Traveler's Tales

Amsterdam

2010-12-17T21:15:00.007+08:00

Cruising down the many canals in Amsterdam

A village across the lake

Windmill in a village

Zuidee Zea - the habour

One of the many canals in Amsterdam

Bicycles all over downtown Amsterdam

Outside Amsterdam Video - Amsterdam Travel Videos - Tripfilms

We visited Amsterdam after our stop in London. We saw the much talked about canals, museums and bicycles, bicycles and bicycles. Our guide said, the canals of Amsterdam are 18 feet deep on the average. It comprises of 4 feet of water, 6 feet of mud and 8 feet of bicycles ! But what gave me greatest pleasure were the country side and villages situated by the lakes and seaside towns. Tranquil and calm, and those trademark windmills were sights to behold. And the varieties of cheese, of course.

Istanbul, Turkey Part 1

2010-12-15T00:37:00.001+08:00

We spent 3 days in Istanbul after Eskisehir. As most tourists would do, we visited the mosques, churches, cruised the Bosphorus and the food were wonderful. Perhaps, the videos may help to get an insight of this wonderful country.......( I may do an injustice should I try to write on Istanbul and Turkey ! )

Istanbul, Turkey Part 2

2010-12-15T00:37:00.000+08:00

More on Istanbul......
One thing for sure, my better half and I have decided to come again to Turkey provided we can somehow have the funds to do so.

The Repins on Turkey and Western Europe : Images of Eskisehir 6-7 October 2010

2010-10-09T22:21:00.000+08:00

Our Lunch Buffet....yummy

A dear friend whom we met twice on the same day at the Kursunlu Complex

Fresh, big chilis at the market bazaar

Mountains of fresh fruits and nuts at the market bazaar

By the banks of the Porsuk River downtown Eskisehir

The horse carriages for the tourists, I suppose

The inner side of the mosque dome at the Kursunlu Complex

Bracelets of the evil eye....

Old quarter of Eskisehir

Old buildings protected by the Municipality of Eskisehir

We moved around quite a lot during our 3 days in Eskisehir, a modern city, clean and interesting city to visit. The pace of the city is not as maddening compared to Bangkok, Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur for that matter. Small parks and pretty statues are all well maintain and its "europeaness" can be clearly be seen in the city's planning and public amenities are excellent. Here are some images caught during our walk-abouts.....

The Repins on Turkey and Western Europe : Eskisehir

2010-10-08T01:51:00.002+08:00

After 10+hours, we landed at the Kamal Artatuk International Airport in Istanbul at a quarter past six in the morning. Passing through immigration was a breeze and the luggages also arrived in a comforting time too. The only inconvenience were the absence of the trolley carts, and one can imagine the puffing and pulling of 2 moderately sized suitcases and an overweight backpack to add; some 60 metres towards the exit doors. Emerging from the exit doors, I immediately noticed a handsome young gentleman holding a placard with our KL tour agency's name. We were introduced and within 10 minutes, we were quickly put into a brand new Mercedes coach bound for Eskisehir. Marwan is our tour guide, a young ex-model and the driver of the coach is Nassim. The 12 seater coach is just nice for the 5 of us intending to travel some 300 + kilometres to Eskisehir, a university city of around half a million inhabitants sited midway between Istanbul and Ankara. We started off at a crawling pace due to heavy traffic coinciding with the Istanbul rush-hour but after half an hour or so, we were well away proceeding eastwards towards Eskisehir, where according to Marwan, not many tourists go. Even he as a guide, has not have the opportunity to visit Eskisehir the past 3 years or so. It will be a learning experience for him too, when he said we can all discover Eskisehir together.

View from hotel room in Eskisehir

The Marmara Sea, an inland sea connecting the Black Sea and Aegean Sea - enroute to Eskisehir

Central Eskisehir, a university town with 2 prominent universities

The Kursunlu Complex consisting of a mosque built circa 1515-1525 and madrasa along the old silk road

in the old quarter of Eskisehir

Old buildings preserved near the Kursunlu Compleks, old part of Eskisehir

The Porsuk River in Eskisehir with numerous bridges and shops on both banks of the river

The Selale Park with artificial waterfalls and 2 Cafes

View of Eskisehir from Selale park

Excavation site of an early civilisation, near the village of Giordon

Village scene, Giordon

Modern trams in Downtown Eskisehir

For the Midas Touch, visit the tomb of King Midas, the outskirt of Eskisehir

Typical Village Mosque, Giordon

The book says Eskisehir and its immediate vicinity was in existence since 3000BC where numerous civilisations have occupied and prospered including the Hitit, Frigs, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuks and the Ottomans. This itself would interest visitors to Eskisehir. Some points of interests in and around Eskisehir include Selale Park, the Kursunlu Complex, Odunpazari, and the Atlihan. So, Eskisehir has alot to offer after all although it shall remain in the shadows of Istanbul.
The Repins thoroughly enjoyed our stay here - nice people, nice food and nice cool October weather

You may want to view this video.....
.Video of Eskisehir

The Repins on Turkey and Western Europe : The Moving Plan, 3rd Oct, 2010

2010-10-05T10:47:00.000+08:00

   Planning : Information Overload

So it is time of the year again when The Repins is set for another trip. And this is going to be a much longer trip than usual, a total of 23 days on the road ! This time we are going to Turkey ( originally not on our agenda ) and other parts of Western Europe. Actually, the really real original plan was to take a 12-day adventure trip to Morroco, inspired by Tahir Shah's book, "The Caliph's House". But, my better half ( aka the Minister of Interior ) has apparently a better plan, ie to venture into parts of Western Europe. To keep the spirit of democracy alive, I decided to obey the command and thus the Western Europe trip was planned instead ie from London to London but with overland journeys covering the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France. Although in this respect, we knew very well , that we have made many short trips between us in a number of European cities during our work-life, but this will be different. Previously the travel plan covers the airport-hotels-meetings-hotels-airport which cannot be termed as holiday travel but business travel. Now its gonna be more leisurely, more sedate, to see more than the eyes can see , so to speak. The whole idea is the travel would be stress-free ! Even if we missed the sights ( not flights ), not up to the mark hotel rooms, lethargic tour guides, long hours on the road, nothing of those will induce stress into us. That was the plan.

   It was in the month of May, 2010 we made inquiries with Ms Jennifer Tan of Sriaity Tours ( a splendid personalised tour company tucked on the upper floor of a row of shophouses, above a tyre shop ! )to book the trip for Europe. The plan was to cover 6 countries but hardly a month after that the plan has to be aborted upon realising the idea of covering 6 countries in 8 days would be a terrible way to abuse our "young bodies". So, from 6 countries it became 4 countries and a much more relax pace of travel.

Then, sometime around early August, some of our colleagues wanted to go to Turkey on business and persuaded us to follow them which was a brilliant idea indeed. So we added more days to the planned vacation and it became 23 days in total by annexing Turkey to the not so original plan.

All packed...

Now, the bags are packed, tickets in hand and payment to the tour agency has been made, the tour shall begin......and we will try to keep family and friends updated on our travels....

Eid ul-Fitr

2010-09-16T10:56:00.002+08:00

Where is my angpow ?

Today is the third day ( 12the Sept ) where Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid ul-Fitri. In Malaysia, it is called Hari Raya. Eid in Arabic means celebration or festivity marking the end of the month long fast in the month of Ramadhan and welcoming the month of Shawal with Fitr meaning the conclusion of fast. In Malaysia and South East Asia generally we celebrate the Eid in a big way but in many other countries, Muslims tend to celebrate on a bigger scale the Eid ul-Adha ie the month of the Haj. In Malaysia and South East Asia in particular the Eid is declared as national holidays of 2 days. Muslims will perform the Eid prayers at the mosque or open spaces in the morning; but this time around since Eid fall on a friday, there was also another congregation at the mosque for the noon prayers as well. Eid ul-Fitr is a day to forgive and forget and therefore children are encourage to seek forgiveness from their parents and elders and also with friends and relatives alike. Food, and lots of them are the order of the day and families will make house visits to friends and relatives' houses to strengthen their bonding and kinship. For Malaysia in particular, people will have open houses and politicians in particular the ministers will have their own open houses for members of the public to take part in the festivities. This is something unique; therefore at times queues at these premises can be very very long indeed.

As for me, we had a sort of open house in the afternoon after the friday prayers on the first day of Eid but that was only the plan because the first of our guests arrived at eleven in the morning and the last family friend dropped in around 7pm in the evening. It was a long day entertaining all of them but as usual we enjoyed meeting all of them, catching up on what's new about their families etc....but most of the times everyone will talk at the same time and I just wonder who is actually listening. Of course my classmates since the primary school days also popped-in as planned and again the stories of the good Malacca High School days will be the choice topic discussed and talked about. And this discussion will be a long one because we don't meet that often and there is so much to talk about at this "reunion" . Some friends even would come down from as far as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for this impromptu meeting of the Class of 66.

For the nieces and nephews, this will be the time for them to extend their hands asking for forgiveness and at the same time, getting money packets in return. It must be fun for them getting "duit raya" or angpow as the Chinese calls it. When I was a kid, we normally would be up before sunrise, getting into our brand new clothes and do our rounds visiting every single house in the village and eagerly collecting coins in the process. Some cheeky friends even would go twice to the same house wishing the occupants Eid Mubarak and hoping the occupants would not recognize them, and in most cases they would get away with the packet they hope for. Furthermore, there is nothing to lose except for a dented ego if found out ! It was fun and worth the risk.

The Eid ul-Fitr spirit of celebration will go on in the month of Shawal and this is the month corporate bodies and institutions will have open houses in their respective premises for their customers and business partners. There will be short speeches by the host and most of all , food will be served, typically ketupat ( rice cakes ) and rendang ( curry-like meat dish ) and other Malaysian dishes from the various ethnic groups. Light entertainment will make the day special for all present.

Ketupat - the original version ( rice cakes in coconut leaves )

Friends at our open house

The Goodies

During this holiday break most urban centres and the capital city Kuala Lumpur in particular will be seen to be "empty" because most of the inhabitants have gone home ie home are the kampongs or villages. The great exodus normally would begin a few days before the Eid and roads leading out of the city will be congested with all modes of transport, where a normal journey of 2 hours may now take about 4 hours to complete. And this would be the season where many road related deaths would take place due to accidents. For some, Raya would be tragic with the loss of family members and friends.

A Worthwhile Detour via Kuala Sungai Baru

2010-08-23T23:59:00.003+08:00

Junction leading to Masjid Tanah and onwards to Kuala Sungai Baru on a wet morning

A fireman getting assistance from the public to unstuck something in the drain in Kuala Sungai Baru town

Fishing boats lining up the Kuala Sungai Baru River

Another old jetty in the distance

At low tide, villagers collecting shells and snails

Edible snails by the thousands @ low tide

Mangroves are crucial for the coastal ecology here

Lately we ( my better half and I ) are spending around 24 hours max in Melaka for most of our weekends. This is not by design but circumstances have the habit of appearing on most Fridays to interfere with our normal Friday departure to Melaka. Nowadays, we would arrive by 11am on Saturdays and rushing back to Kuala Lumpur by 10 am on Sundays in order to beat the crawl at Nilai along the highway. However, yesterday we decided to take it easy, when we took the "coastal road " instead from Melaka Town through Masjid Tanah, Pengkalan Balak, Kuala Sungai Baru, Kuala Linggi and eventually Sepang where we can swing eastwards back to Kuala Lumpur. It would take us, say around 3.5 hrs with short stops to look at the sights. That was the grand plan !
There are a number of good and popular beaches along the way if one has the time to explore; amongst others are the Kamunting Beach, Tanjung Bidara and a few more. What one needs to do is just to make a left turn towards the coast and keep on driving till you hear and see the sea ie Straits of Malacca. In most cases one can find numerous chalets cum resorts by the beach run by the villagers themselves. On the average rental per night at these chalets would be in the region of RM60-RM 100 , making it very affordable indeed. But this time around, I did a left turn after Kuala Sungai Baru town and found myself close to a jetty built for fishermen to unload their catch of the day. Being slightly late ( around 10.30am), we could not observe any of this "fishy activities" but managed to buy a few fresh fishes from the shop nearby. We were told that, we should come around 8 in the morning to get the better-looking fishes ! We took note of that. Of course we also took note that there is the Ikan Bakar restaurant nearby this particular jetty. Further up, enroute to Kuala Linggi we stopped at an area called ....( cannot remember ) but what was prominent is the restaurant overlooking the Straits of Malacca. Unfortunately, since it is the month of Ramadhan, we cannot sample any of the food there although the menu listed all sorts of seafood dishes. What a pity.
Driving out of this place, we realised that time was not in our favour since we have to be in Kuala Lumpur by 1pm. We had to abort our plan to proceed to Selangor via the coastal road. Maybe next time. Indeed we had a good and interesting time on our unplanned adventure en route to Kuala Lumpur via Kuala Sungai Baru. I promise myself to do it again and this time around, must visit a number of historical sites along the route and Kuala Linggi.

