Macau's Favorite Wedding Photo Site.

A favorite venue for the newly weds to have their wedding photos taken in Macau is the St. Francis Xavier Church in Coloane.

Ailee and I found this out when we were visiting the century old chapel after we had the famous Lord's egg tarts a short walk away. We had decided on a full day at Coloane to get away from the crowds and casinos so common in this former Portuguese enclave but also to see for oursleves the last remains of rustic Macau before they too disappear in time.

For many locals looking for a European flavor in their wedding pictures, the location with its distinctive Iberian influenced architecture fits perfectly into the plan. The church despite its historical significance, it is also far from the main tourist hunts, and is not swarmed by maddening crowds.

I suppose if my wife and I are Macaunese and we want a wedding photo with church and all that, then the Coloane Chapel wins hands down too.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the peaceful surroundings and we stepped in to the church we felt like miles away from the loud dings of the city.

There are statues and wall murals depicting St. Francis Xavier and his endeavors in the Far East everywhere but a small gallery next to the main hall is where we found maps and more captions about the saint. It is inside this gallery that I read they kept a piece of St. Xavier bone but we missed it on our visit.

Victoria Institution Now a National Heritage.

Victoria Institution or VI, one of the premier education hubs in Klang Valley and the alma mater for some of the most influential and powerful Malaysians have beat the odd again when it was reported(The Star, Feb 14,09) that the century old school has made it to the National Heritage list.

It is the first time that such honor is given to a school. The annoucement by Shafie Apdal, the minister in charge of the heritage, is bound to invite criticisms because some argue that there are other notably more established and successful schools which deserve the honor.

KEKWA, by according VI the status, have not learnt from the earlier flaks received by Pos Malaysia over its decision to include VI in a special issued stamp series of Malaysian schools. It drew strong words from alumnus over the country, particularly Penang Free School and Malacca High School, about their choice or lack of it.

Maybe, Shafie Apdal was more inclined to please fellow cabinet collegues like Zulhasnan Rafique (FT Minister) and Rafidah Aziz (UMNO Wanita Supremo) and tycoons Francis Yeoh and Ananda Krishnan than to take into considerations the historical signifance and the contributions of other equal if not better schools when enlist VI into this honorable roll.

Nevertheless, there must be some good in this move. I hope that now that VI has this special status, it can stop property magnates from eyeing the school and turn it into a prime property estate.

History has being hard for urban Malaysian schools and more will suffer the same ill fate of schools like Bukit Bintang Convent and Seremban Convent if the government takes the side of the overzealous developers. Both fell under the demolishing balls without even arousing a single word from the Heritage Minister.

Macau's Evangelical Icon.

The Ruins of St. Paul's is the iconic landmark in Macau and it tops our must-see list when Ailee and I went there in Oct. 25, 08. Like most tourists we found the ruins the perfect location for plenty of photo opportunities.

What the Macau Tourism doesn't tell us much is the fact that the ruins was part of a burnout catheral centuries ago, but they sure have a way in turning the ruins around and sell it as a major tourist draw.

A major facelift was taken during 2004-05 and managed to bring back some lustre to the fading facade.

In fact, locals now proudly wear the ruins as their badge of nationhood. It is everywhere and on everything that represents this tiny former Portuguese enclave, from T-shirts, shopping bags, greeting signs to the 5 patacas coin.

What we like most about our visit there is to witness how Macau conservation experts worked successfully to preserve the rich Christian heritage of St. Paul's and their efforts to bring back some dignity to the sacred place. And personally, I find the experience most rewarding and a highlight of my visit.

The project architects have put a great deal of thought to preserve the rear side of the facade in a form of a modern square.

Here, visitors should able to get the full view of the catheral scale, and if they probe further they will find glass floorings to view the catheral foundation.

Step towards the far end and you should will find the entrance to a small but intriguing museum - The Museum of Sacred Art-located at a level below the square. The museum comes with two main galleries to exhibit Church praying paraphernalia and a crypt housing the remains of Christian martyrs. (Admission - free)













The Ruins of St. Paul's to many may be their mark that they have came to the Las Vegas of the East but personally, the place offers me rare insights and now I have a better appreciation of Macau as the powerhouse of Evangelicalism in the Far East.

Train Spotting At DMZ.

