E’ uscito il mio primo articolo per il quotidiano indipendente online LETTERA 43 dedicato alla situazione non troppo golosa per gli omosessuali in Malaysia… il ban al gay pride Seksualiti Merdeka… le nuovi leggi civili anti-gay… insomma, tante belle cose per amare il paese adottivo dei miei ultimi 2 anni!!! Leggete il pezzo dal link qui sotto, una versione non-edited presto disponibile sul caro China/Asia Files.

Omofobia alla Malese

Altre novita’ riguardo la Malaysia: punto primo, mi sono finalmente laureato (per la seconda volta), e ora sono “Maestro nello studio di come i Cinesi studiano l’Inglese”. E’ stata una lunga avventura che merita un libro intero, chissa’ se mai sara’ scritto… in ogni modo, l’aver studiato in una Universita’ asiatica e’ una esperienza MOLTO PARTICOLARE che non so se mi sento di consigliare ad amici o nemici.

Alla fine dei conti, in ogni caso, e’ stata una esperienza rivelatoria e ancora piu’ intima con le menti (spesso malate) che popolano questi paradisi tropicali, che eleva il Monkey di un’altra spanna verso lo status di IRON BUDDHA.

Punto secondo, a Gennaio lascio il paese a tempo indeterminato. Novita’ sul grande progetto scimmiesco le troverete presto su questo blog… mutante… per il momento, leggetevi l’articolo sui gay e sperate di non esserlo in Malaysia!!

Ok, year 2010 and the beginning of this 2011 have not been that prolific for Monkeyrockworld. Without getting into too many details, I just would like to say that having to deal with an Asian university flamboyant requirements and trying to jet start a freelance writing career, without counting house and “da wifey” administration, is not the ideal situation to sit down and write. I also didn’t travel that much, in the first place, although yes, I do have many reports about Sri Lanka and my return to China still to pen down. Anyways, what I care to write now is about something I got back in. I did not think this would happen, but eventually, it did: I’m back into the music scene again. It seems I cannot get rid of this passion of mine; for it is too strong to be neglected… so let it be. I did not think also that an apparently sleepy place like Penang could hide so much underground talent… I knew Malaysia was full of hardcore, metal and punk, but all those kids seemed like hidden under rocks until three weeks ago more or less, when I shot a few emails here and there resulting in fast ties with the cream of the crop of East Asian punk, some metal and hardcore scenes.

This also resulted in a quick and crucial acquaintance with the guys in WEOT SKAM, Penang’s longest running thrashcore band. And here I am after a few words over some iced lemon tea and roti canai, being the lead shredder in the band: yesterday I played my first ever show in Asia, and first show in almost 4 years. This is quite an event that has to be documented with a show review. I decided that, as long as I will be involved in this kind of music in Asia, I will dedicate ample space to it on Monkeyrockworld. For two reasons: MonkeyROCKworld… but so far, there has not been a lot of ROCK, excluding many great, beautiful ancient stones I visited in the greater Asian region. And second, because to my knowledge, there is NO WEBSITE written by a white guy in Asia documenting its endeavors in the exciting, booming alternative music scene. So, as a motivation booster and a plan for personal research and desire to bring great news to the music world, here I come to fill a void… Asian bands, if you are reading this thanks to the power of the SEO science, please get in touch.

SCUM FUCT LABOUR, May 1^st 2011 @ Soundmaker, Penang -- Gig Review

Featuring: Deng Deng etc. (KL), WEOT SKAM (Penang), Hui Si Di Dai (Penang),  Nonserviam (Penang), Angkara (Kulim)

First of all, let me tell you, Penang has a rock venue called Soundmaker, situated on the first floor of a quite anonymous building along Pengkalan Weld, Jetty area. Keep the Jetty to your left, walk for about 400 meters and look on your right on the opposite side of the road: when you see the poster of a black bomb on a yellow background, oh yes, that is where you gotta climb up. This place is amazing and remembers me of a more professional squat, in the sense that the atmosphere is totally DIY/underground, but the show room is big, and the stage pretty professional, with PA and everything.

