Paka by the South China Sea

Just posting some photos here before I retrace my post later and write a proper account of our fabulous stay in Paka.

Very much in progress!
29 May-1 June 2015

Colombo and Sunsets on a Suburban Beach

We went sight-seeing in Colombo the rather lazy way. No adventurous walking, no nervous rides in the ubiquitous three-wheelers, no crowded public buses either. So most of the city and its various landmarks were viewed through rather dusty car windows.

But I made a special request to get out in the ever busy and chaotic Pettah to get close-up pictures of the Jami Ul Alfar Mosque with its interesting candy-striped red and white brickwork. There was renovation going on and parking nearby was practically impossible! But our kind driver/guide stopped and waited for me right in front of the mosque, to enable me to quickly go in and take a few pictures. For a while, we literally and practically stopped the crazy traffic in Pettah!

Colombo is a mix of old and new. Old colonial buildings, new modern skyscrapers. Also historic and contemporary religious buildings of temples, dagoba (Buddhist stupa), mosques and churches.

Another stop was the Gangaramaya Temple. (We missed their Navam Perahera {procession of some 50 or more elaborately decorated elephants, cultural & folk dancers, jugglers, stilt-walkers, fire twirlers, and drummers, etc.} on the February poya {full moon} day, which fell on the 14th & 15th or was it on the 2nd & 3rd? Never mind, we missed it alright.)

A... waiting for a bus at the Gangaramaya bus stop. As if!

In our continuing rendezvous around the city of Colombo, we spot more of its important landmarks - the City Hall, the Lotus Pond Theatre, etc., etc.

We also stopped a while at the Independence Memorial for our obligatory photo shot.

On this trip we spent more time on the beach at the southern Colombo suburb of Mount Lavinia. Because Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean, so we thought we'd get our feet really wet with the waters of this vast mysterious ocean. And... the beautiful sunsets completed the experience.

10-15 February 2015

Road Trip to Kandy

Our road trip to Kandy (pronounced 'candy'), Sri Lanka's cultural capital, was long and interesting. We started out from Mt Lavinia, Colombo at 6.00 am while most of the city folk were in slumber or getting ready for school or work. The rising sun painted beautiful warm hues as we made our way out along the Colombo-Kandy (A1) Road, passing interesting villages/districts with names like Kamuthagala, Kadawatha, Kirilawatha, Yakkala, etc.

                                          Sunrise over Colombo

As it got lighter along the way, we spot people going about their businesses. I made passing observations of the life on the road; including some school children walking past little quaint shops and a big Buddha statue along the way at Kadawatha.

Our driver/guide Mr Atta pointed out ananas (pineapple) as the local produce at Belumahara, cane products at Radawaduwa and cashew nuts at Cadjugama (50 km from Kandy). We did stop by a little shop here to buy some (nuts) to munch during our stay in Sri Lanka.

We made a detour to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage just in time for the feeding and later bathing of the elephants at the nearby river. These beautiful and majestic creatures warrant their own separate blog post, I'm sure you agree!

During the long road trip, we passed by many padi fields in various stages of growth. Below is just one of the many that we saw. Sri Lankans love their rice with curry. They do not grow enough and so have to import this staple.

But Sri Lanka is the fourth biggest exporter of tea in the world. The tea is mostly grown in the high country, especially between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. So a visit to a tea factory is a must, given that Ceylon tea is the tea of choice for many. Lipton comes to mind? For Thomas Lipton and his ubiquitous Yellow Label, it all started in Ceylon/Sri Lanka. We visited the Glenloch tea factory which also had a museum. More on Ceylon tea in another blog post.

Vishaka, our guide at the
Glenloch Tea factory

We also stopped by the Island Spice Grove in Mawanella, for our lunch break. Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of natural healing that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India. Ayurvedic traditions in Sri Lanka flourishes in the many herb and spice gardens/groves found all over the island, which promote all the various products of natural healing. Here we spot the spice plants of vanilla beans, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and black pepper not unlike the ones we have in Malaysia (except for the first, or do we grow vanilla beans?).

At Kadugganawa, just after the road makes a very scenic climb, we also spotted the pillar erected in honour of Captain Dawson, the English engineer who built the Colombo-Kandy Road in 1826.

Other than Buddhist temples along the way, we also observed many mosques along our route. Below is just one of several mosques we saw. In a 2009 reference, I read that there were some 1.8 million Muslims in Sri Lanka then. They are mostly descendants of Arab traders who settled in the island from the 7th century.

We also spotted some shops/houses that were interestingly colourful and seemed surreal.

And... after about 8 1/2 hours from Colombo, we reached Kandy... in the rain. Ces't la vie.

12 February 2015

A Road Trip to Johor Bahru

                         
We are just back from a road trip to Johor Bahru (JB), capital city of Johor, doing our part in promoting local travel by 'staycationing' in our southernmost state of Malaysia. At first we planned to stop by Tangkak (in the district of Ledang) to visit friends and spend a night in nearby Muar. But then we drove straight on to JB, only stopping by the Pagoh R&R for our lunch and bio-break. The drive along the North-South highway was pleasant as the weather was fine and the vehicular traffic light in most places.

