Sabai Dee Cafe

Sabai Dee Cafe... Of late there have been a mushrooming of eating places. This is one of the newer places and it is hidden from plain sight. It is located along one of the bund roads in the middle of the party fields in Jitra. Easiest way to get there... Get off the North-South Expressway at Darulaman Exit. Turn right and go a short distance. Make sure to watch out for a small road on your right, soon after you drive down the flyover. Turn into that road and the cafe is around a kilometre down the narrow dirt road. Bear in mind that the road leading to the cafe is a very tight squeeze for two cars.

We were not sure of going as it had been raining. However the sky cleared up somewhat and we decided to give it a go. It was a 2 kids and 3 adults affair. However, the sky darkened soon after we arrived and it started pouring.

This was just before the 'cats and dog's decided to make their entrance! Ambience is nice...setting is idyllic. It's a quaint little place! After the waiter took our orders we had a little time to snap these...

All around, little pockets of dining places were created for diners. They're quiet and peaceful. But I'm quite sure the mozzies will be hovering around, little vampires waiting to fill up. I like the plants though. They really make the place very beautiful.

We had no chance to sit outside as the evening was totally washed out by the torrential rain which came. The cafe operators had put up bamboo blinds for an eventuality like this but we still had to bear with rain splattering into the dining area. And that sort of tropical rain made many tables unusable....

We didn't order any of the traditional spicy Thai food because of the kids. So, no tomyam for us. Instead we had the waiter's recommendations. They were okay. Portions were generous enough.

We left by 7.30 pm but the sky was quite dark by then. It was still raining when we left. And oh yes... The narrow road was rather dark. I guess it is okay to say that an occasional worry about the canal running beside the road did cross our minds too as we made our way out.

Overall, I think this is a nice place to have dinner... For the food, ambience and experience.

Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang

It's been a busy 2 weeks (onto the 3rd week) of the year end hols.... one that has been filled with activities for the kids. And believe it or not, it's even more tiring than working! But one that is more gratifying as well as fun.

We've done badminton, gone out for many makan outings and so far made one outing to the Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang in Merbok.

I first went there many years ago and thus was pleasantly surprised by what greeted me this time around.

There is a nice recreational area in the museum grounds, perfect for family picnics and the kids to get wet playing in the water. There was a small group of people there when we got there. The weather was perfect for an outing too, cloudy.

The place was generally well kept. Monuments and artefacts were mainly outdoor and they were well maintained and taken care. The grounds was nice and the kids had a great time running all over the place while looking at the remnants of the ancient ruins of candi(s) or stupas and artefacts, mainly from granite and laterite stones, from the ancient kingdom of Kataha. Among them were Candi Batu Pahat, Candi Pendiat, Candi Bendang Dalam....

My girl remarked that it was the first time she had visited an 'outdoor' museum. (Most kids only think of museums as buildings which house old things). So an outdoor museum was a new experience for them. The above artefacts were used to squeeze sugar cane for its juice. And they're huge contraptions compared to our little modern extractors. Took us a while to figure out how they used those huge stones! There is also a building which houses other artefacts like the beads, porcelain, Shivaite lingga. soma-sutera (a drain like structure) and arca.

Lembah Bujang was a very happening place back then. Back then was around 1500 years ago when getting together meant the need to meet up physically. And Lembah Bujang became the meeting place where international interactions and the exchange of goods took place. Of course these days, all these can happen from the comforts of our homes, regardless of location. All we need is an internet connection and the courier service. And our own homes become the happening place where all these social interactions and needs are met, though I think it lacks the fun of the physical interaction. The pic below shows remnant of stupas (candi) which were mainly temples dating back over a thousand years.

And when people meet, it's only natural that not only an exchange of goods take place but that of culture as well. And so the candi(s) or stupa(s) were built so that these wanders or travellers could feel a little of home away from home. Eventually many of them stayed back permanently. This too contributed to our racial composition today too. If we were to trace our ancestry many of us would find that we would have ancestors from different parts of the world too... my kids are no different as we can trace their ancestry back to the Middle East!

Lembah Bujang basically had all it takes to be a good meeting place. Well located and sheltered within an estuary with plenty of food supplies and good weather, the port thrived for centuries. Small rivers flowed into the hinterlands. It was purported that the Chinese traders would use these rivers to get to the old kingdoms of Srivijaya and Langkasuka. The traders from China and India would wait out the monsoon seasons here too. This went on right up to the 11th century. And because of its long history of trade, it is one of the richest archeological sites in Malaysia. Hopefully it will continue to be preserved. Our authorities seems to have a penchant for 'erasing' certain parts of history....

This is a good place to bring kids to visit. Beats the sterile mall environment anytime.

Timah Tasoh

We stopped here for toilet break on our way to our failed Gua Kelam trip. It's been a while since I came here. And this is a view of tranquility. With a book (or iPod/Pad) in hand, a cup of coffee I think I can sit here and just soak this all in.

During my last trip (it has been that many years), I can't remember this viewing platform. There are stalls at the back. The place is called Dataran Terinai.

Copycat fried chicken.... I never knew that Kelantan had its own special way of frying chicken. LOL! I wonder whether there is infringement of copyright but there is no picture of Colonel Sanders here.

On our trip back from our aborted Gua Kelam visit, we saw this signboard and decided to check it out. Tasoh Lake Resort has its own website with all its pricing and packages.

There was a guard house at the entrance but it was empty. It didn't look like there is a permanent guard there because the glass windows were already broken. We followed the sign and came to this, Lanai Besar Reception. I think Lanai means patio or veranda; something along that line. Anyway, we decided to take a drive around as we could see that the view was quite nice.

