Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Oktoberfest

　　I don't remember when it started, but the German traditional event of "Oktoberfest" has come to take place every autumn in some big cities in Japan. I supposed that the event was held only in big cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo. However, it was held this autumn in my hometown, Matsuyama city. It was apparently its second year. This "Oktoberfest" is derived from Munich, and I was able to enjoy a variety of German beer with lots of kinds of sausages here in Matsuyama. I was so happy! I attended the event with my daughter, who had studied in Freiburg in Germany several years ago. She looked like she was remembering the nostalgic scenery of Freiburg.

 

Bashi Channel

　　This article is the last blog entry about this trip. I'll upload several pictures shot from or in the cabin. I clearly saw Kota Kinabalu(KK) and its surroundings, even each house along the shore of Gaya Island off the coast of KK. The opposite side of the island is the resort hotel area and the island shows different features on both sides.
　　I saw Burnei Bay on the way from Kuala Lumpur to KK in the distance, but cloud hampered a clear view. I wanted to see it again on the way to Japan, but our plane seemed to head north just after taking off to the east. I wasn't able to shoot the bay as well as the disputed artificial islands built by China.
　　It's not generally known, but the principal fleet of the Japanese Imperial Navy started from here for the Naval battle off the coast of Leyte Island in 1944. I wanted to imagine the view of Burnei Bay in which the Battleship Yamato or Musashi floated. Further back in history, that Magellan fleet anchored in this bay. They would never be able to even imagine that human beings would see scenery from the sky like birds.
　　The in-flight meal was served. I don't know whether it was delicious or not, if it was served on the ground, but I like in-flight meals. I ate the leftovers of my wife and ordered a small bottle of wine, which was great. After a while, the screen on the back of the front seat showed that the plane was flying over Bashi Channel. The uncle of my wife was killed here by a torpedo from a U.S. submarine on his way to the Philippines in 1944. He was a hopeful surgeon. We observed about a minute's silence.
　　Just before arrival at Narita International Airport, I happened to spot the former Katori Air Station. The attack team of Kamikaze for Iwoto Island departed from this station. I'd like to visit the site.

(Vocabulary)
Brunei Bay ブルネイ湾
Naval battle off the coast of Leyte Island レイテ沖海戦

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバル－成田の機内にて

マレーシア旅行の最後の記事になる。ここでは帰りの飛行機の中で撮影した写真をupする。飛行機からコタキナバルの街がよく見えた。ＫＫの沖に浮かぶガヤ島の、海上で暮らす人々の家もはっきりと見えた。この島の反対側はリゾートホテルが並んでいるのだが、表と裏で全く性質のことなる島だ。
　
クアラルンプールからコタキナバルへの途中で遠くにブルネイ湾が見えた。そのときは雲に邪魔されたのでこのフライトできれいに見えたら良いなと思っていたが、やはり日本に向けて北上するようで、ブルネイ湾をカメラに収めることはできなかった。シナが造っている人工島も見えず。
　
あまり知られていないが、レイテ沖海戦に向かう日本帝国海軍主力部隊はここから出撃したのだ。武蔵も、大和も。ブルネイ湾に大和、武蔵を始めとした多数の艦船が浮かんでいる姿を想像したかった。更に歴史をさかのぼると１６世紀にはあのマゼラン艦隊もブルネイ湾に入港している。空からこのように眺められる日が来るとは想像だにしなかっただろうな。
　
そして写真は機内食。地上で食べて美味しいかどうかわからないが、飛行機の中の食事は楽しい。家内の残りも平らげてワインをもらって映画を見る。しばらくすると、機内に設置されたディスプレイがバシー海峡にさしかかったことを示した。ここは家内の伯父が軍医としてフィリピンへ向かう途中、戦死した場所。二人で黙祷した。
　
成田到着直前、香取航空基地跡が目に留まった。ここから硫黄島へ神風特攻隊が出撃したのだ。一度訪問したいものだ。

Taking Off

　　Kota Kinabalu International Airport was not so big, and its duty-free shopping area, which you often see in various airports after departure formalities, was very small. I had too much time. I spent the flight waiting time taking pictures of unfamiliarly painted planes or writing trip memos in a cafe called "Jesselton", in which we had the last drink in Malaysia, "Teh tarik".
　　This trip to Malaysia was brought about by welcoming a Malaysian schoolgirl to my home, who was sent to Japan through "Youth Camp Exchange", one of the programs of the International Lions Club. I was completely indifferent to Malaysia before her visit. I got the impression that people in Malaysia were kind and its security level was high, at least in the places where international tourists gather. Malaysia was really a tourism nation and was a pro-Japanese country. I'll visit the country again.

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルを発つ

国際空港とはいってもあまり大きな空港ではなく、空港内にはあまり見て回るところがなかった。少し時間をもて余した。珍しいカラーリングの飛行機の撮影やブログ記事の作成をしながら過ごした。マレーシアで最後に飲んだドリンクがTeh tarikで、店は空港内にあったJesselton という名前の店だった。
　
国際ライオンズクラブのプログラムの一つ（ＹＣＥ）で若者を我が家に受け入れたことで、このマレーシア旅行が実現した。興味の無かった国が一人の高校生を介して身近な国になった。有り難いことだ。マレーシア全体の印象としては、人々が優しく、治安が良い感じがした。もちろん、一般観光客が立ち入る場所に限ってのことではあるが。マレーシアはまさに観光立国で楽しい旅行だった。親日国でもある。また必ず行くことになるだろう。

 

Kota Kinabalu International Airport

　　We would return to Japan by direct flight from Kota Kinabalu(KK), though we came to KK via Kuala Lumpur from Japan. Giving up the delicious breakfast, which was included in the hotel fee, we left our hotel so early and still in darkness. We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport before dawn. The taxi driver, whom a hotel staff called, was amiable and he looked happy with all smiles when I said, "We'll be back again."
　　Just after the arrival, we checked-in our luggage and then took seats by the window of the cafe toward the east. To tell the truth, it was all right if we had started the day an hour later, but I had a reason to have to get to the airport before sunrise. Mt. Kinabalu was it!
　　I approached the base of Mt. Kinabalu on Sept. 2nd, but it was raining and I wasn't able to view its summit. Then, N chan's father advised me to see it from the airport and its silhouette against the rising sun was beyond description. I followed his advice. My digital camera was not powerful enough to inform you of the magnificence of Mt. Kinabalu. I heard the best season for climbing was spring. I'd like to visit KK again in spring!