There is plenty of train activity in Korean DMZ and a trip to the border is a must for die-hard train spotters. I went to Imjingak in Sept. 17, 08 to see for myself what has been described as one of the most dangerous places in the world!

There are South Korean Army everywhere and barbed wires on the banks of Imjin River to remind you just how fragile the place is. A likely flashpoint that can nuke out the entire peninsula at the whims and fancy of the dear Comrade Kim up north.

As you can imagine, Imjingak is a heavily fortified border town and visited by visitors to see the DMZ and on a clear day, Communist Korea somewhere beyond the hills.

The town was an important train stop for the Pan-Korean Railway before the outbreak of the Civil War. Back then, the train line was linked to Pyongyang and ultimately to Bejing and the Siberian Line.

However, the war put a stop to it and it was left to ruin for decades until early 2000 when it was put back in use to show how the two Koreans can be united again. The whole affair is more like a charade since their Northern cousins have last thing in mind for peace.

There is an old iron horse near the observation building and it tells you how important railway services was to the Koreans.

However for the best thrill, go to the other side of the building for the real train spotters delight.

Several trains ply on the single track across the Friendship Bridge to hear further north but stopping short of the border area around Panjummon.









The service is popular with several tourist groups. First for those who are keen to see the 3rd Tunnel and other North Korean military madness, and secondly, those who prefer to dice with their life just to see the Northern Koreans in their eyes.

Me? Well, I thought I've done rather well too to have seen a Korail diesel loco chugging back from the north.

Discover Ifugou In Bontoc Museum

In Dec. 2, 08, we arrived at the town of Bontoc, in the Philippines Mountainous Territory. Despite being one of the largest settlements in the area, there is nothing for visitors except the quaint museum.

Bontoc museum is regarded by many as a must-see repository of Ifugou culture and heritage, and the place for some serious stuff about the mountain people and its history.


In my view, it is the best of its league and the only reputable establishment highlighting the communities in all of Cordilleras. (Admission – 50 pesos)

The museum is located next to the post office and it has an unique traditional roof. It was established by Belgian missionary in the early 20th. century. There are galleries to showcase intricate traditional costumes, hunting and farming tools but we had a shock of our life when we encountered very graphic black and white photos of a headless victim.

The museum’s main draw has to be the Ifugou village replicas just outside the museum. Step inside these well preserved stone structures and you find rewarding experience to see Ilis - the tribal homes up close and without the need to conquer the hills to see one.









Like many traditional communities, tribal house is more than a home. Each home has a stone pit for pigs and household animals, and storage for farm produce.

The curator has done a splendid work in this department and the replicas also come with a meeting ground - a must in many Ifugou villages.

Sadly, Ilis are rare sights now in the mountains. With modern ways making inroads into the highlands, many Ifugou villagers have replaced almost everything old with new and the traditional wooden houses now come with zinc top and modern amenities.

Bukit Malawati - The Selangor Raden's Domain

Bukit Malawati, the popular Kuala Selangor outcrop with the domineering century-old lighthouse, has a chequered past that is worth telling.

Early Bugis raden or rulers were quick to see that the hill, overlooking the Selangor estuary, was strategic to their power base. By the 17th. century, Kuala Selangor was a thriving port and a powerful domain of the raden.


Not surprisingly, it invited prying eyes and sowed the seed for many invasions to come.

Soon, bloody tussles between the Bugis warlords and Dutch invaders erupted over the ownership of the hill and the lucrative tin trade. With each warring tide wavered, the hill namesake too moved back and forth, Malawati and Bukit Belanda -Dutch Hill -in Malay.

Three hundreds years later and much of the history have disappeared with time.

For years, the hill suffered one lacklustre attempt after another, like the few cannon replicas at the hilltop. They are a dismay sight and fail to provide accurate glimpse to the violence that once plagued this former military stronghold.

However, with the boom in tourist arrivals, Kuala Selangor soon found fame as the newest cash cow, and suddenly history now has an economical value.

The state museum board - Perbadanan Muzium Selangor is amongst the first to join the fray - and opted for a brilliant plan to excavate the entire hill. Few artifacts were found i.e. musket balls, broken chinaware and old coins. They were placed in a museum housed in the former home of the District Officer, next to the iconic lighthouse.

All five galleries in the Historical Museum (Muzium Sejarah) are devoted to the hill’s tumultuous history, and why Kuala Selangor is touted as the cradle of Selangor Sultanate.

