Breezing On A Malayan Float - Malacca

Next state up the road if one takes the North-South Highway is Malacca. The old town is the site of the first Sultanate in Malaysia and is a Unesco Heritage site. Unfortunately in my opinion, we do not see that many artifices from the Golden Age of the dynasty founded by Parameswara around 1400. That is not to say it is not steeped in historical installations though, as one can see plenty of buildings built by the Portuguese, who conquered Malacca as early as 1511, the Dutch, who took over in 1641, followed by the British in 1824. It is clear that Malacca has a storied history. But it is taught widely in schools here and Singaporeans are very familiar with the main tourist attractions, so maybe this piece would be on how Malacca relates to us.

I admit we probably have gone to Malacca more often than we would have done because we have a unit in a property being built at MITC near Ayer Keroh, at the outskirts at Malacca. This is the latest picture we have of it. It seems to take forever to complete!

Of course, we do spend a considerable amount of time at they city centre as well, which mind, is quite a distance from the exit at the North-South Highway. If there is a jam, it can take one more than an hour to reach Malacca town proper.

Most Singaporeans would be familiar with Jonker Street, with its iconic night market. It gets its name from Dutch. In Amsterdam, the prime street everybody wanted to be on was Gentleman's, or Heer Street. When Malacca was under the Dutch, the city was modelled in the same way. The aspiring nobleman would be found at Young Gentleman's Street, or Jong Heer Street.... See how it became Jonker?

This area is not without controversy. Jonker Street is a road by day but a pedestrian market by night. It used to be a nightly affair but in what was a shock to many, after the elections in 2013, the new Mentri Besar tried to stipulate that Jonker Street would be accessible to vehicles 24/7, potentially effectively signalling the death knell for the night market. The reason was to ease traffic congestion. Protests were vehement. Wasn't the night market touted in almost all promotional and tourist materials?And what about the congestion at the walkway near Dataran Pahlawan. That is predominantly a Malay area while Jonker Street is a Chinese one. Some commentators said therefore that the move was to appeal to ground-level Malay sentiment after UMNO's bad showing in the elections. In the end, a compromise was reached. The night market is now open during weekends....

And these are the goodies one gets to savour while there. Peranakan Laksa and the all so yummy chendol, a dessert with coconut and gula melaka.

I will also admit that nowadays we pamper ourselves and stay at the Casa Del Rio, a gorgeous hotel by the side of the river. A bit pricey though, but then again, we paid our dues staying in cramped holes-in-the-wall with mattresses with bedbugs in our younger days....

Lesser know attractions can be found away from the city centre however. There is the Portuguese village. This is where descendants of the former Portuguese colonial masters run a food centre. They are also considered Bumiputras, like Malays.

And there is also Pantai Klebang, where one can drive right up to the waterfront to view the sunset. We found it a bit of a jam getting there from the city centre though...

Nice state. And from what we hear, developing further. I just wish our property would complete sooner.

Breezing On A Malayan Float - Johor

This is the most familiar state to a great majority of Singaporeans for the obvious reason that it is the first state one arrives at when one crosses the border.

Indeed, its capital, Johor Bahru, meaning New Johor, is a weekly stopover for thousands of Singaporeans (including us) looking for cheap petrol, groceries, food, massages, car repairs etc...

Anyone for duck rice at Meldrum Walk? RM17 (S$6.30 )for a platter for two to three.... One would have to pay such a price for a very sparse plate of duck at some places in Singapore

 Indeed, we would go in a lot more frequently if not for the often seemingly interminable jams at the Causeway...

 And the Second Link at Tuas....

 Johor Bahru, or JB as those around here call it, is also home to two of our properties under construction. We got them in the 'Great Iskandar Rush'. Now that all the papers are talking about a property glut in JB, maybe that was not such a good idea. But all the same, we can't wait for them to be built. I hope I live long enough to step into them... Anyhow... This is Princess Cove as seen from an apartment flat in Woodlands. If things go according to plan, we should have a unit directly facing Singapore....

 And this is what our apartment at Puteri Cove is supposed to look like in 2017.

Situated at Puteri Harbour, it is supposed to represent the new luxury living which is touted to SIngaporeans, luxury living that most would not be able to afford in our island... Indeed, Puteri Harbour is modelled after Keppel Bay and even at present, the signs look promising.... Check out the public marina.