First on stage were 等等etc. or better Deng Deng Etc. from KL, Soundscape recording artists. Three strait-chinese guys who, despite a not so good turnout, delivered one hell of a gig. Churning out a blend of different influences from their amps, they came out as a prehistorically aggressive version of “Bleach” era Nirvana, spazzed out by total grindcore outbursts of screaming rage, and sophisticated jazzy parts. Deng Deng etc. really surprised me because they definitely had a sound of their own, and it was a shame they had to open, especially being the out of town band.

Second, yours truly and WEOT SKAM hit the stage. It’s not a good habit to rave about your own band, so I’d just cut it short saying that according to Kit Yeng who does not understand anything about hardcore punk yet, we were perfect because the crowd had a hell of a good time. Greatest moments: me playing guitar using the top of some kids’ heads, and the drummer losing the beat and start jumping all over the drum set. It just felt good to be able to release some hate on stage after 4 years, and I felt like I popped some cherry at the end of it. Wow. Next month we’ll be supporting Earache’s own Wormrot so I guess things are profiling high for the band.

Hui Si Di Dai took the stage as the third band: this is Cheong’s band, the guy behind the whole Soundmaker thing. This band is a powerful experimental rock combo, with tight drumming, and jazzy guitar parts… the two songs they played tonight were graced by the stage presence of another tattooed Chinese singer, extra drums the real singer was strumming like crazy, and good vibes. They probably got off stage way too early, but definitely left the crowd wanting for more.

Next there was probably someone else but I’m sorry, I had to go downstairs to eat something and have a drink. The thing is, in this Malaysian shows the bands play for a very short time, sometimes less than 20 minutes. If this feature keeps the variety high and the suck-balls level low, it is definitely easy to miss a band. So when I got back in, Nonserviam were playing. They feature WEOT SKAM’s bassist Leon on vocals and are a Chinese death metal band deeply rooted into the Scandinavian sound. You could see and hear how they sport In Flames t-shirts and riffs… Leon is a great front man, tall and really comfortable in dominating the stage and the front rows of rabid kids grasping his arms and legs at each of his massive growls. Without being too extreme, Nonserviam are a classy death metal band able to blend melodic and powerful riffs with a more lethal execution of crunching fast tempos. I may say tough, the only criticism I can appoint is that besides Leon, the other band members get too busy with their instruments, and forget they are actually facing a crowd. I’m sure these young chaps will improve this aspect overtime. Their musicianship, on the other hand, is great and able to  deliver some great songs which can be instant classics. Definitely, one of the best bands of the night. Check out their official video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=btLdyaj1EZ4

Last were Angkara from Kulim, a small township at the edge of the forest of Kedah state. Man, if they were not Malays and I closed my eyes, here it is Mob47 performing in front of me!! Total classic crust/d-beat as it can be played by a bunch of Finnish thugs. They had the looks, with those spiked jackets all plastered with patches of bands such as Krighshot, Tragedy, Mob47, Wolfbrigade and so on, and they had the crusty skills and speed, but I must say, a little bit more of originality would do Angkara a lot of good. Do not misunderstand me: they perfectly do what they want to do, but I think they have to pass the idolatry phase, and move on to craft a sound more of their own. If they did that, oh my!

All in all, the evening was quite fantastic and gave me infinite happiness. Not only because I got back on stage again, but especially because it was cool to be in one place where people are actually enjoying the local bands, and do not strike any stupid pose or act like they’ve seen it all before. This was the biggest problem in Europe, let me tell you. The reason why I decided to get back into this, and here in Asia, is simply because here there is still a lot of energy, involvement, and excitement. I guess I am just lucky because it appears this is the place to be for punk, rock and metal, these days and age.

