Ghost tours in KL 2003

THE STAR
Saturday November 1, 2003
Ghost tours

Story & pictures by LIZ PRICE
When I told my friends I was going on a ghost hunt that night, they laughed.

One local said, “What, in KL?” Another, a Mat Salleh, commented that “I am a sceptic of the spiritual world, so why would I spend time looking for ghosts?”

But as there is no harm in looking, why not give it a go? As they say, seeing is believing, so maybe if I see something, it may change my opinion.

Later that night, I found myself in a van with other would-be ghost hunters. We had joined a Spooksters tour, run by Francis Nantha, Chief Spookster. Francis told us that we should be safe enough, as metal repels spirits, therefore the vehicle should give us some protection. But for added measure, we all tied a thin yellow thread around our right wrists.

The nightly tours start in Bangsar with a seafood dinner, where the group is given an introduction to the spirit world. Food is an integral part of Asian life for protection against the supernatural. Asian cultures are full of superstitions and beliefs, which have all got jumbled up in the intermixing of the various cultures. It was interesting to learn that most of the customers are foreigners. Is this because Asians are too scared to delve into the spiritual world, or is it that foreigners are more curious and want to find out about Asian beliefs?

Before joining the tour, I had no clear idea about the difference between spirits and ghosts, but Francis explained this as we headed for the first stop. I learnt that there are three types of spirits, namely ghosts, gods and demons. Ghosts are basically people who have died, and I was amused to learn that some ghosts think that they are the ones living and we human beings are the dead ones! It seems we can sense spirits in four different ways: hearing, seeing, touching and smelling. A lot of people claim to have seen a ghostly apparition, especially at traffic lights, or have heard strange noises.

If you feel something brush against your skin, but see nothing, this could be a spirit passing by. If the temperature around is cold, it is a ghost, whereas a demon gives off heat. If you notice an odd smell, it means a spirit is present. People report smelling fruit or flowers when no such things are in the vicinity.

Our first stop was the Indian temple at Mid Valley Megamall. Here we were told how spiritual beliefs affect building construction, both in Malaysia and other Asian countries. Steps need to be taken to appease spirits before, during and after any development. At this particular temple is a tree believed to have been blessed by the gods.

Then we went up to the Seputeh Chinese cemetery. I have walked through the cemetery at daytime, as it is nice and peaceful and a haven for small wildlife. It also provides good views of the city. The cemetery covers a huge area and is a real green lung close to the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It is about 130 years old. I find it fascinating to walk around looking at the old graves, and there is one section dedicated to Yap Ah Loy, the supposed founder of Kuala Lumpur.

So to find myself walking through this cemetery in the wee hours of the morning, clutching a lit incense stick was a new experience.

The object of the exercise was to get good luck and spiritual blessing. We were to walk past the gravestones until we found one we felt was calling to us, then to put the joss stick in the earth in front of the grave. Sadly, I felt nothing. It was a bit ironic that the three cynics of the group were the ones walking, whereas the others in the group, who were believers, were too scared to get out of the vehicle.

We stopped at a shrine, where people, and spirits apparently, come to pray and give offerings. The shrine is a good example of how the Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures have intermingled, as one of the statues is a figure wearing a Malay songkok. I have often noticed this in cave temples in Malaysia. Inside what seems to be a Chinese temple, there is often a smaller shrine with gods from the Hindu religion, and vice versa in Indian temples.

Spooksters started their tours on Halloween day, 2002. When I heard that it was almost their first anniversary, the question that came to mind is, “Do ghosts have birthdays?” Or should that be “Deathdays”? After all, if mortals celebrate births, I wonder if ghosts celebrate the day they depart from this realm.

Off to prison

We headed for the Pudu Prison, which is on the edge of the Golden Triangle area of KL, opposite the new Times Square. It is easily recognisable by the long mural painted on the outer walls. This prison first opened its doors in 1891 and was expanded to accommodate up to 2,000 prisoners. In 1985, there were more than 6,650 prisoners, resulting in chronic overcrowding. Sometimes more than 10 people had to share a cell and take turns to sleep. The prison finally closed in 1996, and the following year it opened briefly as a tourist attraction.

The site was the scene of many executions over the years, and even today it is thought that many spirits still linger around the place. I visited the prison when it was open to the public and although I didn’t see any otherworldly beings, people are sure they exist. There are plans to build a shopping complex on the site, but first, the remaining phantoms have to be removed. I wonder where they will go.