(Vocabulary)
be all smiles 満面に笑みを浮かべる

マレーシア旅行記：　空港から朝日に映えるキナバル山を望む
　
ホテルの宿泊料に含まれる美味しい朝食を我慢して夜明け前の空港に着いた。ホテルのフロントで呼んでもらったタクシーの運転手も感じの良い人だった。また来るよと挨拶すると、本当に嬉しそうな顔をしていた。
　
空港到着後すぐに、スーツケースを預けて近くのカフェの窓に近い席に座った。空港到着を１時間くらい遅くしても問題は無かったのだが、実は早く来たい理由があった。キナバル山だ。
　
先日近くまで行ったのに雨で見えなかったキナバル山だが、晴れていたら空港から見えるとＮちゃんパパに聞いていたのだ。そして今日は晴れ！キナバル山に朝日が昇るという。小さなデジカメでは迫力が伝わらないと思うが、美しい景色だった。登山するにはベストシーズンは春と聞いた。次回は春にまた来ることにしよう。

The Last Night in Kota Kinabalu

　　The white and elegant appearance of the building of the Sabah Tourism Board in the first picture, which used to be a post office built in 1918, reminded me of the plantation times of Kota Kinabalu(KK). It seemed to be acknowledged as one of the historical buildings. We should have visited the board on the first KK day, but we didn't need their help, because N chan's family helped us seeing around KK. I was interested in its building itself, however, and dropped by at the last moment before closing time. I wore a well-worn hat with a pin badge of the Lions Club meaning the friendship between Japan and Malaysia. It triggered an enjoyable chat with staff members of the tourism board. I had fun. We chose the local cuisine, Bak kut teh, at the seaside outdoor restaurant as the last dinner in KK, but weren't able to shoot pictures, because my fingers were sweaty and greasy.
　　The 3rd picture shows the description of a monument for soldiers who died for the defence of Sabah Province. What had happened between 1963 and 1966? I learned about that at night. Sabah Province was still struggling to survive in those days. The departed would be the generation of my father. The following monument is for people who died in the 1st World War.
　　The next picture also shows a description of a monument. I didn't understand it. In the description, "British North Borneo" was added to "Sabah" and the plate says, "Australian armed forces defended Sabah". Against who? Borneo had been controlled by the East India Company for more than 300 years, and Japan triggered its independence. I have to study the history of Borneo furthermore and elaborately, but might it be a distortion of history? I became eager to read the history textbook of Malaysian kids. As you will know, seeing Japan, the manipulation of history will have enormous repercussions in the nation. I felt the same feeling in the Sabah Museum, but is it difficult to investigate the real history from the neutral point of view for the multiracial Malaysia?
　　Anyway, Goodbye, KK! I'll be back again. I've left lots of things to do in Malaysia.

(Vocabulary)
well-worn〈衣服・靴などが〉着［履き］古した；〈家具などが〉 使い古した
multiracial 多民族から成る
a multiracial society 多民族社会

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルでの最後の日の夜に思う
　
１枚目の写真は１９１８年に建てられた郵便局を利用したサバ州観光局(Sabah Tourism Board)。白くエレガントな外観で植民地時代を彷彿とさせる建物で、歴史の臭いがプンプンしていると思ったら歴史的建造物として認定されているとか。本来はコタキナバル初日に訪問すべきだったが、案内してくれたＮちゃんファミリーがいたので観光で困ることがなく、結局最後の日の夕方、終業時刻ぎりぎりになっての立ち寄りとなった。帽子に付けていたライオンズクラブのピンバッジ（日本とマレーシアの国旗も添えられている）にスタッフが気がつきちょっと楽しい会話ができた。最後の夜はＫＫ名物のバクテーと地元のビール。夕暮れの海岸での食事は手が汗と油で汚れていて写真を撮らず。ご勘弁。そして街歩き。
　
３枚目の写真はマレーシア政府によって建てられた１９６３年から６６年にかけてサバ州を防衛する職務中に無くなった軍人の方々の慰霊碑の銘板。この期間に何があったのかとこの夜勉強。僕が小学生の頃、この地はまだもがいていたことを知った。亡くなったのは親父の世代の若者たちだろう。次はすぐそばにあった別の銘板。第１次世界大戦で亡くなった人々を悼むもの。
　
その次の慰霊碑の意味は理解不能。『サバ州』にわざわざ『イギリス統治下のボルネオ島』と説明を付け、サバ州を防衛するために亡くなったオーストラリア軍人の慰霊碑をオーストラリア政府がＫＫの中心に建てている、、、、歴史の改ざんではないか？詳しく勉強してみないとなんとも言えないが、植民地解放を企てた日本からボルネオ島を守ったとでも言いたいのだろうか？子供たちに渡されている歴史教科書を読んでみたくなった。今の日本を見たらわかるように歴史の改ざんは長期にわたる悪影響をもたらす。サバ州立博物館でも感じたことだが、歴史研究に真っ正面から取り組むことは多民族国家ゆえに難しいことなのだろうか。
　
さようならＫＫ！　きっとまた来るよ。やり残したことがあるからね。

Gaya Street Market

　　We came back to Gaya Street along which our hotel was located. Lots of people descended on the street and it was just chaos, but it was a joyful kind of chaos. Walking through the streets which draws not only the tourists but local people made me really happy. There were lots of kinds of items displayed. Especially tropical fruits attracted me, but I was anxious about eating something for the first time. If you have a stomach problem during the trip, you'll end up having to stop or modify the schedule. For this reason, I didn't eat unheated food which I hadn't eaten before when I was out of Japan. However, the fresh coconut fruit juice didn't let me go for 10 or 20 minutes. I was staring at the processing of several coconut fruits. I got to the brink of buying it, but I was intimidated with other customers snapping up the fruits.

(Vocabulary)
descend on sb/sth [句動詞] 〈多くの人が〉 ＜…＞に押しかける, 押し寄せる
felt intimidated 相手の勢いに押される
snap up [句動詞]　＜特売品など＞を我先にと買う, に飛びつく

マレーシア旅行記：　ガヤ通りマーケット　食べたいが、、、手が出ず（泣）

ホテルが面しているガヤ通りに帰ってきた。大混雑である。が、楽しい部類の混雑だ。こういう地元の人が集まるマーケットは楽しい。いろいろなものが扱われている。食べてみたい食材がいろいろあった。しかし、不慣れなものを食べるのは怖いし、身体を壊すと限られた時間しか無い海外旅行の時間がもったいないということでこれまでの海外旅行でも非加熱のものはほとんど食べなかった。しかし、椰子の実のジュースには惹かれた。１０分か２０分くらい、椰子の実などの解体をじっと見ていた。随分迷ったが、やめた。観光客か地元の人か、我先に飛びついているので、ちょっと気が引けたこともある。

The Heritage Village

　　We stepped into the Heritage Village, which was built outside. I can't express how vast it was by a certain figure, but there were several houses, called Longhause, an old-style theater, a few large and small marshes, and the woods in a considerably wide area. What attracted me most was the simple structure of their traditional houses, which looked fragile and shabby to me. Then, abruptly, the image of thatched roof houses in Shirakawago in Japan, which were figured out to survive whether a hot summer or bitterly cold winter in the same era of Borneo's longhouses, came up to me. I admired the device of our Japanese ancestors on Borneo Island. We'd like to see how it is in Gaya street, and returned to the street.

