1. A little sign at the foot of a hill saying "this way to the Church of Our Lady of Enunciation".
2. Trishaws encrusted with plastic flowers and a Chinese dragon and rusty bells and strings of coloured lights and icons and a yellow waxpaper umbrella.
3. Instructions on how to clean a keris in one of the museums:
1. Materials needed:4. From (a fragment of) the tombstone of Sultan Mansur Shah, who reigned from 1458 to 1477:
- A banana stem about a metre long.
- A few limes.
- A coconut.
- A hollow segment of bamboo the length of the keris.
- An incense burner, some benzoin and some fragrant oil such as attar of roses.
2. Procedure
First step: Stab the keris a few times into the banana stem until it is wetted: the latex from the banana stem will clean the keris blade.
Second step: Cut two limes and rub them on the keris blade to clean off any remaining rust. A young pineapple or tamarind piece can be used in place of limes if need be.
Third step: Cut a coconut and pour the water into the bamboo tube. Immerse the keris in the coconut water for at least 24 hours.
Fourth step: Take the keris out of the bamboo tube and rinse the blade in clean clear water. Rub it again with a cut lime if any rust stains remain. After rinsing, the keris is left to dry and then wiped carefully with a clean cloth.
Fifth step: Treat the keris with the smoke from burning benzoin. Apply wax to the blade while it is hot to prevent it rusting again. It can also be perfumed by wiping it with fragrant oil.
This has been translated as:
"This is the consecrated the holy grave the brilliant illuminated tomb of the just Sultan, the magnanimous ruler Sultan Mansur Shah. He removed from this mortal abode to hope on wednesday of Rejab in the year 882 after the Hijrah of the Prophet the chosen one."
This has been translated as:
"The world is but transitory: The world has no permanence,
The world is like a house made by a spider..."