Next place on the itinerary was the Pontianak Den. This is something I knew nothing about so perhaps was the most interesting for me. It is located in an exclusive area of KL, where the pontianaks are said to reside in banana trees, and may be seen sitting in trees and on walls. Pontianaks are vampires, commonly thought to be the mother of a dead child who is out to seek revenge by sucking blood.

But Francis has a creepier story. In the old days if an unmarried woman got pregnant, and the man would not marry her, she would turn to a bomoh for an abortion. Due to primitive methods, it was not unusual for the woman to die.

As she lay dying, she would let out a curse. The curse of the dying woman is very powerful. Her body would be dumped in a valley, but the woman would rise and kill the boyfriend, then look for the bomoh. However the bomoh would have protected himself from her curse. Unable to complete her task – she could not rest in peace.

Pontianaks have been likened to sexual sirens who attract men. This area, where the bomohs used to live, is notorious and many taxi drivers will refuse to go there due to bad experiences.

There are many tales of a driver having picked up a woman, and on arrival at the destination would ask for the fare only to find the taxi empty, or the woman would pay but then float off down the road, a body with no legs. The fear of pontianaks in rural areas is really great.

If you’ve ever seen a beautiful lady whilst driving along a quiet road at night, or whilst waiting at traffic lights, and she suddenly disappears, maybe you’ve seen a pontianak.

Another Asian ghostly being is the toyol, which reminds me of a miniature goblin. It is believed to be a baby who died at birth, or an aborted foetus. Raised from the dead by a bad bomoh, it can steal and even kill if its master so wishes.

Our last stop was the old KL railway station, the scene of numerous suicides in the past. Many people have jumped off the road bridge in front of passing trains. As a result people have seen ghosts in the area – but remember, seeing a ghost is often a sign of danger, so beware. When the station was in operation in its heyday, one particular bench was often reported to be occupied by ghostly figures. I wonder if they have moved away now that the trains no longer stop here. Maybe they have moved to a bench in KL Sentral?

Despite my scepticism, it was a fascinating tour. It provided an intriguing insight into the world of Asian ghosts and superstitions, taboos and beliefs. And don’t worry if you don’t believe, as it is a great opportunity, in Francis’s words, “to laugh at what Asians fear and find taboo”. But if you are a believer, you should still go, as you will certainly gain some new knowledge.

Did anyone see a ghost? . . . Well, that would be telling. Go and find out for yourself.

Spooksters
(Asian Spooks Experience)
(03) 2092 5626 ext 137
(Mon–Fri, 9am-5pm)
E-mail: spooksters@ez2pr.com
Website: www.ez2pr.com

The tours are done twice nightly, every night, at 6.30pm and 10pm, except during the Christmas week. Each tour lasts approximately three hours. Costs RM168 per person including a steamboat dinner. Minimum two people, maximum seven per trip .

Get Spooked! book 2004

THE STAR
Saturday October 30, 2004
A compilation of spooky tales

By LIZ PRICE
Get Spooked! Experiences of the unexpected
By Chief Spookster,
Times Editions, RM17.90

“The demon’s ear-splitting howl was cut off suddenly as two explosive fireballs burst from where the fresh lime juice had splashed on its hands and legs. These fireballs quickly became one as the demonic apparition was consumed by the flames.”



Chief Spookster aka Francis Nantha with his book. Besides penning spooky tales, Francis also runs nightly ghost tours in KL.

ARE YOU easily spooked? Does your hair stand on end, or a shiver run down your spine when you read spooky stories? Then this book is for you.

Get Spooked! is a compilation of seven gripping and scary stories. The book’s charm is that the stories are set in the modern day and are therefore easier to relate to. In this book, there are no abandoned houses in dark woods, no ghostly figures on lonely roads to scare passing motorists. Nor are there any cemeteries with old gravestones. All the narratives are set in modern buildings or settings, and affect ordinary people going about their daily lives.

The opening story, The Oily Man, is sure to scare you. A shadow lurks in a nurses’ hostel. Who is this orang minyak and why is he stalking the nurses? The belief in the orang minyak terrorising folks has been passed down through generations and is still talked about today.

Another story is about horrible accidents at a building site. What is the mysterious being that pushes workers off the scaffolding? The building project’s foreman rides roughshod over local superstitions. He has to keep the project going, despite the reluctance of the workers. The workers demand a priest to bless the accident site. Will this priest be able to exorcise the spirit? Read the story to find out!

Although the stories are set in the present day, the evil forces and mysterious happenings are based on Asian superstitions and beliefs. I liked the way the stories describe the spirits and demons for readers who are not familiar with Asian ghostly beings.

