Wise Words?

 

Happy New Year 2026

Ship Ahoy!

 I don't often go on cruises since I'm not a good sailor, but in early December, I decided to be brave and took a 4D/3N cruise to Langkawi and Port Klang (from Penang) with my aunt.   We don't often get cruises that depart directly from Penang, so this was heaven sent.  

The ship, the "Piano Land" was originally owned by P&O but now bought over by a Chinese company, Astro Ocean Cruises.  (You can learn more about the ship if you Google).  It was there waiting patiently at the pier for its passengers, all 70,000 tons and looking very smart in its white coat of paint. I was pleasantly surprised when we were told we could board the ship immediately we finished the red tape (thought we had to wait until a certain time) and so we excitedly made our way to our cabin on Deck 9.

Our cabin (or Stateroom as they call it) was a cosy twin bedded deluxe room with bath/shower, a small table and a sofa to lounge on - just nice for two.

Our first day on board was indeed a real laugh - being typical landlubbers, we lost our sense of direction - we couldn't tell where was Forward or Mid or Aft and we wandered up and down long corridors searching for our cabin every time we wanted to go back and rest!  Thankfully, we managed better on the second day and soon were running from deck to deck!  

I must say we were very lucky and blessed to have fine weather considering that there was a bad storm over the Straits of Malacca a few days before we sailed.  So no sea sickness, thank goodness.

I was delighted to find that the ship was already dressed up for Christmas.  Apart from a gorgeous Christmas tree, I loved best of all the gingerbread houses which adorned the reception and restaurants.  They had been most beautifully done and looked good enough to eat! 

Gingerbread houses

My Aunt and the Christmas Tree

There was of course a daily bulletin telling us what activities were on each day and clear instructions for those who wished to disembark when the ship docked at Langkawi and Port Klang.  We did get off to explore Langkawi and I must say everything was very well organised to take us back to the ship.  Same for Port Klang (where my aunt's daughter-in-law took us for Bak Kut Teh).  Kudos to the ship's staff!

Bak Kut Teh from Klang

We enjoyed the night entertainment which featured performers from different parts of the world - good choreography, colourful costumes. Every night the theatre was full. So were the restaurants!  And of course, we did some shopping at the duty free shop on board!

Here are some random pictures:

All good things must come to an end, so they say.  I enjoyed the cruise and I left the ship with pangs of sadness. Am eagerly waiting for it to come our way again soon.  

Winter Solstice Again!

 

Oh no, it's that time of year, like it or not, that we're supposed to be one year older.....yeah, I'm talking about the winter solstice (for the Chinese).  Traditionally, this is a festival almost like a second Chinese New Year marked by family reunions, ancestor worship and eating of "tang yuan" (glutinous rice balls) representing completeness.  

So I was at the market this morning to get my "tang yuan" for worship and later to eat as a dessert for good luck and good fortune.  

The elders still insist that one is a year older right after this celebration and that one should behave better and wiser! 

I prefer to forget about the age part and just enjoy my "tang yuan".

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Wishes

Wise Words?

 

Wise Words?

 

An Incredible Holiday

 

It was a trip that I had not planned to go on but was persuaded by my aunt and so we flew off to Chongqing, China in mid-October.  Chongqing is one of China's national central cities situated at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers and according to my research, it served as the wartime capital during World War II, thanks to its mountainous terrain and natural defenses.  Our trip covered a number of scenic places (including two UNESCO World Heritage sites) and involved a lot of walking and climbing, something which left us exhausted at the end of each day! 

One of the most popular tourist attractions in this city is the LRT passing through an apartment building.  There were crowds when we went there, all busy taking videos and photos.  I had seen videos of this before but never thought I'd one day see the real thing! We took a ride in the train afterwards covering five stations before we got down.

Honyadong with its stilted
architecture and vibrant lights

Another popular destination is the Hongyadong Cave, one of Chongqing's most iconic landmarks.  I must say it was a breathtaking sight when lighted up at night and it was here that we had the city's famous hotpot.  We had to wind along small alleys and lanes and climb up and down numerous steps before we finally got to the restaurant!  That's what you can expect when you go to Chongqing!

Hotpot dinner

Chongqing is also famous for its dazzling night views with illuminated skyscrapers and bridges. Again more walking and climbing before we got to the top of a building to view all those lights! The city's futuristic architecture with skyscrapers and city squares built on top of each other is most amazing, to say the least.  Some of the skyscrapers are so high that I felt dizzy just looking up at them.  It was even more terrifying looking down from the top!

Night skyline

Dazu rock carvings (UNESCO World Heritage site)

I have put together a few other random photos of our trip.  There are too many to show and I can't upload the videos I took due to their size.