( Someone said : A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the sceanery on a detour.....)

30 Hours in Singapore... Raffles Place included.

2010-08-10T00:24:00.000+08:00

Fireworks

The Smallest Bar in the world

English Pub ?

Singapore River Cruise

The Bird Statue @ Boatquay, Raffles Place

The leisurely train journey from Kuala Lumpur - Singapore took 7 hours. That itself is part of travel where my daughter and I enjoyed immensely; partly because we slept all the way to Singapore and arriving fresh on a bright Saturday morning. It was only around 4pm that my better half ( who arrived a day earlier ) and I started off from our son's apartment bound for Bras Basah via the new Circle Line to look at some used book stores at the Bras Basah Complex. There are numerous bookshops within the complex selling stationaries and used books. Most of those shops are not well stocked with the exception of one where we bought five books between us. The shops do carry out- of- print books too, though overall the books are not to our liking. One can find school books, old magazines, all sort of stationaries and books of all kinds, predominantly fiction. Prices are considerably cheaper because the books are mainly used ones but we can find even new ones being sold slightly cheaper compared to the up-market book stores in the city centre. Bras Basah Road generally has retained its character since the mid-sixties with the exception of a number of high-rise office buildings on one side of the road and at the moment one of such building is under going a face lift. There are also a number of budget hotels along Bras Basah.
By half past five, we were already on the North-South Line bound for Raffles Place to meet-up with our grand-daughter and her parents. Disembarking from the Raffles Place station and five minutes away, we were already by the Singapore River, and the place is known as Boatquay. Out on the river we observed several boats loaded with tourists on a river cruise. Along the bank of the river, besides the high rise office blocks, there is a long row of old shophouses beautifully done up housing numerous pubs, restaurants of all kinds from arabic menus to thai seafood. We settled for the Northern Indian food of briani rice, naan roti and delicious chicken tandoori, dhal, bendi and various masalaas....the street as a matter of fact was being swamped with a multitude of odours coming from all the kitchens within the area. Choosing a restaurant for dinner could be a very difficult and problematic matter for any family, I bet ! By sheer coincidence or planned coincidence we were there at the right time and place to witness the fulldress rehearsal celebrating Singapore National Day. From the blue clear sky we saw paragliders slowly gliding their "sails' in perfect circular motion aiming perhaps to a designated mark somewhere on the esplanade nearby hidden from us by the colonial building across the river. Then like rolling thunder, the jets from the air force in perfect formation zoomed by, deafening everyone and mothers desperately clasping their hands over the ears of their children. The helicopters too made their entrance with the Singapore flags under their belly made their way at a much more sedate pace to the delight of the early diners at the restaurants. The highlight of the evening was the fireworks display which we were lucky enough to feast our eyes upon from our son's office some 80 meters high. It was a grand display of bursting colours and from this vantage point, we had a panoramic view of the multi-coloured showers all around us. It was a good and satisfying Saturday outing for the family......

Bandung Travel and Reading Lights

2010-07-28T22:28:00.000+08:00

Travelling from Jakarta to Bandung, one must brave the macet ( traffic jam )

Haven for shoppers in Bandung with its factory outlets

Perfect discovery of Reading Lights : just pop-in, order your coffee and browse rows of books

Yes, we went to Bandung again about 2 weeks ago ! Personally it was my 4th or 5th visit to this Central Java city, some say the 3rd or 4th largest city in Indonesia. For many years Bandung has attracted many Malaysians. The city offers excellent ( and cheap ) shopping experience with its many factory outlets catering for the budget travellers and perhaps the rich and famous too. For me, the food scene is great. For nature lovers, there are the hills outside Bandung with its hot springs and tea plantations and for the history and culture buffs, we have the museums and the colonial Dutch buildings to stare at ! The surprise find of the year for me is a used bookstore called READING LIGHTS in the city itself on Jalan Silangwangi. We spent close to 2 hours just sitting around and browsing through their book collections consisting mainly of romance books and other fictions. The cost of those books are relatively cheap and we a bought a couple of those out of print books. It was a good experience at Reading Lights, seeing the decor, the novelties on sale, the relax atmosphere. paintings on the wall and cozy corners makes one just want to be there and forget about shopping in Bandung but instead enjoy the coffee served here while flipping over a 2 year old National Geographic magazine. Sometimes I wonder whether the owner really makes money on this type of business ie after investing in a two- storey corner lot building with facilities like toilets, prayer room and a mini hall for activities to take place and a staff strength of 6 to boot ! Its a boon to book lovers. Perhaps the owner is just happy and satisfied when the readers are happy. They are indeed truly book lovers. We wish them well.

The Last Time I went to Langkawi, I saw the following.....

2010-06-12T01:17:00.001+08:00

The last time I went to Langkawi, I saw the following.......

......a yellow T-shirt

........a guy who looks like me

....a Penguin

....fishing boats

.....a seahorse

....a catfish

and a bird in the distance

What about you ?

Try this link for Langkawi ....http://wikitravel.org/en/Langkawi

Weekend in Melaka

2010-06-06T11:37:00.001+08:00

Very domesticated wild ducks

The Timer with no instruction or information sheet

Having nothing to write this month due to being extremely busy at work, I have decided to post about what happened the last 24 hours in Melaka. Including what I saw on my way to Melaka Sentral ( the central wet market where I normally have breakfast and meet-up with old Melaka days buddies ! ) this Sunday morning......

1. Arrived home almost midnight last night and saw our living room was wet due to a mini flooding the previous night ( according to Burn, our great neighbour )...apparently the monsoon drain about 20 metres away was not functioning well due to repair works nearby. Luckily the carpet was not in place because we plan for this !
2. I observed a maniac driver overtaking me on the inside on my way to Sentral almost knocking a cyclist.
3. Ate 2 capatis and a nasi lemak bungkus at Sentral with my brother and nephew. And we plan a business undertaking within 30 minutes ! This is great.
4. Our 2 loyal visitors dropped by for breakfast....
5. Finally, the timer for the water/filter pump worked and serves its purpose after 3 tries over 3 weekends. This cheap China made device comes with no legible operating instructions. So, this is the 3rd weekend when I can shout EUREKA ! Potential savings about 15 % of electricity costs or 5 plates of Nasi Gunting at Sentral. Not bad for a RM12 investment.
6. The wild ducks at the garden waterfall are still there; they must be happy.
7. And the fishes too are okay despite the trauma of the timer and water pump being forced upon them.
8. Streets in Melaka are getting heavy due to extra week-enders and local tourists taking advantage of the school holidays.
9. There is a wedding reception to attend in 2 hours time and so lunch is free.

Happy talapias, goldfish and koi

Guess who's coming for breakfast

Happy Holidays !

Cruising Down the Melaka River

2010-05-08T21:12:00.001+08:00

River cruises are popular tourist attractions. Perhaps every major river system in big cities and smaller cities alike have river cruises. The Melaka River Cruise is relatively new but it has become a major attraction for local and foreign tourists. Having experience the night cruise which was a delightful experience about 8 months ago, I decided to do it again in the day. The 45 minute ride passes through modern traditional villages, the city centre and the boat did an about turn close to the mouth of the river. A running commentary in English and Malay keep the passengers informed of all sights on both sides of the river. An interesting feature was added recently in the form of paintings depicting milestones in the history of Melaka since the 15th Century - and these can be seen on both sides of the river where artists drew on the sides of existing buildings transforming them into a mammoth art gallery.....all these for RM10 per adult !

Images of Geylang Serai or what's left of it now

2010-04-20T22:46:00.001+08:00

Geylang Serai

About a city block in size we have the Malay Village area with former houses and buildings still

intact but now housing small malay businesses and stores

The front of the new Geylang Serai Market, the food stalls are on the upper level

The Surau - a small prayer hall

The New Market at Geylang Serai

Geylang Serai Singapore, has transformed and as a matter of fact Singapore has transformed ever since I first set foot there in the mid-sixties. It is for the better, one cannot fight modernisation and its a matter of economics too. But we do see some remnants of Geylang Serai of the past too and its kind of nostalgic to be seeing some of the traditional setting still in place and converted into the Malay World where tourists and locals can enjoy the atmosphere there. Enjoy the images....taken from my camera phone.

Night Train to Singapore

2010-04-07T23:21:00.018+08:00

( Johor Bharu Station - my late father used to work here as Station Master )

KL Sentral Station - Waiting Lounge

Coaches at Tanjung Pagar Railway Station, Singapore

I love trains. My late father was with the Malayan Railways or Keretapi Tanah Melayu and he saw service for more than 35 years. My siblings and I grew up in small and big towns from Pasir Mas to Singapore. We used to stay in Johor Bharu, Tampin, Rantau Panjang and at least 2 other towns which I could not recall ( memory is failing me again ). During our school holidays, our father would without fail took leave and journey home to our kampong in Melaka via the train. We would travel from Rantau Panjang to Gemas along the east coast line and change lines
northwards along the west coast line to Tampin where we would disembarked and proceeded by taxi to our grandfather's house in Semabok ( a village, just outside Melaka Town ). That was our idea of a vacation then. Although I have been on the TGV but nothing beats the slow ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore which my better half and I took recently on our way to visit our grand daughter in Singapore. We went via the Senanadung Malam departing Kuala Lumpur around 10pm I think, and arriving Singapore ( Tanjung Pagar Station ) at around 8.20 am the following morning. The slow narrow gauge express lullaby us to sleep on our second class berth coach before even reaching Seremban station, about an hour and a half away south of Kuala Lumpur. What was more appealing was the special fare we got for being senior citizens with 50 percent discount for tickets. The rest did not matter !
My father was stationed in Singapore for 4 years as an ASM ie Assistant Station Master and during those years our trips were from Tampin to Singapore via the Express Rakyat, the day express train. It was considered super-fast then.
Although people have been complaining of our trains being slow, frequent delays and poor service, I cannot complain. How fast can a train travel on a narrow gauge ? If speed is the issue, then take the plane or the many express buses that are available now. For a senior citizen like me, travelling by train is ideal. One can stretch one's legs and move around freely in the compartment with minimum stress. It's the way to travel if you have time in your hands and a grandchild to visit.

PS : The senior citizen card entitles the bearer a 50 percent discount on train fares ! )

First Experience in the wild

2010-03-29T22:34:00.005+08:00

( We saw the lioness chasing an antelope, but gave up after 20 seconds or so,
the guide told us that the lioness is perhaps old.....)

   ( The threesome initially ran away upon seeing the van we were travelling but after a few
   seconds stopped momentarily and "forgot" why they ran in the first place. They turn around
   and looked at us again - they are forgetful creatures I think ! )

k3, originally uploaded by repin.

Recently I spent 3 days in Kenya and managed to squeeze in about 3 hours at the Nairobi National Park......apparently the only safari park of its kind to be situated close to any capital city. Indeed, the guide informed us that the park's neighbours include the airport and residential areas. Animal sightings include giraffes, a lioness chasing a stray antelope I think, the secretary bird, some kind of eagles, hogs, antelopes or gazelles, a rhino in the distance, herds of deers ( or deer-like animals ), a pair of zebras, stocks, and many species of birds. Entrance to the park was US60 per pax to get in with your rented semi open top van ( separate cost ) and an experience driver who maintains contact with other drivers in the park on animal sightings via the mobile phone. Overall, it was a good experience and for a mere 3 hours, it was worth it for the first experience in the wild !