マレーシア旅行記：　サバ州立博物館　屋外展示を見て

どのくらいの広さなのか数字で表すことができないのだが、かなり広い場所に、数件の家屋、劇場、沼、森などが広がっていた。家はロングハウスと呼ばれる集合住宅だった。温暖な地だからこそこういった建物で良かったのだろうが、もろく、みすぼらしくは見えた。同時期に白川郷の合掌造りなどを作り上げていた日本とは比べるべくもない。ガヤ通りが気になっていたため一回りしてホテルへ戻った。

Sabah Museum, Miscellaneous Thoughts

　　In the main building of the Sabah Museum, visitors were sparse, as opposed to Gaya Street. Using dioramas and stuffed animals, the museum might be said to have elaborated on their displays in a sense, but the exhibition of Malaysian natural science seemed to have gotton behind across the board. There was no audio guidance. The old pictures and their descriptions for their tradition were like a cultural festival in high schools. Several agricultural or hunting tools were also displayed, but I felt something incomplete in them. They wouldn't yet be able to invest enough funds in such non money-begetting - at least directly - facilities or works of scholarships.
　　As opposed to scarce documentation, historical materials were well prepared. The restored traditional house with the decoration of human skulls - it would be a replica, I believed - was set indoors. The native peoples' ancient tradition of head hunting was elaborately illustrated. Pictures of the real head hunting tribes were exhibited on the wall with a detailed account. I wasn't able to read all of them due to limited time, but scanning them, their ancient custom of head hunting was not simple cannibalism, but deeply religious. They'd like to receive good fortune by placing some human skulls inside the house. The men who hunted human skulls were respected in their community and were able to get partners. The custom of head hunting was apparently not for eating humans. The museum would be built being intensely aware of international tourists, I thought.
　　On the other hand, I didn't see any record of the 1st and 2nd World Wars in the museum. After the 2nd World War, the country had seen difficult times and survived. The history that they went out of slavery status and became independent after the 2nd World War must be critically important. There was vast vacant space on the third floor of the museum. I'm not sure, but they might be setting further displays from now on. I'm keenly interested in what point of view they'll take when they explain their post-war history.
　　By the way, a Malay word "Harimau" caught my eye on a description board. You would know about a Japanese, who had been nicknamed "Harimau" in the 2nd World War. It seemed to mean "Leopard" in Malay. Taking his achievement into account, Harimau must be an ideal nickname. He was a real hero for both Japanese and Malay. The British would have hated him, though.

(Vocabulary)
across the board 　全面的に
sparse
a sparsely populated area 人口のまばらな地域
beget (フォーマル) …を生む, …の原因となる
scholarship [U] 学識, 学問
a work of great scholarship 優れた学術研究

マレーシア旅行記：　サバ州立博物館

ガヤ通りの人出に比べ博物館本館には来場者が非常に少なかった。ジオラマや動物の剥製など工夫を凝らしたと言えないこともないが、博物館は全面的に自然科学系の展示が遅れていた。音声案内もなく、伝統文化については高校生の文化祭のようなポスターと写真があるのみ。実際に使われた農具や狩猟の道具の展示もあったが、説明が稚拙だと感じた。歴史、文化の展示などお金にならない分野に資金をつぎ込むことはまだできないのだろう。

そのなかで、首刈りの風習についての説明は多かった。レプリカだろうとは思うが頭蓋骨などをぶら下げてある首刈族の家の中を再現したり、実際の写真を掲示していた。全掲示物を読む時間は無かったが、首を刈る風習は単なるcannibalism（人肉を食う風習, 食人）ではなく、宗教的なものであると書かれていた。頭蓋骨を置くことで家庭に幸せを呼ぶとか、首を刈った男は一人前として認められるとか、女性を惹きつけるとか、そういった意味合いのものだったらしい。この博物館はやはり、海外からの旅行者を意識して造られているなと感じた。

一方、大東亜戦後の歴史についてはほとんど触れておらず、展示物のない広いスペースがあった。これから展示物を準備していくのだろうか。近代史を取り上げるのだろうか？どのような視点で歴史を俯瞰するのか、非常に興味がある。余談だが、ハリマオという単語があったので写真に収めた。怪傑ハリマオのハリマオである。豹を意味するマレー語のようです。日本人にとってもマレーシア人にとっても彼はヒーローでしたね。イギリスにとっては悪魔に見えたでしょうが。（笑）

 

Sabah Museum

　　I saw some serious news on the front page of a newspaper, which was delivered to our room for free. It told that a patient infected with the Zika virus had died in Sabah province where we were. I hoped that the quarantine procedure entering Japan wouldn't be influenced by it.
　　I was interested in items which were displayed under the numerous blue tents which were seen under the window, but we decided to visit the Sabah Museum at first, because we couldn't figure out how long it would take to see all the exhibition. We walked through the bunch of tents at a brisk pace and took a taxi to buy time, though I wanted to use the public bus service. The driver was really kind and we took his taxi on our way back. I felt that most people in KK were amiable, as I felt alike in Kuala Lumpur. A person whom we met last night in a restaurant kindly helped us order dishes. Such little kindnesses which we receive in strange countries makes me happy. I realized that I should be kind to international visitors in Japan.
　　The museum consisted of two buildings; the Main Building and the Heritage Village. As we approached the main building, its distinctive shape caught my eye. According to the driver's story, it derived from the traditional folk houses of the Rungus and Murut tribes. Those houses are called Rungus or Murut Longhouses.

