There's a fishing village on Penang's border.  Here you find a long-kept & unique tradition. The fishing village is called Kuala Muda. They run a fish market, &  hold an auction to sell their catch. But what’s really unique is that for some wildly bizarre reason they hold a whispering auction.

WARNING:  THIS BLOG INCLUDES TWO IMAGES WITH GRAPHIC ANIMAL BLOOD.  IF YOU ARE DISTURBED BY SUCH SCENES, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR ADVICE TO LOOK NO FURTHER.

Aidul Adha or Hari Raya Haji (Pilgrim’s Holy Day) or Hari Raya Korban (Holy Day of the Sacrifice) is Islam’s holy day when Muslims annually remember the prophet Abraham’s sacrifice of his son to Allah, interrupted by Allah as Allah provided a substitute animal to die in the place of Abraham’s descendants.

Penang island in Malaysia is a fascinating place because it’s one of those unique convergences of several civilizations.  Where those civilizational tectonic plates come together one of two things can happen.  Either they create a lot of friction & heat that leads to ethnic clashes, or people manage to find some way to get along, & everyone profits from the multi-faceted culture.

Malaysia is a place that has long succeeded at the latter. 

No visit to Brunei Darussalam’s capital—Bandar Seri Begawan—is complete without a visit to the Kampung Ayer—reputably the world’s largest water village with over 30,000 inhabitants. 

Looks & first descriptions can be deceiving.  Don’t look here for clapboard shanties over the water as seen in smaller water gypsy settlements in this part of the world.  At first these houses standing on stilts over the water may appear like a water gypsy settlement.  But you need to look closer.

Most visitors to Brunei never get far out of the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan or Seria—the next biggest city.  But a visit to these sea & river-faring Malays is not complete without a trip up the Brunei River on a traditional Malay wooden perahu. 

Most years Brunei Darussalam is the richest per capita nation on earth.  A place about the size of Connecticut, but that sits on huge oil reserves means lots of money for nearly everyone.