Cameron Highlands via the TIME TUNNEL

2010-03-07T18:33:00.001+08:00

As mentioned in my previous blog......above are some images in the TIME TUNNEL Museum in the Cameron Highlands. Entrance fee is RM5.00 and is worth every sen of it. One can spend hours in the museum and come out enlightened. Mr See, the owner said that there is a plan to extend the current museum by another 60 feet and that's alot of more stuff to be viewed in the future. This is another excuse to visit the Camerons again.........

Cameron Highlands Revisited X 4

2010-03-07T17:05:00.002+08:00

I am always attracted to the hills and the railways although the latter is a subject for another blog. No doubt about it. My latest visit to the Cameron Highlands started around 8pm on 5th March . Although we started around 6pm from the City, it was only at 8pm we arrived at the Northbound Toll Plaza. Driving almost non-stop ( minus a 10 minutes break at Tapah Rest Area ), we drove to Simpang Pulai Exit in order to escape the much more torturous route via Tapah. We arrived Brinchang around a quarter past eleven. By the time we checked in to our apartment in Brinchang, it was close to midnight. The family were in bed by 1 am. Brinchang has somewhat grown in size, with new buildings and hotels etc. and Brinchang is busy with traffic and tour buses !.On previous visits we stayed at Tanah Rata. As usual we visited all the familiar places like the tea plantations, the vegetable farms and we of course did not forget the strawberries ( I have to insert this because my better half insisted on it since she knew I hated strawberries ! ) We visited a new place ( kind of museum called the Time Tunnel - founded about 4 years ago by a Mr See ). This museum housed all the household items of which I for one were familiar with.... bicycles, calendars, pots and pans, furnitures, advertisements of bygone brands and of course it also contain write-ups of the history of Cameron Highlands ! A must see attraction for all Malaysians, at least for people in their fifties to really associate themselves with all those memorabilia items on display. As this was our fourth or fifth visit, we more or less knew where the rest of the attractions were and was not surprised at the developments taking place in the Camerons. The air is still cool at night and comfortable but can be hot in the day......sadly, I missed the morning mist or are there any mists at all nowadays ? Mists aside, we brought home good memories and loads of vegetables and the yakky strawberries after a 2- night weekend outing!

Places & Scenes of Malaysia

2010-01-15T16:25:00.001+08:00

DSC_0216, originally uploaded by repin.

Suddenly I realised that there are places that I have not been especially those secondary towns along the coastal areas of Peninsular Malaysia ie to drive along the west and east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Perhaps I should embark on more local trips and see my country more if time permits of course. My target for 2010 would be to cover the south -east coastal area first before planning the north-east portion of the country and to take loads of pictures........while everything is still intact !

Hello Room Service ?

2009-12-06T02:44:00.000+08:00

When travelling either on business or leisure, I would in most cases stay in hotels. I don't particularly pay attention to whether it is a five-star or B&B outlet. As long as it is clean , comfortable and having basic amenities and those having room service would be a bonus. On short business trips and hard pressed for time, I would normally patronise the room service for meals. Recently in Kuching, the company booked me at the Hyatt. It is a nice hotel ( overlooking the waterfront ) and most importantly, the hotel employees make you feel welcome with their smiles and will go out of their way to please you. And on this occassion, I was on the Energetic mode ( highspirited, fully charged-up after a successful meeting ) and so I did call for room service for a late lunch of Bee Hoon Goreng Pedas ( hot fried noodles) and Catherine of Room Service repeated my order and informed me that the meal would be ready within 20 minutes. Sure enough, the food arrived within 16 minutes ! It was a huge portion, enough for two people and indeed it was value for money; and yes indeed the Bee Hoon Goreng Pedas lived-up to its name and it was pedas which I thoroughly enjoyed - the prawns were just right, the sliced chicken were great and the slices of squids were equally excellent. Mind you, Catherine ringed me and asked how was the food , and is there anything else that I wanted and whether I was pleased with the service given by the room service staff that delivered the food to the room. I rated it 5/5 without hesitation.
The following day, I was in Kota Kinabalu and was booked at another hotel which I am quite familiar with but had not tried their room service. This time around, I did. I ordered Nasi Goreng Api Api ( hot fried rice ) and a desert. The food arrived in 25 minutes flat. It was a normal portion and it was not hot at all as promised and to use the word Api Api was an embarassment of the first degree ! It had 3 pieces of shrimp ( not prawns), an upside-down under-developed fried chicken wing and a small mini dish ( you can imagine how small it is ) of pickled cucumbers which I suspect was at least 3 days old. And to add salt to the already gangrene-like wound, my room had no bath towel. After calling housekeeping 3 times, a single towel arrived a good 45 minutes later. Both hotels are rated 4 or 5 star status but definitely one has lost its glitters.

Ramadan 2009 & Malaysia's 52nd Merdeka Celebration.

2009-09-06T15:49:00.000+08:00

This time around our Independence Day Celebration, which happened to be our 52nd was celebrated on a slightly low key. On August 31st, we were more than a week into the holy month of Ramadan. There was a ceremony at the Parliament House where our leaders and leaders from the various strata of the society attended and apart from that, there was nothing much of entertainment programmes appeared on our TVs too. The H1N1 virus going around also does help the situation.Nonetheless the hypes and Merdeka Wishes were there in the media supplied by many of our corporate sponsors. Few flags were seen atop trucks, buses and cars compared to a few years ago. Without all those frills, I suppose the love and patriotic sense of Malaysians are still intact. The only wish of all Malaysians is for the country to move forward .....(sigh )....But turning on to the holy month of Ramadan, please go to http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/08/ramadan_2009.html

for images caught across the world captured in the 1st week of Ramadan 2009. Its amazing !

Family Trip to Nexus Karambunai, Kota Kinabalu

2009-08-28T17:50:00.000+08:00

It was a glorious 4 days of lazy days and catching up with members of the Repin family. The weather did well during the period of stay and there were enough activities to pusue that caters for the young and old. We can do plenty of lung exercises at the Karaoke lounge or play tennis and even horse riding; not to mention the water activities. The kids enjoyed themselves on the beach and in the water being pounded upon by walls of waves which could be rather strong on occassions. What else can one do at a Resort , except laze around and eating around. We just did that !

Weekend in Singapore

2009-06-21T10:28:00.000+08:00

The Mustafa Complex....yes 24 X 7

The Smile says it all !

We caught the morning coach on Friday from Kuala Lumpur and arrived Singapore slightly more than 5 hours later; it was a hot day, and we were sweating by the time we reached Rizal's house. But looking at Sophia's beaming smile when we opened the apartment door was the highlight of the short visit. My cucu recognised me after all ! and of course as usual we did our usual sightseeing on Saturday. We walked past the old Cathay Cinema and noticed its new facade, went for lunch at Rendevous Restaurant for nasi padang, along Bras Basah Road. This part of the city changed quite abit since I last walked past the same street 35 years ago. And we made it to the Singapore National Museum too......very professionally run and very interactive. You need more time here, a full day perhaps. Educational and enjoyable. Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur ? Must make an effort to visit again after 8 years ! This will be another personal project.

Singapore

2009-06-19T18:51:00.001+08:00

Arrived Singapore after 5.5 hrs pleasant road journey from Kuala Lumpur. A no frills coach service but reliable.Reason : to be with grand-daughter for the weekend.

Mobile post sent by repin using Utterli. Replies.

Family Day

2009-06-06T23:46:00.000+08:00

Today we had our Meteor Family Day. Almost a thousand staff members and their families turned up for this annual extravaganza: some as early as 7am on this Saturday morning. They came from as far as Sabah and Sarawak for this grand event displaying their commitment and loyalty to the Group. Yes, we had proud Dads, equally proud Mums and Grandpas and Grandmas showing off their children, nephews, nieces and grandchildren. We started the event with a mass aerobics followed by the poco-poco. This first event attracted such enthusiasm from all, dancing their way accompanied by a loud bouncy music led by a team of professional instructors. Games for the kids followed in rapid succession but it was the parents who were more at it than their children ! The telematches event went well where we saw so much competitive spirit that it overflowed to all members who were inducted into four groups identified by colours. There was also a petting zoo ( comprising of a lonely serama cockerel, 5 rabbits and a pygmy like monkey - we surely hope they were okay after hours of being stared and probed at...) pony rides, inflatibles for the young and old. And the food and snacks were there 24/7 ! It was sheer fun, laughther and merry-making; and also a time where we met and share our personal sides - stories to tell and catching up on whats happening at all our offices nation-wide.

It was not the fun and merry-making that matters but the espirit de corp that were displayed that matters most. In this case, it is the Meteor Group staff members that makes it happen. The organising sub-committees have relentlessly burned many after office hours to plan and engaged other members solving logistical matters etc...the invitation cards, the calling for sponsors, the hotel and transport bookings, the promotional activities to attract the staff to attend, the more than 200 prizes to be wrapped and numbered....and the prayers that went along with it like let it be no earthquake or heavy thunderstorms on that day or the sudden strike of the kitchen staff of the food supplier etc. More than that, another point to note is to give these staff enough room to do their own thing ie planning etc; there must be trust and the forgiveness if one makes mistakes. For this event in particular, the Management gave them that freedom to act and execute...and they delivered. Thank you all.

( Video below suffered some technical problem with its background music ! Sorry )

Images from a Hotel Room

2009-05-31T10:04:00.000+08:00

Arrived in Port Dickson just before sunset last thursday for a night stop. Had somework to do ie giving a pep talk to a group of brand new employees of our organisation....some 28 motivated and bright individuals. But this is not the matter that I want to talk about this time; but more so to talk on Port Dickson which had lost some of its charm as a tourist destination. There are blocks of condos and resort hotels enroute along the town to Teluk Kemang Road which looks unoccupied and signages which suggested that was so ! It was too quiet...perhaps due to the fact that it is a weekday. But the last time I went ( on a weekend ), things were not any better too. However, I was informed by the hotel staff that on weekends, PD is much more alive to a certain extent. On that thursday night for instance, the Arvillion Admiral Cove Hotel was full, mainly occupied by corporate clients having their various training programmes at the hotel. Service was good and food so-so but the view was gorgeous from my bedroom balcony.

View from My Office Window at 7pm

2009-05-12T19:08:00.000+08:00

Staring through the glass window of my office......has been a long day !

Mango Tree Update

2009-05-06T03:20:00.000+08:00

I thought perhaps it would be good to mention and update on the status of my Mango Tree that began to flower some weeks ago,,,,,,now it is fruiting very well indeed. Even fruits are coming out of its trunk ! The 2 months old Mata Kuching tree is flowering even though its only 2 feet tall. Its amazing since it is the only one that is flowering out of 11 plants which were distributed to people in our neighbourhood, By the way, 2 plants did not make it after a month or so. Must be the soil or perhaps the tons of fertilizers that my better half has been feeding them. On hindsight, perhaps I should become a farmer !

Trip to Makkah & Madinah

2009-04-23T21:25:00.000+08:00

A two-week trip to Makkah and Madinah.....most meaningful to the body and soul.Our second after our Haj in 2006.The pictures tell the story.....

Student Exchange Programme at its Best !

2009-03-14T12:22:00.000+08:00

Recently our university ( Open University Malaysia )played host to a group of 2nd year students from Soka University Japan. And during this inaugral students' programme, we worked hard to make it memorable for them and for us too. Besides undergoing a 2 week English Language immersion activities, they were also given insights into Malaysian culture. It was a hit ! which made them want to come back again in the future. On the final day at the KL International Airport, it was a scene of sadness and happiness, all in one. For us, it was a great feeling to see that the programme went well ( except for the stomach upset incident ! )and that the students' were generally happy. For some, it was a short one, they want more time to see and learn more. My verdict : they were great kids : polite, courteous, creative,and as Prof Maheswary commented, " they were angels!". Kudos to Soka University, you have a set of talented and bright students in your midst.

