road rage... that means trippin' with a vengeance...

After 3.5 years of crippling covid lockdowns, 2023 was set to be the year of travel, driven by the fumes of post-cabin fever vengeance.  The highlights had to be Africa, Sarawak and Royal Belum...

The quick list in chrono order:
1.  Fraser's Hill (February)

2. Cameron Highlands (February)

3. Sarawak (April)

4. Batu-batu (June)

5. Kenya, Tanzania + Uganda  (August)

6. Royal Belum Hornbill Expedition 2023 (September)

7.  Jakarta (December)

I won't go into details of all the trips, only the more interesting ones:

Sarawak (Ba'kelalan)

Ba'kelalan was the main aim of me wanting to do this trip and the highlight would have been a stay at Ba'kelalan Owl House, with Andy & Maureen hosting us.  Unfortunately, I never got to meet Andy, even though I was in touch with him just a day before he passed.  This unexpected turn of events meant that my booking was still uncertain but on the advice of several locals, we decided to bite the bullet and go anyway, not wanting to cancel the MAS Wings tickets that had already been bought.  A long story cut short - we ended up staying at the house of the Penghulu, Pak Yudan and his lovely wife.

Ba'kelalan is very far off any beaten track and is idyllic in all of its remoteness - there are no roads, very few vehicles other than for practical (haulage) use, the people you will come across are from the local Adan tribe (and are all related, somehow) or transient visitors to Gunung Murud and where simplicities of city-living such as electricity, running water and broadband connection are never taken for granted.  And it is an awesome place to do some birding.

However, it doesn't mean that the people aren't friendly and that life is hard here.  Far from it.  

By the end of our five days in Ba'kelalan, we were acquainted with everyone and at the airport (a shack, really) we were hugging our goodbyes with everyone like rellies we won't see again for a long time.  And as for how hard life is here - well, we were so well fed at Pak Yudan's home that we had likely put on 7kgs collectively, which was coincidentally the same amount of Adan rice that was gifted to us - rice that was grown in their own fields, by their own hands.  One could argue that it is, in fact, a pretty charmed life IF one could be so privileged to live here, away from the humdrum of a city.

Kenya (The Mara Triangle)

This was a trip of a lifetime.  A whirlwind 2 weeks spent in East Africa along with 6 other good friends on a trip that was 3 years overdue.

Starting off in Kenya, this was our first taste of safari airlinks that would make the uninitiated (that was us!) very nervous - from the lack of physical structures for an airstrip (some were literally just trees for shade), to the loosey-goosey parking of aircraft on the strip, to the constant re-arrangements of schedules and passenger manifests, to the inevitable delays of take-offs and landings due to wildlife intrusions on the runways, to the claustrophobic cabins onboard aircraft that look like they could fit into your back pocket if you folded them up enough times.

That aside, wildlife in the Masai Mara Triangle was alive and well, with us ticking off four of The Big 5 within the first two days - all that was left was the (VERY) illusive African leopard.  Our guides were abundantly & generously knowledgeable,  our accommodation super luxe (where else would you have wild hippos lazing in the river right outside of your room's balcony?) and the excursions were long & rewarding.

Tanzania (Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater)

Our second stop was across the border to neighbouring Tanzania.  Here, we spotted a very shy leopard to make it five for five, witnessed the great wildebeest migration, enjoyed the famous Serengeti sunset and morbidly watched many wildebeest carcasses being scavenged in an unending cycle of life.  The first of two stops in Tanzania was Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp somewhere on the great Serengeti grasslands, where sounds of lions, warthogs and hyenas can been heard lurking around the camp during the nights.

The second stop was the Ngorongoro Crater, where we experienced a safari in very different terrain and geography than where we had been.  There was a lot of wildlife thriving here and it is said that this was one of the best single locations to sight the Big 5.

Uganda (Bwindi Forest & Mabamba Swamp)

Third and final country in East Africa for us was Uganda.  First into the impenetrable Bwindi Forest to track the silverback mountain gorillas - it was a humbling experience where we were just feet away from these great beasts that were larger than us and without a doubt, could snap our necks like toothpicks if they so chose.  We were on their turf, after all.

And finally, a brief stopover to the Mabamba Swamp on Lake Victoria in an attempt to spot the humongous and prehistoric-looking Shoebill storks.  Just an hour's boat ride out of Entebbe, we came across abundant birdlife and of course, the Shoebill...

Royal Belum Hornbill Expedition 2023

This would be the third time on this expedition in 4 years, thanks to our friend, the intrepid Birdman.  Royal Belum is in north Perak state and is the only area where you can sight all 10 species of hornbills in Malaysia at this time of year.  We manage to spot eight over two days - Oriental Pied, Rhinoceros, Great, Wreathed, Plain Pouched (migratory), Black , Helmeted & Wrinkled (no photo).  All this while rain was always present, ranging from mildly misty to downright torrential.  Note: the remaining two species of hornbill that were not spotted on this trip were the Bushy-Crested and White-Crowned.

Concluding 2023 with a great review in terms of travails, setting it up nicely for more wanderlust in a new year.  Watch for it.

new year baptism...

Standing on Pantai Tengah beach in Langkawi waiting for the synchronous bursts of noise from all around (and down the beach) of party poppers and shouts of "happy new year". Sadly, auld lang syne is not heard much these days.

And then followed soon after by fireworks. Advantage of watching from Pantai Tengah is that one could see all the way down the beach of Pantai Cenang, where the crowds and the drunken parties were. Someone even shot a emergency flare from a boat out in the middle of the dark cove. Pity the poor fellow, if he really was in dire straits.