So keep tuned and sorry to the other bands for the lack of pictures, but our SD card decided to play a delayed April’s Fool game and ate up half of them leaving us with the WEOT SKAM pictures only… Well, it will be for the next time…

After one year, I finally made it to Langkawi to show the island to my family coming to visit from Italy. Langkawi to me was the idea of a tourist trap, the kind of place I always try to avoid. Partially my idea was true: Langkawi boosts all the kind of infrastructure you would expect from a super developed tourist destination. The good side is, among the hotels, resorts and parks scattered along its coasts, Langkawi still has a very wild, lush nature, and a predominantly Malay Muslim population making its more secluded corners look like some part of Malaysian East Coast. The fact this place has been declared as a tax-free zone and alcohol is finally readily and cheaply available is definitely a plus for tourists and drunks alike, making it look more like a verdant mix of Bali and some Thai island rather than an outpost of backward Muslim Malaysia.

This said, I’ve never been to Langkawi before because I thought it wasn’t cheap: on the surface, it is not, but as always, I can manage to find my places and this is why I am writing this article: The internet has a dreary shortage of cheap ass information about Langkawi, and this is exactly why I decided to give my two cents on the matter.

Transportation
It is not possible to walk a long way in Langkawi: you gotta have wheels. And taxis ain’t metered nor cheap. A ride from Kuah Town, where the tourist jetty is located, to any of the beaches, will cost you from 20 to 30 rm (5 to 7 euros). If you think this is cheap, good. But consider: you probably won’t like to stay on those beaches for more than a full day, since the island has more to offer. The best way, especially when travelling in a group, is renting a car. You can get a pretty decent automatic car for RM 60 per day on off-peak period, and around RM 80 during holidays. This means 12 to 20 euros per day. If you travel in a group of 5, this makes your transport option incredibly cheap.

Accommodation
Hotels are expensive, with rooms from RM 100 onwards. Definitely not my type of budget. But after a bit of exploring, we found some good options. We first stayed at Zackry’s Guesthouse in Pantai Tengah, which is the place you will mostly find if digging for information online. But we thought it was a bit far off the action and the cheapest food choices, and overall, location is what you want to pay for. It is possible to find a single room with shared toilet for RM 35 overthere. My choice tough is another one, in Pantai Cenang, and very close to the action, the beach and a very cheap and tasty Thai Restaurant called JJ Helang (but you’ll soon nickname it “The Ladyboys” because of the gracious waiters J). There is a concoction of cheap accommodation options off Lorong Surau Kampung Haji Maidin. To get there, when you see the restaurant Rasa, turn left and walk inside following Gecko Guesthouse directions, but don’t go there, as it looks quite niggerish in my opinion. You can start looking around the area and find what you are looking for, double rooms starting at RM 60, some dorms etc. My pick is anyways the last of the bunch, the one at the end of the road, called Rainbow Lodge. At RM 35 for a double room with fan set in a picturesque paddy field cum water buffalos and herons background, it wins my pick. Very fast free wi fi connection, cheap breakfast, and the chance to rent a full single storey villa for RM 150 per night (bring your 5 friends, it is RM 30 per head per night and extremely beautiful and quiet).

Mangrove Tours

It is beautiful and it has to be done on the cheap driving to the Northern jetty, and asking the boatmen there. You can charter a whole boat for a 3 hour trip for around RM 300 (RM 60 per head for a group of 5 people, against the dreary RM 200 per head you’ll get asked anywhere in Pantai Cenang) to have a great mangrove experience, eagle sighting and boating offshore almost up to the Thai seawaters where you will pass by the flanks of Koh Tarutao Marine National Park. This is what I call a great deal for a mere 12 euros per head.

And this is it!! My two cents for the road, which I hope will help you enjoying your stay in Langkawi. A last suggestion is, take your ferry from Kuala Kedah where a roundtrip ticket will cost you only RM 46 against the RM 120 you’d pay from Penang island. An extra RM 10 will take you down by bus to Penang, from where go onto your onward connections. Now with the RM you saved, buy me a drink next time you see me!!

Here you have my other 5 more reasons why to come to Penang, and enjoy. It is a special place, and like every special place, it takes some time to understand its uniqueness. You can indulge in the food trail, lose yourself in the forest, take some hikes along the Northern shores or shop till you drop in the modern Georgetown city center. What you cannot do, on the contrary, is lamenting because beer is expensive and there is no fun to be found nowhere, when you didn’t go further up than the 15 meters connecting Banana guest house’s front beer patio to the internet cafe’ on the corner.  In this case, you deserve to be sent back to Thailand with a fresh 2 months visa and please, tell all the people like you that Penang is boring and expensive, because we don’t really need losers like you on these shores.