Aha...Its Flowering Like Crazy !

2009-03-14T11:21:00.000+08:00

It has been 3 weeks since my last posting on the fruitless mango tree ! and I cannot believe it, the tree is blooming with flowers, flowers everwhere and it just sprout out from all parts of the tree ( I did not inspect the roots, in this case ). So, even the mere intent of "Shaming" the tree with the underwear has resulted in this stunning transformation. I like the photo of the bunch of flowers projecting out of the trunk of the tree ! Good tree. Wonder whether the fruits will be sweet ?

The Fruitless Manggo Tree OR ( what's an underwear got to do with a manggo tree ? )

2009-02-22T10:25:00.000+08:00

Most flowering plants in our garden are doing their jobs, they bear flowers from time to time. The other manggo trees outside the fence did their jobs well - bearing fruits, nice and succulent at least annually, except one particular giant manggo tree. It was first to be planted and so far it gave some fruits ( small ones ! ) only once...some years ago. Since then it has been barren on fruits but very heavy on leaves. Apart from giving shade, its utterly miserable where fruits are concerned. We tried everything - putting fertilizers,hacking the trunk and even tried talking and coaxing gently to the tree, but to no avail. Some people say, I must try to put the stubborn tree to shame so that the other trees will mock at it. So, what is the best way ? they said by hanging an under garment to its trunk. So I will just do that : case of a desperate situation requiring an equally desperate action. Wonder, whether there is a research on this solution! Anyway, I am going to wait and see.

Kuching or Cat ?...the case of place names

2009-02-21T17:59:00.000+08:00

Out on a business trip about 2 months ago, and enroute to my meeting I suddenly wondered about place names. Kuching, in malay means "cat" for instance, is the capital city for the state of Sarawak, in East malaysia. The last time I went there was about a year or so ago. Place names can originate from past incidents,from legends and folk tales, from its geography and economic activities of the place in question etc. The name Malacca for example comes from a melaka tree. The word "Kuala" signify a site and in this case a river mouth and "Lumpur" means mud/muddy. I am staying in Batu Berendam which means "submerged stone" and a friend of mine stays in Bukit Piatu which means "Lonely/Orphan Hill"....and another friend is staying in Kandang which means a cowshed/stable! And yes, in Singapore we have a place known as Kandang Kerbau which means "buffallo shed". Does it make sense ? And this thing about place names is not only peculiar in Malacca or Malaysia; its everywhere...its global.
Anyway, since this issue of place names is not a problem to me....please see the images of Kuching which I managed to capture while enroute to meet a client in Kuching. And since the time was after the Chinese New Year...perhaps you may notice the connection on some of the cats.

Malacca Straits Hotel.......A Very Pleasant Surprise

2009-02-21T12:54:00.000+08:00

The other day I accompanied a group of Soka University students for tea at the Malacca Straits Hotel and guess what ? While toddling into the hotel restaurant, I met a familiar figure who happens to be the owner of the hotel. I remembered at one time the hotel was known as the Straits Inn. Mr Bharat, being an ex - Malacca High School old boy and I started talking about the good old days. And seizing the opportunity he decided to show the Japanese students the inside of this beautiful boutique hotel. With 40 over rooms, it is better than most bigger hotels that I have seen. service was excellent and the people were courteous. I cannot complain. Upon entering the various rooms, we heard the oohs and aahs coming from the students. All rooms are of batik, songkit motifs, even along the corridors as one stepped out of the lifts( elevators ! ). Another big aahs were heard when told that the internet is free and all rooms had been installed with jacuzzis. And the rates are very competitive , everything boutique is not necessarily expensive ! My verdict : this hotel is an excellent boutique hotel with its unique charm coupled with service oriented people to manja you during your stay in historic Malacca whether you are on business or travelling. By the way, most historical sites and shopping activities are within walking distance from this hotel. Mr Bharat owned 4 other hotels in Malacca, so I was told by one of his staff. Hmm..mm. I just wonder what is his secret.

On Fridays...( outside the National Mosque, Kuala Lumpur )

2009-02-21T11:33:00.000+08:00

Numerous temporary stalls selling varieties of food,
and skull caps,songkoks
People queueing for a quick lunch before the call for afternoon prayers,
It's a mini Friday Market!

Happiness is when......

2009-02-21T11:23:00.001+08:00

Chi Chi is relaxing at home
and the matakuching tree is growing well

A Trip to Mersing

2009-02-07T21:48:00.000+08:00

On a fine Saturday morning we decided to pack our things; squeezed ourselves into our Grand Livina : grandma,grand daughters, daughter in-law and me. Our destination was Mersing...a fishing village some 450 km south-east of Kuala Lumpur. Mersing is a fairly quiet town but having excellent facilities for tourists bound for the numerous islands off Mersing. Here are some images of sights in and around Mersing.

Year of The Ox

2009-01-24T12:27:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow , 26th January 2009 we will be ushering in the Year of the Ox or Buffalo ( also can ) according to the Chinese zodiac. Some people do believe, we can somehow be able to profile people with the animals. I was born in the year of the Ox...no kidding, the year was 1949. As a summary, people born in the year of the Ox tend to exhibit the following characteristics ( by the way, I tend to list the positive ones here..):

- strong, diligent, patient like the ox-the beast of burden
- born leader, inspire confidence in others, sometimes essentric, can be demanding
- don't make him/her angry or you cannot predict the outcome !
- quite eloquent, easy going but can be remarkably stubborn too
- hate to fail or oppose
- methodical, good with hands
- quick thinking

So, what is my verdict ? This I have to leave it to my friends to decide. For me, I am just me. And by the way, Barack Obama and Margaret Thatcher are both in the year of the OX Club. But then again, according to the Chinese, we have at least 5 types of buffaloes/oxen, namely.....the metal ox, the water ox, the wood ox, the fire ox and the earth ox. And this is no bull !

( Images of Ox/Buffaloes courtesy of Lord Dethan, the Lord of the Rings )

Another Try with the Camera Phone

2009-01-02T17:53:00.000+08:00

The Stadthuys ( Dutch )

Church - also Dutch influence

Fountain ( memory of Queen Victoria ) in front the Clock Tower

Of Course...the most travelled felines : the Aristocats
Happy New Year! Today is the 2nd day of 2009....and the weather in Malacca is beautiful, a little sun but mainly cloudy. Perfect for me. Since there are no chores to do....time for another try with the camera phone which I am trying to master ( quite impossible really ! ). This time around with the help of a software which happens to be in my laptop, here are some results....

Malacca - Sleepy Hollow No More ( Part One )

2008-12-29T07:23:00.000+08:00

Once tagged as the Sleepy Hollow state, now its no more. Born and bred in Malacca, I called Malacca my real home; the place to be upon retirement. Being a weekend, my daughter and I decided to pound the streets of that part of Malacca that recently was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Things have changed alot since I last went about roaming the streets a few years back.....these are some of the images we managed to capture....
For more information on Malacca, please go to the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca
www.melaka.net/
www.melaka.gov.my/

Experimenting with the Camera Phone

2008-12-27T22:35:00.000+08:00

Its the weekend after Christmas. We were in Malacca, at our real home. The world's most travelled felines were of course with the rest of the family. There is nothing to read...so I experimented with the Nokia E71 camera phone shooting objects in our BB Garden......

What Financial Crisis ?

2008-12-25T23:34:00.001+08:00

On Christmas Day, as early as 10am, visitors/shoppers are already rushing into the shopping complex next to the KLCC. Its shop, shop, shop and by 11am, the food court are already full with people and tables and chairs became a premium ! Its business as usual in Kuala Lumpur. Merry Christmas.

Down Memory Lane

2008-12-24T00:03:00.000+08:00

I love music and songs, more so those of the sixties ! the time when I was in my teens, beginning secondary school. The time I could not afford those EPs and LPs and whatmore...the turntable and amplifiers. The days when I only had 40 sen pocket money per day for school where a bowl of noodles cost 20 sen and tap water to quench my thirst after the PE class ( Physical Education ). Those were the better days I supposed...no worries, carefree and those "innocent" songs will ever always bring back flashes of significant events but yet impossible to remember. Songs from Cliff Richard, Elvis, Engelbert. Johnny Cash, Slim Whitman, Jim Reeves , Johnny Horton , the evergreens which at times I accidently humm now. ( I have some Cds of them now.....hurrah ! ) . And not withstanding that, I also remember the Malay/Indonesian singers of those days..........certainly it brings back memories. I grew up with Anneke Gronloh, R.Azmi, P.Ramlee, The Blue Diamonds, The Shadows, Fabulous Echoes, The Quests, Ernie Djohan, Lilis Suriani, the 60s Hindi songs; songs like Kopi Susu, A Little Bit of Soap, Burung Kakak Tua, Mashed Potatoes etc. Thanks to U-Tube and the many contributors, all those songs are a just a click away.

Hanoi, Vietnam - Revisit

2008-12-22T21:36:00.000+08:00

Ha Long Bay ( UNESCO Heritage Site )

Always happy when travelling....of course, my better half

Motor bikes ...its everywhere !

More bikes.....

The Guide informed us , the population of Vietnam is 85 million, number of scooters and motorcycles around 50 million ! And during our stay in Hanoi ( mid December ). the weather is fine, rather cool but dusty ( no rain ? )....and people, so many people, motorcycles and scooters ! I must declare I won't be able to drive here...never , even if someone is offering me a thousand bucks. I supposed one must have tons of patience and patience : here are some images of Hanoi........and Ha Long Bay, a 3.5 hrs road ride to the north of Hanoi.

December Rain

2008-12-09T09:12:00.000+08:00

As usual, it rain in December...it's the monsun weather, but this time around the extra heavy rainfall for the past week has resulted in a massive landslide about 2 kilometres from where I live. At the moment the tally is 4 dead, numerous injured and around 3,000 residents around the area were evacuated. The location is Bukit Antarabangsa. This is not the only tragedy,

it had happened on many other occassions in the past but a major one happened about 15 years ago where a highrise apartment collapsed with 48 deaths! Verdict : Living on hillslopes and hilly areas in the Klang Valley can be a gamble - you can have a beautiful premium view from your balcony but beware of the potential disaster.....

Typical Malay Wedding in Malacca ( Part Two )

2008-11-30T17:59:00.000+08:00

Sunday 30th November and close to 2pm on a bright and sunny day, Ainal's bride came with her entourage consisting of her uncles, aunties, nephews, nieces and friends, about 40 0f them to Kampong Banda Kaba, in the City of Melaka. The reception was equally noisy, again with the beatings of the circular kompangs...and they slowly marched to the reception area. The newly weds went straight into the bridgeroom's house for a simple bersanding ceremony where all his relatives gave their blessings while the king and queen for the day were seated on a special raised platform duly decorated. Then the bride and bridegroom were ushered to the special lunch area under a well decorated tent together with the rest of the bride's entourage. For the "King" and "Queen" the menu were extra special. Reflecting back when I got married some thirty over years ago, both my better half and I could not eat anything at all ! We were then too tired because for at least 3 consecutive days before this similar event, we were being asked to do all sorts of things customary....and it was energy sapping mixed with anxieties and headaches meeting our better half's strings of instant relatives via marriage. Ainal and Shikin must have felt the same, I suppose. Bless you, Ainal and Shikin. May your marriage be a happy one, now and ever after.

Typical Malay Wedding in Malacca ( Part One )

2008-11-29T20:18:00.000+08:00

Today is Saturday 29th November, a big day for Ainal for on this day he needs to be at the bride's house for the wedding reception. He "passed" the test the night before when he took the "akad" where probably his father in-law or the local imam solemnised the marriage. Apparently it took him 3 0r maybe 4 times before he actually managed to say the right words to the satisfaction of everyone present. It must be a great relief for him. So today he must be a happy man being escorted by his close relatives comprising of uncles and aunties and nieces and nephews to the bride's residence, with the noisy kompang in tow. Tomorrow, Sunday 20th November would be his turn to receive his bride at his mom's place where his wedding reception will take place. As of today, most of his close friends, uncles,aunties etc are already in town for tomorrow's event...a repeat of today's.