Fireworks were accompanied by reverant kuomin lanterns released by the hundreds, lighting up the sky with serene floating lights amidst the angsty bursts of gunpowdered psychedelia.

Soon as the light display was over, Karina walks into the sea and everyone followed. It only felt like the natural thing to do. And amidst loud music of LMFAO from a nearby cafe, we all shuffled in the sea.

Back at La Pari-Pari, we walked straight into Karina's brand new pool and the yin and yang new-year baptism was complete; salt, washed away by the fresh. Along with a chilled bottle of bubbly to toast, hence the new-year crossover was completed to perfection.

Here's wishing everyone the same perfect start and year-long perfection in everything this 2012.

pervelly, dunsborough, busselton, bunbury...

... and finally, the last installment of a whirlwind trip to the great Australian southwest.

Checking out of the YHA at Margaret River early on a Monday morning, we headed straight for the beach! Nearest to Margaret River is Pervelly, a beach bum surf village (because to call it a town would be grossly over-embellishing it) which was a tranquil bay with waves that were just nice to learn with... I think... I've never surfed, so what would I know? It was great to just take in the view and believe me, it was a very lovely view indeed.

But we had no time to waste, we had a boat to catch. So off we went to Dunsborough, where we arrived at early enough for a leisurely breakfast. It's a nice town with a kind of rich-folk-vacation-cum-retirement-home town to it. For a small town, it wasn't exactly cheap, as I mistakenly expected. Breakfast was lovely nonetheless, if you like a combination of beans and chorizos to start your day with a bang.

Ok, now for the one thing that we had come all the way to see - WHALES. Dunsborough has licensed only one operator for whale-watching tours, which I think is commendable because the Aussies really do respect nature and is fervent about keeping it natural. Hence, the controlled number of excursions will ensure minimal encroachment on wildlife habitat. Very commendable.

All safely on board a 17 metre catamaran, the Cetacean Explorer, we set off into the wide expanse of Geographe Bay and within five minutes of casting off, we are greeted by a pod of dolphins in the midst of hunting breakfast right beneath the boat! There must have easily been about 10 of them, unfazed by our presence and systematically crisscrossing the shallow water to herd smaller schools of fish for their feed. It was a truly amazing sight to see so many of them streaking full-speed right below where we stood. Oh, and here's a tip: wear polarized sunglasses, they will help you see things in things in the water a great deal better, especially on bright days.

After our first marine mammal encounter, it was then time to sight our second mammal - the southern humpback whale. I think these magnificent creatures creatures came to Geographe Bay for a summer holiday (like Germans to Cherating in the month of August) because they were everywhere! A mother with her calf, a "bunch of young boys" doing what boys do best; showing off by frolicking in the water, giving flipper high-fives and doing the backstroke. Unfortunately, the boat's hydrophone was on the blink, else we would definitely have heard some whale song.

After an amazing two hours of encountering two of the largest mammals in the sea on a clear, blue, sunny day (no less!), we were now off to Bunbury, stopping over at Busselton for a look-see. Busselton is home to one of the longest jetties in the world. At 2km in length, that is a very long walk. The length is due to the shallow depth of Geographe Bay and it had to built a long way out back in the day, so that larger boats could disembark cargo and passengers. There is also an underwater observatory at the end of the jetty, which was unfortunately closed for refurbishment at the time.

Bunbury. Another town that I would describe in exactly the same words I did with Dunsborough. But it is a much larger town though and it was here that we found a little time to do some shopping. Oh and of course, I should say that we checked into Ocean Drive Motel to find ourselves in the best room on the property! It had a huge, low window which perfectly framed a view of the sun setting on the horizon of the great Indian Ocean.

Short of anything exciting to do in a small town, we decided on a movie; Social Network. It was a nice little movie to watch but at A$18 per ticket (on a Monday night!! really??!), let's just say you could comfortably watch this on your own tv, in your own living room back in good old KL after a visit to your local "DVD shop". To be fair, the movie is a must-watch, tho I won't give any of the storyline away. It is riveting. and Justin Timberlake is so hate-able.

We woke up to grey and drizzle the next morning. Looks like the sunshine wouldn't hold out another day for us. But that didn't stop us from heading out to the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre. It is another Australian wonder of the idealistic marriage between wildlife tourism and preservation; the dolphins are wild and everything is done to preserve it that way. And I mean not in idle chatter. They actually do make sure that the dolphins are kept wild and do not spoil them by baiting them with free food. They are given little rewards of no more than 300 grams of fish a day per dolphin and never a species that is alien to Koombana Bay, where they live.

The dolphins come and go as they please, so visitors to the centre have to wait for the dolphins to come in. On that grey morning, we were graced by the presence of Levy, a 16-year old (est.) mother. The staff (mostly volunteer, some of them elderly and retired) identify the dolphins from their dorsal fins and it is amazing that they can rattle on about each individual dolphin like they were telling you about a close relative. Lingering on the beach brought a reward - Levy came back again to visit after a while. It was rainy and the water was murky, which isn't the norm in Koombana Bay, so the dolphin was understandably wary of coming too close but she was close enough. But then, how often do you get to come so close to a dolphin in the wild anyway?

And that was all the mammal encounters that we had. It was time to go. But we had one more winery to visit on the way back to Perth; Vineyard 28 (so named after the noisy parrot found mostly in Western Australia), one of the last ones you will come across from the south before you reach Perth. It's a bit of a trek of 2km on dirt road to get to the cellar door but it is a lovely property and you'll be greeted by the handsomest, friendliest brown mutt south of Perth.

