Today I fly from Macau at 1035 to my hometown Kuching, on the Malaysian part of Borneo, for some family time. AirAsia recently introduced direct flights from Macau to Kuching and this trip was initiated to make use of this new link. International flights from Kuching are limited and the occasional new routes don’t seem to last. So I’m making the most of it while it is there.
Landing at 1420 and out on the roads, I realised that today was the end of the 7th Chinese lunar month. I think this is the second time I’ve arrived in Kuching during this particular lunar month! The scene of people making burnt offerings by the road is particularly memorable if you’ve just stepped of an aeroplane from a relatively secular world.
Chinese believe that during this month where ghosts (or spirits of their dearly departed) leave hell to return to earth. Many Chinese mark the end of this month by burning silver-paper (fake money) for their relatives to enjoy in the afterlife.
I had dinner with family at the village of Muara Tebas … a little Malay village on an estuary but dominated by a large Chinese temple. Excuse the poor quality of the camera-phone photos.
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- Chinese temple at Muara Tebas.
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- Fishing boats at Muara Tebas.
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- Silver paper being burnt for the departed.