ChiChi and Friend

2008-11-29T00:31:00.000+08:00

Last weekend ChiChi decided to roam our BB garden after much miowing....and guess what ? She met her friend, ToiToi whom she last met some 5 months ago. After such a long absence, ToiToi is rather shy to face ChiChi .

Compassion and the Spirit of Giving

2008-10-20T22:26:00.000+08:00

For the past few weeks we are being consumed by the global financial crisis. Begining with Lehmann Bros, other banks and financial institutions in the US and UK takes its toll. It culminated in the rescue packages to the tune of mind boggling numbers by the governments of the United States ( 700 billion USD-simply cannot visualise this ! ) and the United Kingdom, and so the other european nations. Where are we heading to ? In Malaysia, the effect can be seen by the big drop in the Kuala Lumper Stock Exchange; currently hovering at the 900 point mark and at some point below the psychological 900 points. The public are also being assured that our bank deposits will be guaranteed by the government and that perhaps will be a delayed effect on the economy sometime in 2009 !

Despite this rather bleak sceanario, this month of Syawal has brought about some cheers and happiness to about a hundred or so under-priviledge boys and girls from four welfare homes from the Klang Valley. These boys and girls were specially invited to the JUSCO Foundation Open House in conjunction with Hari Raya ( Eid Mubarrak ) at the Seri Melayu Restaurant this afternoon of 20th October, 2008. At hand to welcome them was Dato Abdullah, Chairman of the Foundation with his Committee Members. Also present was Dato Siti Nurhaliza, the Ambassador for Jaya Jusco Stores ( Aeon ), a leading retail group in Malaysia. Of course besides the food of uncountable varieties, there was the music, the songs, dances and sportingly too, these boys and girls participated with the Emcee ( definitely, a comic and entertainer ) that liven up the atmosphere with their applause and laughter. No doubt, for 2 hours these kids had a moment of their life. And it was made possible by the Jusco Foundation. This spirit of giving and compassion is indeed apt in the like of today's state of economic uncertainties. I just wonder what will happen to the other under-priviledge boys and girls of sub-saharan Africa, children in conflict affected areas and the displaced boys and girls due to poverty and starvation. Will the aid and relief activities be continued by the "rich" countries now that they are busy trying to repair their own economies ? For Jusco Foundation, you have shown the way.

( Please see images, sorry for the quality...taken from a handphone camera )

The World's Most Travelled Felines ( by road of course )

2008-10-20T11:00:00.000+08:00

Ginger and ChiChi is undoubtedly the world's most travelled cats ! They are the proud holders of the most prestigous Platinum Card Frequent Traveller. Momo ,Karupin, Black and Saroo, only managed the Basic Card category coz they do not have much opportunity to travel and more homely by nature. Ginger and ChiChi travel every week on weekends on the 300 Km trip to and fro from KL to Malacca without fail for the past 4 years. By now, their total road trips can be equated to travelling at least 5 times around planet earth and 18 times around the moon, if they can get there in the first place !

PS : Momo and Karupin also known as the terrible twins ( Persians with Jet Black coats ) there is no image of them since there they are black, and would appear only as 2 black blobs and if lucky, we can notice their eyes only ! ) They are the perfect tag team chasing away "intruders" ( Ginger ) should she step in into their territory.

Black is of course not really black but with a tinge of yellow coat and Saroo is a regular tabby but small sized and can be playful at times. But they are all special with personalities of their own.

Catching the Rainbow

2008-10-20T09:10:00.000+08:00

Back from work one day, it was raining heavily - intense rain for ten minutes or so. Pretty sure that some parts of KL may be flooded due to flash floods. Traffic will build up creating massive traffic jams which happens quite regularly after a heavy downpour. The months of october thru december will see the thunderstorms in the late afternoons. But most of all, it is quite unpredictable; so most motorists will try to beat the jams by leaving their place of earlier when they sense that, a heavy downpour is coming their way...most of my friends do that anyway. However, there are many other geniuses who thinks alike and this would create a "pre- traffic jam" before the actual anticipated jam. So far KL has initiated a number of flood mitigation projects of various scale in the city, but the flash floods do prevail knowingly at some other locations ! Looks like chasing the rainbow, an exercise of futility. That is one expect of life in Kuala Lumpur for the working population. And for those waiting for taxis during, after or before the storms...be wary, there will be few taxis willing to take you on board to your destination. And occassionally you will see a pretty rainbow in the sky...that makes your day !

PS : Dateline Tuesday 21st October, 2008

Left the office at 5.45pm towards the usual route which on average would take me around 4o minutes to be home. By this time, the rain had transformed into a mere drizzle. Encountered the expected traffic jam. But this time around, it was a massive, massive jam. Arrived home at 8.33pm which is slightly under 3 hours ! No rainbow this time around. Maybe it is about time to move out of KL.

Hong Kong Break

2008-09-28T23:39:00.000+08:00

We went to Hong Kong after debating for some time whether to go or not to go ! and so we did, arriving mid - afternoon right smack on opening night of the Beijing Olympics 2008. We thought that things would be difficult with all the hype of this major event, but fortunately life is pretty usual in Hong Kong although the equestrian event is to take place about 40 minutes from where we were staying in the Kowloon District. On TV that night we saw the glittering display of the opening ceremony....hard for London to emulate, for sure in 2012. So wassup in HK ? the usual stuff, the kids went to Disney ( small in comparison to the one in Japan ), Ocean Park ( it rained the whole time , so we all went back early and rest instead. Other usual stuff for the tourists include trips to Aberdeen Fishing Village, and of course a visit to the famous waterfront and a night cruise along Victoria Harbour to catch the lights display.....nothing much happened, abit of a disappointment here. We gave up shopping. Food is expensive too, a half liter of drinking water can cost 4 HK dollars and more ! It is understandable since most foodstuff are imported anyway. So, what was most memorable in Hong Kong for us ? Aha...its the Shadowman Cyber Cafe where we had our breakfasts, lunches and dinners...the only clean, can be trusted Muslim restaurant with its many dishes. And it was excellent...the only highlight of our stay in Hong Kong.

While on the Road......

2008-09-09T15:48:00.000+08:00

I miss my ....

better half and soulmate,

my family,

and family members;

the food,

the BB garden flowers,

and

and

and

and ChiChi !

Putra LRT ( now Kelana Jaya Line ) at Off Peak

2008-09-08T00:57:00.000+08:00

It was at 8.15pm when I boarded the LRT ( rapid rail transport ) from Gombak bound for Taman Jaya Station, 20 stations away. Boarding was easy with less than ten passengers sharing the 2 coaches. I should be at my destination in 40 minutes flat. I even carried a book to kill time, if need be. It was only after the 4th station stop when the numbers swelled with standing passengers, each minding their own business. Some passengers closed their eyes, others sleep and the younger ones looked stoned listening to their mp3s; mostly they looked tired even though it was a Sunday night. At the Pasar Seni Station, a number of passengers boarded, one of them a sixty something, tall Sikh man and having to drag his feet as he came staggering in and appeared to be limping slightly. Dressed in a long sleeves green batik with white flower motives, he appeared dazed, glassy eyed and unsteady as the train lurched forward on its intended journey. He must be drunk, perhaps after a drinking session with his buddies downtown. My suspicion was confirmed when before arriving Universiti Station, he started mumbling as though talking on his cellphone, "everything is okay,.....em don't worry, I am coming back"......flinging his free arm to one side, and the sheer force of this reflex action unsteadied him again. Indeed he was drunk and the smell of drinks was evident enough. By this time there were only a few standing passengers left and I was almost reaching Taman Jaya Station to meet-up with a friend. And I noticed that the Sikh man whom I initially thought was limping had only his right shoe on ! He must have lost the other pair ! That must be the reason for the limp. As I walked down the station, I can't help but hope that he would find his way back home, wherever it is. And I hardly turned a page of the book that I brought along.

The 12 Wonders of Terengganu

2008-08-20T18:46:00.001+08:00

Now we have the 12 wonders of Terengganu ! I stumbled into this bit of information while flipping through the hotel services booklet at the hotel I was staying in Kuala Terengganu, the capital of the state of Terengganu; one of the larger state in the northeast corner of Peninsular Malaysia. Then I also realised that the year 2008 is Visit Terengganu Year. The sad thing is I did not realise that 2008 is a special year for Terengganu ! Did I missed reading the papers ? the billboards ? TV ads ? or perhaps not much promotion by the State ? However, the hotel service booklet did state clearly the charm of Terengganu and it began with the 12 Wonders of Terengganu and it listed only 8 sites/locations. What happened to the other 4 Wonders ?I wondered.

At the hotel lobby, there were tour related brochures from all states and special brochures of interesting places put up mainly by the Tourism Ministry...but yet no information of the missing 4 Wonders of Terengganu. For me, there is no need to wonder anymore...please go to http://www.tourism.terengganu.gov.my/index_12wonders.htm
for a complete listing and descriptions of the 12 Wonders of Terengganu. So, I wonder no more !

Rice

2008-07-27T16:12:00.000+08:00

I have been a student of geography in my undergraduate days. And I know about paddy/padi and rice. Lowland padi, highland padi, irrigation methods, long grain, short grain, its many varieties; how padi is cultivated, mechanised and traditional, places where padi is grown like South East Asia, South Asia and parts of Africa and even cultivated in the United States. Infact rice is grown in 114 countries in the world. In 2007 it was estimated that 645 million tonnes were harvested...and thats alot of rice to go around. The Asian countries produced almost half of that, where China and India is accountable for 50% of the Asian production. The subject of padi and rice was and is still interesting to me where most people take for granted. Recent events and the sudden escalation of food prices including rice which is the staple food of most Malaysians and its neighbours have made us more aware of food production and rice in particular. A ten kilo bag of rice which I used to buy at RM 28 now cost close to RM40. No wonder, the rising cost of rice even caused some riots in some parts of the world. It is sad but true. I remember when I was a kid staying with my grandparents in a village called Semabok ( about 2 miles from town ) , in Malacca, we used to have 2 water buffaloes which my grandfather kept for work in the padi fields that almost encircled our then atap house. He will take up jobs in ploughing the fields and also leased out the buffaloes to others to till the fields. In the evening he used to bathe the buffaloes at a nearby well, cut and stock-up grass for the animals. Its hard work no doubt, just to earn a few ringgit and rice. But modernisation and urbanisation swept us by, with the town slowly swallowing up most of the fields. Now, I cannot see any remnants of those fields anymore..they are gone forever. Similarly, during my final year in College, on a field visit to Kedah ( known as Malaysia's ricebowl ) sometime in 1976, we observed that rice fields were slowly being turned into residential areas and factories in the name of progress - and at that time, there was a programme by the Agriculture Department to make us self-sufficient in rice ! Dunno what happened to the policy, perhaps it just was left forgotten since it is cheaper to import rice rather than grow. Must be a dilemma for economists.
Rice is our staple food and almost half of the world's population eat rice in one form or other. In Malaysia, with rice, one can do wonders with it. From rice one can generate hundreds of dishes or menus...and to justify this point on a recent visit to Singapore, I did a small survey at the Geylang Market. Its a kind of mixed market actually where they sell vegetables, meats, and all stuff that you need in the kitchen. In the market there are at least fifty or more stalls selling food...so much food, so many varieties and smell. This happens to be my favourite place besides being with my grand daughter of course. Just to give an idea of the influence of rice, we have the following rice menu ( all within 100 feet radius of the stalls ) : nasi means rice - nasi lemak, nasi goreng kampong, nasi goreng cina, nasi bawean, nasi kerabu, nasi berlauk, nasi ayam, nasi uduk, nasi tumpeng, nasi himpit, nasi kuning, nasi dagang, nasi bojari, nasi bokhari, nasi katok, nasi daunpisang, and if you wrap the rice its called nasi bungkus ! And that does not include all the varieties of rice cakes ( hundreds of varieties of cakes and pastries made from rice flour ! ) I got to stop now, need to eat my rice pudding !

