Pool day

I wake early this morning even though I haven't had much sleep, and my alarm clock is the sound of local music and when I look out the window I see a bunch of men in suits so give Paddy a quick shout and make my way downstairs for a quick nosey. It's a wedding and as the bride's posing for her photos I try and make myself inconspicuous in the background. Before every Malay wedding ceremony, the couple will have to go through the stages of merisik, meminang dan bertunang, akad nikah, and bersanding. Merisik is where the groom's family meet the brides family and check the bride is not engaged to anyone else. Meminang is the proposal but unlike a lot of cultures it's actually a senior woman from the male side of the family that presents the engagement ring.Akad Nikah (Solemnisation) is a ceremony to hand the bride away. It is headed by a Wali, who is customarily the father of the bride. This is where the contracts are signed and takes place a day before the actual wedding day. During this special Malay wedding ceremony, a beautifully-decorated couch can be seen on top of an elevated platform. This is called the Pelamin, which is the centre piece of the ceremony.
The bride will be waiting on the Pelamin with her face hidden by a hand fan, held by her Mak Andam, a close female relative. The groom will have to complete a series of light-hearted and charming challenges prepared by the bride’s relatives and friends in order to reach his bride. A band of male musicians will escort the groom while singing various verses from the Qur’an. This is the Islamic way of seeking blessings for newlyweds. Once the groom reaches her bride, the guests will be invited to express their well-wishes. Before we head for breakfast we say our first goodbyes to Paddy and Charlie or as I like to call him George. They are heading to Bali so I have a feeling I'll be seeing them again. We have breakfast and then it's time to say goodbye to Will Dan and Liam.,they've hired a car for a few days and shortly after are heading home. Anouk Bente and Dominic are going to have a few hours at the museum and I've decided to chill by the pool. At lunchtime I just eat at a local bistro before it's time to say goodbye to the last 3. We've only known each other for such a short time but they've been a wonderful group of people to spend time with and I feel very honoured to have enjoyed the time. I stay by the pool for the rest of the afternoon and get speaking with a group of girls from Kuching who have just finished they're last day of college. They invite me out tonight but I think a stroll along the river and a bite to eat is more up my street. I take a short stroll along the river and call into the the shopping centre to pick up a few essentials. I've really struggled to find nail polish here as most people use henna but tonight is my lucky night. When I go outside it's starting to rain so I head back and have a pamper night.Read more