Before that, we stopped at a banana leaf restaurant. Since we've never been to one, it was a bit awkward. Papa ordered some side dishes. But, it turned out that the main dish already comes with it's own side dishes. So, we ate till we're bloated. Kembung perut!
The museum itself was an old palace. There were many animal sculptures outside the building which I thought were real ones at first. The entrance fee was RM5.00 per person. They handed us some plastic bags to keep our shoes and to carry around with us. It was very exciting to visit that museum because they have different customs, though the same culture.
Meen was running here and there as usual. Of course there were some 'weird' experiences but let's not get into details. Exhibitions of aborigines were a must. I loved the display of traditional clothes with exquisite and meticulous design, weaving and beading works. There's a special display on the traditional clothes of Pahang using Songket Pahang by Datuk Bernard Chandran - Malaysia's world-famous designer. The hall was pitch dark except for very dim lightings focused on each display. Nak ambik gambag pun tak nampak apa. Everything was black in my camera.
There were also displays on Polo, Gamelan, Makyong, old sampans, some very old furniture used by previous Sultans, the gynealogy of the Royal family, replicas of princes' and princesses' rooms (Meen's favourite). Memang something different lah. Mama suka sangat dapat tengok adat depa ni. But the Sultanate's history was quite recent as compared to the Kedah Sultanate which dated back to the early 1100's (is this 10th century BC?). So ours is very old and older than other kingdoms in the whole world - even the Thai Kingdom!
Memang happy dapat melawat muzium! Museums and Papa and I, we have a thing. :-)
Excited - that was the first time eating using the banana leaf. First, they served the dishes. Had I known, I wouldn't have ordered those extra dishes. It was literally painful to finish everything we ordered.
They looked too little. But, luckily I shared with Meen. I couldn't finish it all by myself.
After the banana leaf ordeal (haha) we proceeded to Pekan. It took us between 30 - 40 minutes to reach there. So, that's the museum. On the left was the main building. On the right was the special exhibition hall showcasing Datuk Bernard Chandran's designs using Songket Pahang. The lawn was clean and green.
Okay! Move it! Move it! I was trying to read and enjoy the khat, even though I could just read the one at the bottom.. Those horses in the background were actually sculptures using dead tree branches! But I couldn't take their pictures because by the time we were near them, it started to rain heavily.
I was also excited to see these
flamingos and was a bit pelik because these flamingos were not white or
pink. But once we were near them we found out they were sculptured using
dead tree branches too. At first I though there were skeletal remains
of flamingos. That's when I realised those horses weren't real horses
too. The pond in front of the main entrance (the foyer on the left) was very shallow - just a few inches deep.
Pahang's coat of arms - 2 elephant tusks and a spear - representing the trade of elephant tusks. Pahang was one of the states renowned for the abundance of elephants (a long time ago). The spear represents the Malay weapon. Meen was wearing the colours of Pahang! What a coincidence.
(source: google and wikipedia)
This bench was outside the main exhibition building for anyone to relax - letih ooo jalan naik turun tangga dan masuk keluar banyak bilik.
Ini kat another smaller building behind the main building. There were a few sampans on display, the exhibits on mak yong were also here, paintings of the Malay and kampung life, some engravings, the wau bulan and a few others.
There's a large xylophone and a cafe behind Papa. This cafe was next to the smaller building behind the main building. Some small theatres were still under renovation, including a few other smaller exhibition hall.
Old fire truck. The guard on duty scolded us for taking pictures in this open exhibition hall. Can't figure out why. I know he's just doing his job but the reason behind the order given to him was beyond me. The National Museum's management was not this strict. All visitors were allowed to take pictures. After all, it's an experience like no other. So, when we go home, we can promote the place and show some pictures and indirectly attract more visitors (meaning also more income to the management!) - like what I'm doing right now through this blog. Well, maybe different managements have different interests then.
The sign on the door of the ladies washroom. The washroom was very dim - I don't know the reason behind it. So, being in a museum, it was kind of spooky inside (but clean). The guard didn't scold us this time although this toilet was in the same building and next to the open hall. hee... hee.. hee...
Throughout the tour, the air was filled with faint gamelan music, which gave a sense of mystiques and creepiness too. I never knew the gamelan song has lyrics. The lady singer sang with a very beautiful voice that adds to the creepiness of the place. There were also many smaller rooms in the building not open to visitors.
The Polo room was the spookiest because that's where I heard Meen calling me countless times and only to find that she wasn't even in the room. She was in the other wing of the building and was clearly enjoying herself looking at the princesses' clothes and shoes. So, that's what museum is all about. There must be some kind of out-of-this-world experience to add some spice to the visit.
Well, it was an enjoyment. We got to visit museums, saw many new things related to the local customs, culture and history, learned new things about the place, state and the royal families. The only setback was that they didn't give any explanation on the pictures and paintings of what clearly were prominent figures of the state, then and now. So, we were kept wondering who these people were. Something the management need to improve, in my opinion.
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