By now the drizzle is easing, making the Highway #2 drive at 100/60/90/50/70/80/10 km/h ever more painful. But I was oblivious. It was Sone's turn to drive while I took a nap. And she hated it.

mandurah, margaret river, cape leeuwin, augusta...

... our Western Australia road trip begins!

First day of our trip starts off early when we head off down south towards Margaret River. Stopping off at Mandurah for a lazy breakfast, we drove around in circles for a while before settling on a random place that jumped out at us; 1957's Cafe - barracuda wrapped in bacon... heavenly.

After a lazy breakfast, it was time for the longest part of the drive - two and a half hours to Margaret River. Now, you might think that 2.5 hours is KL to Taiping... let me just correct any misconceived notion that driving long-distance driving on Australian highways are fun... unlike Malaysia, where speed limits were specially made to be lovingly broken, that is not the case in Australia... It kinda kills the joy of driving out on open highways where traffic is sparse, at best. But be warned; break the limit at your peril; Australia is where cops are watching and the coffee-money don't matter. And that is the end of my complaints about Australia, I promise.

We reach Margaret River and head straight for the YHA, our accommodation for the night. It is "at the edge of town"... which means it was one street down Main Road (which was also the Bussel HIGHWAY, fyi). The YHA was basic but the grounds were lovely with two types of parakeets frolicking in the soccer field. It was serene and the only sounds you could hear were all made by some organic organism!

Anyway, no time to lose. We had so many vineyards to visit! Eeny-meeny-miney-mo... we picked Leeuwin Estate as our first stop. Best decision of the day. Leeuwin Estate grounds were lovely and we saw our first kookaburra there. However, the cellar door experience was something else. The staff were rude and the wine was... not nice... and we weren't compelled to stay any longer, so we legged it to the next stop. It was the best decision made because every vineyard experience after Leeuwin just got better and better.

Redgate Estate - now, here's a vineyard visit that I loved. The grounds were humbler than Leeuwin but not at all in a bad way. The cellar door was cosy and the one guy manning the shop was friendly, helpful and very knowledgable. It was here that I picked up two of the most memorable items of the trip; a beautiful bottle of Cabernet Franc 2008 and a block of Jamaican Coffee Fudge... It was the best fudge IN THE WORLD!!! My regret is that I didn't realise that the best fudge on the face of god's green earth was right there in Margaret River and therefore couldn't go looking for more because we were bound by a ridiculously tight schedule.

Anyway, we had a fudge party in the car on the way to Hamelin Bay, where we encountered Eagle Rays, some of which can grow up to 2m span. The rays come close to shore and it is easy to spot from the waterline. The bay is calm and is part of the Leeuwin National Park. It seems there is some good diving/snorkelling to be had as well. If only I could get a hold of a canoe or kayak to explore the shallow waters. Take a look for yourself: http://vimeo.com/8482915

After Hamelin Bay, it was off to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin in an attempt to catch the sunset where the Southern and Indian Oceans met. It was too cold to stay for too long, and the lighthouse was closed for the day. I don't get why they promote beautiful sunsets at the cape when the lighthouse closes at 5:30 every day...

After a shot of fuel, it was then back to Margaret River for dinner at Settler's Tavern TAB. I had a big slab of moo-moo and it was gorgeous. Sone had lamb but no one would believe me if I said that she raved about the salad more than she did about the lamb!

And since kitchens close at 8:30pm and everyone's asleep by 10:30 everyday in Margaret River, I guess there was nothing else for us to do but to call it a night too...

Whales and dolphins next...

perth & perth...

... the two monkeys are at it again...

This time, the escapade to was to Western Australia. Perth is tiny. I can already imagine Sonya crinkling her nose and rolling her eyes in disagreement... "it's NOT a city" is what she would say.

Perth-lings (what DO you call people who live in Perth??) are a friendly bunch and curiously easier to understand than some other Australians that I have encountered from other parts. Things were easy to organize and get around, aside from a long queue just to clear customs to get INTO the country (Ozzites are paranoid about travellers importing unwanted critters and bugs in their bags). Car rental was booked online and pick up was easy-peasy. Even when I encountered an issue with the GPS unit I had booked, money was refunded with very little questions asked... and all done over the phone! Dang, I liked Australia already... but it was to get better!

We arrive at Shimmi's house in Bentley in time to wake the whole family up at 8:00am... after a very late night. But Niranjan was quick into action whipping up a BIG breakfast on the barbie. Washed down with beer. I am now liking Australia even more...

We all pile into my newly rented Hyundai Getz and set off for Churchlands to visit my cousin in the house that she had newly built with her hubby. It was stunning. Hardwood floors, an enormous entertainment room, a pool and a magnificent view of Herdsman Lake.

After a quick tour of the house, we pile into the car again and we are off to Cottelsoe Beach for a snack at The Naked Fig. Wonderful food, wonderful views, wonderful weather and wonderful company. The kids made friends!

After dropping off Alicia and her kids, Shimmi, little Ridh, Sone and I head off to Fremantle Market or Freo, as the locals call it. By now, it is close to 5:00pm and the sun is hanging low and the market is almost closing. But we still did manage some souvenir shopping and a small bagful of very unique honey and chilli roasted seed mix.

We drop Shimmi home to prep for a Diwali party that they were going to while Sone and I skipped off to Subiaco suburb for some highly recommended North Indian at Chutney Mary's. It was probably the best that I had ever had and trumps Northern Indian you can find anywhere in Malaysia, any day.

The following two days were spent out of town in Margaret River and Bunbury.

Upon return to Perth after two nights out of town, we pick Shimmi up and head out for a sumptuous lunch at Palais 85, in South Perth. To accompany the grand view overlooking the Swan River, we shared a seafood platter and decandently washed it all down with a glass of white wine each.