In JB we checked into the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel in Stulang Laut for a 3 day/2 night-stay there. From our window, we see Singapore just across the Selat Johor/Tebrau (Tebrau Straits) and spot the causeway to the island, also the ferry terminal for Batam Island, Indonesia. So near and enticing, but then we are reminded that we are really on a 'cuti-cuti Malaysia' trip, so no foreign countries to be involved, please.

                                           Sunrise over the Straits of Tebrau (from Room 1308)

I have been in JB only twice before on rather very short stints, so this time its more of a familiarisation visit. We have family in JB so we (A actually) 'Waze-d' our way to Skudai to visit my niece and her young family. There we also met up with my nephew Iman (the one who lives in Kota Tinggi).

We went into downtown JB to check out the Chinatown and Little India areas. The former although small, is most interesting (especially Jalan Tan Hiok Nee) because we came across some street art there, a 'red house' and a wedding party, also an art gallery cum cafe and 'old school'/colonial era kopitiams including the rather famous Hua Mui (where we went twice for late lunch, once because the other famous Dapur Jendela was closed/not yet open).

Any travel, even if locally, will surely involve new foods to savour or to try. I will save 'my taste of Johor' for the next post.

21-23 January 2015     

Snapshots: Sunrise over Shah Alam

Sunrise and sunset are magical times especially when a myriad of colours abound in the sky. I have always found dawn and dusk fascinating. Here is what I captured of a beautiful sunrise over Shah Alam recently.

                                               @7.22 am

                              @7.32 am                                           @7.41 am

                                           @7.42 am
13 January 2015

An Island Sunset

This golden sunset over the hills was captured from the multi-storey carpark of the Queensbay Mall, Pulau Pinang on 5th December 2014.

Sunrise 11.08.2013

I took this picture of the golden sunrise over the Penang Bridge in the Straits of Melaka* from Room 302, Equatorial Hotel, Pulau Pinang ...

* Okay, it is actually in the Penang Straits, if you have to be precise..

March 2013 Sabah Sojourn

Ten years ago B, A and I visited Sabah for the first time (see my previous blog entry of 10 October 2011, 'My Sabah'). Our good friends Penel & Husin played host in Kota Kinabalu and it was a most memorable visit to the land below the wind. Recently it was M's first visit, and P & H played host again. In fact I must say that we were thoroughly spoilt by their kind hospitality. Not only did Penel help with the hotel bookings (directly, not online) but she also got our tickets for the North Borneo Railway on the 23rd. And I got to celebrate my birthday with a vintage train ride, then dinner and a specially baked cake at her home. Thanks a million!

Thank you Sarah for the beautiful birthday cake! (CZ 2013)

Our first two nights stay was at the Nexus Karambunai in Menggatal, touted by some as "a piece of heaven". The Ocean Wing rooms are large and the gardens quite beautiful with purple water lilies in full bloom. The architecture of the resort is a combination of building ingenuity and local craftsmanship. I also found four paintings of Rafiee Ghani adorning the lobby wall - very nice!

It is jelly fish season (February to April) and we found many washed up on the beach. So M had to be content with swimming in the pools. Rather a letdown, but as they say, "don't play, play with jelly fish"! By the Karambunai Lagoon, we managed to capture on camera the elusive cloud smothered Mt. Kinabalu. Only just!

The sunset at Nexus Karambunai (MB 2013)

Karambunai Lagoon & Mt Kinabalu in the distance (MB 2013)

Playing hosts to Penel & Husin at Nexus Karambunai

Another three nights we spent in Kota Kinabalu, at the Sutera Harbour Resort. It is resort, hotel, golf, marina, spa, country club all rolled into one interesting site. But it is the sunsets here that are most intriguing. The marina had some beautiful sea crafts to admire too.

The sunset at Sutera Harbour Resort (MB 2013)

That is a helicopter atop this boat. Engkau ada? (MB 2013)

A pause during our Sutera Harbour walkabout  (2013)

One dinner we had with Husin and family was at the Chinese Restaurant of the Hyatt Regency, Kota Kinabalu. Interestingly, ten years ago we were sitting at the very same table of the restaurant, served by the very same maitre d'. The food tasted as good as ever. After dinner we had Husin and family pose on the very same bench we did ten years ago - just for (nostalgic) kicks.

Husin, Penel with Zul, wife & children (MB 2013)

On the same bench at Hyatt 10 years ago! (2003)

Apart from showing us the sights and sounds of Kota Kinabalu, Husin & Penel also drove us to the Sunday morning Kota Belud Tamu (traditional market). One afternoon I got to see the exhibits by local artists in the newly opened wakid-shaped Sabah Art Gallery/Visual Arts Conservation Centre with Penel. Once M and I checked out the Sinsuran Market in the city centre, but for our (pearl) souvenirs, on Penel's recommendation, I shopped at Jamilah Jewellery (wholesale shop) rather than the 'Filipino'/Handicraft Market.

Note: The recent incursion into eastern Sabah may have seen a drop in tourist numbers there, but we noticed many visitors from South Korea, China and Russia in Kota Kinabalu.

20-25 March 2013