(Vocabulary)
Sabah Museum　サバ州立博物館
brisk 〈足取りなどが〉 きびきびした, 活発な
a brisk walk 早足の散歩
buy time 時間を稼ぐ
Rungus ルングス族
Murut ムルット族

マレーシア旅行記：　ジカウイルス！　サバ州立博物館へ

部屋に届けられた新聞の一面にジカウイルスで患者が死亡したというニュース。なんと我々のいるサバ州の話だった。帰国時に成田で、検疫で時間をロスすることが無ければ良いのだが、、
　
窓から見えるテントの中でどんな物が売られているのか楽しみだが、今日はまずはサバ州立博物館へ向かうことにした。ガヤ通りを足早に抜けた後、サバ州立博物館へ向かった。マレーシアに到着してからまだバスに乗ったことが無かったのでバスに乗りたかったのだが、時間を稼ぐためにタクシーを利用した。運転手は実に親切な人で、電話番号を聞いて帰りも利用することにした。クアラルンプールでも感じたが、総じて親切な人が多いような気がした。昨夜のレストランでの通訳もしかり。訪れた国でのこんな小さな親切がその国のファンを増やすのだろうなあと思う。日本に帰ったら外国からのお客さんに親切にしなくてはいけないなと思う。
　
博物館は本館とヘリテージ・ビレッジから構成されている。本館に近づくとその独特の形が目に入った。運転手によるとルングス族、ムルット族のロングハウスを模したものという。

Sunday Morning on Gaya Street

　　The name of our hotel in Kota Kinabalu(KK) was the Jesselton Hotel, which was built during the rule of Britain, and its name was derived from the old name of KK, Jesselton. Inside the hotel, the atmosphere was that of Britain, though I've never been to Britain up to now. I chose this hotel for two reasons; its British atmosphere and it faced Gaya street.
　　On every Sunday, Gaya street becomes a pedestrian mall, and it sounds like the busiest area in KK. This day was Sunday. If you see the street, you might think that this street can't turn into a shopping street with trees, narrow sidewalks and irregular medial strips. However, take a look at the first and second pictures, which were shot at 6:45 am and 8:30 am respectively. The whole street was covered with tents, and the street changed into a big square. We were having breakfast at a restaurant adjacent to the lobby and were able to observe the preparation.
　　We saw the celebrating ceremony of their Independence Day in Kuala Lumpur and we were able to enjoy the Sunday mall on Gaya street here in KK. My wife told me that we were very lucky to experience both events. She seemed to think that we came across those events by chance. It was not true. They were scheduled in advance by me. Every trip starts at the moment of planning it for me.

(Vocabulary)
Gaya Street　ガヤ通り　JL.Gaya(マレー語)
precinct
1 [C](米) 行政区
2 [C](米) (特定地域の主要な) 警察署
3 precincts 《複数扱い》 (大学・大聖堂などの) 構内, 敷地
4 [C](英) (町の商業地区にある) 歩行者専用区域　pedestrian precinct, shopping precinct

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルを歩く

コタキナバル（ＫＫ）で泊まったホテルはジェッセルトンホテルという。ＫＫはその昔ジェッセルトンと呼ばれており、その名を冠したイギリス統治時代の名残を残す英国風のホテルである。内部を見てみたいという気持ちと、このホテルがガヤ通りに面しているからここを選んだ。
　
日曜の朝にはこの通りがホコ天となりＫＫでもっとも賑わうと聞いた。そして今日がその日曜日。昨夜の写真を見ていただくとおわかりと思うが、とてもホコ天とはなり得ないような通りだった。が、朝６時４５分の写真が１枚目、８時３０分には２枚目となった。道路が見事に広場と化した。朝食をホテル１階のレストランで摂っていたため準備の様子がよく見えた。
　
クアラルンプールでの独立記念日祝賀式典、そして今日のガヤ通りのホコ天と、上手い具合に良いところが見れたねとかみさんが言うが、、、、実は織り込み済みのことだ。旅行は計画を立てる段階からもう始まっている。

Night Walking

　　Before my first visit to Borneo island, I had assumed that its climate would be harsh, considering its position on the globe, but it was more pleasant than I expected. I went out for a walk after supper. The night breeze on the seashore was really comfortable with a magnificent view of the sunset glow on the South China Sea. People on the esplanade looked happy.
　　I found a restaurant from our room, which was written up in my guidebook as one of the most popular restaurants. The Malaysian and Singaporean local cuisine of "Bak kut teh" was exclusively recommended. I was interested in that local cuisine, but the N chan family, who had helped us to communicate with local people in Malay or Cantonese, had gone at that time.
　　However, seeing lots of people gathering around the restaurant, the guts to try to communicate with the waiters or waitresses in Mandarin came to me and we went to the restaurant across the street from our hotel. Regrettably, my Mandarin didn't work well, but a customer at our neighboring table helped us to order dishes in English. The taste of the dish was really great! Let me remark, in passing, that I realized that Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese are completely different from each other.
　　I was going to make an elaborate sightseeing plan for the next and last day, but ended sitting up late without doing that to watch a Japanese manga, "Doraemon" on T.V., who spoke in Malay.

(Vocabulary)
sunset glow 夕焼け
esplanade /ésplənèɪd, èsplənéɪd || èsplənéɪd/ [名] [C]  (海岸などの広い) 遊歩道
write up:
write sth ↔ up ＜…＞を（よく見える所に）書く
The teacher wrote the word up on the blackboard. 先生は黒板にその単語をよく見えるように書いた．
be written up(米)〈レストラン・映画などが〉新聞［雑誌］で取り上げられる
Millie's Diner got written up in Details magazine. ミリーの飲食店がディテールズ誌で取り上げられた．
write sb up(米) ＜人＞の犯罪［悪事］について報告書を書く
They wrote me up for being late again. また遅刻したことについて報告書を書かれた．
Bak kut teh 肉骨茶（バクテーもしくはパクテー）はマレーシア及びシンガポールの鍋料理で、その発音から、Bak kut tehと綴られる。
Let me remark, in passing, that... ついでに言っておくが

マレーシア旅行記：　ボルネオ島コタキナバルの海岸を散歩

赤道直下の国だからさぞかし暑いだろうと思っていたが、意外に過ごしやすく、夕食後海岸を歩いてみた。夜の心地よい風に吹かれて、美しい夕焼けを見ることができた。海岸の遊歩道でには大勢の人々が思い思いに過ごしていた。

ホテルに戻り部屋の真正面の店がかなり混んでいるのを見つけた。旅行ガイドを調べてみると、おすすめの人気店ということでこの店が載っているではないか。バクテー（肉骨茶、Bak kut teh）の専門店だとある。どんな食べ物なのだろうかと興味があったが、今日は案内をしてくれたＮちゃんファミリーはいない。しかし、いっちょ片言のシナ語（普通語、北京語）で挑戦してみようかと出かけた。結果、まったく通じず、そばにいた人が英語で通訳してくれてバクテーを楽しむことができた。余談だが、いわゆるシナ語（北京語、普通語、標準語）と広東語とは全く異なる言語だと言うことをはっきりと理解した。

さて、コタキナバルの休日もあと翌日の１日を残すだけ。翌日の綿密な計画を立てて就寝と思ったがテレビでマレー語を話すドラエモンが始まった。少し夜更かし、、、(^_^;)。

