camera out and took some photos. He had some other snakes too and showed them after he put the cobra away. He was talking about the snakes but I couldn't understand him because he was speaking in a language I don't know.

Love from your Grandpa John

Cool dreadlocks

Are dreadlocks cool? Well guys check out this lady. She must be the coolest person in the world. Her dreads go down her back almost to her feet, then they bend and go half way up her back and bend down again.

What do you think, Iz? Will yours ever get this long?

I took this photo at Batu Caves.

BTW, Ben, Zac and David say the little people should be named Fruity, Shorty, Red Nutz, Nut Head, Butterfly, Selfish and Muscle Monkey. What do you think?

What is this?

Hello, could you see the frogs in the leaf picture?

Here is another one for you to look at. What do you see? Look very carefully and you might be able to tell.











Is it a leaf or is it something else?

Here is another picture of it.












Now can you see that it is a butterfly?

When it opens its wings it has beautiful colours. When it thinks a bird might want to eat it, it closes its wings and looks like a leaf. It is called an Indian Leaf Butterfly.

Grandpa's new friends

Once up a time when Grandpa was visiting Batu Caves he met lots of little people. They were friendly but they didn't seem to know how to speak. Well sometimes they made noises but Grandpa couldn't understand them. Grandpa has heard many languages in his travels but this didn't sound like any of them.

Grandpa asked his new friends their names but they didn't answer. Perhaps you can think of names for Grandpa's friends. Your Mum or Dad can help you send an email to Grandpa with the names, then if Grandpa goes back to Batu Caves he can tell his friends what their names are.






What do you think this one is eating?











These little people like big people to give them things like peanuts.











They like to eat all the time.










This lady is pregnant. She is going to have some babies soon. Unfortunately she's not very good at picking up litter.











Oh, here's Grandpa.

No, it's not Grandpa. It just looks a little bit like him.











Someone gave this one an iceblock and it wouldn't share it with anyone.











This one likes to eat wheat. Do you think it makes him look healthy?





That's it. Well there were more but that's all the photos Grandpa has for you. Can you name all these people?

The end

What are these?

If you were walking through the forest and saw this, what would you think it was? Look closely and tell your Mum or Dad what you think it is.

Did you say a pile of old leaves? That's what I thought it was. But look closely. Can you see eyes, maybe legs and bodies? Now what do you think it is?

Do you know the word camouflage? It means a disguise. Some animals have natural disguises so that the animals that might eat them won't see them. These are frogs. (It's true. No story.) If an animal that eats frogs comes along and sees them it thinks, 'No frogs here, just leaves.' And the animal doesn't eat them. Smart frogs, hey.

Grandpa's fantastic adventure at Batu Caves

Once upon a time Grandpa went to visit Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur. The caves are half way up a big hill. Guess how many steps there are?

Grandpa was going to count all the steps but he didn't have to. Someone had painted numbers on the steps.



These are the top steps. You can see for yourself just how many steps Grandpa had to climb. Do you think you could climb all these steps?

But your Grandpa is much older than you. When he got to the top he was feeling very tired. He decided to take a rest. While he was sitting he closed his eyes. After a while he felt someone rubbing his shoulders and neck. 'Mmmmm,' thought Grandpa. 'That feels very nice. I wonder who is doing this for me.'

Then he heard a lady's voice say, 'Do you like this?'

'Mmmmm yes,' said Grandpa. 'Rub some more.'

'Do you like me?' the voice said.

'Yes,' said Grandpa. 'I especially like the way you rub my shoulders.'

'Would you like me to rub you some more?'

'Mmmmm yes please.'

So the mystery lady rubbed Grandpa's back and arms. Grandpa still had his eyes shut. He felt this lady cuddling him. He felt very relaxed and happy.

'Do you like me?' the voice asked again. The lady seemed to be wrapped right around Grandpa.

'Yes I do,' said Grandpa.

'Then open your eyes and give me a kiss.'

'So Grandpa opened his eyes and gave her a kiss.'

Do you like Grandpa's new friend? Isn't she beautiful? Would you like to give her a kiss too?