Why Singapore ?

2008-07-18T22:52:00.000+08:00

The reason .................my sweet grand daughter ! its worth the travel.

Retirement and Travel

2008-07-16T21:54:00.000+08:00

What would one do upon retirement ? I thought about this 5 years ago when I turned 55, the age when goverment servants are supposed to put down their tools and forget about coming in to the office. There would be some changes nonetheless, either for worst or for the better depending upon one's preparedness to face this new challenge. Fortunately, I had this option then, either to continue working or just fade away. After a week of soul searching, I decided to plod on, perhaps God willing to the age of sixty where it is the mandatory age for retiring at the company I am currently employed. And since then, I have been preparing for retirement and of course have been "practicing retirement" from time to time. With so much free time in the future ( seven months down the road ), what would I do ? Assuming that financially I am okay, upon retirement I will do what most retirees hope to do - taking it easy, do what I have been unable to do before, like reading and catching up with old friends and of course moving permanently to my own house which I bought some 25 years ago in Malacca ( now, a heritage city ! ). With good friends and neighbours in this once sleepy hollow state, I anticipate a good life ahead with zero pressure to top it up. And occassionally would love to travel the country to the small towns and secondary cities in Malaysia which had been overlooked by most people. But of course, the travel mode I would choose would be via coach or the express buses which has mushroomed to take advantage of the increase number of travellers and the excellent road system in the country. Being pampered and driven to work for the past few years, and on most occasions people are doing your chores for you, I must be prepared to do all those daily tasks on my own later. This is where life during retirement will be different. A friend who recently retired after years of being pampered suddenly found out the truth - before he has it all, today he has none. Literally he is learning to drive again, lost his way many times in the process and he even need to ask where the nearest post office is ! Quite pathetic actually. Well, I am not going to fall into that trap, never. So , I had a number of practice sessions over the years.....I rode the bus, I took the train and even took short walks to do the chores. Once I even went to a government clinic to get treatment for a cold, just to feel what it is like to stand in line for your number and waited for your turn to be called by the doctor in attendance. There is one virture after all these and it is called patience. In other words, I got to act as real people do, so to speak.

Quite recently, instead of taking to the air for Singapore, my better half and I decided to take the 5 hour journey by bus to visit our dear grand daughter whom I had not seen for some time. Besides, between us we saved quite abit by taking the bus even if we compare the cost of travel by the budget airline. Talking about Singapore, there are many bus companies that service the Singapore sector from Kuala Lumpur. A single journey may cost between RM50 to RM135 depending upon the level of "comfort" that you require. There are ordinary buses and double decker buses -with all the creature comforts of your choice, from on demand videos, WiFi- installed buses with plush comfy seats with an onboard crew to feed you the lunches and dinners depending on the time of travel.. Some even have huge seats to accomodate only 15 passengers compared to the normal 20 something seats. Take your pick ! And the level of service quality also differs, from the not so friendly to the extra friendly type. The companies go by various names and some even have out of this world names too. Names like Transtar, First Coach, Nice, Transnational, Durian Burung, KL-Singapore Express, Aerolines, Airebus, Grassland ( pretty name, perhaps inspired from a geography book ! ), and Odyssey which is my favourite for comfort and service and even a name like Starship Quest Express ! and I am not kidding for one bus bearing this name came zipping by and overtook us somewhere before Pagoh enroute to Kuala Lumpur. Truly a spaceship of sorts ! A lesson here, for as a retiree, one must be mindful of ones expenses and accept a little change in our lifestyle unless you have a bottomless bank account ! Hey, as a retiree, why the rush ?

Entrepreneur Extraordinaire in Ben Taat

2008-05-13T22:56:00.000+08:00

I heard about Mr. Ben Taat about a year ago through a colleague of mine who met him while in Hanoi on a business trip. And being a good person to meet up with and a fellow Malaysian too , my colleagues and I decided to meet up with him during our recent business trip to Vietnam. Indeed, he greeted us warmly at the Hanoi International Airport and drove us to our hotel. During those few days in Hanoi we had accomplished a lot, and Ben Taat is instrumental to the success of our mission in Hanoi.

Now, what is so special about Ben Taat ? For a start, he is an entrepreneur who is successful in Vietnam. A Johorean, has worked in many different capacities and in many different countries, and all along has strived to improve himself along the way. He has worked in 16 countries as a language teacher, a sepak takraw coach for Vietnam, as a language instructor in China, Japan , Australia and the list goes on. He also manages a hotel and a restaurant in Hanoi. Besides that he is also the sole representative in Vietnam for a major health care provider based in Singapore.

This amicable and soft spoken man is tireless in his effort to prove that one can be successful even in a foreign land. Nisa Restaurant in Hanoi is a focal point where Malaysian tourists normally meet and have their meals. He personally would ensure all that goes in the various dishes are halal and prepared the halal way, to the extent of personally slaughtering animals once a week for the benefit of diners ! The walls of his restaurant are decorated with Malaysian art pieces and framed photographs of Malaysian dignitaries/politicians that frequented his restaurant throughout these years. Malaysians can never be homesick for Malaysian meals in Hanoi. Nisa Restaurant serve Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian cuisine, from the common dishes to the not-so-common ones. His 7 cooks will see that all dishes served are of quality and delivered as per request. Personally, even his teh tarik is excellent. His asam pedas is out of this world too ! The service is excellent.

Ben has been in Hanoi since 1996. He is married to a beautiful Vietnamese wife and has 2 young daughters. Now in his early sixties, Ben is also pretty active in community work and even sponsor a Malaysian imam at the local mosque. Indeed it is refreshing to note of Ben Taat's attitude towards work, always advocating for excellence, conscientious, constantly learning, dare to venture into new undertakings and at the same time contributing back to the community he lives in. For now, he is venturing into the area of education where he sees opportunities in Vietnam. Good luck Ben, you are a true ambassador of Malaysia ! For those interested to locate the restaurant please go to http://www.nisa-restaurant.com Phone No is 84-4 9261859

Finding Food...a headache for the Muslim Traveller

2008-03-16T11:16:00.000+08:00

I have been to Thailand i.e. Bangkok , a couple of times in the past 3 years. Shopping is great at the bazaar and weekend markets. One can really get great discounts ( depending on ones bargaining abilities ! ) and this is true if you are one of those after the genuine fakes handbags, clothings etc...there are countless shopping malls and the many night markets and the weekend market in the like of Chatucak weekend market. Feeling hungry ? then the headache starts, if you are trying to locate a halal /muslim restaurant. The problem is one restaurant can claim to offer muslim food but it maybe non-halal. A simplistic view is the notion that as long as the menu contains no pork, it is good for the muslim traveller or the conference participant ( this happens to me at 2 Conference venues which I attended previously ) To muslims, a halal menu should be prepared in a certain way allowable according to Islam. It should start from the point of slaughtering an animal according to prescribed rites etc... So in all cases if ever I attended all foreign conferences or trips........the best option is to be a international vegetarian. According to fellow vegetarians, it is a healthier diet. So, what do you do if you are in Thailand or anywhere else with your family ? I solved the puzzle by getting in touch with a local travel guide who is a muslim and leave the FOOD item to him to plan....that takes care of the role of the panadol, without which, I can easily switch to the headache mode ! So, what do I think about food in Thailand ? Very good, spicy and it stings too.

Motivation - the Kalaafaanu Way

2008-02-06T03:15:00.000+08:00

I was a teacher and still a teacher at heart. So I gladly accepted an invitation to attend the Prize Day by a dear Headmaster friend of mine, Mr Abdulla Ismail, at his school. It is one of the biggest primary school in Male, the Maldives. What happens then reminded me of the Annual Speech Day that we had in Malaysian schools ( I wonder whether this tradition is still practice in Malaysian schools now or otherwise, need to check on this ) But what transpired for the rest of the evening triggered back fond memories of my school days as a student and later as a teacher. Here, at Kalaafaanu School, they did it with a difference which other schools can emulate. By the look of it, the students and teachers of Kalaafaanu School must have worked very hard to put up such a grand show, the theme being entirely on the achievements of the students. It was not about the headmaster, not about the teachers but the STUDENTS ! It was their day, and the school is honouring them for their achievements with much fanfare. A total of 168 students were individually mentioned for their achievements and the school is proud of them. The trophies and gift vouchers distributed were mere symbols, but the atmosphere and the recognition generated by the event will forever be instilled in those young minds. The children were applauded not only on their academic abilities but for Proficiency, for Discipline, for Class Progress and for bringing honour to Kalaafaanu. Imagine also in having a prize for the Best Bandboy for Academic Performance and the Best Guide. Personally, I had not thought of this before when I was a teacher. Back then, we were only concerned about performance and excelling in studies; nothing else matters. Kalaafaanu has shown me that everyone can be best in something, and we must recognised that ! Thank you, Kalaafaanu.

Paradise Lost and Regained

2008-02-05T17:47:00.000+08:00

So I met the friendly genie ( please refer earlier blog ) after all in the Maldives. Sure enough, I was transported not by magic carpet but via a speed boat to the resort island called Paradise Island Resort & Spa. Let me quote from the brochure..."Paradise Island...probably as close as you can get here on earth. A white beach, a blue lagoon, the finest food, fun and relaxation." Actually we were given an escorted tour of the place. As we approached the jetty, I noticed right away that the brochure is absolutely right. As usual I am always short of words to describe the beauty and splendour of the place. The water is blue/green and clear; I could see clearly the fishes gliding carelessly even atop the jetty. And swimmers snorkling happily away, enjoying every bit of their adventure and waving at us above them. In the distance it was indeed an awesome sight with pure uninteruppted view of the sea shimmering diamond-like in the sun. Its breathtaking ! The whole environment has a therapeutic effect 0n me. Its calm and peaceful, the perfect gateway to distress oneself. Of course there are other activities that one can indulge in like sea sports such as wind surfing, go on the out-rigger or even enjoy the glass bottom boat to view the corals and fishes. If that do not attract your attention, then spend some time at the spa.....and relax ! Even without the activities, the half day tour has left its mark on me, just being there. Kind of being in paradise on earth.

Postcards

2008-02-04T02:23:00.000+08:00

Lately our letter box has been swamped with postcards ! all addressed to my daughter. Upon investigation, I found out that these avalanche of images and creative designs came about via an exchange scheme between postcard collectors utilizing the internet and the postal services of the world. So, for the past few months or so it has been raining postcards in our apartment and it keeps on raining postcards ! And I thoroughly enjoyed looking and appreciating these cards that flew in from all corners of the globe. Its just like collecting stamps which I did some 45 years ago, where a significant proportion of my pocket money went to buying albums and stamps of various shapes and sizes. Also later, I began collecting postcards myself during my infrequent visits to many foreign and local places to remind me of the places and place names that I had visited. It was especially so since I did not have the luxury of acquiring the camera. On that note, I really do not know what actually happened to those collections of mine. But one thing for sure, those simple activities had given me such joy and happiness. Most of all, it had given me a better understanding of the world we live in.

Male Island, The Maldives

2008-02-03T18:38:00.000+08:00

We landed slightly past 9pm on a Saturday. Having been to Male ( pronounced as Maa'lay) for the third time, this is the only time I felt most at eased. But it was a truncated relaxed feeling ! for the reception from officials of the Education Ministry was honestly beyond expectation to the point of being uncomfortable; with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and stretching the other to shake hands with our Maldivian friends were abit too much for me. My friends and I were ushered to the VIP room and before we could sit down, tea were served accompanied with tuna sandwiches. And before we could utter any pleasantaries, our luggages suddenly appeared and finishing the spread, we were taken to jetty number one for a fifteen minute boat ride to Male Island. Yes, Male airport is on a separate atoll and the capital of Male is on another atoll. The Maldives is an island country consisting of close to 1200 atolls spreading thousands of kilometers from north to south situated south west of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Tourism is indeed the number one income earner for the Maldives. There are many world class resorts on the many atolls, with its beautiful white sandy beaches. And its not cheap ! And if one is lucky enough, one can sometimes meet those rich and famous who frequented those resorts.
Male, the capital of the Maldives is very densely populated. Its an atoll about 2km long and almost .75 km wide. Zillions of motorbikes can be seen ( either parked or on the move ) in Male especially at the waterfront. One would presumed that these two wheelers belong to Maldivians who left their motorbikes in Male for work at the outer atolls. With its narrow streets and people scurrying around, it is an experience to behold for those not familiar with downtown Bangkok or Jakarta. But, it has its own charm and character with its friendly and gentle people. I simply love the waterfront of Male.There are boats and boats and boats and passengers embarking and disembarking all the time, perhaps going to the many atolls
around Male and of course including tourists from many countries. Maybe, if I have the means or meet a nice genie I would certainly request to spend some time in one of those resort islands. Until then, I can only flip the nice brochure of a 7 star resort I found in my hotel room in Male.