Miscellaneous Thoughts On The Way Back

　　I'm writing about the scenery from the train in this entry. When I was staying in Kota Kinabalu(KK), I didn't mind if the sewage system in KK was ok or not, but the sanitary conditions along the railroad looked poor. The sewage line seemed not to be constructed. Children running out of the houses along the railroad waved their hands at us with big smiles. Seeing them, we weren't able to help waving back with smiles. Viewing houses and local people, I found that there weren't any dogs. The Malaysian schoolgirl, N chan, who had stayed at my house for a week last year, keeps seven indoor dogs. At the risk of over-generalizing, I think that in most cases the plusses of pet ownership for kids outweigh the negatives. Why didn't we see dogs in KK? I found an army base along the railroad. Military vehicles were parked in the vast ground, but there were only a few soldiers who guarded the entrance.
　　There was a park in the suburb of KK, named "Petagas Memorial Garden" in English and "Taman Peringatan Petagas" in Malay, and "神山遊撃隊紀念公園" in Chinese. Immediately, I took my camera out of my pocket, but the timing of shooting was a little late. As I remembered the first two Chinese characters of the park, I searched the internet for the correct name of the park. Finally I found that and saw its pictures. I'll upload a clearer picture of the park citing from the net.
　　After coming back to Japan, I searched the Internet for information on the park. It seemed to be a memorial facility for victims of the so-called Jesselton Revolt, which had broken out in the time of the Japanese Military Administration. It is embarrassing to admit, but I did not know about this incident before this visit to Borneo Island. I looked for documents about it. As far as I examined the case, only the extremely emotional stories were handed down, which were seemingly used for information warfare rather than for historical facts.
　　However, what matters here is the fact that people in north Borneo are learning about the Jesselton Revolt as a scene of their history and shaping their view toward Japan. Japanese people who visit KK should know that such stories are prevalent in KK. Personally, I felt that the incident would be in a similar vein as the Chinese communists' propaganda of the Nanking Massacre or the stories of sex slaves made up by Korean people. I was not able to visit the park, but if I could have, what atomosphere would I pick up on?

(Vocabulary)
Jesselton Revolt アピ事件　現在はコタキナバルとなっているアピで起きた事件
アピ事件の犠牲者を追悼する施設名：
[英語]Petagas Memorial Garden
[マレー語]Taman Peringatan Petagas
[シナ語]神山遊撃隊紀念公園
information warfare 情報戦争

マレーシア旅行記：　北ボルネオ鉄道乗車、車窓から思うこと
　
ここでは車窓から見た景色について書く。コタキナバル（ＫＫ）で過ごしていたときには思わなかったが、少し郊外へ出ると衛生環境が気になってきた。ボルネオの中心都市ＫＫ近郊だが、下水道などはまだまだ整っていない感じだった。沿線の子供たちは列車を見ると手を振ってくれたり、駆け寄ってきたり、つい笑みがこぼれる。このような風景を見ているうちに犬がいないことに気づいた。我が家へホームステイしたＮちゃんは室内犬を７頭飼っていると言っていたが。一般論に過ぎるかも知れないが、たいていの場合、子供のためにペットを飼うことのプラス面は、マイナス面より多いと思う。なぜこれほど犬が少ないのだろう？陸軍の基地が見えた。広大な土地に軍用車が並べられていたが、門に数名の兵士を見た以外、閑散としていた。
　
ＫＫ郊外で『神山遊撃隊紀念公園』という広い公園を見つけた。すぐにカメラを取り出したのだが間に合わず斜めからの写真になってしまったので、後日ネットで探し出した写真も転載する。英語ではPetagas Memorial Garden, マレー語ではTaman Peringatan Petagas, シナ語では神山遊撃隊紀念公園と表記されている。
　
帰国後にいろいろと調べてみたのだが、これは日本軍政時代に起こったアピ事件で亡くなった人々を追悼するための施設のようだ。恥ずかしながら、実は今回の旅でこの事件を初めて知ったのだが、アピ事件をいろいろと調べてみても、事実と言うより情報戦に使われたと思われる極端で感情に訴える話しか残っていない。
　
しかしここで重要なのは、北ボルネオの人々が、アピ事件を歴史の一シーンとして学び、日本観を醸成しているということである。コタキナバルを訪れる日本人は、少なくとも北ボルネオにおいて、そのような「歴史」が語られているということを知っておかなければならないだろう。個人的には今のところ、シナが捏造した南京大虐殺や南朝鮮が主張する性奴隷にまつわる嘘話の類いではないかと考えている。実際に犠牲者が出ていることは間違いないのだろうが、そのいきさつには疑義有り。
　
実は、これに関する別の事実を翌日偶然見つけたのだが、別記事にてその件を書く。いったいこの旅行記はいつ終わるのか、、、、それほど濃い旅だったということではあるが。

Papar, Turning Back Point

　　We arrived at the turning back point of Papar, where we were allowed to go out of the station for a walk. Coming back to the train, we saw the locomotive being turned around on the turntable, and then it was refilled with water. Their work was really slow and nostalgic, which made me evoke the good old days. The train trip, whose schedule was really loose, would be great. I met a young man who was crazy about trains. He was always near the locomotive and shooting every scene of the movement of the locomotive. I took a picture of him taking a picture.
　　When we went back, the preparation of lunch was going on. The first dish was "hinava", Kota Kinabalu's local dish, which was in my travel guidebook. It was really great fun to have lunch while viewing the slowly passing scenery.
　　One thing, which was disappointing was that the train didn't travel deep in the rain forest and ran just on the open ground. The passengers were able to enjoy the wide view of Borneo Island, but I wanted to see the dark forest in Borneo.

(Vocabulary)
turntable  (機関車を方向転換させる) 転車台

マレーシア旅行記：　北ボルネオ鉄道乗車、パパールという町で折り返し

折り返し点のパパールに到着。町を散策して駅へ戻ると機関車の向きを変えていた。水を補給し、加熱にも時間がかかっているようだった。入れ替え作業は実にのんびりしていた。スケジュールがあるようなないようなのんびりした列車旅もまた良いものだ。おかしかったのが、一人の鉄ちゃんの存在。どこの国にもこういう人種がいるのだなあと自分の周りにいる鉄ちゃんを思い出した。

列車に戻るとランチの準備が始まっていた。ガイドブックに料理の説明があり、同じ料理が出てきたので写真をｕｐする。地元の料理をいただきながらのんびりとした列車旅、とても気に入った。ひとつ残念だったのが、列車が熱帯雨林を貫通して走ると期待していたのだが、開けた土地だけだったこと。

Kinarut

　　The train stopped by Kinarut station for about 30 minutes. The streets in front of the station were very busy and lots of local people swarmed around. I wondered if this area was always like that or not. We walked around the market near the station going with the flow of local shoppers. Meat, vegetables, seafood, clothes, stationery, toys,,,everything was there. In a storehouse-like building I found a drugstore, where medicines, hygiene goods, diapers,,,were displayed in a jumble. I felt that some medicines contained an overdose of their principal component for the OTC medicines.
　　I was surprised to see fresh fishes being placed on stands under the tents without any refrigerating installation. Kinarut was located near the coast and fishes might be fresh, but they would be rotten in the afternoon in such poor conditions. The fish departments were about five times wider than those of meat.
　　I found a cotton candy stand. Then I shouted unconsciously "Watagashi!", which means cotton candy in Japanese, and just at that time, the shop owner, a middle-aged man and maybe his kid replied, "Watagashi, watagashi!" I didn't know why they knew the Japanese word of "Watagashi", but we had a really short chat. They asked me how much a bag of cotton candy in the following picture was in Japan, and I answered that it would be 20~30 ringgit, which surprised them.

