CNY Flowers

 

I was at the nursery this morning to get new flowers for my garden.  As I entered the lush spacious compound of the nursery, I was surrounded by a sea of flowers of different colours and shapes, all breathtakingly beautiful!  It was very difficult to decide what to choose but knowing I don't have green fingers, I finally settled for a couple of bougainvillea plants (with light purple and deep red blossoms).  They're the safest and easiest to manage!

There were also large pineapple plants in "gold" pots.  Pineapples symbolize wealth, prosperity and good fortune, so for the Chinese New Year, they are very suitable for your home!

Incidentally, I saw two cute "babies" in one corner of the grounds - the nursery owner's pet cats!  They were sleeping in hammocks like little babies - they're probably very spoilt and lead a lazy, easy life!

It was very difficult to tear myself away from all those beautiful blooms - and the cats - perhaps another visit another day!

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.  

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 ...

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)

Family Lunch

 

After a break of about four months, we met up again for lunch - an aunt, a cousin and myself - at a family style restaurant known for its homecooked dishes.  We each had been busy with our own lives and it was nice to get together again, though one cousin could not make it.  Here are the pictures of a few dishes we had.

Mango chicken

Tofu with Eggplant

Bitter gourd with egg

For dessert, we had a "smoothie" with bits of mango and pomelo and caramel custard.  Both delicious!

Hopefully we can get together again soon and have another yummy time!

Another Family Get Together

 

Top: Fried tofu with meat topping  
Bottom: Stingray and okra curry and
bitter gourd with egg

We hadn't met for over six months and I'm glad my cousin took the initiative to set up a lunch get together recently.  Only four of us - an aunt, two cousins (sisters) and myself. and the venue was a Hakka restaurant which we often patronise.  My cousin ordered a few of our favourite dishes (above), however, halfway through, the sky darkened and it looked like heavy rain was about to descend on us! We rushed out to our cars to get our umbrellas but it turned out to be a false alarm!  The sun burst through in a short while and we were lucky to have a cool breeze fanning us as we ate.  To conclude, we had a delightful chilled dessert - a mix of peach gum resin, shredded nutmeg, mint leaves and slices of lime and lemon.  It was the first time we had tried it and it was really refreshing!

Dessert

It's always good to chat over food that you like and we talked about everything, from cars to aching limbs!  We shall have to do this more often!

Xiamen - Here We Come!

 

(Also published in "Ramblings of a Nonya" by the blog author)

Episode 1

I didn't expect I would be travelling again after Covid-19 but the travel agency kept enticing me with pictures of exciting places to visit, and soon I found myself on board a Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800 bound for Xiamen!

 I had just made a new passport (which is dying to go places) and with no visa fees for China at the moment, it seemed a waste if I didn't make a trip.

A friend said I should write snippets of my "adventure", so here's Episode 1.

I should mention that before the trip, I had to go hunting for a new luggage bag.  My old ones had been in hibernation since Covid-19 appeared and are so mouldy they are likely to fall apart if left at the mercy of airport luggage handlers, so I got one of those hard cases with four wheels which seem to be the thing to use nowadays.

The flight to Xiamen was only four hours and it was the first time I had flown by a Chinese airline.  I was quite impressed by the efficiency of the pretty Chinese stewardesses who got busy serving us the moment we were in the air.

It was after midnight before we finally checked in at our hotel.  My aunt (my travelling companion) and I were so tired that we didn't hear the morning call the next day and kept our fellow travellers waiting for us for a good 15 minutes before moving out from our hotel.

This was the start of our adventure in China.

Episode 2

Coincidentally, a cousin had recently visited Xiamen in search of our roots and with the help of some descendants of our clan there, managed to locate our paternal grandpa's village and house before he came to Ipoh to settle down. It was a thrilling experience for my cousin and this was followed by a return visit by some of our descendants to Ipoh. Of course when you're part of a tour group, there's no time to go wandering on your own. It would have been very interesting to take a look at my grandpa's house, but I had no choice but to stick to our itinerary. Here's a picture of my grandpa's house in Xiamen (compliments of my cousin):

Being on a Chinese speaking tour is of course a disadvantage for us who could not speak Mandarin.  So most of the time, what our local Chinese guide said was incomprehensible.  At times we saw him laugh, gesture or talk in elated tones, but all was Greek to us.  Fortunately, the other members of the tour could speak Mandarin and they were kind enough to translate for us but mostly things like what time to get up the next morning, what time the bus is leaving, where to have breakfast, etc.  I guess we missed some of the more exciting parts of the tour guide's narration.  The tour guide, incidentally, was a cheeky young man in his thirties, who delighted in teasing my aunt.  He could speak some Hokkien but his was slightly different (Amoy Hokkien I think) but we managed to understand him.  Because of him, we had several moments of laughter which boosted our endorphins and made the tour more enjoyable!