Encounter of the Egyptian Kind

2008-01-19T20:25:00.000+08:00

I felt that I had been to Egypt all this while. That is so because satellite TV has brought into our houses an overdose of the pyramids of Giza, King Tut and the mysteries surrounding this great king, scholars and Egyptologists and their theories and findings; the stories of mummies and place names like Aswan, Luxor, Edfu, Abu Simbel , Valley of the Kings and likewise the Valley of the Queens , and of course the great Nile. Almost every other channel of my TV had shows and reruns of everything Egypt....the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel and the rest. That being so, my better half and I finally went to Egypt in November 2007, courtesy of a good and dear friend who had arrange the itinerary including the Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor on the Nile Queen. As expected Cairo is extremely loud on the roads with its black and white Fiats and Ladas ( taxis actually ) jostling and honking all the time ! Flashing traffic lights became meaningless and according to this friend, they were mere attractions to get the visitors' attention ! In our hotel, things were much more sane, plenty of tourists ( mainly europeans ) arriving and departing. The lobby area is always busy, even at midnight. Tourism must be the number one activity for Egypt. After the encounter in Egypt, my impressions : extremely busy busy Cairo; must take the Nile Cruise since it will be a fabulous experience and see the temples of the ancient pharoahs. The pyramids of Giza is just outside Cairo and this is a must see icon. By the way, there are 2 categories of tickets to most sights; one for locals and for arabs from arab speaking countries and one for foreigners. At the Valley of the Queens, we got fleeced pretty bad when they liberally exercise the rule; the restaurant charged us 30 pounds per ice cream coz we are foreigners but only 5 pounds for locals and arabs from arab speaking countries. But the lasting impression was the constant harassment by people trying to sell souveniers to you from the bazaar of Cairo and the other towns along the Nile where you make the stops. To save the trouble of arguing with them it would good just to head for the small shops with clear signs indicating "no hassle" on the shops' glass doors. It will be peaceful, and you don't really mind to pay a little extra just to get away from the constant tiny pyramids and key chains being tossed around in your face ! Maybe the next time I make a visit to Egypt...it will be just the ten-day Nile Cruise. The rest I could easily get from the idiot box !

The Odyssey

2007-12-26T11:28:00.000+08:00

Nope..it's not about the Greek hero Odysseus's ( circa 700BC ) exploits after the Battle of Troy which later took him 10 years to reach his Ithaca home; nor about Nasa's Mars probe to poke at the origin of the universe or about a certain cruise ship or a BMX bicycle brand name. This is about a luxury liner, a coach trip that my better half and I took recently from Kuala Lumpur - Singapore vice versa. The trip from KL-Singapore took us 5 hours ( pretty good compared to Odysseus journey of 10 years ! ). Certainly the travel was one of 4 major highlights that we accomplished but definitely it did not include shopping ! Firstly, the journey via Odyssey was extremely delightful.....smooth and comfortable. It was so comfortable that time passes by quickly from the moment I plonged my butt to the seat and kind of distracted with the personal entertainment screen which can project movies and games of your choice. Its like travelling by air, complete with the captain and an onboard crew. Lunch was served and coffee too. What more can you ask ? I must have dozed off abit later before I was awaken by a guggling atomic mode snore, from someone in the coach. Highlight number 2 was the smooth flow through the immigration complexes of both the Malaysian and their Singaporean counterpart. It was a breeze with no Qs to speak off. Highlight number 3 whilst in Singapore, I managed to catch up with friends ( since our primary school days in Melaka ). Yes, we had a great time. Thanks to Quee Leong and Yoke Meng. Both of you made my stay in Singapore a wonderful one especially getting updates on wassup in the city state. The Sentosa island revisit ( formally known as Pulau Belakang Mati....kind of a dead island ) , now it's booming but crafted and chisseled blanding development and nature resulting the island becoming one of the top tourist attraction for Singapore, discounting shopping of course. It was reported on the day of my visit that Singapore had already welcomed its 10th million visitor and the lucky fella from India brought home $50,000 worth of prizes.Number 4 highlight was the opportunity to hold my granddaughter and teasing her for 3 solid days. No matter what, I promised her that Datuk will come again....via Odyssey.

Dubai Creek / Waterfront

2007-12-01T18:06:00.000+08:00

I was in Dubai 3 times in a space of 5 weeks ...oct/nov 2007 ! on business actually. But one memorable part during my short stay on those occassions I did manage to get a picture of the Dubai Creek out from my hotel window. Anyway I managed to take a stroll after dinner one night and saw the "happenings" - I saw many arabian dhows leisurely plying the creek with its dinner clients, dhows laden with various types of goods awaiting daylight before the goods are off loaded and also abras ( small boats ) with passengers crossing the creek from the Diera Dubai side to Bur Dubai side of the creek. A brochure in my hotel mentioned that the creek is about 9 miles long. Historically along the banks of the Dubai Creek was ( and still is ) a thriving commercial area with traders coming and going as far as East Africa and India. Now, Dubai is a modern city with its skyscrapers and commercial/residential buildings. Never in my life have I seen so many cranes in a location ! yes, it is in Dubai. If you have a spare crane, guaranteed you can sell it in Dubai. Apparently, they are looking for more cranes !

On another note, the word "creek" is commonly referred to as a stream, a brook and in some cases creeks or brooks tend to dry up in summer. This Dubai Creek is a tidal water channel or inlet which was deepened I guess, and it played a significant role for Dubai...by the way, its clean !

Kuching Waterfront

2007-10-14T20:02:00.001+08:00

Quite recently in early September, 2007 I visited Sarawak and its capital city , Kuching which is about one and a half hour flight time from Kuala Lumpur on the big island of Borneo. Sarawak is the largest state in the Federation of Malaysia. Talking about waterfront, Kuching has one, but with a difference. Its almost a kilometer long and unlike Kota Kinabalu where its waterfront faces the sea; Kuching waterfront is situated along the Sarawak River*. In today's language, my daughter would say....it is a "happening" place ! The whole place has been transformed into a beautiful, pleasant and clean esplanade. Hotels, eateries, shops, stalls selling various "touristy things" ( local handicrafts included ) dotted along the waterfront. One can opt for a river cruise and have dinner on board the ferry. To learn more, this is a good site to visit.

* thank you CK for the correction!

The Waterfront - Kota Kinabalu

2007-09-16T15:45:00.001+08:00

I had visited Kota Kinabalu ( KK ) many times in the past but none can compare to my latest trip to this capital city of Sabah aka "land below the wind". This time I spent 3 free and easy days with no meetings and appointments. The waterfront has changed quite a bit. Its cleaner, more organised with multi-stories apartment buildings inter-spaced with shopping complexes facing the sea and nearby islands. Very pleasant indeed. Amongst the shop that my other half and I spent some time was Starbucks and the Times bookshop. ( In fact between us, we bought 3 books altogether and gobbled them up before our flight to Kuala Lumpur and home) Immediately by the sea are the normal neat row of eating shops and stalls being active in the late afternoons and evenings. Seafood dishes are the norm and there are some decent outlets here. The waterfront has indeed been transformed since I last visited, to give KK that special place for cities in Malaysia which has an excellent waterfront ! ( unlike Malacca which used to have a cool waterfront in the sixties but gave it all up in the name of progress in the mid-eighties onwards. They called it progress ! I called it sad)

Food - Mee Mamak

2007-09-13T14:08:00.001+08:00

2007_0910baba0040, originally uploaded by repin.

A basic plate of Mee Mamak comprised of yellow noodles, eggs, bean sprouts and maybe some greens cooked "mamak" styled. And the finished product is somewhat dry spicy and hot ! One thing for sure, you can order your mee mamak from most indian muslim restaurants in Malaysia. The only difference is in the taste and its look and feel . For instance, a restaurant in Kota Kinabalu produced mee mamak which has chicken or beef in them and it comes with a bowl of soup. And it was a little wet too. Mee mamak that most of us encounter in the Klang Valley will be mostly slightly dry, eggs included , taugeh with taufu cakes. In hotels, the mee mamak will endure enhancements followed by a price enhancement to justify the prawns or chicken slices that were generously made part of the ingredients so as to "upgrade" the quality and taste of the mee mamak.
So, if you have the craving for mee mamak while on the road...just beware; coz what you have tasted in Johor Bahru would not have the same taste and the look and feel of the mee mamak in Kota Baru !

The Best Fish Head Curry !

2007-09-12T01:22:00.001+08:00

2007_0910baba0057, originally uploaded by repin.

It is a long story but to make it short, the scene was in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on 10th September 2007. Being an ardent fan and mad about Indian food, I had the opportunity to be invited to Krishna's Fish Head Curry restaurant and the owner himself picked me up from my hotel. Upon arriving at his restaurant, I noticed most tables were already occupied. The scene was busy....yes all were busy eating and chatting and the smell of curry was really inviting. Mr Krishna seemed to know everyone and he shook hands with most of his customers, They must be his regulars. So, I had fish head curry and rice and some greens....and my oh my, it was the best fish head curry I ever tasted. It was so good that I had to tapau some for my better half at the hotel and guess what ? It came in a nice box as shown in the picture above. To me, it is innovation to come up with a box like that ! Thanks Mr Krishna, for the experience of real fish head curry !

On Time or Before Time

2007-09-12T00:31:00.000+08:00

Heard stories from friends in Sabah during my recent visit that AirAsia sometimes took off before the schedule time. And it was true ! I was at Tawau airport Sept 9th and I observed that flight AK5633 bound for JB was airborne at precisely 1601 hrs instead of 1605 hrs as stated on the airport info screen. At times, according to stories some flights even took off ten or fifteen minutes earlier than the schedule time. I think it is okay, and there is no reason to complain since passengers are reminded to be at the airport at least 2 hours before flight time. Perhaps it is a good way to instill some discipline amongst us with regards to timeliness ! and this way too AirAsia can cut down on delays.

Tehran street in a cab

2007-07-07T18:41:00.001+08:00

Tehran street in a cab, originally uploaded by repin.

As in major cities throughout the world, there will the usual traffic jams at peak hours, so is Tehran, a city of 20 million ( depending on who you get the info from ) it is just like any city. My colleague and I were on a 2 day visit recently ( last week of June,2007 ) and found out its the same as Bangkok or Jakarta, at times some streets became like a big car park ! Business are as usual, with entrepreneurs young and old jamming the hotel lobbies for their business discussions as we found out. They are proud people and just like other business people they like to entertain their business partners...and of course we were also entertained to sumptuous authentic Iranian dishes by our fellow brothers there. By the way, we were in Tehran on an education trip and you know what ? they have great universities and excellent renown scholars and scientists.

Time-Out

2007-07-07T16:47:00.001+08:00

DSCF0171, originally uploaded by repin.

One interesting place to visit while in Tokyo is perhaps a walking adventure from Omote-Sando to Harajuku along the main street and its tributaries especially on weekends. Its just like Oxford Street, London but more fun ! we will see shoppers from around the globe and locals especially teenagers in their most colourful attires and weird hairdos and some in lacy Victorian age frocks. More so in summer, I guess. Perhaps one can find every well known brands of products and shops lining up both sides of the street. Traffic is huge and one could find a fair share of big bikes too. And if one is lucky, one can even see people walk their dogs and cats just as shown in the picture. Of course, we cannot blame them ( the dogs ! ) for taking time-out after such a long walk. Ahhhh...its good that we have shades too.