The end

Swallowed

Once upon a time Ben said to his Dad, 'Gee, I hope Grandpa goes back to Ayer Keroh he might get some more cool photos of really strange creatures.'

'I don't think he can,' said David. 'He's leaving Melaka soon. He probably won't have time.'

'Oh please Dad, ask him if he will.'

'I'll ask him but I don't think you realize how dangerous it is for Grandpa, going to places like that. He only does it so you can get some stories. I hope he doesn't get eaten. There'll be no more stories for you then.'

So Grandpa did go back even though he was busy. He didn't want to disappoint Ben. And guess what he saw:



'Fantastic,' thought Grandpa. 'Ben will love this one.' He got two good photos before the creature charged making a terrible roar and with saliva dripping from its open mouth.

At first Grandpa wanted to get a photo of the charging creature but he realized it could be his last photo ever. He dropped the camera and ran.

Grandpa ran through the forest as fast as he could. But Grandpa is not as young as he used to be and the creature was gaining on him. Then he saw a cave and decided to hide in it.

It was very dark inside the cave and Grandpa sat down on the soft ground to get his breath back. And then it got darker as the cave door closed. Cave door? Caves don't have doors. But the light had gone out completely.

'Where am I?' thought Grandpa. Fortunately Grandpa had his mobile phone with him. No, he wasn't going to call anyone but his phone has a little torch in it. He shone the light on the soft ground and it looked like...well it didn't look like ground, it looked fleshy, like a huge tongue.

'A tongue!!! Oh no. Where am I?' thought Grandpa.

There was a passage leading back and Grandpa started to walk along it. 'I'll probably never get out of here,' thought Grandpa. 'But if I do, I think the kids will like this story.'

And then the cave started to move. It was moving upwards.

Whatever it was that Grandpa was inside, was going up and Grandpa found himself going down. Yes, he started to slide further down the passage. In fact it became so steep that sometimes Grandpa would roll down the passage. And it was really bumpy, like bony ribs on the walls of the passage.

This was a very long journey but eventually Grandpa reached the end of the passage. Ahead he could see a narrow opening and light. He squeezed through the opening and out into the daylight. He and the creature that he had thought was a cave were now high up a huge tree. And the creature was the biggest... 'No it couldn't be,' thought Grandpa. 'They just don't come this big. It can't be real. I must be dreaming. But in case I'm not, I think I'd better get a photo of this creature otherwise the kids will never swallow this story.'

Grandpa looked around to see if the other creature had gone. There was no sign of it. Cautiously, Grandpa climbed down the tree. The great creature he'd just come out of didn't seem to be aware of him.

On the ground, Grandpa crept back to where he'd dropped the camera and then went back to the tree. He decided against climbing the same tree again. The creature might notice him this time, so Grandpa climbed another tree and he took this photo.


Yes, it's true. Your Grandfather had been swallowed by a huge snake, maybe the biggest in the world, came out the other end and lived to tell the tale.

But Grandpa is not going back to Ayer Keroh Forest again. Never, ever, ever. Well, not unless all the grandchildren come with him too.

The End

From the dragon's mouth

Once upon a time when your Grandpa John was in KL (Do you remember what KL stands for?) his friend took him to a special shop on the corner of Petaling Street where they sold Chinese herbal teas.

'Would you like some tea, John?' Grandpa's friend asked.

'Where does it come from?'

Grandpa's friend pointed to the big brass urns on the counter.



Grandpa looked closely. On the other side of each urn was a tap and do you know what the tap was made from? Yes, a dragon's head.



Your Grandad did not think the dragon looked very happy. He said 'No thank you, I won't have any tea.'

'Then would you like some herbal jelly? It's very good for you.'

'Where does it come from? Does it come from the dragon?'

'No. It's already made up in this bowl.'

'OK. I'll try it.'

'How do you like it, John'



'Mmmm, it's different. But it's OK.'

The next day, your Grandad was walking with another friend and they passed the shop again.

'Do you see those jellies, John? They're made with tortoise shell'

'Oh no!' said Grandpa. 'Now you tell me.'

The end

Oh no, three horns!!!