However, the displays illustrating the chaotic events leading to the attacks and sieges on Bukit Malawati can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. The museum is also let down by the lack of historical artifacts, like weapons and archaeological findings, to add weight to the message about the turn of events.

Another of my bane is the dioramas inside the galleries. Two of which depict the early trading days and the battles between Dutch and the raden’s men. However, the results are amateurish, and worst, historically inaccurate.

You wonder why the curators overlooked the diorama showing European galleons berthing at Kuala Selangor when no record of such event. The other diorama depicting Dutch soldiers wearing cowboy hats and jackets and slaughtered in gruesome bloodbath by the locals, also begs for answer.

Despite these hiccups, a visit to the historical Malawati Hill and the museum offers a great weekend getaway for those looking for an adventure with Selangor history.

New Museums to Usher Year 2009

Despite the gloom in Malaysia’s economical outlook, heritage aficionados and museum goers might have plenty to cheer for in 2009. Grabbing the headlines are new museum openings and they should provide some excitement and more importantly, generate impetus for a more heritage conscious society.

Based on the main dailies, there are 3 new museums in the pipeline and a further two including the national museum at its final stage of refurbishing.

According to the Museum Department Director General, Ibrahim Ismail, two museums – the Malaysian Textile Museum and the Natural History Museum will open its doors to visitors by the middle of the year.

The textile-themed museum, as I best recalled, was a brainchild of Pak Lah’s late spouse, Datin Seri Endon. She had vigorously promoted and encouraged batik –a traditional Malay textile art form- as mainstream fashion and an icon of Malaysian creativity, much to chagrin of the Indonesians.

Needless to say, with such strong backers for the project, it is no surprise to see KEKWA playing a huge role in this museum.

The museum venue will be at the Moorish designed building which formerly housed Kraftangan, next to Sultan Abdul Samad Building. My guess is that a substantial portion of the exhibition will be devoted to Batik legacy. According to the DG there will be a gallery to showcase Baba Nyonya fashion lineage but in my view, the gallery comes amidst too little and too late.

Malaysia found its tail caught between its legs in a race with our southern neighbors across the causeway to ride on the popularity of the Baba Nyonya heritage. Singapore has not only beaten us in 2008 with the establishment of a Peranakan Museum in the island republic but adding salt to injuries, a major portion of its collection were bought from Penang! (For more about this, please read “Cultural Coup by Singapore Peranakan Museum” posted on April 24, 2008)

In Putrajaya, work on the new Natural Science Museum is progressing well and is expected to receive its first visitors in the second quarter of the year. The multi-million ringgit museum will be the showpiece of Malaysia’s natural richness and lauded by its founders to rival the best in the world.

A symposium in 2008 on the museum generated a lot of excitement amongst Malaysian scientists because many shared the view that the establishment of the museum is not just timely, but perfect as a springboard for those who keen to know our rainforests.

After a two-year hiatus, Muzium Negara and its four main galleries now come with new DNA for their exhibition themes. The revamp was a question of life and death for the national museum.

It needed quick remedy to maintain its role as the nation’s leading repository and to safeguard its relevance to the Malaysian public. The RM20 million major facelift was the first for the national museum since its inception in the early 60s.

The reviews so far have remained surprisingly silent but I am fascinated with what I have discovered from my recent visits to the new Galleries D, C and A despite my concerns with some of exhibits.

Gone are the old musty feel and depressing displays common in the old gallery. The new ones reveal fascinating aspects of Malaysian history in bold and captivating display and dioramas. Each theme takes you across Malaysian subjects and issues spanning the millenniums from the cave men dwelling in Niah to colonialism and to Proton cars.

Bank Negara is also joining the fray with a new Numismatics Museum expected to open its doors in July. This central bank initiated project will have a new home within the vicinity of the former Prime Minister Office in Bukit Perdana.

It is purported to be larger than its predecessor in Bank Negara and comes equipped with interactive exhibits.

Up north, renovation work at the Taiping Museum is expected to be completed in the second quarter of the year, and the new exhibitions will set to thrill visitors when they visit the oldest museum in Malaysia. (pls read article “Taiping Museum To Be Revamped - Dec 1, 08”)

Nevertheless, with all sectors of the economy coming to a gridlock, it is not surprising if heritage related development and conservation efforts for the coming months take a backseat in the government list of priority. However, these museum openings will cast a welcome rainbow for the country’s heritage scene for the meantime.