The Battling Spirits features a toyol, a little zombie foetus which will obey its master and do evil deeds. In Malay superstition, a toyol is believed to be a baby who died at birth or was an aborted foetus. It is raised as a zombie by a bad bomoh. It is feared as it can steal and even kill.


Other stories relate how blood sacrifices are made to appease the spirits. In Begging for Riches, a man with gambling debts needs money, so he and his brother offer the blood of a white chicken to the spirit of a newly buried baby girl. But something goes wrong when they anger the spirit and trigger its lust for blood.

The stories end in such a way that the reader understands what has happened. You learn why the incidents happened, how and why the spirits affected the main character.

The stories in the book is designed for reading pleasure, although it doesn’t give great details of Asian superstition. The belief in the supernatural is an integral part of Asian life and is something that is still passed down from generation to generation. Many people may be scared to delve into the world of spirits, but they can enjoy reading about this segment of their culture. This book will also appeal to non-believers and the curious. Good Halloween reading. W


Get Spooked! Experiences of the Unexpected is available in all major bookshops throughout Malaysia. The author of the book, Chief Spookster aka Francis Nantha, also runs nightly ghost tours in KL. The tours are an opportunity to delve into the spirit world and learn more about the mysteries of Asian superstitions and beliefs.
The tours run twice nightly, at 6.30pm and 10pm, every night except during Christmas week. Each tour lasts about three hours. Cost: RM168 per person including dinner based on two to seven persons per trip. For more details contact Spooksters at (03) 2092 5626 ext 137, Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm; e-mail: spooksters@ez2pr.com; website: http://www.ez2pr.com/).

Ghost Tours in Kuala Lumpur - Wildasia

Haunting the Haunts: Ghost Tours in Kuala Lumpur

A sceptic of the supernatural world, LIZ PRICE ventured on a tour that took her from Bangsar to Seputeh to Pudu prison in search of spirits, ghosts and pontianaks. The result? An intriguing insight into the world of Asian superstitions, taboos and beliefs.

[published on Wildasia.net 24 Aug 2004]

When I told my friends I was going on a ghost hunt that night, they laughed. One, a Malaysian, said, "What, in KL?" Another one, a mat salleh, made a comment on the fact that I am a sceptic of the spiritual world, so why would I spend time looking for ghosts. But as there is no harm in looking, why not give it a go. As they say, seeing is believing, so maybe if I saw something, it would change my opinion that ghosts and spirits don't exist.

So that is why later that night, I found myself sitting in a van with other would-be ghost hunters. We had joined a Spooksters tour, run by Francis Nantha, Chief Spookster. Francis told us that we should be safe enough, as metal is a repellant to sprits, therefore the vehicle should give us some protection. But for added measure we all tied a thin yellow thread around our right wrists.

The nightly tours start at Bangsar with a seafood dinner, where the group is given an introduction to the spirit world. Food is an integral part of Asian life for protection against the supernatural. Asian cultures are full of superstitions and beliefs, which have all got jumbled up by intermixing of the various cultures. It was interesting to learn that most of the customers are foreigners. Is this because Asians are too scared to delve in to the spiritual world, or is it that foreigners are more curious and want to find out about these Asian beliefs?

Before joining the tour I had no clear idea about the difference between spirits and ghosts, but Francis explained all this as we headed for the first stop. I learnt that there are three types of spirits, namely ghosts, gods and demons. Ghosts are basically people who have died, and I was amused to learn that some ghosts think that they are the ones living and us human beings are the dead ones! It seems that we can sense spirits in four different ways, by hearing, sight, touch and smell. A lot of people claim to have seen a ghostly apparition, especially at traffic lights, or have heard a strange noise. If you feel something brush your skin, but see nothing, this could be a spirit passing by. If it gives a sense of cold it is a ghost, whereas a demon gives off heat. If you notice an out of place smell it means a spirit is present. People report smelling fruit or flowers where no such things are in the vicinity.

Our first stop was the Indian temple at Mid Valley Mega Mall. Here we were told how spiritual beliefs affect building construction, both in Malaysia and other Asian countries. Steps needed to be taken to appease spirits before, during and after any development. At this particular temple is a tree believed to have been blessed by the Gods.