We took the 3 a.m. flight home on a Saturday. I was so sleepy and tired that I immediately fell asleep when I boarded the plane and didn't even know when it took off. Neither did I know when we landed!

To sum up, it was an incredible trip with incredible sights.  Still, it was so nice to come home to my own little bed and a hot cup of Milo ...

Mooncakes are Back!

October is going to be a very sweet month ....yes, the Mid-Autumn festival is here again and I've just received my first mooncakes of the year from a friend!  These sweet temptations come in a lovely colourful box and are of four flavours - Mixed Nuts, Pandan Lotus (Reduced Sugar), Taro Single Yolk and Signature Lotus Single Yolk.  They will be hard to resist in the next few days!!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!  Here's sending you moonlight, peace and tranquility!

 

Moon biscuits for tea

Wise Words?

 

On a Durian Mission

 

The sun was shining with white fluffy clouds against a blue sky - the perfect setting for a trip to Balik Pulau for a durian buying spree last week!  My aunt, an avid durian fan, recommended a shop which my cousin, who was driving, managed to find with the aid of her GPS.   The drive there was very interesting and my cousin, who is a regular to B.P. pointed out to us various sights on the way.  I hadn't been to B.P. for years and I must say she's an amazing driver.  She skilfully negotiated all the curves and bends though at times I felt she was going too fast!

Nevertheless, we arrived at our destination safely and fortunately, durians were still aplenty.  My aunt placed her order for Musang King, Black Thorn, Green Skin, Red Prawn, D14 and Red Heart, all names of durians some of which I have never heard of before since I am not a durian fan.  I was quite impressed by this shop which has its own vacuum pack facility to enable their customers to bring home their purchases no matter where they come from.

 

Neatly vacuum packed boxes of durians

Patiently waiting for our order to be packed

Little patch of garden in front of the shop

Having finished our purchases, we proceeded to have Laksa, a must-have for brunch.  It comes in two flavours, Assam and Siam.  Since I don't like sour things, I opted for Wan Tan Mee which was also very good and all that was washed down with warm nutmeg juice.  The coffee shop also has a variety of dishes like braised pig trotters, pig stomach, "kiam chye boey", "lor bak", roasted pork/duck and noodles and my aunt couldn't resist buying a few items to take home!

Of  course no trip is complete without some shopping, so we went to this thrift shop nearby which sells almost everything under the sun.  I noticed that prices are much lower than in town for some goods and each of us left with two or three items !  As my cousin put it, it's a "dangerous" place to shop!

My cousin was kind enough to take us for a spin round  B.P. town after that and we saw some new housing estates and an upcoming retirement village which had a nice old English country style setting.  Consideration should be given to retiring here!  

B.P. small roundabout

We didn't reach home until after 1 p.m.  My aunt actually fell asleep at the back of the car on the way back and went for another nap on reaching home!  

Thanks to my cousin, we had a lovely and well spent morning!  We shall have to do it again one of these days.....

(Durian pictures courtesy of Shan Cheng Durian Penang)

A Fragrant Sweet Holiday

My travel bug has taken me to Guilin, China recently.  Guilin, by the way, means "forest of sweet osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees located in the region.  We were a jolly party of 16, mostly middle aged couples, my aunt being the oldest (she's in her eighties).  Though initially we started our tour with some light drizzles, the weather improved as we went along and we were able to cover a number of sights, with or without our raincoats!  

It would be too long to write a full account of our trip and there are too many pictures to post.  I shall sum up by saying that we enjoyed the cultural sights and performances not forgetting a cruise along the river, cable car rides, thrilling walks through caves with stunning rock formations, a lovely ride through the rural countryside, a visit to the osmanthus shop. We were happy with our accommodation and meals and our tour leader and local tour guide were both very pleasant and helpful.  A few videos and pictures below.

Group photo at Elephant Trunk Hill, so named because the outcrop
at the back of the photo resembles an elephant,
though some people say they do not see the similarity!

Sun and Moon Pagodas

Cruise along the Li River with its karst landscape.  

Cable car ride to view the Buni flower terraces

Rolling through the countryside on electric bikes and sidecars

It was an awesome trip which left me breathless at some moments.  I survived a treacherous walk through a cave - and two cable car rides.  I say this because it has always been a nightmare for me to hop onto a moving cable car and jump off at the end of the journey!  In fact, I would have fallen on one occasion if the alert station guard had not caught me and saved me from a fall!  I shall be forever grateful to him!

Thanks to all concerned for a memorable holiday!

(Photo and video credits to our tour leader and our fellow travellers)