While it does feed significantly off Singapoe, it would be wrong, however, to say that JB is representative of Johor. If one travels deeper into the state, one would find a fascinating and diverse array of interesting places and attractions...

Tanjong Piai, for one, is the Southern-most point of the Eurasian mainland...

Check out the sunset and Pantai Minyak Beku at Batu Pahat, the earlier capital of Johor...

The waterfall at Kota Tinggi

And goats heading off to graze at the UK farm near Kluang....

All in all, a fascinating state. Don't just limit yourself to JB!

Breezing On A Malayan Float - Kuala Lumpur

Ok... I guess I can't put this off any longer. It's harder to get started because of all the pictures I have to aggregate...

And also there's been a lot that has happened since my last post, including the passing of one of my heroes, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, which is why I start my recollections in KL. In the Singapore High Commission, to be precise. We had tried to queue at Parliament House but media reports said waiting time was up to 8 hours. Given the uncertainty of my health, the atmosphere in Singapore was just to overwhelming so we headed to Kuala Lumpur. Significant as well, for this is where Mr Lee, for all his triumphs, fought for one of his most cherished dreams - to see Singapore happily as part of a big Malaysian family - and lost. Hopefully in years to come, the people of the two countries will draw closer nonetheless....

Pre-Travel Notes

1) Ok... Those of you who read Floating on a Malayan Breeze know that it is as much socio-political commentary as it is travel book. My series will be more travel book, I hope. But if and when I feel the urge, I will not shy away from stating my views, so bear with me.

2) At first we thought it would be fine to just pop into a state and say we have been there. But then we figured it would not be fair not accurate. In the most extreme case, one could say one has been to Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Selangor just by driving to KL without stopping because the North-South Highway runs through these states. At the same time, it would be very misleading to say that one has been to the state of Kedah just because one has been to Langkawi, the same way Genting is in no way representative of the state of Pahang. So we set ourselves a higher standard - we would visit the capital of each state in order to get a more descriptive cross-section of the area.

3) Most of the time, we drive in Malaysia, in which case we are indebted to these little trinklets....

 For the uninitiated, the top picture is that of a Touch & Go as well as a loyalty petrol card. The petrol card comes in handy in that it gives one free miles over the long run but the Touch & Go cards are absolutely essential. For one, you need them to get across the Causeway. Once inland, they save a lot of trouble at highway tolls as well as at car parks at major cities. They are also widely used in the KL public transport network.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's Nexus

A bit hard to start on KL. Difficult also to think of noteworthy pictures because we have always been travelling to the capital of Malaysia. In our younger, more energetic but financially less secure days, it was a nearby getaway, an exciting change of scenery. It was a place similar enough to Singapore but still different - reasonably safe yet at the same time possessed of an indescribable tang of unpredictability and laxer rules. And of course cheaper prices. Those days we would typically cross the Causeway on a Friday night, head to the Larkin bus terminus in JB and then pick out the cheapest late coach (RM25?). We would arrive at Puduraya at between 4 to 5am and then hang around at the roadside coffeshop waiting for daylight to check into our budget hotel. It was only much later when we were told that this was known to some as a rough area (which, had we known earlier may have made us more jittery when we wandered around in the cooler wee morning air in our executive work clothes of the previous day).

Nowadays, Puduraya has lost much of its zest, catering only to buses on the Northern circuit (South-bound buses now operate out of Bandar Tasik Selatan), a Southern satellite town. In any event, KL nowadays is not so much an exciting getaway but more a haven to recharge for many a weekend. Gone are the budget hotels. Nowadays we stay in the Hyatt, not for ostentation, but because of the level of comfort one can get for a price that one would almost never find in Singapore. And yes, nowadays we drive. Tiring, but it gives us the flexibility to go where we want when we want, as we use KL as a base to explore the surrounding environs...

Some views from the oasis...

Truth be told, to many, KL is far too alike Singapore. As we have seen, same high end hotels with killer views, similar historical colonial landmarks in similar settings... Like former courthouses and important buildings in front of big fields...

Similar mega, upmarket malls...(if not even more mega)... This is the atrium of Pavillion...

And who can leave out mention of well-known street food stalls at remote locations in the heartlands....

 This is San Peng Prawn Noodles at err... Jalan San Peng near Jalan Loke Yew....

