Day 4 – 31 May 2012
Today we checked out from the hotel. It must be owned by a Muslim, as there were arrows in the rooms pointing the Qiblat.
Or it was just good PR for Muslim tourists.
We were supposed to travel back to Guilin. This time by road. And along the way we were supposed to stop at the local places of interests. The first stop was at the Shangrila-La Village.
It was interesting enough as we need not walk far. We took the boats to look around. The performances came along on the banks of the lakes as we travelled past.
Scenes like the villages, fishing along the waterways were shown. They even had their aborigines.
It looks like the Maoris of NZ with their totem poles. Whatever. As long as it creates interest. No point asking question as our guide was a Mandarin speaking lass.
It took us about an hour to get around.
On exiting, we were led through a grocer-like outlet as an impulse-buying strategy on the management side. We found out that these type of approach was very common amongst the Chinese tourist-oriented businesses.
Lunch was taken in Guilin. Yes the same one we have been going to. A visit to the mosque, initially planned had to be aborted as early as in KL due to the bureaucracy involved. Many forms to fill. We then went to
the Tea Promotion Centre.
They demonstrated tea making covering about 10 types of tea. It tasted good. There were bitter ones too. And they got a lot of buyers from us. Apparently tea leaves are like wine. The longer they are kept the higher the value would be. Apai Marzuki and Dato Salleh apparently have their own collections. Tea-drinking buffs should make a point to call on both of them. You may get to drink the ‘Pue’. Who knows.
We then went to the Herbal Medicine Centre.
It’s a place with lots of masseuse offering foot massage service. They even had ‘doctors’ with frocks on and diagnosing some of us of their ailment. Macam jual ubat, but more professionally conducted. Again, lots of us bought their medicine. I really hope it works.
Soon we were back to the hotel for our tahlil. This was an annual ritual for us.
We were led by the pious Hj Hamdan who we called Imam. We first read the Surah Yassin, followed by a Tahlil. A tazkirah followed. We had Maghrib prayers followed by Ishak Jamak prayers.
I was affected when names of our squads who have passed away were mentioned in the doa. Yahya Kosai, Razali Othman, Mohammed Saad, Abdullah Mohammed, Manap Saad and Raja Berema. It was an emotional gathering. Tears were shed amongst us. Yeah. How many more names would be mentioned next year and the year after. We hugged each other. After 44 years, we were just like brothers. Our night of prayers only strengthened our relationship and a reminder that our stay in God’s World is but a temporary one.
Our group proceeded for dinner. I on my part, stayed back in the room. The mee Maggie came in handy. Later on, Helmy sent me a polystyrene pack with rice and sambal ikan bilis. Compliments from Mie. Thanks Mie. That was kind of you.
John
ReplyDeleteI thought I was alone in feeling terribly emotional during and after the Tahlil. When we were hugging each other after the Selawat Nabi, tiny drops of tears were running down my cheeks. I seldom cry. Even when my parents died I did not cry because to me death is part if life. The only time I cried was when performing the tawaf during my haj. It came without warning. To cry in Guilin meant sqd 12 is very very close to my heart. I pray that we will have many more reunion ahead.
So sqd let us stick together like brothers that we have been all these years.