5 Little India’s delicious food traps

I’ve been to South India where these people from Penang are from, and I tasted the original dishes. The conclusion is that Penang’s Indian food is not any worse than any Tamil Nadu’s dish, and most times it is even more delicious. I’m not the only one to say it. In a food paradise like Penang Island, Indian food has a special place: Little India is the area where it obviously most abounds, and where you can spend some interesting moments sampling different kinds of mouthwatering delicacies. One of my favorites are the vegetable samosas you can find at the corner of Jalan Market.0.50 rm gets you a piece of paradise, try and tell me. Hands down, the best and cheapest (plus cleanest) restaurant is definitely Woodlands: eat good and healthy vegetarian Indian food, sample the thick gravys, and be hooked for life. Indian food in Penang is able to let you stay and extra week, sometimes, so be careful!

4 Hungry Ghost Festival

Held for a month between August and September, the Hungry Ghost Festival is the Chinese version of Halloween: during this time the dead are supposed to come back from the Gates of Hell to demand something to the living. This is why for the whole month the incautious traveler keeps asking himself why all of those people are burning things on the streets, and the fire brigade is always around, ready to intervene if the flames get too high?? The best part of it comes during the last week, when the ceremonies reach their most dramatic moments: temple possessions with monks whipping each other, people walking on broken glass, spirits talking in high pitched voices from the ridiculously corrugated faces of old, fat Chinese men, and the final big burning, when every clan has to burn a 3 to 5 meters high paper statue of the God of Hell…. Believe me, the Wicker Man is still kicking his ball in the playground.

3 Upper Penang Road Clubs

Malaysian Night Life is posh, curvaceous and expensive. It really is. Kuala Lumpur boosts some of the poshest clubs and discos in the nation, and Penang comes second with its Upper Penang Road which seems to get relatively overlooked by the people coming by. If you have some cash to shell out and don’t mind waitresses who’ll do anything to pour another drop of beer in your glass so you’ll have to buy more, this is the place to go. Rarely human eyes have seen Asian beauties so awesomely geared up with stilettos, miniskirts and make up to kill the night away like in this place… Wednesday it is Ladies’ Night, and the atmosphere becomes even hotter.

2 Silambam Nilaikalakki

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxaaF9v8rXw

Penang gets interesting when you get to know its underbelly: the good things don’t hang out in Chulia Street. If you are interested in martial arts, Penang is one of the few places in the world where, if you have dedication and time to spend, you can learn the ancient Indian art of stick fighting, Silambam. Originally from the hills of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Silambam is taught in Penang by Master Anbananthan: you need to carefully follow his teachings to get to master the syllabus, before venturing into your own path of self development. Silambam is foremost a healthy practice, like Yoga, with intricate flowing techniques, and then becomes an efficient combat system. You cannot learn it in one day, for it takes roughly seven years to become a master; but if you have time on the island, you can definitely give it a go and learn some of the basics to enhance your health, since Silambam mostly improves the blood circulation. If you want to know more or participate, feel free to contact me and I’ll give you more detailed information.

1 Balik Pulau

Before turning into one of the biggest industrial centers of Malaysia and Southeast Asia, Penang was a beautiful island, a place densely covered by nature, with coconut trees lining up its shores and sleepy villagers pushing their ox carts trough the rice paddies. While Penang is certainly not like that anymore, some of its areas still retain some of the old charm: Balik Pulau is the best example. A sleepy and rural suburb in the lower West corner of the island, this is the place to go if you want to escape from the increasingly crazy traffic jams, the crowds and the steamy afternoons in Georgetown. Ride a pushbike, sat under the coconut trees and immerse yourself in the natural scenery, and if you dare, try to taste some of the Durian fruit readily available, but if you do, consider staying away from your girlfriend that same night… it can produce some uncontrollable foul smells from every hole in your body, mouth included…don’t tell me later I didn’t warn you!