 

And of course there is the nightlife... Hard to explain though... But a walk around Bukit Bintang at night is not the same as one at Clarke Quay in Singapore... Different kind of energy.....Less... sterilised?

Love their city green belt though... Tasik Perdana is a few minutes drive from the heart of the city...Similiar to a certain Botanic Gardens in Singapore?

And nearby, one can lunch or dine with the birds at the Hornbill Cafe at the Bird Park...

So I guess you could say we love KL for its similarities.... at cheaper prices...

To be sure, this city is in no ways representative of the rest of Malaysia. In fact, KL is just about the only place in Malaysia able to support upmarket accoutrements such as megamalls and five-star hotels. In fact, a recent study has shown that the average income in the Klang Valley is up to 7 times that of the average in Malaysia on the whole, and 10 times that of the average in Kelantan. People are talking about growing inequality in Singapore but I guess we see that in Malaysia as well...

Book I Read - Floating On A Malayan Breeze

Ok, this is one of those things I told myself I would do, told other people I would do - had so many ideas as to what to do... And then dilly-dallied and never got started. It was as if the ideas in my head were so perfect that to start would mean forgetting some of them, making my piece less than perfect, and then agonizing over it.

Anyway, this book I read - Floating On A Malayan Breeze - was written by a Singaporean, Sudhir. I came to know about it while reading his blog, which has a whole host of opinion pieces and commentary about life in Singapore. I was thus thrilled to find that he was also very interested in Malaysia (when I later met him I found out that we had lots in common - we were in the same JC, we knew a lot of common acquaintances).

Anyhow, the book, yes. I really looked forward to reading it because - and all those who know me well would know I am there every week - of how much time I spend driving up and down Malaysia, not just to the big cities but also to places less travelled by Singaporeans. So my interest was peaked when I found out that the book was premised on a road trip which Sudhir made with his friend, Sumana (who turns out was my junior in track & field at RI), in 2004, when they traversed all 11 states of Peninsula Malaysia on bicycle with a budget of 10 Ringgit a day. I was surprised though, when I read it. I expected the book to be more 'travel-guidish', recounting places visited and encounters with locals. There is of course a fair amount of that. But there is also an equal, and perhaps even greater amount of social and political commentary as Sudhir does a deep dive into the similarities and differences that have shaped the development of both Singapore and Malaysia after separation. It certainly didn't turn out to be a book for a tourist, but I liked it any way, because I kind of enjoy comparative political discourse and commentary.

Anyhow, what began as another read turned out to be the beginning of a series of adventures as the book seeded an idea within me. Because of the amount of time I spent in Malaysia, I thought I would do my own write-up about my experiences up North, presenting a different Singaporean viewpoint of the peninsula.

For one thing, while Sudhir and Sumana made their journey through the 11 states at one shot under absolute austerity during a planned trip, I was going to tell of how Malaysia relates to me, my practical reasons for going there - cheap fuel, good food,cheap property etc - and draw on my experiences garnered during my numerous trips there. BUT, within the next few weeks, I was also going to, like my Indian friends, traipse through all 11 states of peninsula Malaysia.

And That Is Exactly What I Did! With my redoubtable and mostly indefatigable travel companion - let's call her by her nick, Rabbit, for now - during the months of November and December, we embarked on journeys to various peninsular states to add to our already familiar knowledge of some parts of Malaysia. Of course, we weren't going to do it like the S&S (I'll just use that abbreviation for Sudhir and Sumana). For one thing, Rabbit is, comparatively, a prissy female and I am too old, but more importantly, too cancered up for any ardour during our travels. So we mostly drove. At times we took the bus, at others we flew and rarely, we cabbed and took other forms of local public transport. What was important was that we did it in relative comfort (adhering to my theory of having a strong and comfortable base we mostly stayed at the best hotels - S&S sometimes slept in public areas), adventure, reality and rusticity from a cozy viewpoint and distance, if you will.

And hence the planned title of my mini-travelogue:-

BREEZING ON A MALAYAN FLOAT

I came up with that for the obvious reason that while like the S&S we were going to travel to all the Malayan states, we were going to do it without strenuous exertion. We were going to Breeze through and experience all the far-flung wonders of what ironically is our closest neighbour from a safe and cozy platform, a float, or pedestal in other words - a Malayan Float (particularly those comfy hotels).

