Museum Subak, Tabanan, Bali

The gate to the Subak Museum.

One of important location that visited during my trip to Bali was Museum Subak to learn more about the unique of rice plantation in Bali. The different between here in Bali from any other location in Indonesia is the Subak organization. This organization playing a big role in managing the water sources in Bali came from 4 main lakes (danu) located high above the mountains.

In order to educate people and younger generation on how important is the Subak, a museum was built and opened in October 1981. Instead of its function in organizing the irrigation system to the rice fields, Subak also has shaped on Balinese culture that make this island far different from any other islands nearby. Here in Bali the rice production is more productive in term of rice produce per hectare. Anyway since the planting areas are very small for each family, their income still considered too low to allow them to enjoy a prosper living.

The water dam as in Subak, represented here in Subak Museum.

Representing the canal entrance to pura (temple) in the vicinity of Bali.

The rice plantation in Bali is organized and influenced by the unique culture on Balinese where pura (temple) will plays their big role in organizing all the activities from time of sowing, irrigation, meetings, and many other things and their centre of activities. Anyway these traits had been practice for several of hundreds years or maybe thousands of years in Bali as how their ancestors leave it for them (in their written guides).

By visiting this Museum you can see many other things related to the way of life for people in Bali where their daily lives are all connected with their beliefs according to their religion and their connected to their gods. At the same time, from this believe evolve the way of life that leads to complicated irrigation system that never find in any other places in Indonesia (if not in the whole ancient world).

The Goddess "Dewi Sri".

"Rare Angon" statue.

Here at the museum you can see few important statues include the Goddess “Dewi Sri” known as the ‘Goddess of Rice’ that will ensure the rice producing is successful for the particular year and another important statue is “Rare Angon” represented by boy on his buffalo with bamboo flute on his hand. This actually said to be the incarnation of God Shiva to teach people in Bali on how to plant rice and music as an entertainment. Well, that’s really perfect combination for successful life; hard works and happiness.

The exhibitions here, focusing on how the rice planting in Bali evolves through times with complicated irrigation systems that allow the rice planting in higher areas. Start from the water management system, water measurements, irrigation, time of planting (Balinese calendar), farming instruments and meetings to discuss in group on how the planting took place on each season; all of these that ensure the rice planting in Bali to be one of the most successful in the region (SE Asia).

Subak organization chart by region.

Subak management guide written on pieces of bamboo.

Long mortar to pound rice.

How long mortar used.

Start from land clearing and preparing the land to rice fields can be done individually or in group. When it comes to water supply and irrigation, these farmers need to do it in group if they want their rice to be successful. With involvement of pura (temple) and higher priest, all of the decisions are decided collectively and all the members of Subak need to attend the meeting (or they will be penalized). All the measuring is done with specific instruments following the guidelines provided by their ancestors. The guidelines are written on surfaces of bamboo and kept safely in a box.

The water divider to farmer’s land were made by wood and measured by finger’s wide. For example with 4 fingers wide the farmer’s land should be in areas of 50 ‘ara’ or (50m² × 50m²), while for the 2 fingers wide the farmer’s land should be in areas of 25 ‘ara’ or (25m² × 25m²). Today’s water divider is made of concrete for durability. Many other instruments were used traditionally and some of them still in use until today, all of these reflecting how rice planting was carefully managed in traditional Bali.

Water dividers to the rice field made of wood.

The work of measuring water into the rice fields.

Water tunnel construction.

Among the modern machinery used in the field.

Today rice planting in Bali is influence with modern machines and technologies, anyway man force still needed for the condition of the rice fields. There must be many other things can be improve in order to increase the production of Balinese farmers without interfere the system of Subak. The most important thing, farmers need to preserve the sustainability to maintain the beautiful of Bali as how they ancestors did.

There are many other things to learn from unique Balinese lifestyles. One of the most visible to visitors is the ‘canang’ or the offering. Canang is prepared everyday as offering together with pray. You can see canang almost everywhere all over Bali. This stated how generous the Balinese can be when it comes to their belief and hope. Something that we all can learn accordance to your own belief.

Perak Museum, Taiping The Oldest Museum in Malaysia

Perak Museum in Taiping, the first museum in Malaysia.

Located in Taiping, Perak Museum is the oldest museum in the state of Perak. It is a very historical museum in our country as it is the first museum was established in Malaysia in 1883 with the recommendation of the British Resident in Perak at that time, Sir Hugh Low. Ever since its construction, the building continues to be added to provide more space for exhibition areas.

