The 2C 01041624 royal trip of... Johor?

So... during the june holidays ,well we were called back to school for our geography trip to Johor. Pretty random place to go though... anyway in this trip, we visited the sultan bakar palace, the kite musuem and the infamous 'nice' smelling oil palm factory. From this trip, we learnt a lot of useful information that can NOT ONLY be useful for this project, but alsodiscover about the heritage of malaysia. Who knows when this information might be useful?

Introduction? Oh it is just written above this sentence, isn't it? Anyway, the things that we learnt is the process of making wau(a kind of malysian kite), how oil is abstracted(and the reason for the stench) and the palace of the first sultan of malaysia. In short, we just learnt many things that we never thought of before.

Video

Yup this is our video and well, try not to laught at us or make fun of us please?
-Andy

Pasir Gudang kite museum

Reflection:

I found out that the process of making wau and extremely tedious and difficult process. The museum's wide variety of wau's was an eye opener indeed. I liked the history of wau when the tour guide told us about how the wau was made. I learnt that there was many types of wau; like wau bulan, wau kuching, wau merak wau pari, wau katak and much more! The wau bulan actually got its name from the crescent moon-like shape of its lower part. I also learnt that in other parts of the world people also make their own version of the wau. In Japan, they made kites with scary faces for their design so that it would scare away all the bad spirits. In the museum, I learnt to appreciate the artworks done by the other countries and how they make use of childhood toys to in fact held competitions related to it. There is an annual competition at Pasir Gudang, where people from all over Malaysia went to to challenge other people and show off their skills.~Leon & Hariz

My Research

Agriculture type/industry and characteristics: A nice big collection of kites. Shows heritage of the wau. Also many waus were saw there.

The Pasir Gudang Kite Museum is dedicated to the traditional Malay kite known as the wau. With the aim to preserve and promote the wau as part of the Malaysian craft heritage, this museum showcases the art of kite-making and displays a collection of traditional kites or wau, in spectacular colours and designs. There are also modern kites sold and 3 levels of kites. The wau is more unique compared to normal kites as it produces a humming sound. Wau is also known as wau bulan and it got it's name from the crescent-moon.

The Pasir Gudang Kite Museum is dedicated to the traditional Malay kite known as the wau. With the aim to preserve and promote the wau as part of the Malaysian craft heritage, this museum showcases the art of kite-making and displays a collection of traditional kites or wau, in spectacular colours and designs.

Built as an appreciation towards the contribution of Malaysian and International kite flyers. Opening it’s door for the first time in February 2002 during the 7th Pasir Gudang Kite Festival.

Housing a collection of more than 200 kites which once roam the skies of Bukit Layang-Layang as well as hundreds of the traditional kite heritage of Malaysia known as Wau. It also houses a collection of Ceramic Vases.

There is also a collection of modern kites available here. Visitors will also enjoy the audio video display relating to the traditional kite including the making of one. Pasir Gudang is also the site of the acclaimed annual International Kite Festival

-Leon(04) 2C

Palm Oil Plantation

My Research

The third and last place we went to was the palm oil plantation. It is located in Johore Lama, now known as Kota Tinggi. Malaysia is the world's second largest palm oil producer, second only to Indonesia. In 2008, Malaysia produced 17.7 million tonnes of palm oil on 4.5 million hectares of land and employing more than 570,000 people. Malaysia is the second largest exporter of palm oil in the world, after Indonesia. About 60% of palm oil exports from Malaysia are shipped to China, the European Union, Pakistan, United States and India. They are mostly made intocooking oil and margarine. Palm oil edible plant oil derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel (seed) of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the coconut.

My reflection

I feel that the trip to the palm oil plantation was enriching and fun. I learnt lots of things that i would not have known if i had not went to the humanities Learning Journey. I learnt about how palm oil was produced and how to spot a better bunch of palm oil fruits by looking at the colour. The redder the colour of the bunch of the fruit, the better. There was a very strong smell at the factory. When i asked the tour guide where the strong smell was coming from, he told me it came from the factory where the palm oil was being produced.

Overall, I think that the trip was fun and very educational. I'm sure every student that went for the trip would agree.-Hariz(24) 2C

The King's Home:the rich and the powerful

Reflection:

For the trip, I feel that the Sultan Abu Bakar museum is a place where I learnt many things like the ruling of Johore and Malaysia in the past and that a Keris which is a type of small sword that represents power. The Keris is worn around a belt and is passed down the generations of the Malay family. The museum was once the residence of the first and the second Sultan of Johore. The third Sultan of Johore found that the residence was too small for him thus he moved away. The museum is opened to public in May 11 ,1990 by the current Sultan Iskandar. The museum houses treasures like: works of art, antiquities and furniture belonging to the Royal Family. I feel that the trip to Malaysia is an enriching and interesting one.


My research
Royal Abu Bakar Museum

Agriculture type/industry and characteristic: A very big and wealthy place, not even modern people could affort it. A place which the sultan live in and do peace treaty talks with the foreigners. They also trade goods there.

The grand building is an architectural wonder and was completed in 1866. It was commissioned by His Royal Highness Sultan Abu Bakar who laid the foundation stone in 1864.
It was commissioned by His Royal Highness Sultan Abu Bakar and is also known as the Grand Palace (Istana Besar Johor).
Built in the Renaissance style, built by local artisans under the supervision of an European architect. It is one of the oldest buildings in Johor, it has a cosmopolitan architecture with clear Anglo-Malay influence. The original furniture of the palace was made in England and ordered by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866.
The palace became the Royal Abu Bakar Museum in 1982, but today, it is still used for state ceremonies and official functions.

In the early 1990s, Johor's present ruler, His Majesty Sultan Iskandar, decided that members of the public should be given the opportunity to view the Royal Family's collection in a proper museum setting. His Majesty consented for the Grand Palace to be converted into a museum but concurrently it still serves the traditional royal and state ceremonial functions. Sultan Iskandar officially declared the museum open on May 11, 1990.


Acclaimed as one of the best museums found in the world, it houses vast arrays of treasures, works of art, antiquities and furniture belonging to the Royal Family. The picture gallery features past and present rulers of the Sultanate and their consorts. There is a large collection of their personal memorabilia, an impressive array of Orders, Decorations and Medals in the gallery.
Other rooms within the Grand Palace display silverware, crystal ware, gold and silver jewellery, priceless vases, furniture, traditional Malay weapons, the State Regalia, a numismatic collection, silver trophies and other treasures like 19th-century currencies and gold coins, the first Johor postal stamps and Chinese pottery. Royal ceremonies, functions and investitures are also held in the magnificent chambers reflecting the royal family's affluent lifestyle.

Among the exhibits which will awed visitors at this royal museum are the Chinese and Malay carved wooden pieces. The Throne Room and Museum is located on the North Wing and all royal events, state banquets and receptions are held at this palace. The Palace Gardens situated nearby has a marvellous sprawling landscaped Japanese garden with a variety of flowers and plants.

-Jeremy(16) 2C