Penang Island is one of the most interesting places in Malaysia, and definitely one of the most famous stops along the South East Asian tourist trail.  Nicknamed as “the Pearl of the Orient” and recently boosting a superior facility development, it truly amazes me that, out of 10 people I talk to, at least half come up with the following statement, enforced with anxious lip movements and eyeball rolling:

“I don’t like Georgetown”

This is it, the sentence which all sorts of travelers seem to prefer when addressing to Penang Island. They hate Georgetown. After more than a year calling this place home, I felt compelled to try to write down a top 10 list of the best to do in Penang… which is an island, after all, and cannot be reduced to the snobbish statement of those backpackers who, on the sole purpose of obtaining a Thai tourist visa, don’t even dare to leave the backpacker ghetto concoction of Lebuh Chulia, Love Lane and Muntri Street in Georgetown. It is for a reason that these people get bored and call an Island with the name of a suburb!! Let me help you out to find the beauty of Penang Island and discover some of its hidden places.

10 Drink Cheap at Antarabangsa

The main reason why Western tourists hate Malaysia is the higher price of alcohol because of the taxes enforced by the predominant Muslim government.   Sadly, it is true. But just behind the corner from the God of Mercy temple, at the northernmost end of Muntri Street, there is a little bar which might alone change your Penang experience in matter of seconds. I am talking about Antarabangsa. This word means “International” in Malay, although the only internationality you might find seems to be of Indian descent. A Chinese run enterprise, this place has the cheapest booze on the island, with the cheapest beers to be sold at 3.5 rm (around 1 US$). You can even get bottles of Burmese Orang Utan whiskey for 4rm a piece (around 1.25$)!! Isn’t this what every backpacker coming in from the booze luxury of Southern Thailand wants?  The picturesque backdrop of the Chinese tiles of the God of Mercy temple, the rugged tables, the total lack of comfort and style and the back-alley trash atmosphere make Antarabangsa the best dive I ever encountered during my trips across the East Asian landmass… proud to be a customer ever since I got introduced to it.

9 Kek Lok Si Temple

Dominating the view of the island while standing on top of the multi storey pagoda perched on the western side of Kek Lok Si temple is one of the highlights of every visit to Penang.  Being the biggest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, is definitely a place not to miss. It is so colorful and abundant in carvings and statues that you might easily spend a whole afternoon exploring its halls and quiet gardens. In 2002, a 30 meters tall statue of goddess Kuan Yin was completed and now rules over the Eastern side of the temple, from where it is lovely to relax observing the cityscape melting slowly into the sea. The best time to visit is definitely during Chinese New Year celebrations, when the temple literally lights up adorned by thousands of votive lanterns… a photographer dream coming true.

8 Thaipusam Festival

Please, try to come to Penang during the weekend when the Indian Festival Thaipusam is held, usually around the end of January. Literally hundreds of Indians pay homage to their Gods in the most particular way:  piercing their tongues and faces with metal skewers, hanging hundreds of small votive spheres to their flesh using little hooks, and carrying the giant Kavadis on their shoulders… you’ll be also lucky enough to witness people pulling trucks loaded with statues of Shiva, Anuman and the likes using their bare backs… how? With big hooks pierced in their flesh, of course!! This is the most savage, amazing and entertaining festival I’ve seen in Malaysia…and probably in the rest of Asia, too. The streets are literally closed down to allow the procession to flow into the main Waterfall Temple, and you will be forced to dance and party till the wee hours, helped to keep standing by the copious amount of free refreshment handed gently to the participants… literally, a must!

7 Hiking at Teluk Bahang National Park

Many people are in such a rush to get to Taman Negara and have most likely a disappointing experience there, that they just overlook this stretch of pristine rainforest perched on the Northwestern corner of Penang Island. Two moderately hard trekking routes lead you to the two best beaches in Penang, Pantai Keracut, where it is possible to see Marine Turtles’ nests, and Monkey Beach, where you better secure your backpack to something solid to avoid the Grey Bearded macaques’ snatch attacks.  A beautiful corner of the island which seldom sees many travelers venturing by… it is also possible to take showers in the National Park Offices before getting back on the frequent bus 101 to Georgetown.