New Heritage Enclave In Klang

2009 will be an awakening year for Klang for a few reasons, and if the Sultan of Selangor has his way, the royal town will have a heritage enclave to call its own in a year or two.

The successful opening of the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery in 2008 (pls read my blog article posted on Apr 17, 08) in the old quarters of Klang town has propelled new interest to preserve other similar colonial buildings there.

Numerous royal dignitaries and visitors have made a beeline to view the royal gallery including Sultan of Kedah and royalties from Negeri Sembilan.

However, the best PR success of the gallery, in my view, lies with its growing popularity with locals.

Based on my earlier visit, the gallery opts for a visitor friendly policy to encourage the general public to discover the gallery for themselves. Despite some of the valuable exhibits inside, visitors can roam at their will and if there was security barrier, then they have done a splendid job of concealing them. The gallery staff are generally well trained to ensure visitors have an uninterrupted visit.

Klang is moving in this new interesting direction as a heritage center and much of the credit should go to the Selangor Royal family.

They have played a key role by spearheading buyouts (?) of buildings with significant historical value adjacent to the Royal Gallery. These buildings now used as commercial lots will be given a new lease of life by converting them into museums.

They will be the new attractions in town and the exhibits will usher new interest in royal family and its history.

Hanging Coffins of Sagada

We encountered interesting local practices in our visit to Sagada in Dec 08, and after further readings, the hanging coffins have an interesting tale to tell.

Ferocious tribal wars were once a common threat in the Cordilleras in the Philippines some two centuries ago, and it was no exception in Sagada.

The entire hilly communities were caught in these routine upheavals and nothing was spared including burial sites. According to the villagers, coffins were often a favorite prey of the headhunters, mainly from Bontoc, who sought the prized skulls, living or not.

Fearful of the diving backlash from their headless ancestors, quick thinking tribal leaders in Sagada resolved to hang their coffins up on the slopes of the many karst hills found here. They also placed much hope on the physical attributes of the landscapes to deter the enthusiasm of the conquering troops.

According to ancient funeral rites, the deceased must be seated in an upright position while villagers worked frantically to erect bamboo scaffolding to the elevated burial ground.

The task to hang the coffin on the sharp slope of hills rested on the shoulders of pall bearers. Theirs is not an effortless one. Besides the risk of fatal fall and they must also deal with the rotting fluids from the leaking coffin.

Nevertheless, a pall bearer’s job was traditionally held in high esteem. Interestingly, it was considered a good omen for the pall bearers to be showered in the fluids while they carried out their task.

However, with the introduction of Christianity by American missionaries into the region compromises have been made to mix the native rituals with their new faiths.

Nevertheless it has become a novelty nowadays to have hanging burial and only villagers who have two surviving generations of descendants are allowed a burial on the hill side.

According to the villagers, the last hanging coffin burial in Sagada was held in June 2008.

Iron Dragons of Malaya - A Tribute to Sentul

Train spotters in Malaysia should not miss the opportunity to experience the multimedia art exhibition titled - Iron Dragons of Malaya, and at the same time enjoy a nostalgic trip to the country’s largest railway shed – the KTMB Sentul Workshop.

A collection of photographs of the British built shed and rolling stocks or whatever left of the depleting building were taken using state-of-the-art photography technique known as High Dynamic Range.

The photographs, according to Khairul Azril Ismail, the architect of the exhibition, will reward visitors with captivating 3-D like images. Visitors will also be entertained by the multimedia presentation which took Azril and his team a year to produce and it is a befitting tribute to the train workshop.

Personally I think it is akin to an earnest obituary to the shed for a century of faithful services rendered.

Sentul first took its form in1905 but now is living its last remaining days. By the year end, the entire KTM overhaul job will be concentrated at Batu Gajah.

The Iron Dragons of Malaya – is currently run at KLPac till Jan 25, 09, and admission is free. (The enclosed photographs are reproduced from Azril's collection)

The World's Smallest Fire Station.

Perch high in the mountainous regions of the Philippines Cordilleras is the Sagada Fire Station, and reputedly the World’s Smallest Fire Station.

Locals will proudly tell you that despite its unfavorable size, the cabin like station operated by the Bureau of Fire Protection is their only viable insurance to safeguard the idyllic hamlet from fire hazards.