(Vocabulary)
refrigerating installation 冷蔵設備
cotton candy / spun sugar / candyfloss　綿菓子

 

マレーシア旅行記：　北ボルネオ鉄道　キナルート駅停車

キナルートという町で停車。約３０分の時間をもらって街を散策。駅前はとても賑やかで、毎日こうなのか、それとも今日は市の立つ日なのか、とにかく買い物客に混じって市場を歩いてみた。肉、野菜、魚介類、衣類、文房具、おもちゃ、、、、なんでもあるといった感じ。建物内にはドラッグストアがあり、薬、衛生用品、おむつ、、、。OTC薬にしては成分の量が多いなあと感じる薬品もあり、ちょっと不安を感じるものも多少有り。

魚は露店に並べられていた。ここは海岸から近い場所だから新鮮な魚かもしれないが、冷蔵装置なしで大丈夫なのだろうか。魚の売り場は肉のそれに比べてざっと５倍以上の面積を占めていた。一角に綿菓子があった。無意識のうちに「あ、綿菓子まである」と声を発してしまったのだが、売っている親子から日本語で「綿菓子！」「綿菓子！」と声が上がった。日本の綿菓子はどれくらいの値段かと聞くので写真に写っている袋一つで２０～３０リンギット（５００～８００円）と答えるとそんなに高いのかと驚いていた。これがいくらで売っていたのかは聞いたのだが覚えていない、、、、残念。

North Borneo Railway

　　At the end of the 19th century the England based North Borneo Company built 193km of railway in order to transport the crops produced at their plantation farms. A part of this railroad is utilized for sightseeing at present. The steam locomotive train is on service twice a week for tourists. This sightseeing train is extremely popular and you have to reserve seats far in advance. The tour fare included the transport fee between the station and hotels in KK city.
　　Starting at Tanjung Aru Station near KK International Airport at 10 o'clock, it was to be back at 14:00 hours at the same station, but our train took extra time for water refilling and its heating, and we came back at about 15:00 hours. The train took a short stop at Kinarut on the outward way for sightseeing and turned back at Papar. Coming back to the coach after sightseeing the street of Papar, our lunch was served. The distance of one way was only 38km, which the train traveled in 2 hours. It was really a slow and relaxing speed.
　　Before its start, I had some time and took a walk to see all the length of the train. The fuel was wood, not coal. I was a little surprised, but Borneo is rich in wood, and taking the speed of the train into account, wood would be enough.

マレーシア旅行記：　北ボルネオ鉄道

１９世紀末、イギリスの北ボルネオカンパニーがプランテーション農園から作物を運ぶために敷設した１９３ｋｍの鉄道線路がある。現在、このルートの一部を観光客用に週２回、当時の蒸気機関車が運行されていて北ボルネオ鉄道と呼ばれている。人気が高く、かなり前から予約しないと乗れない。ツアーにはホテルへの送り迎えと列車利用がセットになっていた。

コタキナバル国際空港近くのタンジュン・アル駅を朝１０時に出発して１４時に戻ってくる予定だったが、折り返しの駅で水の補給と加熱に時間がかかり、１５時頃、タンジュン・アル駅に戻ってきた。往路キナルート(Kinarut)という町で途中下車、街並みとマーケット散策、折り返しの駅パパール(Papar)で街を散策し、列車へ戻ると昼食が運ばれてきた。片道の距離は３８ｋｍ、これを２時間かけて走るのだからのんびりした旅だ。

出発前、少し時間があったので先頭から最後部まで歩いてみた。燃料は石炭ではなく薪だった。確かに材木なら腐るほどあるお国柄だ。石炭に比べ火力が落ちるが、のんびりした旅には問題ないのだろう。

Ichigo-Ichie (Buddhist Terminology)

　　A once-in-a-lifetime meeting? It made us feel blue just to think that it was the last time to see N chan's family. The last dinner with them was arranged at their relative's restaurant. I took a snapshot of their menu board to record the restaurant's name. I'd surely be back to KK with full preparation for climbing Mt. Kinabalu and drop in at this restaurant again. We enjoyed KK's local dishes and were completely satisfied.
　　Additionally, lots of mangosteens were served. My wife had known that they were nicknamed as the queen of fruits, but I didn't even know their name. My mangosteens debut was really fantastic. Great tastes, and easy to peel them! I like fruits, but don't bother eating fruits which need peeling. I just eat fruits on a plate after being peeled. However, peeling mangosteens was really fun and easy. We wondered how much it would cost to eat them in Japan. Could we get them in Japan in the first place? We unconsciously overate them. Thanks to this N chan's family, we became Malaysian and Borneo island's big fans.
　　My family line has been Buddhist priests for generations. When I left my hometown at the age of 18 to learn medicine in college, my grandfather advised me to keep the Buddhist terminology, "Ichigo-Ichie" in mind. I had a big struggle to express its profound remark in English and is this ok? "Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur."
　　However, I don't want to end this visit to Borneo with "Ichigo-Ichie". I'd like to visit KK again and see them. We shot several pictures with them in the lobby of Jesselton Hotel, which created an early 20th century's British atmosphere. I'll upload a picture taken together with N chan, her mother, and her grandmother. Take care and good luck to you all! I'll surely see you again!

P.S.The heart-marks in the first picture were added by lovely N chan.