Before heading home to Shimmi's, we caught up with Alicia and kids again at San Churro in Subiaco for tea/dessert. Tasted as good as I remembered it a year ago in Melbourne.

Back at home, we attempted our first round of packing... it wasn't easy! There was a lot of weight to balance and regretted that I had only bought 15kg of check in luggage instead of of going straight for 20kg. Oh well...

Final dinner was at Siena's Pizzeria & Caffe, where we met with more fellow Malaysians on visit to Perth. Adjourning early to bed and an early rise to head for the airport and our flight home. Perth said farewell in grand fashion with an amazing sunrise, making sure that we were sufficiently stunned enough to come back for more soon.

amsterdam... a short and very hurried recap...

My first taste of amsterdam, unsurprisingly, was at Schipol International Airport. After arriving from KL on a very pleasant KLM flight, (my colleague) Connie and I landed in 9˚C at 5:30am. But that was the extent of our first encounter with Amsterdam. We were on transit and Amsterdam had to wait. So close, but yet so far beyond the immigration gates.

But after four days in Monte Carlo and work finally behind us, Connie and I were set to take Amsterdam by storm! Joined by another close friend and ex-colleague, Winnie, Connie and I were set to paint Amsterdam a bold shade of red!

The weather was pleasant enough in the day (at least in the first two days) but temperatures dropped quite drastically during the night. But we were all ready to warm ourselves in one way or another. So we checked in at Hotel Luxer, very conveniently located on Warmoesstraat which is a 3-minute walk from Centraal rail station. Right after checking in, we walked a couple of streets down and in the midst of Chinatown, we checked out Steven's Bar and had ourselves a pint of a local ale. Yummy.

Now warmer, we strolled around Chinatown and the notorious Red Light District and eventually end up having dinner at a Tibetan restaurant... it was so-so and don't remember much of the food to describe! Now EVEN warmer, we strolled to the Amsterdam Ice Bar for our -10˚C experience... we just had to take the warm winds out of our sails la. Got a photo of me doing a bad impersonation of South Park's Kenny.

All of Amsterdam is walkable. Just watch out for trams and bicycles. And if you have had too many ice beers, watch that you don't walk straight into a canal; it's cold at this time of year! We took about 20 minutes to take a really slow stroll from the Ice Bar back to the hotel, passing Dam Square and many pretty night canal-scenes along the way.

The next morning, after fueling up on McDonald's (we had to... Connie insisted that we take a picture there as well), we walked about Damrak and Haarlemstraat for some souvenir shopping. It was a rainy morning and as with any where else in Europe, rain in the morning normally means a steady drizzle and greyness for the rest of the day. No different here, unfortunately.

So we stopped in at The Coffee Company on Haarlemmerdijk for coffee; or in my case, I had the most amazing hot dark chocolate. Enough fuel for more walking and shopping before stopping for lunch at La Pampa, and Argentinian restaurant. Delicious steaks.

On our last night, we decided on watching Boom Chicago's Upgrade Or Die. American improv theatre at its Dutch best. Winnie insisted that they do a musical skit in Chinese Opera style, so that was a refreshing breath of originality.

Our last morning began with a big breakfast at Prins Heerlijk, a cute little bakery just down the street from the hotel. Alas, this is where Winnie left us but that was not the end of the day for Connie and I. We trammed straight down to the Heineken Experience. I WAS a skeptic who wondered just how much of a story can be told about a beer. I was bowled over. It was a grand Experience and I recommend it for any first-timer to Amsterdam, if for nothing else then go check out the very cool, personalized merchandize available for sale.

Last stop, Albert Cuypstraat open market where I took the opportunity to invest in a pair of warmer gloves because although it had stopped drizzling and the sky was turning a bright blue, the temperature was reduced to about 8˚C in broad daylight!

And that was that. Amsterdam is a great, compact city with much to see and do. Best explored on foot or on bicycle. I am definitely going back!

my bootcamp triumph...

When I started off Bootcamp enrolment last month, I really had no idea how tough it was going to be for me. I had heard a range of people saying how tough it was right down to how great the programme was. But I thought to myself that there was only one way to find out...

So off I went. First session of the month is always a benchmark assessment; a series of set exercises and a time limit to do it all in. This is so that you have a baseline performance to compare with as you progress through the programme. And the whole idea is to keep bettering your performance, of course.

The benchmark comes in two parts. The first is a set of exercises that start with a 400m run, followed immediately by 15 sit-ups, 10 grunts (or burpees) and 15 military sit-ups. After you're done with that, you repeat the exercises again another two times. There is a cut-off time of 15 minutes. The second part is a 1.6km flat run and the cut-off again is 15 minutes.

My first benchmark was easy to remember... For both activities, I was listed as DNF. "Did Not Finish". Yay. What a low standard I had set for myself to smash!

To be fair, my biggest issue is running. I can't. And I don't like running. It pains me to run. Literally. Over the month, I realised that I might have a genuine existing condition with my arches that I need checked into by a podiatrist. But that aside and all the same, my aim for January Bootcamp was to improve on my ability to run.

Fast forward to first session of OBC in February. Benchmark assessment time again. I did my first benchmark in 13 mins 34 secs but what I was eager to test was my 1.6km run. I did it, albeit slowly. In 14 mins 13 secs. It was a great feeling to be able to do something that I wasn't able to only a month before but Bootcamp is about breaking mental and physical barriers. And mine was broken to smithereens.

There was another feeling that I had at the end of that 1.6km; my initial aim was to finish in under 15 mins and now that I had, I felt that I could still do better. Which has left me with this unbearable itch to go right out and run some more.