A tall order nonetheless for a tiny fire station and the entire fire fleet of a red Honda scrambler, which has seen better days. Fire fighting paraphernalia appears almost non-existence too except a radio transmitter inside.

Hence, the questions mark if the world’s smallest fire station could live up to its roles in times of an emergency.

Sagada is remarkable as a pristine highland retreat and as we have discovered in December 2008, has great potentials for a respite holiday destination with a magnificent mix of caving adventure and picturesque rice terraces add to it.

Nevertheless, a quick check in the internet revealed a chequered past that is anything but peaceful.

The quaint town was almost consumed by a devastating fire not too long ago and telltale signs are still found at the town square opposite the Police Station cum market. Till today, the fiery episode remains a mystery and its outbreak is reminiscent of a more sinister and turbulence time.

Like many first time visitors, we were surprised to learn that curfew hours are enforced from dusk to dawn in this tranquil place. When asked the town folks the only answer we got is that the curfews are for our safety without revealing too much.

We soon learnt that the entire Cordilleras were engulfed in a violent armed struggle and it was only in the 80s that the locally supported - The New Peoples’ Army (NPA) - signed a peace accord with the Manila Government to bring peace to the area.

Perhaps for this historical reason, I assume the non-descriptive Sagada Fire Station with all its imperfections is a welcoming sight and perfect to assure the war weary people of Sagada who long for some real peace and tranquillity.

Malacca River Losing its Historical Lustre.

The lavish RM190 million (app. US$65 million) Beautification Project aimed to inject a new lease of life for the Malacca River is finally at its tail-end.

The project paid in parts from the coffers of the Tourism Ministry was first embarked in 2002.

High on the project initiatives are to rehabilitate the heavily polluted waterway and to stem the deplorable local practice of turning it into a sewage dumpsite.

Much faith was placed on the project to bring about a quality change in the water and the life of the people dependable on the river. The project was even touted by the state as part of a grandeur scheme to elevate the historically-rich Sungai Melaka into the “Venice of the East”. (For additional write up on Malacca River, pls refer to article titled "Malacca River Folly Project" - Apr 20, 08)









However, the project fell disappointingly short of the promises made and worst, altered completely the characteristic and the function of the river.

The entrance to the river is now permanently blocked near the Maritime Museum and as a result, no free flow of river traffic is allowed up the river. The water level is also artificially controlled by newly built pump-house so to enable excursions by tourist boats operated by the state river board.

For over five centuries, schooners and traders plied the Malacca River in search of the valuable spices and helped turned the city state into one of the World’s greatest entrepots.

Sadly, if you choose to stand from its banks today, you would have no clue to its colorful past.

Gone are the sights of Sumatran sails unloading its charred cargoes to the nearby rustic godowns or the fishing trawlers returning with fresh loads of sea-harvest.

A quick check in Dec. 08, revealed last minute renovation work being carried out on the remaining godowns on the river’s southern banks and plans are to turn them into fusion eatery and commercial outlets you find so sickening similar to Singapore’s Clarke Quay.

Nothing is preserved there to showcase the fabulous richness of the river history.

Middleburg Bastion To Boost Tourism

Malacca now boosts another attraction to cash on the tourism dollars. The replica of the Middleburg Bastion is now opened to public when I visited there on Dec 9, 08.

The project is not without controversy from the first day its foundation was unearthed by workers constructing the Taming Sari Revolving Tower.

A few parties have voiced conflicting views how best the monument should be preserved.

Ar John Koh in his Badan Warisan column- "The Old Melaka Fort"- even go so far as to accord the site as the next most important archaeological find in the Malay Peninsula after the discovery of Hindu Cendi in Bujang Valley, Kedah.

For hard core conservationists, no viable option is acceptable except to leave the bastion foundation unmolested.

On the other extreme, policy makers were more interested in turning the site into a grand tourism scheme by 'remaking' the bastion.

RM12.8 million and almost a year later and you've another tourist attraction.

Needless to say, critics of the project were aghast at the turn of event.

The entire development took place when no expert could verify the authenticity of bastion design or the height of the wall.

The bastion was part of a larger fortress the A Famosa - which was first constructed by the Portuguese and reinforced later by the Dutch before British Captain W. Farquhar almost demolished it all in the 18th century.