(Vocabulary)
Mangosteen ［C］〔植〕マンゴスチン（の実）《熱帯アジア産；果物の女王とされる》.
terminology 専門用語

マレーシア旅行記：　Ｎちゃんファミリーとお別れ

一生に一度の出会い？　このご家族と今日を限りにしばらく会えないと思うと悲しくなる。一緒に摂る最後の夕食はご家族の親戚のレストラン。次回コタキナバル訪問時には必ず寄りたいと思いレストランの名前を画像にてメモした。店主自慢の料理をいただき、デザートにはマンゴスチン！フルーツの女王の名にふさわしい味だった。不精者の僕には剥きやすさもありがたかった。日本で食べるといくらくらいかかるだろうか？そもそも日本で手に入るのか？そう思うとついつい食べ過ぎてしまった。美味しかった。初めて食べた。このご家族のお陰でマレーシア、そしてボルネオ島のファンになってしまった。
　
僕の家は代々僧侶の家柄で父方の祖父は臨済宗妙心寺派の僧侶だった。僕が１８歳で大学の医学部に合格し郷里を離れるとき、祖父が言った言葉。『一期一会』を大切にしなさい。英文でどう書けば理解してもらえるか随分考えたが、『全ての出会いを大切にしなさい、繰り返されないことなのだから』で良いだろうか。

ただ、このご家族とは一期一会とはなりたくない。次はキナバル登山でコタキナバルを再訪したい。２０世紀初頭のイギリスの香りの漂うJesselton HotelのロビーでＮちゃんとお母さん、おばあさんと記念撮影。お二人ともいつまでもお元気で！またきっと必ず絶対にお会いしましょう！

Atkinson Clock Tower

　　Kota Kinabalu(KK) had been referred to as Jesselton under the British reign. I had free time until the meeting time with N chan's family for dinner, and visited one of the tourist spots in KK, Atkinson Clock Tower, which was built in the period of British governing. This was apparently one of three buildings which survived the last war. In the commemoration of the first governor of Jesselton who had died young suffering from Malaria, the Clock Tower was constructed by his mother's will. The Jesselton Station used to stand beneath the tower and passengers knew the time from the Clock Tower. Old pictures in our hotel showed that the station was located at the seaside. That is to say, almost all of the present KK was supposed to be formed on reclaimed soil.
　　Borneo Island had been placed under the management of other countries, including Japan, until its independence. I had thought that people in Borneo had been oppressed for centuries and they must have hated their rulers, so when I knew the derivation of the Clock Tower, I was surprised to know that it was carefully preserved. Are they thankful to be governed? Do they acknowledge its historical importance? Or, are they taking their membership of the Commonwealth of Nations into consideration? I don't know.
　　The inscription plate in the fifth picture was attached to the stone panel in the busy square. I wondered whether people in Borneo were grateful to Australia. Or does it come from a sense of social obligation as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations? I thought this inscription plate was far from the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur in terms of its notion. When I visited a certain country, I've made it a rule to learn its history to some extent, but I realized that my knowledge about Borneo was nowhere near enough.

(Vocabulary)
oppress 《[他]通例受け身形で》(フォーマル)  …を圧迫する, 虐げる

マレーシア旅行記：　ジェッセルトン、その歴史

イギリス統治時代のコタキナバルはジェッセルトンと呼ばれていた。Ｎちゃんファミリーとの夕食の約束時刻まですこしあったので、その当時の建物、アトキンソン時計塔へ行ってみた。戦火を免れた貴重な建物の一つだという。これは、若くしてマラリヤに倒れたジェッセルトンの初代郡長を記念して、その母親の意で１９０５年に建てられたもので、かつて時計塔の下にはジェッセルトン駅があり、鉄道利用者に時を告げていたという。ホテルにあった古い写真を見ると、駅は海岸に建っていた。ということは、今のＫＫの街はほとんど埋め立てて作られた土地の上にあることになる。
　
独立するまでいろいろな外国の支配を受けてきたこの地域。虐げられてきたイギリスの支配者を記念する建物が残っていたことに驚いたが、歴史的価値があるから残っているのか、イギリスに感謝しているのか、イギリス連邦に加わっている手前、残しているのか、、、よくわからない。
　
５枚目の写真は９月４日に見つけた銘板だが、これは中心部の広場に埋め込まれていたもの。ボルネオ島の人々はオーストラリアに感謝しているのだろうか？イギリス連邦加盟国の一つとしての義理なのか、、、クアラルンプールの国家記念碑とは随分とかけ離れた概念の銘板と思われた。これまでの海外旅行の折り、訪問国の歴史をある程度学んだ後で訪問してきたが、ボルネオ島の歴史の理解はまだまだ出来ていないと感じた。
　
さて、ホテルへ戻ろう。夕食だ。

Sea Of Kota Kinabalu

　　Dense cloud before Mt. Kinabalu was really regrettable for me as a climber. I was gazing in the direction of Mt. Kinabalu for some time. That might be why N chan's father took me to the gate to the mountain despite sudden torrential rain. We reached the starting point of climbing  Mt. Kinabalu in the 2nd picture after a 20 minutes' drive. Due to the heavy rain, I didn't go out of the car, but the scene was carved in my mind. I'd like to stand here some years later with my perfect climbing gear. Let's climb Mt. Kinabalu, my buddies!
　　Coming back to Kota Kinabalu(KK), I went out for a walk around our hotel alone. I found a questionable Japanese restaurant near the hotel on the way. I'll upload its picture. If you are a Japanese, you'll find it's not run by Japanese.
　　I stood at the seaside of KK, called Jesselton Point. Before me, the sea of KK was calm. In this season of 72 years ago, the principal fleets of the Japanese Imperial Navy, including that Battleships Yamato and Musashi, left Brunei Bay, about 100km westward from there, for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They fought the US and Australian Navies near the Philippines and lost lots of vessels and soldiers. I hate wars, but you must know the accurate historical facts about the war and its victims to avoid another war. While thinking such a thing, I was wandering arond the seashore. Lots of various sizes of boats were moored at Jesselton Point. A glance at the port showed that this place was the Mecca of marine sports.
　　The name of the island off the coast of KK is Gaya Island, along the coast of which there stood lots of houses on the surface of the sea. It just looked like a kind of shantytown. I asked N chan's father about them. People who lived there were from the Philippines and he looked like he didn't want to refer to them. I gave up asking about them. According to my travel guidebook, gorgeous resorts were built at the opposite side of the island but there's no connecting road between the resorts and the, what I say, shantytown. It would be an isolated area from KK, though it was close at hand. I'm going to show you pictures of resorts and houses on the sea shot from the sky on the way to Japan in the last day's entries.