But also, a little cheekily, because of what I often seek out when I go to Malaysia - A&W Root Beer float which, while ubiquitous in the childhoods of many Singaporeans my age, is no longer available in our fine island...

So... During the next few weeks, if my health, and, more importantly, my spirits, hold, I hope to detail my version of travelling in Malaysia and how I have enjoyed Breezing on a Malayan Float.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Happy Year Of The Goat, Everybody!!!!

Hello...

To those few of you who read and have been wondering why there have been so few posts, I have been ok.

Of course there has been treatment, the usual worries, lethargy, the lot...

But a lot of it has been down to the fact that I have been lazy...

Very lazy, in fact.... Notwithstanding the fact that there are things weighing on me...

But that is no excuse...

I have been doing stuff, and I have been travelling, mostly to Malaysia, so I hope to write about that soon...

Keep reading...

Book I Read - The Perk by Mark Jimenez

I borrowed a book from a friend. It was written by Mark Jimenez, whose novels have plots revolving around the law and legal issues. Some of the parts of the book hit home a little harder than usual. Not because it involves an area which I am (supposed to be) familiar with, but because the protagonist is a lawyer who has lost his wife to cancer. Through the book, he finds and reads emails written by his wife throughout the stages of her cancer. Some of it, I could identify with - the fear, the despair, the hope (which is linked to the fear, that the hope is false or in vain, in a draining cycle). I read it before my latest scans, and it scared me because I wondered if it would be the same for me. And then my scan results came and I wondered if some parts are chillingly, and eerily similar, if this is going to be my story too, if the book was prophetic.

Anyway, here is a part of the book. In this scene, the main character, Beck, is taking his son, Luke, who has withdrawn very badly into himself since his mother's death, on a hike. He is encouraging Luke to open up.

"I'd sit right here for hours ... trying to figure things out. To understand why life isn't fair. But I know there's no figuring it out. All you can hope for is that your mother's life had meaning to your life, otherwise her life was wasted. I look at you and Meggie, and I see her. Up here, I feel my mother's spirit. She lives on in me. Luke, your mother's spirit lives on in you. You just have to let yourself feel it."

"But if you keep up like this, you'll drive her spirit out of you. Don't do that, son. Keep her inside you. Remember her in the good days, before she was sick, at your games cheering like a crazy woman when you got a hit or scored a goal or nailed a jump shot. She loved to watch you play. Because that's who you are, Luke. You're an athlete. And she's still watching you. Make her cheer for you again, son."

I was kind of feeling sorry for myself when I read it and then I realized a fundamental difference. I'm not gone yet! I'm still here!

I guess I chose to write out this conversation here because it struck me that Beck was telling his son that his mother's spirit was still in him even though she was no longer physically around. But on the other hand, I'm still here, breathing, feeling, living. If I plunge into self-pity and despair and withdraw from all that is beautiful in this world, then, much like Beck said to Luke, I would drive my spirit out of myself. And I would do so when I am still physically around. That, to me, would be one of life's utmost tragedies. I think it's ironic, but also easily understandable, how so many people may find it easier to feel the spirits of their loved ones inside them but struggle to locate their own spirit when faced with a crisis - life is tough and for so many, it is so much easier to long for others rather than fight one's own, possibly losing, battle.

But I choose to fight. I too was, am, an athlete. I do remember the races I ran, the records I broke. I recall, how, after suffering an injury which meant I would never run competitively again, I switched my attention to academics and got my first degree before I became an adult. But that doesn't really matter now. Unlike Beck, I am not recalling the good days. Those were not the good days, The good days are now! Always. For whatever time there is left (and may that be a long time yet). Life is for living, and I am going to live, I am going to fight it, to kick it, to hug it, to cling to it, to taste it, to love it, to hate it, to fear it, to savour it, to lash out at it, to dance with it, to play with it, to embrace it, to kiss it, to swing with it. But in all instances, I am going to live it.

So often people talk about dying before their time. To me, dying before one's time is losing one's spirit when one's body is still up and running. Not me. I am not done yet.

**************

P.S: But we all know it is a tough battle. And, to all those reading, I know Beck's last line to his son was "Make her cheer for you..." But as I said, sometimes we feel down, we feel it is really, really tough, So for those of you who are generous enough, you don't have to wait for me to make you cheer for me. Cheer for me now! You have no idea how that uplifts the spirit.