All working reference for the project was based on sketchy illustrations and tell-tales provided by ancient sea farers. Yet the people who mooted the rebuilding task were adamant about giving the project the go-ahead.

Now the bastion project is completed and I am for one tend to agree that maybe the replica could benefit the lay men. It works wonderfully to stir up their imagination of the ancient bastion.

The fact of the matter is that they are the bulk of the visitors to Malacca and historical sites like Middleburg appeal to folks more interested in snapping some memorable pictures but hardly excited with the historical value of this momentous archaeological find.

Fortunately in my view, a few ingenious designs have been incorporated into this RM12.8 million project and we are able to appreciate the remnants of the original bastion foundation and the laterite coral rocks hidden underneath.

Walk around the structure and you could find a few openings in the ground previously discovered by archaeologists to give visitors some insights about the original foundation.

Visitors however, will be disappointed to find information on the bastion lacking because there are no captions available but I believe this would be overcome soon.

My favorite is the glass bridge next to the main structure if one is on their way to the top of bastion.

It allows visitors take a walk over the original laterite foundation and appreciate the depth of the original foundation underground.

If you think rebuilding the bastion structure goes against the acceptable heritage norm, then the VOC cannon replicas found on top of the bastion only reinforce the miserable the state of heritage in this country.

In fact, some key conservation players involved in the project appeared confused about their respective roles and how heritage should be safeguarded for the future generations.

Needless to say, such practices are symptomatic of the ever-blurring of conservation and tourism agendas in Malaysia.

Rampant manipulative interpretation of history would irk those who want to protect heritage at its core but their voices are silenced by groups calling for better cash cows for the economy. (For more related issue, refer to the article titled - "A Famosa Rescued?" - April 24, 08)

Who would have thought that the Middleburg Bastion given up for good over two centuries ago and left to fade from history has not only risen but it is basked in all its former glory in a bizarre twist of fate?

Hopefully, the bastion would spur new interests in the early history of Malacca fort in all of us minus all the bias instilled by certain segment of the community.

Firemen Usher New Twist in Traditional Circumcision

Few would argue that firemen are saviors of all emergencies, but in Malaysia, their expertise is called beyond the line of duties.

On December 10, 2008, the Army Fire Services based in Terendak Camp, Malacca were invited by the villagers of Kampung Pinang A, to Majlis Berkhatan or a religious circumcision ritual.

40 odd boys dressed in their finest Malay clothes then grouped in front of the red Mercedes Benz 911 before fire crew doused them wet.

When the shower ended about 15 minutes later, the boys proceed to a makeshift operating theatre at the back of the village’s surau for their unnerving and life-changing experience.

According to the elders, boys would traditionally take a dip at a nearby river or bathe near a well to build up courage. However, no one disputes that cold water whatever the sources are has a calming effect on the male organ before it is surgically mutilated.

Elaborate and expensive berkhatan ceremonies are now a trendy phenomenon and Malay kampung go to their wits to outdo each other with bigger sunat participants and a larger scheme of things.

Berkhatan or sunat was previously a low key and solemn religious affair, but now the event has a carnival-like atmosphere to it, and firemen and fire sprinkles are very much part of the repertoire.

Another victim of change is Tok Mudim or the village circumcision expert, and they too have fallen into redundant. In their place are medical assistants armed with sterilized tools to perform the rite of passage.

As the ceremony progressed, I saw how ZA 6326 found itself stuck in mud because of the weight the pump has to take. Fortunately, the villagers were around to save the day for the fire truck.

According to a local web source, Merc Benz 911 or otherwise known as Mercedes Munjung because of its large nose-like engine compartment was a favorite in Malaysian fire fighting scenes in the 80s until it was phased out.

True to the customary practice on school break, another grand circumcision ceremony was arranged three days later (Dec. 13, 08). The event was held at the nearby Pantai Puteri and saw an overwhelming participation from 200 kids.

Their mothers also played their parts and they each brought the beautiful bunga melur telur, a decorative bouquet made from egg shells, to accompany their boys on a loud and colorful procession down the road to a site next the beach.

Soon, they were greeted by firemen and the full water blast from Mercedes Benz Atego (No. BKA 8922) . As usual this marks the start of the bathing ritual, and the boys are in for an unforgettable event in their life journey and to usher the rich Muslim legacy.