During his opening the curator assigned to take care for this museum is Leonard Wray Jr. who is an expert in botany and geology. As the first museum, it becomes a good example for the establishment of the following museums which provides educational materials for local communities. It somehow teaches people to appreciate the richness of our culture, the earth and the uniqueness of our own country.

The museum collections since its original shape again focus zoology or natural history of the State of Perak. Specimens were collected from small animals such as mouse deer to as big as elephant bones. The collections are also a good start for a small museum that was built over 100 years ago.

Skeleton collection at the Museum of Perak.

In addition to nature collections of Perak, now the museum also showcases the history of the life of the original materials from the colonial era, antique cars owned by the states ruler of Perak in the compound of this museum.

You also have the opportunity to see for yourself the development of the museum from its inception to the present day through the history of the museum itself. So in addition to exhibiting historical materials, the building itself is a part of history that is valuable to the state of Perak and Malaysia.

The early establishment of the museum in the 1890s.

Perak Museum in 1905.

Perak Museum in around the 1990s.

For those who like to visit the museum, important information about the museum are as follows:

Locations:

Jalan Taming Sari, 34000 Taiping, Perak

Trip time:

Open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Open daily except on Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji

Entrance fee:

Adults (My Card): RM2.00

Children (My Kid): Free

Normal price:

Adult: RM5.00

Children (6-12 years): RM2.00

Important Locations for Tour in Kuala Lumpur - Dataran Merdeka

Dataran Merdeka filled with tours and historical objects.

Kuala Lumpur is a major tourist site in Malaysia. Whether for locals or foreign tourists, a visit to Kuala Lumpur would not be complete without visiting this key location in the city. To facilitate the process of visiting Kuala Lumpur this prime location will allows you to visit several attractions at the same time. The prime location that we mean is Merdeka Square (Dataran Merdeka).

Merdeka  Square (Dataran Merdeka) is not only historical location but at the same time located most of other important attractions in Kuala Lumpur. For those who have limited time, a visit here can save your time to get a glance of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia altogether. Among the attractions are as follows:

Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Front view of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

View the afternoon.

Clock tower.

Is a historical building built in 1894 which is one of the important attractions in this area, this building has witnessed many historical events that occurred at the site of which including the lowered of the Union Jack flag on August 31, 1957 and replaced with a flag for Malayan flag for independence ceremony.

The building was designed by the British architect AC Norman and assisted by engineers CE Spooner. Its unique design has become an icon of the city to this day. It is based on the architecture of Moorish and Moghul architecture. It comes with 3 domes were originally built of wood and brick, painted black. The dome was replaced with copper-clad dome as viewed today.

Sultan Abdul Samad building becomes main object for visitors to Merdeka Square in recalling the long history of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. This makes it the essence of your visit to the city.

National Textile Museum (National Textiles Museum)

Textile Museum building.

Diorama traditional cloth weaving process.

Among the exhibition space at the Textile Museum.

National Textile Museum is open from 9 January 2010 the building was originally the headquarters of the Federal Malay States Railways (FMSR). It was later used for a variety of uses until converted into a museum in 2010. The building's attractive design gives the museums some extra unique features.

As the name implies, this museum displays interesting collections of exhibits, namely textile materials used by the Malaysian as a clothing material beforehand until now. The approaches used by the museum are also very effective with varieties of media including video, multimedia materials, printed materials, other than dioramas only. Guided tours are also available at certain times.

A visit to this museum by us found that the museum meet the criteria’s for the exhibition and educational center. It was also recognized with the award from the TripAdvisor with "Certificate of Excellence". Therefore it is another important attraction in Independence Square that we recommend.

Textile Museum opened for free every day from 9am - 6pm. For more information you may visit the museum's web site at http://www.muziumtekstilnegara.gov.my or contact no. Tel: 603 - 2694 3457

KL City Gallery

KL City Gallery building.

Replication of Kuala Lumpur city in the future.

The building model is intricately done their work.

KL City gallery is another interesting place to know more about the development of Kuala Lumpur history. It is also the location that houses the office of the Visit KL information counter. You can see a replica of the Kuala Lumpur City model built by Arch Kuala Lumpur.

Arch Kuala Lumpur is a company which produces merchandise for souvenir in the form of very attractive building replicas. In this gallery you will also have the opportunity to see the sculptors at work. At the end of the tour you have the chance to buy souvenirs that are sold in their gifts shop.