Wow... I've have really surprised myself.

Now for the unsolicited plug: Original Bootcamp isn't for just anybody. It is very intense hour of dedication to pushing yourself beyond limits every single session. It isn't for those who prefer a clean and air-conditioned environment to work out some sweat surrounded by creature comforts. It isn't for you if you prefer to complete a workout that you have pre-planned and mentally prepared for. OBC is about getting down and dirty and it's about pushing through pain barriers. It's about disciplined adherence to instruction by trusted trainers and where punishment is part of the work out. It's about doing it in a group of people with equal abilities and the inherent motivation of everyone pushing through the same barriers. Try it. You might just become addicted!

guardians of driving license photos...

I thought nothing would shock me anymore when it came to ingenuity of the Malaysian race and their ability to adapt just about anything into almost any situation. But pleasantly shocked I was at a polished display of resourcefulness yesterday, made necessary by the opportunity to make a few ringgit of course.

I had suffered the major inconvenience of losing my wallet out of my own carelessness. One of the things I had to replace was my driver's license. Now, I know that you need to bring photos with you to have a replacement done but I also did remember seeing an elderly Chinese chap operating a Polaroid camera in a makeshift studio at the JPJ, where you could get photos done on the spot. So I chanced it and went with almost no identity and almost no money , armed with nothing but a police report.

After taking a queue number from the information counter, a security guard taps me on the shoulder and whispers softly if I needed photos. I said yes and he takes my arm and leads me towards the outside of the building and points skywards (but toward the general direction of the car park) and whispers instructions to go to the guard house at the main gate.

I almost felt a necessity to tip-toe my way to my rendezvous point with the James Bond who would give me a sealed, self-destructing envelope with further instructions. At the guard house, I peep in through the window and who do I see? Not James. I saw a tiny man in a blue security uniform who didn't seem like he was a fan of speech or speaking. When I asked him where I should go to have photos taken, he smiles and signals for me to come into his guard house.

By now, I am highly amused by the whole cloak and dagger mystery. I enter the guard house (but not before I had to take off my shoes...) and in a corner is a swivel chair and a piece of blue cardboard stuck to the wall, as a backdrop for photos to be taken. I was trying to stifle my incredulous laughter by now.

He invites me to take a seat and proceeds to punch some keys on his mobile phone. I had assumed that he was calling for James with-the-camera Bond but again I was wrong. He swivels around on his chair to face me, points his mobile phone about 3 feet from my face and pulls the trigger. He pauses and then shows me the shot he's taken. Unsurprisingly, I looked like a bemused deer caught in headlights.

I'm not happy with the photo and ask for the picture to be taken again. In true Malaysian spirit, he simply says, "boleh" and proceeds to shoot again. This time, I looked a little more composed and said, "Ok. Now what?"

He asks me to go back to the information counter and wait for him there. He'd come to me in five minutes. So I do as I am told. Exactly 4.5 minutes later, he shows up with 8 photographs in exchange for RM10. That's it. Transaction complete.

This was one of the most bizarre encounters I have had in a long time but it was also the fastest photos I ever made, in the most number of copies and for a bargain; photo studios give you 4 copies of a Polaroid shot and charge you RM10 (some places RM12) and make you wait longer than 4.5 minutes for them to develop and crop the photos.

So the next time you're in the neighbourhood and decide that you need some photos taken, please do look up the guard house at PJ JPJ branch... no need to ask for James.

of elephants, bears and two grown monkeys…

On a whim, a friend and I decided that we’d want to do something a little more adventurous last Sunday. We had heard of Kuala Gandah and the elephant sanctuary there, but were apprehensive about going ourselves because of the mixed reviews and opinions fed to us by various sources. What if it was like so many of these pseudo-conservation parks who exploit animals but don't keep them well?? But we decided that the best way to know for sure is to go find out for ourselves. And so we did.

Kuala Gandah is about an hour and a half from KL along the highway to Kuantan (exit at Lanchang), so it is a pleasant and easy drive, although passengers may feel differently about the winding roads from Batu Caves, all the way up to Bentong. All the same, that drive has some breathtaking scenery and is among my favourite stretches of road to drive in Malaysia.

Getting to Kuala Gandah, the first thing we had to do was ensure we had our passes for the elephant activities later in the afternoon. Arriving for registration at 10:30am, we were already #64 and #65 for the day; the sanctuary only hands out 100 passes a day for the three activities in the afternoon, which makes sense because one wouldn’t want the poor creatures to be hauling too many people for their cheap amusement. The sanctuary doesn’t charge for entry but it only felt right to leave a donation at their office.

After collecting the passes, we had time to spare before activities start at 1:00pm, so we went to Deerland, so called because of a large number of deers on its compound, but the name belies the fact that they have some other treasures as well – sun bears!

It’s a tiny little park but it is well-organized, well-staffed, kempt and clean… all this on a charge of RM5.00 per adult for entry. All this, amidst the bonus of lush green tropical jungle in a designated permanent forest reserve.

First, to the deer enclosure, visitors are given raw tapioca slices to hand feed deers with and being amongst so many of them can be an intimidating experience, since they all are capable of standing on their hind legs and in so doing, would be far taller than an average human being! They love their tubers…

There are a few types of pretty birds and colourful fowl which I cannot name now. Perhaps, the one thing noticeably missing is proper labeling of enclosures and information boards that you might find in zoos and such.

There are also rabbits (an entire family of angoras, complete with 4 tiny little babies), a young python, hedgehogs and one solitary juvenile sun bear named Hitam, frolicking in a large grassy enclosure. That’s the nice thing I found nice about Deerland is that the enclosures are open making the animals look like they are not in a cage.