Once upon a time, Grandpa went back. Yes, he went back to the Ayer Keroh Forest. But he didn't stay long.

Grandpa was walking through the forest when he heard a horrible scary noise. He hid behind a tree and looked. There was this creature bellowing. Grandpa wanted to run but just for you he got out his camera and took this picture. Then he ran.



This creature has three horns on its head. Do you know what it is? Do you think it's safe for Grandpa to go back again?

The end

Strange creatures

Once upon a time when your Grandpa John was wandering in the Ayer Keroh Forest near Melaka he thought he saw something a little strange. Actually, it was a lot strange. I mean, there aren't any dinosaurs around now, are there?

Ben, Izmaillah, you know about these things. Take a look at this picture. Doesn't that look like a dinosaur to you? Grandpa didn't want to get too close because he didn't know if the creature might be carnivorous. You know what that means, don't you? Yeah, they might eat your Grandad.



But as you know your Grandpa is very brave and even though they were hissing at him he got out his camera and took some photos. He wanted to run but he knew you guys would be pretty disappointed if he told you he'd seen dinosaurs and not taken any photos. You might not have even believed him.

Then he realised that they were trying to protect their eggs. They thought Grandpa was going to turn their babies into a giant omelette. Hey, Grandpa knows a guy in Melaka who has a really big wok. Maybe...



They started to hiss really loudly. 'OK guys, sorry, just kidding. Promise I don't want your babies.' They seemed to calm down after Grandpa said that. Maybe they can understand him. So Grandpa asked, 'What's your name.'

One of them hissed back, 'Saltoposuchus'. Well, that's what it sounded like. Grandpa wasn't going to get any closer, just in case. But because he knew you guys would want him to he got out his note book and wrote it down.

'Now that's S-A-L-T-O. Uh, what did you say again?' They were hissing really loudly again and Grandpa is not sure if he got that name right. He decided it was time to get out of there. But you guys know about dinosaurs maybe you can tell Grandpa what it is. Send him an email. And maybe there are other kinds of creatures in the Ayer Keroh Forest. Do you think Grandpa should go back again for another look? Check out this blog again soon in case he does.

The End (for now)

The dragon and the princess

Once upon a time there was a brave but not so handsome knight known as Grandpa John. One day when Grandpa was walking past a back lane in Melaka he heard a creature calling for help. Grandpa rushed down the lane without worrying about his own safety. There he saw a poor little dragon being attacked by a beautiful princess.

'Help! Help!' cried the dragon.

'Leave that dragon alone!' said Grandpa John.

'Make me,' said the beautiful princess.

'What's that up there?' said Grandpa John, pointing to a nearby roof.

'Where?' said the princess as she looked up.

'You may be beautiful but you're stupid,' thought Grandpa John as he swooped in and kissed her on the cheek.

'Oh yuck!' screamed the princess as she dropped the dragon and ran off down the laneway.

'Thank you! Thank you!' said the dragon. 'You've saved my life. What can I do for you?'

'Oh shucks,' said Grandpa John. 'It was nothing. Besides I even liked kissing her.'

'I'll always be grateful to you and because I'm a magic dragon, I'll grant you three wishes.'

'Three wishes! Well, in that case, I'll have a smaller nose, a bigger chin and supersonic hearing.'

No sooner did Grandpa say these words then the dragon zapped him with his magic fiery breath. 'And,' said the dragon. 'I'll give you a bonus. I'll make you handsome as well.'

Here's a picture of the way your Grandpa looks now.

Do you think the magic worked?

The End

Greetings from KL

Hello again to all my dear grandchildren. I had a wonderful time meeting you all again and meeting Chloe and Isaac for the first time. Now I won't see you again for a long time but I think of you often. I will write to you here whenever I can. At the moment I can't show you any pictures as I need to buy a new computer first.

It's a pity because right now I am staying in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and there are many dragons. Maybe you would like to visit here one day and see for yourself. Are you brave enough?

Kuala Lumpur is in Malaysia. Perhaps your Mum or Dad can show you where that is in an atlas.

Love from your Grandpa