(Vocabulary)
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Gaya Island  ガヤ島　コタキナバルの真向かいにある島

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルの山と海　７０年前の様子に思いを馳せる
　
僕があまりにも見えないキナバル山方向を眺めていたからか、Ｎちゃんパパが気の毒がって登山口まで案内してくれた。車で２０分くらいで写真の場所に到着。２枚目の写真はキナバル山へのスタート地点。何年か先、この場所へ登山のフル装備で立っていたい。どなたか一緒にどうですか？どのような山なのか、興味のある方は調べてみてください。
　
さて、コタキナバルへ戻り、夕食までの間、しばし休憩。僕は一人で街を歩く。英語が通じる街は気が楽だ。見て歩きたいところがたくさんあるのに時間が十分ではないのが残念。ホテル近くで目に付いた店の写真をｕｐする。日本料理店とあるが、日本人なら一目で日本人の経営では無いことがわかる。（笑）
　
海岸に出てみた。コタキナバルの海だ。この海から７２年前のこの時期に、少し西寄りにあるブルネイ湾から大和や武蔵を含む日本帝国海軍艦艇がフィリピン、レイテ島に向かったことを思い出した。戦争は嫌だ。だが先人たちの努力、犠牲を正しく知るべきだ。そんなことを思いながら港を散策した。この場所はJesselton Pointと呼ばれる。この言葉については後ほど書くつもり。イギリス統治時代の名残だ。繋がれているボートを眺めるだけでここがマリンスポーツのメッカであることがわかる。
　
沖に見える島には水上生活者の家が並んでいる。コタキナバル出身のNちゃんのお父さんに聞くと、フィリピンから来た人で勝手に住んでいるらしい。どのような人たちなのか、興味はあったが、それ以上の質問はやめた。島の反対側にはゴージャスなホテルが有るが、互いを繋ぐ道路はなく、孤立した村落のようだった。帰国時に飛行機からホテルとこの一群の水上家屋が見えたので撮影した。後日upする。

Kundasang

　　On the way back from Poring Hot Spring, we took a rest at Kundasang. At the distance of two hundreds meters along the road there was an outdoor farmers' market. Kundasang is located at a higher altitude than KK, and I assumed that's why I felt cool and comfortable there. The picture of the signboard of Kundasang police station was taken to identify where I was on the net after coming back to Japan. Actually, the point of the signboard was found on the map later. The flags in the first picture are the flags of the State of Sabah which Kundasang belongs to. I didn't know whether they raised them for their Independence Day or at any time, but the flag itself and the act of raising their own flags are beautiful.
　　We came by a roadside restaurant, from which I was able to view the village. That would be why N chan's father chose this restaurant. I'll upload three pictures taken from its balcony. The first one is of the village, and the second was shot toward Mt. Kinabalu, but the mountain was behind thick cloud. When I was disappointed, a bug, which I hadn't seen before, came to me. This tiny bug drove my desire to walk in the jungle at the base of Mt. Kinabalu and reach its summit. By the way I found distinguishing features in some waitresses. They would be indigenous. I really wanted to chat with them, but didn't have enough time.

(Vocabulary)
Kundasang  クンダサン(地名）
feature 《通例複数形で》 顔だち, 目鼻だち
She had a small face and delicate features. 彼女は小顔で上品な目鼻だちをしていた．
indigenous　〈人・慣習・文化などが〉（土地）固有の, 土着の;〈動植物などが〉 自生の

マレーシア旅行記：　クンダサンにて

ポーリング温泉からの帰り、クンダサンで小休止。付近の路上マーケットを見学した。この辺りＫＫに比べて標高が高いためか熱帯であるのにもかかわらず涼しく快適。警察の看板は後日居場所を確認するための目印。この地点は帰国後にグーグルマップで正確に特定できた。最初の写真にある旗はボルネオ島北部サバ州の州旗。独立記念日直後のためかいつも掲揚しているのかわからないが、州旗を掲げるという行為も州旗も美しい。

食事を摂るためにクンダサンの村を見下ろすことの出来るレストランに寄った。バルコニーで撮った写真を３枚呈示するが、最初の風景がクンダサンの村。次はキナバル山方向にカメラを向けて撮影。この向こうにキナバル山が見えるはずなのだが、ご覧のように雲で隠れている。がっかりしていたら見たことも無い虫が飛んできた。キナバル山麓を歩いてみたい衝動に駆られた。レストランのウエイトレスの一部がシナ系でないことに気がついた。おそらくは先住民族なのだろう。いろいろと話を聞いてみたいが時間が無い。

Rafflesia

　　My wife had an expectation of directly seeing rafflesia, not just from pictures, on Borneo Island. Looking up the rafflesia in my travel guidebook, we had to visit the Rafflesia Information Center to surely see them, but it was far away from Kota Kinabalu(KK) and we had to walk for an hour with a tour guide to the Center. Four to five hours only for rafflesias were too much for us. Our free time in Borneo was restricted. We gave up seeing them before visiting the island.
　　Now, N chan's father was from KK and he knew where rafflesias could be seen. The blooming site was only 10 minutes' drive from where we were. I asked him to take us to the place. The road to the place was rough. The local people hacked their way through the forest and prepared the path to the flowers.
　　There was a small pond near the rafflesia's colony. They were farming fish there. Fresh fish would be valuable in the rainforest. I found some rivers, but the high sulphur concentration rejected the existence of fish. Coming back to the track, the rafflesia which we saw was on the 4th day after blooming. The flower is apparently most beautiful on its 2nd day from blooming, but it was really big and beautiful. Beside the flower, another dead rafflesia was seen.
　　This place wasn't famous as a tourist spot, and there wasn't another tourist group, so we were able to see flowers feeling happy and relaxed.

(Vocabulary)
Rafflesia ヤッコソウ科（ラフレシア科）の植物。ブドウ科植物シッサスに寄生し、葉はなく、花は世界最大で直径約１メートル。花びらは５枚あり、多肉で黄赤色。開花すると悪臭を放つ。雌雄異花。東南アジアのジャングルにまれにみられ、１８１８年に英国のT＝S＝ラッフルズが発見。(デジタル大辞泉)
colony 　群生地

マレーシア旅行記：　予定には入れていなかったラフレシアを見る

カミさんが楽しみにしていたものの一つがラフレシア。ただ、確実に見るためには群生している場所に建つラフレシア・インフォメーションセンターへ行く必要があった。この施設はコタキナバルから離れており、また１時間以上ガイドと一緒に歩かねばならないという。旅行計画を立てる段階で断念した。

ところが、さすがに地元の人。Ｎちゃんのお父さんはコタキナバルの出身だった。今ならラフレシアが見られるが行きたいかという。もちろんお願いした。その場所へ着いてみると、今日で開花して４日目という。２日目が一番美しいらしいが、４日目でも十分にその大きさを理解できた。これは全く野生のラフレシアで地元の人たちが大切に保護しているという。そばに枯れてしまったラフレシアもあった。

そばにあった池はジャングルを切り開いて作られた釣り堀。確かにここは山の中。川はあっても硫黄が流れている、、、新鮮な魚は貴重な食材なのだろう。観光地ではないので花を見る人は我々だけ。まったりとした時間が流れていた。