Finally, near the exit, the final enclosure is for another two sun bears, a large male named Muda and his mate, I forget her name. Both are parents to Hitam. Visitors get to feed Muda condensed milk from their palm and he will dutifully lick it all off with his soft, pink tongue. He loves his handlers and his handlers obviously love him.

Some may argue that this sort of interaction shouldn’t be allowed but I think that the key is that there must always be respect and that this creature is allowing us to interact with it and not the other way around.

Deerland is tiny. You’d be done in 45 minutes tops! And that’s with a lot of time spent lingering and observing Muda.

Then it’s back to the elephant sanctuary and a picnic in the activity area is recommended (there are no eateries around the area, so you'll have to pack a lunch anyway). There are attap-shaded sheds where one can have lunch while elephants in the distance hover. Again, the openness of the sanctuary and the elephants seemingly free to roam the area is remarkable.

Another thing worth noting is the staff, especially the handlers; take time to talk to them and ask them questions. You'd be pleasantly surprised at how much they do know and how much they love what they are doing.

The sanctuary has 17 elephants on its compound. ALL were rescued and some are more used to the presence of humans than others. The sanctuary is managed by PERHILITAN, Malaysia’s wildlife and park authorities. The unit also works to relocate wild elephants, transplanting them from threatened or dwindling forest areas to more sustainable areas, such as Taman Negara. The sanctuary doesn’t collect money from visitors to the sanctuary but will accept donations at their office for support of their work in general.

A video-screening about the elephant unit relocation work is screened for visitors and that kicks off the activities for the afternoon. Visitors then proceed to hand-feed the elephants with fruits, after which, the elephants take visitors for a very short ride.

And then for the grand finale; visitors then get to ride on an elephant’s back into the nearby Teris River where the elephant will then take a dip… with visitors still on its back! Other elephants (especially the babies) are also frolicking in the water and visitors can bathe with them and if they’re lucky, the elephants will spray bathe the visitors in return!

Interaction and activity with elephants take no more than two hours and the visit is over by 4:30pm. Leaving Kuala Gandah for a short drive back to KL, and you’re home in time for dinner. In short, a very compact, yet eventful day trip. Highly recommended.

the amazing australian adventure...

... we packed so much into 8 days, i think it best to just write it in point form. There will be many notables on food consumed because the trip was good for all the eating done but also because everything we had was just so good:

Day 1 (Fri):
- Finally arrive in Melbourne, met by Sumi, Hardeep and Chicky! Sonya, Sumi, Chicky and I will end up spending most of the time together
- First coffee at the airport
- Tub of lamb & chicken kebab on the way back to Sumi's and Hardeep's (home)

Day 2 (Sat):
- Fandango's, Errol St.: Breakfast with Sumi, Chicky
- French Quarter, Queensberry St.: Attempted to get almond croissant at but they were sold out
- Victoria Market: walkabouts
- Market Café at Vic Market facing Elizabeth St.: Coffee
- Off to Mt. Dandenong
- Ranches, Olinda: tea and an out-of-this-worldly sticky date pudding by a very pleasant wood fire in the afternoon
- Pie In The Sky, Olinda: went in for a look but no eats
- Olinda: cute toy shops all over Olinda that we couldn't resist visiting
- A Sweet Shop, Sassafras: Sonya's Double Decker bar was worth a mention
- Sky High Observation Deck, Mt Dandenong: to watch a very magnificent sunset
- DOC, Drummond St. in Carlton: mushroom and prosciutto ham pizzas
- Brunetti's in Carlton: great coffee and pretty desserts; the selection of pastries and sweets will have your head spinning from choice!

Day 3 (Sun):
- Carlton Gardens: walkabouts to view the museum and exhibition centre, and a lot of butts of sleeping possums
- Lambs, Lygon St.: take-away a tub of chicken & lamb souvlaki, debated on the net to be the best in Melbourne... we would taste a better one :)
- Tom Phat, Sydney Rd. in Brunswick: breakfast with Chicky at this excellent fusion cafe; claypot baked egg & roti omelette
- City: Bourke St. (Giant Purse), GPO, Royal Arcade
- St. Kilda: walk along the pier; black swans in the sea??
- St. Kilda Esplanade: walked the length of the weekend market
- Acland St., St Kilda: had juices for drinks (mine was tomato and celery juice) and NO PASTRIES! I was forewarned that the pastries in the windows look far better than they taste
- San Churro at Docklands: chocolate drinks and churros
- The Thai Place in Brunswick: dinner of tom yam soup, som tham, duck curry, pandan chicken
- Carlton Gardens: walk through the gardens to get home and we were greeted by possums! There were just tons of them running riot all over the gardens

Day 4 (Mon):
- Off to Mornington Peninsula
- Somewhere in Mornington Peninsula: spotted a kangaroo in the wild... well, in a vineyard... to a first-timer, it's the same thing la!
- Montalto Vineyard: walkabout, wine tasting
- The Pig & Whistle: lunch starred a lamb rack, duck rack, bangers & mash and a chicken parma
- Peninsula Hot Springs: hot springs and cold dip; it was 42 degrees celcius at the hottest
- Home: Sumi makes a simple but delicious dinner of potato & chicken soup and self-saucing chocolate pudding for dessert
- Crown Casino, Southbank: played roulette and with sheer beginner's luck, made the easiest A$72 in 5 minutes. i bought coffee after that and we watched the fire show outside the casino along the banks of the Yarra River