Stuff to Eat

2007-06-27T23:33:00.001+08:00

DSCF0099, originally uploaded by repin.

All around Tokyo, along side streets i.e. away from the main arteries in places such as Ueno, Asakusa, Shinjuku etc we can find many eating places, cute restaurants offering authentic Japanese cuisines and fast food outlets. One cannot go hungry here. Some may have english speaking staff to assist you when you order. If not, you can see the food that you ordered on display ! So, just go ahead and point and the food that meet your eyes. Obviously in this photo, it is clearly mentioned that they have english speaking waiters to help you with your choice of food. Price-wise, it varies from one outlet to another...emm I missed those tempuras already !!!

The Bridge and the Statue

2007-06-22T00:10:00.001+08:00

The Bridge and the Statue, originally uploaded by repin.

Where on earth can you find 2 "city image icons" in one location ? And I was kind of lucky to stumble on this quite recently ( 16th June, 2007 ) to be exact. My other half and I were in Japan again but this time with one purpose i.e. to visit our daughter in Tokyo but having some free time at hand, we took a ferry ride on the Sumida River bound for an island made from rubbish ( so, they told me ! ) somewhere in Tokyo Bay. The view was magnificent and real CLEAN on both banks of the river. It was a real treat and worth every single yen spent. By the way, Tokyo is the 4th expensive city to live in according to a 2007 survey. Number 1 is, guess what ? is Moscow. When we arrived at the "rubbish island " of Odaiba, we saw the Statue of Liberty and the San Francisco Bridge. Check it out !

Ketupat

2007-05-23T00:31:00.001+08:00

Ketupat, originally uploaded by repin.

You may travel the whole of Malaysia, but I dare say that you would not be able to see a sight as shown in the above photo. These are ketupat/s of the best kind ! . Of course, made by my mother. It is nothing more than rice wrapped in coconut leaves and allowed to boil till cooked. Of course, the final texture of the ketupat would be dependent upon on how much rice one put in the coconut leaf casing in the first place. One can consume the ketupat with rendang, sambal, serunding and curries of one's choice ! For me I would prefer ketupats that are soft ( not very soft ! ) and it would go along fine with beef rendang and sambal ikan bilis. Picture was taken by Poh Ling ( I do not have a camera then ! ) By the way, if you are curious, those ketupats were hung to let it cool.......before their next journey.

An Offering

2007-05-22T23:39:00.001+08:00

Offering, originally uploaded by repin.

Hinduism in Bali is different from that in India. In Bali one can see the manifestations of their beliefs in their rituals and culture, all interwoven into one that makes Bali now. During my 5 days stay in Bali sometime ago, there was not a single day that I did not encounter any festivities or religious rituals ! Rituals such as daily offerings to the Gods are not only confined to sacred places such as temples but also to small alleyways, in front of shops or kitchens. A typical offering which is normally carried out in little shrines in front of most houses or other places as mentioned would consist of flowers, incense, placed on nicely folded leaves or tray. Most importantly, it will be executed with much grace and humility.

THINK !

2007-05-14T10:29:00.001+08:00

THINK !, originally uploaded by repin.

I was in Bangalore, India sometime in the 3rd quarter of 2006; and had the opportunity to visit 2 great companies in IT outsourcing work namely INFOSYS and WIPRO. These 2 companies are giants so to speak in the area of outsourcing and consultancy...many of their clients are from the States and Europe. Talking about globalisation and business.....they are excellent examples where the world is indeed a market place for them. Along a particular corridor of one of the companies ( maybe WIPRO, I forgot which ! ) is a nice quotation on what lies beneath the hat. How true. I also read somewhere that we only utilised about 2 or 3 percent of the brain.....the rest being untapped. Well, this of course brings up the matter of "thinking outside the box", creativity, innovation, thinking through etc etc....and having said that, we now must take that journey and explore more the underdeveloped territory in and within us. Think.

The Super Fast Ladies

2007-05-07T01:32:00.001+08:00

The Super Fast Ladies, originally uploaded by repin.

Ahem, and yes I was with three beautiful ladies on one lucky day of 29th April, 2007. And this picture was taken at a rest area at KM19 on the Jakarta - Bandung highway. And Bu Lasteri is the lady 3rd from left - the fastest driver I ever encountered ! I pretended to smile in the pic , by the way. The R & R area here is fabulous...to quote my daughter's frequent remarks...its kool ! Why ? because we have starbucks...convenient stores...gas station...eating outlets and parking lots of course. Nonetheless, our trip to Bandung from Jakarta was super fast...and Bandung is a shopping paradise...too many factory outlets to mention. As usual I only remembered the restaurants.........kool !

First sign of life....for shoppers !

2007-05-07T01:07:00.001+08:00

First sign of life...., originally uploaded by repin.

For travelers to Bandung, life is shopping...and more shopping. Well, it was on the 29th of April when I had the chance to travel by road from Jakarta to Bandung on a day long visit. This chance outing was made possible by Ibu Lasteri in her friend's nissan x-trail. The journey to Bandung was indeed a super fast drive. Reason : Bu Lasteri was the driver and I can bet she must be the fastest driver ever !!! I could not believed it; she just went zip zapping thru traffic along the highway which put all men drivers to shame ! and of course , I walked out of the SUV later in Bandung more than a little bit shaken after the ordeal. Only the excellent padang food at selera bundo calmed my nerves. And one thing good that happened was that I had lost my appetite for shopping ! The experience had no effect on my other half though. More on Jakarta to Bandung trip later; but please view photos in flickr.

Another Cold Day - Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

2007-04-08T18:16:00.001+08:00

100_0741-98, originally uploaded by repin.

This is an interesting picture taken atop a hill bordering the west bank of the Volga, the national river of Russia. The Volga River is Europe's longest river, some 3,700 km long or about 2,300 miles long.. Besides passing through many towns; two major cities it passes through are Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd before it discharges into the Caspian Sea. A major tributary of the Volga i.e the Oka meets at Nizhny Novgorod too. The book says that the Volga freezes about 3 months in a year but it was flowing good when we visited in early November 2006. The Volga River system and valleys contributed much to the economic development of Russia and its people. Must be real pretty in the Spring, I guess ! Oh yes, another small point I wanted to share about the river is the Volga Boatmen's Song which some say was inspired by Ilya Repin's famous painting called Burlaks on the Volga which depicted the sufferings of people working on barges on the Volga in czarist Russia. Verdict : so much to see and learn during my 4 days in Nizhny !

Opposite of fast food !

2007-04-02T00:12:00.001+08:00

Opposite of Fine Dining, originally uploaded by repin.

This photo was taken in Tokyo during my trip there in mid 2005. What the owner of the food outlet tried to tell us is that they are offering wholesome and real food and not the fast food variety. Not bad for a description ! Slow food dining anyone ?

Watchout Cowboys !

2007-04-02T00:06:00.001+08:00

050109-Harajuku05, originally uploaded by repin.

This photo was taken in Harajuku, Tokyo at either a food outlet or a store selling clothes. I forgot. But it sure is funny !

Budapest and the Danube

2007-04-01T17:36:00.001+08:00

100_0675-32, originally uploaded by repin.

I was scheduled to present a paper actually in a town called Eger, ( they say this place is a famous wine country in Europe ! ) in Hungary first week of November 2006 and en route I made a short stop in Budapest. Being me, as usual I was not prepared for the stop in Budapest and also had not bothered to look up for information on Hungary. My, my,.. what I saw was spectacular. And my geography was so bad that I could not recollect the river in the picture is actually the Danube. It is not blue either ! Budapest is a city full of history and beautiful buildings. At the time I visited the city was pretty quiet since it was a Sunday. The government building is something special ( please click travel photos on the side bar ) , of course and I could only see it from afar like 300 meters away since the security force have put up a kind of temporary guard rails around the square of the building. Verdict : must visit again

Winged to Saudi Arabia

2007-03-25T22:09:00.001+08:00

wing, originally uploaded by repin.

16th March, 2007 and believe me I was on the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and I got a picture to proof it ! Guess what ? The Airbus flight was so full that I only managed to get a seat on top the starboard wing. If I am not mistaken I flew on Qatar Airways via Doha to Riyadh. Transit time at Doha was about 4 plus hours. Nowadays we find most middle eastern airlines are always difficult to book seats if you are late in making reservations as I found out. Therefore it was justified that I got the seat where 90 percent of the view was the starboard wing. I also believe that come June through August seats on most airlines plying the arab states to South East Asia will be filled to capacity; due to the summer migration of arab tourists to our part of the world. We better be ready for them !

Early Winter in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

2007-03-22T01:17:00.001+08:00

Early Winter in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, originally uploaded by repin.

This picture was taken in early November 2006 when my other half and I visited our daughter who is attending medical school in Nizhny. Wow, they say it was early winter and yet the temperature was about -7C when the picture was taken. The place is in the centre of town, close to a museum, I think. And we got a friend by the name of Dmitri who took us there. Nice city , and the place was quite deserted too since it was a Sunday. For those who are contemplating of visiting here in winter, please make sure you have good leather boots and get the NASA issued jackets if you can ! And for more pics please click "other travels" on the left menu bar.

The Two Cats : Chi Chi & Ginger

2007-03-21T21:25:00.001+08:00

cats, originally uploaded by repin.

You may say, this must be a huge mistake for me to post my pet cats in this blog. True. You see, the rationale is these cats of mine are indirectly affected whenever I go travelling ! Why you may say; well Chi Chi and Ginger will be normally housed at the vet or animal hospital and sure they always get jittery whenever I started packing and they would be jumpy whenever I dragged out the blue suitcase from the cupboard. Here for instance I caught them both in a bemused look wondering that the time has come for them to be taken to the vet again ! Aren't they cute ? By the way, Chi Chi is the white one and together with Ginger are on the kitchen sink watching me from a few feet away tucking in a last piece of stuff into the suitcase. Photo taken from a camera phone.

The Marble Temple, Bangkok

2007-03-21T20:23:00.001+08:00

marbletemple1, originally uploaded by repin.

One thing for sure is that I am a lousy traveller; why ? I never remember the places I visited or the name of the statue, river, bridge etc. For instance, this pretty picture of a temple in Bangkok taken when I visited Bangkok in mid May 2006. Weather was hot and humid but the temple is a beauty. Just look at the roofs ! and guess what ? it was made completely of marble. It is also located within a garden, I think ! with a canal running along one of its perimeter. And yes, I even remember small walking brides over the canal. Anyway, your local tourist guide in Bangkok will definitely put this venue on their agenda should you visit Bangkok.

A View from the Chalet

2007-03-21T19:45:00.001+08:00

bali02, originally uploaded by repin.

As I mentioned in the previous picture, the above picture is a view from my chalet's veranda. Great view ! The paddy were almost ready to be harvested. And as far as I can observed, it will be done manually. Of course using a kind of sickle.

Shasha and Sara, Tegalsari, Bali

2007-03-17T16:17:00.001+08:00

Shasha and Sara, Tegalsari, Bali, originally uploaded by repin.

My family and I really wanted to vist Bali again and particularly to stay at the Tegalsari in Ubud. This picture was taken at Tegalsari, consisting of about 8 chalets or so. The environment was awesome and we enjoyed our stay very much in mid April 2004. The accomodation complex is situated in the middle of paddy plots and at the right time of the year the view and tranquility is pure magic ! Just look at my 2 beautiful daughters posing at the entrance of their chalet. We will definitely come again. By the way, Ubud is at the centre of the island of Bali, known for its traditional crafts and related culture. More pictures of Bali in my flickr.

My First Exotic Bird Photo

2007-03-12T21:02:00.001+08:00

My First Exotic Bird Photo, originally uploaded by repin.

After two days of rambling around Fraser's Hill, I managed to capture this photo during tea and scones at the Ye Olde Smokehouse. It came to enjoy the scones too. So, bird lovers, collect your crumbs, put along a trail, and I'm sure the birds will come!

Jeriau Waterfall

2007-03-12T20:53:00.000+08:00

Encounter with Jeriau