Jerejak Island, Penang -- Alcatraz of Malaysia

Known as the Alcatraz of Malaysia, Pulau Jerejak or Jerejak Island is a 362 hectare island located off the southeastern tip of Penang, and a short boat ride from Bayan Lepas jetty. It's an the only island in Penang rich with ancient history and preserved flora and fauna.

The History
This island though is not as famous as compared to other islands in Malaysia, but has had its fair share of
auspicious historical events. Francis Light, Founder of Penang first step foot in Pulau Jerejak in the early 1786 before heading on to Penang. 11 years later in 1797, it was Colonel Arthur Wellesley who proposed Jerejak as the possible site for Fort Cornwallis. It was known that the idea of establishing a military post in Jerejak Island was to offer protection to a new township called Jamestown, which was to
be set up in present-day Bayan Lepas.

This plan did not materialize as George Town was starting to become a profitable port and it soon became unnecessary to establish Jamestown or have a military facility in that location. Jerejak was deserted after that. It was only during 1910 that saw some activities at Jerejak Island. The island was made a heath quarantine centre for immigrants planning to go to the main island to work. Penang at that time started to experiencing economic growth and this has cause the island to be flooded with immigrant. A hospital for patients with Tuberculosis was later built in 1930s and is located at the eastern part of the island.

From 1943 to 1944, Jerejak Island was made a submarine base by the Germans. In the book entitled history of the USA Naval Operations in World War Two, S.E. Morison wrote that German U-boats sunk about 18 Russian ships in the Indian Ocean during World War II. A memorial is located in the island dedicated to the crew members of the Imperial Russian Navy who died when their cruiser Zhemchug was sunk by the cruiser Emden of the Kaiserliche Marine in the Battle of Penang. However, the total amount of bodies that was buried on that site still remains a mystery.

Pulau Jerejak was later turn into a rehabilitation centre from 1969 to 1993. Jerejak at this time was known as the "Alcatraz of Malaysia" due to resemblance of The Alcatraz prison that was situated on a deserted island. After a few incidents of riots and escape of inmates, the prison was closed on 13 August 1993. In its course of closing down the prison, over 900 detainees were transferred to prisons in Johor.

Present
As an effort by the state government to promote Jerejak as a popular tourist
destination, a beautiful resort was built on the island. Jerejak Resort & Spa provides interesting gateway for those who prefer a relaxing atmosphere with many outdoor activities. Some includes rock climbing, mountain biking or take to nature with fishing, jungle trekking or even camping under the stars.

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180° view from PutraPlace:


*Note: The jetty at the right hand side is the gateway to the Jerejak Island.

梦·云南

《梦·云南》以美国退伍老兵、抗日英雄汉姆斯特（飞虎队队员，曾于1941年至1943年和战友开辟举世闻名的“驼峰航线”）的故事为原型，展示了云南独具特色的民族文化和奇特旖旎的自然风光。

梦·云南”是一台综合的舞台剧，它突破了以往剧作节目只有歌舞的局限，采用百老汇的表现形式，把民族文化始终贯穿进好莱坞式的精彩情节中，融马戏、杂技、幻术、魔术等于一身。再次，顶级舞台声光电特技也是“梦·云南”的一大特色，360度的旋转舞台，数百万元的强效法国音响，数百盏摇头电脑灯，空中飞行器等，都将一个美国退伍老兵与云南各族人民结下深厚友情改编的动人故事完美展现。既突出了云南民族艺术灵魂第一次与世界顶级艺术完美臻合，更能给现场观众带来震撼心灵的雷霆风暴。

昆明。金马碧鸡牌坊

昆明是一个历史悠久的城市，远在三万年前的旧石器时代就有人类居住。随着历史的进步和时代的变迁，昆明留下许多文物古迹和人文景观，其中，金马碧鸡坊就是著名一景。该坊始建于明朝宣德年间，至今已有近四百年的历史。金马壁鸡坊历史悠久，民族特色突出，被誉为昆明的象征。

金马碧鸡坊位于昆明金碧路中段的金马、碧鸡坊，始建于明朝宣德年间，历史上曾有“金碧交辉”之说。高12米，宽18米，具有昆明民俗特色，雕梁画栋，精美绝伦，东坊临金马山而名为金马坊，西坊靠壁鸡山而名为碧鸡坊。北与纪念赛典赤的“忠爱坊”相配，合称“品字三坊”，成为昆明闹市胜景；南与建于南诏的东西寺塔相映，显示了昆明古老的文明。

　　金马碧鸡坊的独特之处，在于某个特定的时候，会出现“金碧交辉”的奇景。就是有那么一天，太阳将落未落，金色的余辉从西边照射碧鸡坊，它的倒影投到东面街上；同时，月亮则刚从东方升起，银色的光芒照射金马坊，将它的倒影投到西边街面上；两个牌坊的影子，渐移渐近，最后互相交接。这就是“金碧交辉”。相传，清道光年间有一年，中秋之日恰逢秋分。晴空一碧，万里无云。傍晚，许多群众在三市街口等待，到时，果真两坊影子见于街面，不一会靠拢相交，至此，日落月升，交辉奇景逐步消失。

　　据说，由于地球、月亮、太阳运转的角度关系，这样的奇景，要６０年才能出现一次。而这种奇景的设计，反映了古代云南各族人民把数学、天文学和建筑学有机地结合在一起的高度智慧。可惜的是，由于极左路线的影响，两坊于１０年动乱中被拆毁。有希望的是，如今万物复苏，已定为昆明市徽，金马碧鸡坊将重建，金马碧鸡的雕塑也拟兴立。秀丽的滇池之滨，奔腾奋进的金马、象征吉祥如意的碧鸡将在云南人民的心灵中闪射出新的光辉。