Day 5 (Tue):
- French Quarter, Queensberry St.: almond croissants available - SUCCESS!!!
- Di Bella, Leveson St. in North Melbourne: for great cuppas on the go
- Off to the Great Ocean Road
- Jac Juc & Bell's Beach: breathtaking vistas from the cliffs above a world-class surf beaches
- Apollo Bay: stopped for lunch at La Bimba; chorizo tapas, chicken schnitzel on focacia, gnocchi, bowl of mussels, mimosa
- Along the Great Ocean Road: koalas and a kookaburra spotted in the wild
- The Twelve Apostles: awesome
- Loch Ard Gorge: witness the power of the sea at the beach, the blow hole and Sunset Cave
- Sunset B&B, Port Campbell: checked into our cozy accommodation for the night
- 12 Rocks Café, Port Campbell: dinner; grilled fish, seafood pasta, seafood platter
- Room 6, Port Campbell: dessert; chocolate platter for two which turned out to be enough to feed 4!
- Movies: watched P.S. I Love You, Dodgeball from the DVD stash at the B&B
- Stargazing: lying on a blanket in the nippy outdoors, watching a hundred star trails and a billion stars

Day 6 (Wed):
- Breakfast at Sunset B&B and off to Ballarat we go
- BiBo Cafe, Ballarat: a cute little retro themed cafe for lunch; bacon lettuce avocado & tomato sandwich, moroccan lamb cheese on focacia
- Ballarat Wildlife Reserve: wombats, koalas, roos, joeys, quolls, quokkas, kookaburras, emus, tazzie devils, turtles...
- Saray, Sydney Rd.: Turkish dinner along with with Chicky; eggplant, spinach, kidney beans, cacik dips with bread
- Golden Monkey, Hardware La.: funky ambience of 1930's Shanghai, fabulous drinks menu... the drinks matched up to the exoticsm of the menu

Day 7 (Thu):
- Uni. Of Melbourne: coffee from Plush
- Rose Garden, Elizabeth St.: lunch; duck and salted veg fried rice, chicken rice, noodles and a side of char siew and siew yoke
- Max Brenner, Melbourne Central: Chicky joins us for Belgian waffles
- Laurent Bakery, Little Collins St.: coffee and pastries
- St Paul's Cathedral, corner of Swanston and Flinders Sts.: hmmm... all i can say is old... but not quite. don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful Anglican cathedral and is in surreally excellent condition, unlike many older churches in Europe
- Hell's Kitchen, Centre Pl.: upstairs for more coffee/mocha
- Sofitel, Collins St.: snuck into the 35th Floor washroom for a 180 degree view of Melbourne
- Sister Bella, Snider's La. off Little Bourke St: for a jug sangria
- Chicky's Place: dinner; coffee spare ribs, lamb salad, fish, bok choy, dessert from Laurent

Day 8 (Fri):
- Atomica Caffe, Brunswick St.: for breakfast
- Polyester Books, Brunswick St.: weird bookshop; not sure if I should worry that I own or have heard of so many book titles featured in the shop
- Factory outlets on Smith St.: shopped for shoes & shoes
- Target, Bourke St.: clothes shopping
- Big W, QV Village: chocolate shopping
- Croft Institute, Croft Alley: probably would not be able to find this place again, even with map! a sinister feel to the place where they serve drinks in beakers and test tubes. the washroom upstairs looks like a morgue, so says my sister who saw the pictures
- Shanghai Village, Chinatown: dinner; dumplings, noodles, hot & sour soup, crispy chicken spare ribs
- Dralion Cirque du Soleil
- San Churro, QV: for a nightcap of hot chocolate
- Stalactite, Lonsdale St.: tub of chicken souvlaki for supper
- Movie: Nacho Libre at home

Day 9 (Sat):
- Shark's Fin, Chinatown: yum cha (dim sum) breakfast with Andy
- Victoria Market - souvenier shopping
- Fräus, Victoria St. in North Melbourne: stopped for crepes
- Di Bella, Leveson St.: couldn't resist the coffee here, one of the best ones I had tasted in Melbourne
- Movie: Nacho Libre continued
- Craig & Elaine's: dinner; 3 types of pizza, trifle, bread & butter pudding
- Cranium along with Trung & Orlane also; winners - Hardeep, Sonya and Ju... :)

I can't wait to go back!

american dreaming, march 2009...

Highlights of my Sportel trip to San Francisco and Miami:

Location: San Francisco, en-route to Miami

My first sight of San Fran is Embarcadero, where i step off the BART, followed by a short F-Train ride to Pier 39 to see sea lions. That was a disappointment tho; they sleep a lot!

Initial plan was to rent a bike to ride the Golden Gate Bridge but late arrival of flight meant that it was a risky attempt. So, I went down to Fort Mason pier instead, where I watched a most glorious sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay area and Alcatraz.

Cousin Mike met me for a quick dinner and showed my some more sights of San Fran from the Twin Peaks and around Castro Street.

I like San Fran. I must come back for a visit that will last longer than 5 hours.


Location: Miami Beach, Miami

Front the beach in front of the hotel, I watched the US Space Shuttle Discovery launch into space from Cape Canaveral, 200 miles up beach.

On my fourth day in Miami, I decide to start off the day with a morning run along the Miami Beach-South Beach boardwalk... and it decides to rain. Nothing abnormal, except the precipitation was the first that Florida has had in 5 whole months... bringing my weather curse to new levels.

Spent time with Bin Soo and Ai Lei, without whom, I would not have had the chance to see so much more of Miami. With them, I was able to see Dademall and the Aventura area plus dinner at Hard Rock Cafe in Bayswater.