Then we went up to the Seputeh Chinese cemetery. I have walked through the cemetery at daytime, as it is nice and peaceful and a haven for small wildlife, as well as providing good views over the city of KL. It covers a huge area and is a real green lung close to the heart of KL. It is about 130 years old. I find it fascinating to walk around looking at the old graves, and there is one section dedicated to Yap Ah Loy, the supposed founder of KL. So to find myself walking through this cemetery in the wee hours of the morning, clutching a lit incense stick was a new experience.

The object of the exercise was to get good luck and a spiritual blessing. We were to walk past the gravestones until we found one we felt was calling to us, then to put the joss stick in the earth in front of the grave. Sadly, I felt nothing. It was a bit ironic that the three cynics of the group were the ones walking, whereas the others in the group, who were believers, were too scared to get out of the vehicle.

We stopped at a shrine, where people, and spirits apparently, come to pray and give offerings. The shrine is a good example of how the Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures have got intermingled, as one of the statues is a Chinese figure wearing a Malay songkok. I have often noticed this in cave temples in Malaysia. Inside what seems to be a Chinese temple, there is often a smaller shrine with gods from the Indian religion, and vice versa in Indian temples.

Spooksters started their tours at Halloween 2002. When I heard that it was almost their first anniversary, the question that came to mind is 'do ghosts have birthdays?' Or should that be 'deathdays'? After all, if us mortals celebrate our births, I wonder if ghosts celebrate the day they departed from this realm.

Off to prison.

We headed for the Pudu Prison, which is on the edge of the Golden Triangle area of KL, opposite the new Times Square. It is easily recognisable by the long mural painted on the outer walls. This prison first opened its doors in 1891 and was expanded to accommodate up to 2000 prisoners. However in 1985 there were more than 6650 prisoners, resulting in chronic overcrowding. Sometimes more than 10 people had to share a cell and take turns to sleep. The prison finally closed in 1996, and the following year opened briefly as a tourist attraction.

The site was the scene of many executions over the years, and even today there are thought to be many spirits still lingering around the place, both ghosts and demons of mortals who tried to escape. I visited the prison when it was open to the public and although I didn't see any otherworldly beings, people are sure they exist. There are plans to build a shopping complex on the site, but first, the remaining phantoms have to leave. I wonder where they will go.

Next place on the itinerary was the Pontianak Den. This is something I knew nothing about so perhaps was the most interesting for me. It is located in an exclusive area of KL, where the pontianaks are said to reside in banana trees, and may be seen sitting in trees and on walls. Pontianaks are vampires, commonly thought to be the mother of a dead child who is out to seek revenge in the form of blood. But Francis has a creepier story - in the old days if an unmarried woman got pregnant, and the man would not marry her, she would turn to a bomoh for an abortion. Due to primitive methods it was not unusual for the woman to die. As she was dying she would be angry and would curse. The curse of the dying woman is very powerful. Her body was dumped in a valley, but the woman would rise, and kill the boyfriend then look for the bomoh. However the bomoh had protected himself from her curse. As the pontianak hadn't completed her task - she had killed the boyfriend but not the bomoh - she could not rest in peace.

Pontianaks have been likened to sexual sirens who attract men. This area, where the bomohs used to live, is infamous and many taxi drivers will refuse to go there due to bad experiences. There are many tales of a driver having picked up a woman, and on arrival at the destination would ask for the fare only to find the taxi empty, or the woman would pay but then float off down the road, a body with no legs. The fear of pontianaks in rural areas is really great. If you've ever seen a beautiful lady whilst driving along a quiet road at night, or whilst waiting at traffic lights, and she suddenly disappears, maybe you've seen a pontianak.

Another Asian being is the toyol, which reminds me of a miniature goblin. It is believed to be a baby who died at birth, or an aborted foetus. It is raised as a zombie by a bad bomoh. It is very feared as it can steal and even kill if its master so wishes.

Our last stop was the old KL railway station, the scene of numerous suicides in the past. Many people have jumped off the road bridge in front of passing trains. And as a result people have seen ghosts in that area - but remember, seeing a ghost is often a sign of danger, so beware. When the station was in operation in its heyday, one particular bench was often reported to be occupied by ghostly figures. I wonder if they have moved away now that the trains no longer stop here. Maybe they have moved to a bench in KL Sentral?

Despite my sceptism, it was a fascinating tour. It is an intriguing insight into the world of Asian ghosts and superstitions, taboos and beliefs. And don't worry if you don't believe, as it is a great opportunity, in Francis's words, "to laugh at what Asians fear and find taboo". But if you are a believer, you should still go, as you will certainly still gain some new knowledge. Did anyone see a ghost…… well that would be telling. Go and find out for yourself…..

© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.