6 Chowrasta Book Market

What would you expect from a wet market? The same smorgasbord of colors, smells, meats and pyramids of vegetables found in any Asian market? Yes, but Chowrasta, a market building situated along the main artery Penang Road in front of the Police Station, has even more. If you venture at the back and climb a tiny metal ladder, you will be taken back in the world of 80’s and 90’s paperbacks… books are expensive in Malaysia, and this is the place where to scout for bargains. Literally thousands of books are piled up in tiny shops scattered all along the corridors of the market area… whatever your pick is, you’ll find something able to raise your interest: It is even possible, for the hardcore travel collectors, to find very old and rare editions of Lonely Planet titles… I just saw the first edition of “China” the other day… be prepared to spare a few long, busy and dusty hours to unearth some hidden gem from this rarity museum!

TO BE CONTINUED

A few days ago, something quite cool and unique arrived in the port of Penang.  We got notified by Georgetown Events which, with a quick message on Facebook, invited people to go and have a look to the Jewel of Muscat, a wooden boat which, having started sailing in Oman, arrived in Penang on its way to Singapore. It is quite amazing to see a wooden boat, and a small one, capable of such an undertaking: sailing the Arabain Sea and the Bay of Bengal from Oman, Middle east, to Singapore, South East Asia, in under 4 months.
There were quite a lot of people queuing up to see this strange little boat: we waited under a scorching afternoon sun for a few minutes, before being let into the pier. Walking down a few meters, here we are in front of this little floating marvel which, in grand style, has sailed two oceans, and two of the biggest, and probably scariest ones. At least, according to my vision from the Indian coasts, the Ocean there is quite strong and looks menacing, with those high waves.

A crew of 16 people, belonging to 6 nationalities, has overtaken an epic journey, rolling and shaking among the waves. From Oman to Malaysia, hell yeah, it’s a long way. At first you wouldn’t think such a small boat could shelter so many people, but a quick chat with a very nice Sri Lanka crew man confirms that yes, they have 16 bunks there. When we asked them why they did it, his answer was plain and simple, accompanied by an infectious smile: they want to prove that it is still possible to sail with a wooden boat. Damn the metal, the plastic and the aluminum, if they made it with wood back in the day and they discovered the world, why shouldn’t they do it? And so, they did it, with a little financial help from the Sultan of Oman, who is going to gift this boat to Singapore and its new maritime museum.

The great thing about this boat is the style: I thought I was wrong or something was too similar, but hey, isn’t that stitched up wood exactly the same as those boats we just recently saw on the coasts of Kerala, in India? Yes it is. A bouncy, mean stripe of stitching along the wood. That is keralan style, and the Sri Lanka man rapidly confirms my hypotesis. “Yes, a few guys from Kerala have been invited to Oman to build the boat their way, the best way around when dealing with wood, boats and waters”. I am amazed how life is a concatenation of events which always end up showing me I am starting to have been in a lot of places, and I make sense of things myself. Pretty cool.

It’s almost time to go, when I am asked about my nationality, proudly saying that my English accent is not Italian. Yay. When I say Italian, the Sri Lanka man smiles and introduces me to an Italian member of the crew. I thought he was from New Zealand, for some strange reason, when I first saw him standing on the deck and talking to people. His name is Alessandro and is an archeologist. I didn’t exactly get the way he ended up on the Jewel of Muscat because we just have a few minutes to talk together, since one of the security guards asks us to go back, because one of the jetty’s foundation poles has supposedly started shaking. So off we go, wondering how many Italians are into adventure as much as I am. If that guy was on that boat, maybe at times I am wrong. I think it’d be cool if we’d all knew each other, and make something good out of some pretty cool alliance. This said, the idea of getting on a boat and do something like this, sadly or not, is starting to buzz at the back of my mind…. go slow, monkey.