Episode 3

The thing I enjoy most while travelling and staying in hotels is the buffet breakfast!  There is always such a big spread of breakfast items from bread to congee, noodles to dumplings, pastries to fruits.  The only problem was we didn't have much time to sit down and enjoy it at a leisurely pace because of our tight schedule.  

It would take too long if I were to give an account of each day's travel, so I'm touching only on certain happenings.

It was on  our trip to Mt. Wuyi that we had the greatest thrill of our lives.  We went bamboo rafting on the Jiuquxi River (Nine Curves River) which flows through the gorges.  The raft was made of several lengths of bamboo put together with about 6 bamboo chairs for people to sit on.  It was helmed by two boatmen who each used a long bamboo pole to steer the raft through the water.  The travel brochure said that we should sit back and enjoy the silence and charm of the cool, green surroundings and despite some apprehension though we wore life jackets, we soon relaxed as we wound our way through the gorge with its scenic mountains.   

Then .... disaster struck!  Our raft hit a rock, the boatmen were thrown off balance and we wobbled dangerously from side to side but thank God we didn't overturn! Water started surging in from all sides and we thought we were going to sink!  

Our guide assured us not to worry as the boatmen were very experienced and knew how to get us out of this calamity.  Sure enough one of them contacted someone through his mobile phone (which thankfully didn't fall into the water) and within five minutes, a rescue raft came, we switched over to it and  continued safely on our journey down the river, our shoes soaking wet!  I forgot to mention that when we were floundering in the water, the bamboo pole used by one of the boatmen fell from his hand and landed on my head - fortunately it was quite light otherwise I would have suffered from concussion!  

Later, after we had landed on the other side, I wondered what karma put the three of us (myself, my aunt and our guide) in that particular raft, why it wasn't  someone else?  Were our Xiamen ancestors not pleased with us??  Just a thought that crossed my mind .....

Episode 4

One of the reasons I was keen on this trip was that I had always wanted to see the traditional "tulou" or earthen buildings unique to the Hakka clan in Fujian.  These round buildings, sometimes rectangular, can house up to 800 people and are three to five stories high.  We were told they were built between the 12th and 20th centuries.  The cluster that we saw is only one of the many in various parts of Fujian.  

I was quite awed when I stepped into one of them.  The structure resembles a small fortified city with small individual units.  As we walked round, we saw that there were various rooms designated for common activities like meetings, weddings, ancestral worshipping, funerals, festivals, education, etc.  These "tulou" are really an architectural marvel.  Here are a few pictures we took.

Before visiting the "tulou", we had lunch at a small "coffee shop".  The food was very good and we all enjoyed it. Actually we had been having good food since the start of the journey - no wonder everyone  had put on weight!

Episode 5

There are a few memorable sights which we had the good fortune to see and I shall attempt to describe them.

Xiangzi Bridge 

This is an ancient bridge which crosses the Han River east of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province.  It spans 517.95 metres and walking along it was quite an experience as it seemed like it was never going to end!  There are 24 pavilions on the bridge and it seems to be a popular recreation place for the locals who were taking pictures or just watching the crowd go by.  Our guide told us that if you go to Chaozhou without visiting this bridge, you cannot say that you have been to Chaozhou!

Ming and Ching Dynasty Ancient Street

Walking down this street made me feel like I was going back in history and I actually expected to meet some of those men with long pigtails and long robes strolling along with their concubines!  The remains of the shops have been preserved well and now you can find food and souvenirs there.  Unfortunately my pictures did not turn out well, so nothing to show here.

Sea Train

We were excited to experience China's first cross-sea high speed railway in Zhangzhou, though we only rode from one station to another, which took something less than ten minutes! I was hanging on so tightly that I couldn't take out my phone and snap some pictures!

We ended up in Xiamen on the 8th and last day of our tour.  I forgot to mention that we had time to see an open air cultural show, a circus and also had a barbecue with fireworks after dinner.  It was an enjoyable trip with good hotels and good food (see below) though our inability to speak or understand Mandarin was a great disadvantage but I must congratulate the tour guide for his efficient arrangements, not forgetting his patience and good nature!

Someone said that travelling to China is "the best medicine".  I couldn't agree more!

Some pictures of the lovely food we had .....😜

 

Top: Abalone

L-R: Braised pork, spring rolls, herbal

chicken soup, prawns

We thought this was the Chinese version of
"roti canai" but it turned out to be a
dessert.  Tasted sweet and buttery.

                             再见 till next time, China!