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I'm in the Kuala Lumpur airport now, with 3 hours before check-in and  
another 3 hours before departure. I fly through Amsterdam, then have  
a 24 hour layover in Madrid, then back to Amsterdam for a flight to  
Portland, then to Boise and back to Oreana!! (in order to combine the  
Andalucia and Malayia trips and have a reasonably priced ticket I had  
to get a little creative - and the result is a very long and bizarre  
shedule of connections!)

So - what about this ride? - the Grand Melaka Invitational Endurance  
Ride 2008 !

Once again the sport of Endurance Riding (they call it a 'Ride' here,  
not a 'Race' :) provided opportunity for more than just an equestrian  
event... it was another  National Occasion - a gathering of Royalty  
and government officials - of riders, grooms, policemen (and women),  
businessmen (and women), musicians, dancers, professionals - people  
from the entire spectrum of social and economic status.  It was an  
occasion for the State of Melaka to host a prominent event, and also  
to honor Malasia's King and Queen. It's a very different affair  -  
hard to imagine for those of us used to camping in a field and  
sleeping in a tent! A very different affair - but - when the hoof  
hits the trail - it's exactly the same. Everthing depends on the  
horse and the rider and all of the training and preparation that goes  
on during the years. And a little bit of luck!

This event was hosted by the State (Sultanate) of Melaka:

Organizing Committee
Organizer - State Government of Melaka
Patron - his Excellency the Governor of Melaka (Tun Datuk Seri Utama  
Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob)
Chairman of Organizing Committee- The Rt. Hon. Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali  
bin Rustam
Chairman of Working Committee - The Hon. Datuk Wira Ismael Salleh
Event Director - Raidee Bin Hj. Baharum
Technical Director - Hamdan Bin Mohd
Trail Coordinator - Azman Bin Mohd

(I'm going to add the comments of th Chief Minister of Melaka, and  
the State Secretary of Melaka in a separate message - it's  
interesting/educational to see how this sport appears to others, and  
how they describe it, and how they see it all working into the  
National theme.)

So the OC was mostly Melaka state officials, but the real driving  
force of the event was the Event Director - Hamdan. I've known Hamdan  
for a few years - he's a regular at Malasian endurance events, and he  
came with Raja (prince :) Adib to the Presidents Cup for Junior  
Riders in Abu Dhabi this year, so we got a chance to know him even  
better. A rider and strong supporter of the sport,and crazy enough to  
take on the enormous task of organizing a ride - much less a first  
time ride! And not only did he have to put together the 'ride' part  
of the event (which alone is a daunting task, especially an FEI  
ride), but he also had to coordinate with the state officials and  
production managers and sports stadium personnel and hotels and  
stable managers and on and on and on...

It was an impressive event - congratulations to all, and especially  
Hamdan Bin Mohd!

So yes it was a frills ride :) The State Dinner at the Hotel Majestic  
was something I will remember for a long time! Bev Gray (an invited  
rider) and Mark Dial (FEI Foreign Ground Jury official) and Dr.  
Hosain Abbara (FEI Foreign Veterinary Delgate - an Egptian-Syrian  
citizen living in Qatar) and I rode in the same transport from the  
Everly Resort hotel where everbody is staying, and when we arrived at  
the Majestic we were escorted into the reception hall and a lovely  
important looking woman came up - 'are you Steph Teeter? ' - 'ummm,  
yes' - please all of you follow me. ok! She took us into a special  
room with several important looking chairs and we were asked to sit  
(but not in the gold chair or the blue chair). We kept looking at  
each other wondering what was up, and the hostess said please wait  
here, the Governor and Ministers will be here in a moment. Now we  
were really wondering, and wondering if they perhaps had us mixed up  
with somebody else! Mark actually whispered to the hostess ' are you  
sure this is for us? and she assured him that it was!  The three men  
joined us (the Governer, the Melaka Minister of State, and the Melaka  
Minister of Tourism) and we chatted for a bit - questions about  
ourselves and involvement in Endurance, about the sport, about  
horses. It was very comfortable. And then we left together, walking  
the red carpet, lots of cameras and TV, and then we were seated at  
the table with them! A huge centerpiece of bronze horses and flowers,  
and it was just amazing! I was seated next to Hosain, (who I really  
came to like and appreciate - one of those 'instant friends' ) and we  
caught each other's eyes after the 'seating ceremony' and grinned  
'only in Endurance!' - 'yes, only in Endurance'.  What is it about  
this sport that so totally and passionately captures us, and holds  
us, and once we start we simply can't quit!  The romance and heart  
and athletic beauty of the horse... We think that we own these  
animals... but really they own us!

And so it went - for Flag Off (Opening Ceremony), the awards lunch  
and reception, all a very Stately and Royal Affair!

We were treated to a city tour the morning before the night of the  
ride - a cruise along the Melaka River, which runs through the heart  
of the city, and is being modeled after San Antonio's beautiful river  
walk. It's not finished yet, but there are a dozen tour boats  
(shipped from San Antonio!) and sidewalks being constructed, and  
restaurants, and highlights in the historic district. It's going to  
be very nice. Melaka is the oldest city in Malaysia - an established  
trading port controlling the waters between the China Sea and the  
Indian Ocean.  It was captured and held by the Portuguese for  
centuries, then the Dutch gained control, then the British... there  
is some interesting architecture, although all of the old original  
buildings (pre 14th century) and temples were destroyed when the  
Portuguese took over. There is very little surviving history -  
building or document - of that period. The Portuguese influence was  
the most profound on the population, with much inter-marriage, and  
cross culture - many of the Malay people here still have Portuguese  
last names, and there is a distinctive 'flavor' to the people -  
evident in their speech and their food and their look.

I really enjoyed this city, this part of Malaysia - though as usual  
there was not enough time to be a proper tourist. But at the prize  
giving ceremony it was announced that this would become an annual  
affair - so maybe next year there will be a little more time to play!

and then the story of  - the Ride -

Steph


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