Leaving Miami for LA, the connecting flight was in a huge hurry to be ahead of schedule. We made it to LAX half an hour early, only to be made to wait 40 minutes to park... it doesn't pay, does it??

pre-bangkok, february 2009

This is coming in kinda late... but I figured that I should put down some of my notes from my Bangkok trip before I recount my excellent Australian adventure.

So here it goes, some of the highlights, beginning with pre-trip amusement:

Location: LCCT, inside boarding hall
A short exchange that I had in the terminal pharmacy:

Me: (to someone in a uniform tunic) Dik, you kerja kat sini ke?
Penguin: Ya
Me: Saya nak tanya kalau you ada stok contact lens solution tak?
Penguin: Cuba tanya kat kaunter depan, I tak kerja bahagian tu.

Note: the pharmacy was tiny and had 4 shelves and aisles...


Location: LCCT, pre-BKK
A scene at the perfume and cosmetic duty-free shop:

In the corner of the shop is a bargain bin of nail polish with a large sign hovering above it that says: "NO TRYING PLEASE". A sales girl is seen rushing over to the bin, repeating what's written on the sign to a middle-aged Chinese lady with coifed hair, a loud floral-printed shirt and white polyester pants; "AUNTY, no trying PLEASE!". The lady coolly and carefully finished the edges of her pinky nail, capped the tiny bottle and placed it back in the bin and calmly walked away like nothing happened, leaving the poor sales girl seething in exasperation.


Location: LCCT , pre-BKK
Scene at boarding gate:

A long queue has formed by the time I arrive at the boarding gate. Just to be sure that I hadn't confused the queues in the congested hall, I walk up to a counter and asked if the queue is for Bangkok:

Exasperated Counter Girl: No, it isn't
Me: Oh, it's for Macau then...
Exasperated Counter Girl: No, it isn't either... we haven't called for ANY flight to board yet... (and she proceeds to roll her eyes)

Kiasu mentality: I must be close to the front of the queue as possible.
Herd mentality: Oh look, everyone's queueing... let's queue too

Nevermind if the queue isn't the right one.

And after re-reading the rest of my notes for Bangkok, I realised there wasn't really anything else momentous about it that I should want to recount. Except for the fact that I have never had so many massages in such a short time... total of 5 hours in as many days... blissful, it was...

Paris, 25th Oct – Day 3

I think I have walked my feet off already. Yes, I did say that all of Paris was walk-able… but when I’m cramming a walking tour of the entire city in two days, it does wear down the feet, knees and back. To give you a feel, take a look at the map below:

Day 1 is in blue. I arrived late and was totally disoriented so I did not venture far. Day 2 is in green and was concentrated around the centre of Paris, which are the two large islands in the middle of the Seine River, according to Google Maps. Day 3 was in red and was a LOT of walking, with the exception of an interruption in the walk when I took a metro from Victor Hugo to Montmatre and continued walking there.

I had quickly learnt that maps in English are of no great help when you are walking the streets of Paris. At a business meeting earlier in the week, a Parisien had told me to sod the map; get lost in Paris and you’ll appreciate it much more. It has been the single best piece of advice anyone has given to me about this city yet. Hence, you will see the meandering routes through neighbourhoods I had no idea were there because they are not on tourist maps. I simply wandered and gravitated towards pockets of activity and believe me, the whole city is full of life and activity. It’s even nicer that streets are off the beaten tourist track and thus, you won’t see tour buses dumping their load of non-French speakers.

Westward along the Seine: This must be where doggie heaven is… there an abundance of pet shops along the river bank… yeah…

Jardin des Tuileries: Gardens and parks in Paris are never short on space and this one is no different. Situated directly across the road from the pyramids in the yard of the Louvre, it houses strange, modern art installations… like a neatly arranged stockade of grain bags which were starting to sprout and looked like it was either waiting to head for a famine-struck African nation or they were expecting to call in the military for war games. Either way, I think I am not that way inclined… I mean arty-fartily…

Champs Elysees: It’s a gorgeous boulevard. Even more so when adorned with autumn colours.

Marche Ave du President Wilson: Finally! A market and in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower too. I love walking fresh markets in Europe. Always makes me fill with inspiration to whip up a dish because everything is so fresh and appetizing.

The Eiffel Tower & Trocadero: I packed myself a seafood paella from the market and sat on a park bench outside the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower. It was a lovely fourteen degrees out, making it a perfect lunch.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica: One wouldn’t quite expect the neighbourhood surrounding a church to be kitsch but entire area of Monmartre seems to abound with shops that sell all types of trinkets and odds and ends to tourists who can’t seem to get enough of it. The streets leading up to the highest point in Paris are narrow and crowded with casual tourists, those who have come on some sort of pilgrimage and locals who go there just to hang out. It has a beautiful vista of the city and on a clear day, one would be able to see the edges of the city all around.

The interior of the basilica is magnificent with the reverence that is paid to it by all visitors alike. I noticed how people from all walks of life took off their hats and reduced conversations to hushed tones and no one took photographs, although there was only a tiny, little notice at the entrance. But in all its magnificence, I could oddly feel little piety, for want of a better term, inside the basilica. I think I felt more of it inside Notre Dame.

Trivia: The Sacré-Coeur Basilica is built of Château-Landon stone, a type of frost-resistant limestone that constantly weathers out its calcite, so that it bleaches with age and effortlessly remains chalky white.

Lafayette & Strasbourg St. Denis: I wandered a lot today. And the result of my wanderings led me to accidentally bump into areas which are obviously local favourites like Lafayette and Strasbourg St. Denis today, St Germain and Quartier Latine yesterday and Rambateau on my very first night in the city.