The entrance fee to the KL City Gallery is free and it's open daily from 8am - 6pm. For more information you may visit their website at www.klcitygallery.com or contact no. Tel: 603 - 2691 1382

St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral

Building St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral.

The room in the building.

The building was also built by the same architect for the construction of the Sultan Abdul Samad AC Norman. What is obviously different is the concept used for the construction of a traditional English church and it was built in 1894.

The old building is fitted with attractive stained glass windows (stained-glass) together with its pipe-organ addressed to Sir Henry Gurney who was the British High Commissioner in Malaysia at that time.

To find out more about this old building you may visit the website www.stmaryschatedral.org.my or contact no. Tel: 603 - 2692 8672.

Museum of Music

Music Museum's building.

The interior of the Museum of Music.

Street music performances on Saturday & Sundays.

Museum of Music is one of the latest attractions at Merdeka Square and opened on 1 August 2015. It houses a variety of traditional instruments from various races in Malaysia. As well as the National Textile Museum, it aims to educate the public about the diversity of the art equipment used for entertainment in our country.

As well as other buildings in its surrounding this museum building is also part of the complex of old buildings that are hundreds of years old and designed by engineers with AC Norman with the concept Moorish and Mogul.

There are musical performances (busking) was held in front of the museum on Saturdays and Sundays and it is one of the interesting activity to watch because of its cheering atmosphere. In addition, there are also Malay gamelan performances. It is open daily from 9: 00 - 6: 00 with the entrance fee is free. For more information you can visit the website http://www.jmm.gov.my/ms/muzium-muzik or contact no. Tel: 603 - 2604 0176.

Apart from the places mentioned above, there are several other places that are not covered in detail in this article include:

• DBKL City Theatre Culture
• Library Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)
• Royal Selangor Club

While the near attractions to Merdeka Square are:

• Masjid Jamek
• Masjid India
• Central Market (Pasar Seni)

It can be visited on the same day of your visit to Merdeka Square as the location is very close. That’s why this location selected as the main attraction on our list as all important attractions located at the same place. The whole area on Merdeka Square is an area full of historical buildings and structures, and each has its own stories.

Malay World Ethnological Museum, Kuala Lumpur

The main entrance of the Malay World Ethnological Museum.

Another museum that is quite interesting for the fans of the cultural history and traditions of the Malay world. This is because the museum is not only dedicated to the Malays in Malaysia alone but also all other Malays communities that covers wider area.

Situated near the building of the National Museum, the Malay World Ethnological Museum is smaller and the front wooden structure built to resemble a traditional Malay house. What interesting here is, this museum also includes exhibits from around other region including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Africa, Madagascar and also of Malay Polenesia. This will open up your knowledge of the Malay world as a whole.

Among the collections exhibited in the museum includes textile goods, weapons, sculptures, metal tools and technology, jewelries, musical instruments and so on. Do not forget also Malays recreation activities such as traditional kite (wau), shadow puppets (wayang kulit) (which include several countries of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand), the spinning top and many others. Through this exposure, it is quite easy for us to understand the connection between us which is actually inside a huge group of ethnic.

Most of the exhibits here will raise many questions about the real world of Malay people. Perhaps some will be answered and the rest you should work on for the answer. It is like bringing together pieces of the puzzle that is quite interesting to note. But after you figure it out, let it be known by us that we all come from the same family.

"Keris" from many different parts of Malay world.

Kitchen utensils used by the Malays.

Water transport and naval technology.

Wood carvings.

Ticket Malay World Ethnological Museum

Visitor Type

• Nationality: RM 2.00
• Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PWD): RM 1.00
• Children aged 12 and under (citizen): Free
• Secondary School students dressed in uniforms (citizen): Free
• High School Students not dressed in uniform (citizen): RM 2.00
• Member of International Council of Museums (ICOM): Free
• Non-Citizens: RM 5.00
• Children (6 to 12 years) (non-citizens): RM 2.00
• Children younger than 6 years (non-citizens): Free

Opening Hours

• Open daily from 9.00am - 6.00pm.

* Close the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Haji.

Transport

By Bus or Taxi and Commuter / Putra LRT off at KL Sentral station, walk 0.5 km to the National Museum, MRT also available when it starts in service soon.

Note: credit picture of hafidzahmad.com