We stopped by for the kids to play.... the kids tried to make the stones skim the water with very little success. It's been years since I did this too.

Kids can just enjoy throwing stones into the water! LOL! They spent more than half an hour doing that and if we had allowed them to continue, I think it would have gone one much longer. Throwing stones can be that fun for them.

Tasoh Lake Resort & Retreat is a nice place to relax for some peace and quiet. Excitement comes from outdoor activities. Night life is slightly different minus the loud and deafening music you find at clubs. You probably get entertained by the sounds of insects and night creatures.

They have cabanas with barbecue pits dotting the lakeside area. I also saw some kayaking facilities as well. There are halls and big wide spaces for kids (and adults) to run about. Situated among hills, the air is fresh and still unpolluted.

A view from one of the cabanas. I'm not sure who runs this place but there were creepers growing into one of the other guard houses that I saw. The place still looks nice though.

One More Memory for the Album...

Old friends... we've just spent a couple of days with an old friend and her 2 kids in Penang. Gosh! We're getting old.... to have 'old' friends one must be old. Other Half, Hannah and I were school mates, MYF mates, church mates.... and we're all from 3 different years! Anyway, we stayed at the Bayview Hotel Georgetown as we thought it would be a convenient point to do the Heritage Trail which is nearby, something which Other Half and I recently have started taking interest in.

We picked Hannah and her 2 kids up from Butterworth on Thursday. It's been more than 15 years (I think). The last time we met, my boy played lantern together with the kids at her parents' house. One was a toddler and the other was still in diapers! Both of them are taller than me now. 8( And they're such nice kids.

We immediately took a trishaw ride to the clan piers after checking in. The trishaw riders entertained us with stories as they pedaled, one of how Love Lane (one of the roads we had to past) was a popular place for the American GIs on their furlough during the Vietnam War. Many love stories, trysts, etc, etc took place there.

The trishaw riders dropped us off at the Chew Jetty. We took a quick walk there before going for dinner. We over-ordered! Other Half and I have passed by the area so many times, yet never stopped to walk on the jetties lined with houses; our own watered down version of Venice! We didn't even notice that they existed there! I thought the jetty settlement was rather quaint.

After dinner, we opted to walk back to hotel as the night was rather cool. The picture above is the Logan Memorial. This is just one of 4 sides; the other 3 sides being Temperance, Fortitude and Wisdom. It was a rather long walk but we walked past many other historical buildings and monuments. I've just realized that Penang is actually very similar to Singapore in many aspects but it's nicer, not so 'controlled'. It is a nice place to walk to see the different architectural designs. You get a mix of everything, even buildings with influences of ancient architecture from China. I finally see why it is a UNESCO historical city. Georgetown is a city with a past that gives it its present character.

Then it was off to Toys R Us to get a Rummikub. The toy makers should make Hannah and her kids their games ambassador. This gift of game from them to our kids is now our fond reminder of them and this trip. My kids are now hooked to the game. We got back and my gal set up the board after dinner. We played 2 games and she finally won!!! She never got to win the entire time we were in Penang.

One place which we found really interesting (and inspiring) was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion... can't miss it cos it's painted indigo blue! I think the colour is really ugly but the guide says tourists started coming in for their tours after they changed to that colour! We had a guide for this visit, Joanna. She made the trip really interesting through her stories, descriptions and explanations. Entrance is RM12 per person but to me, it's really worth it. She explained the logic behind the construction of a building and I am awed by the way the artisans and builders from the days of old pay such details to them. In Bayview Hotel where we stayed, our room's bathroom floor couldn't drain the water properly and the other room had really squeaky air con fans. That despite the wing we were in being just recently refurbished. You can see the lack of details in the way things are done today. Joanna made the history of the house really entertaining by adding in snippets of stories everywhere... bringing the house very much alive.

Our 3 days-2night stay in Penang were also peppered with makan-makan here and there and also an afternoon of rain which 'chased' us back to the hotel... where the kids played one round of Rummikub while sitting it out. Instead of the 'proper' establishments, we opted for the hawkers and old coffee shops. It was fun, despite the cramped dining arrangements. In Penang, most places have nice food, anyway. Penang is rather congested now cos it's holiday season plus our stay coincided with the Chingay procession, some flower fest and lots of other things which are going on. We actually got stuck in a jam for almost an hour an Queensbay area on our way home... it was that packed!

Walks on the Esplanade and Fort Cornwallis, some catching up, late night games; it's definitely something memorable for all of us. Memories like this is what makes our life more colourful, meaningful and also fun! When we're old and as long as our memories hold, meetings of lives such as this will always be something nice to remember cos when we're old it's not what we own that matters most, it's the memories we have. And it's such memories that our kids will bring with them too as they make their own journeys. So, this one is definitely one that makes up the memory album.

3 Museums In A Day!

My nephew has been with me since last Saturday. He's 8 and here minus his parents and siblings. My gal has been enjoying her time with her cousins from both sides these past 2 weeks. And my little nephew seems to be enjoying his stay that he says he doesn't mind staying on some more.

Sometimes we need an extra push like this to start visiting those places of interest around us. This has to be one of the more educational holidays for my girl. We visited 3 museums today! ...the State Museum, Paddy Museum and the little museum at the restored Kuala Kedah Fort in Kuala Kedah. Alor Setar actually has quite a few museums and cultural places to visit! 8)

The State Museum was a surprisingly nice visit this time around. I had a good time trying to spark the imagination of the kids about the past. One of the guards actually followed us around cos she found it amusing (I think) listening to my stories to the kids. LOL! She even reminded me not to forget to visit the exhibits upstairs!

It's too bad that our museums don't have staff who specializes in making those trips truly educational for visitors, like having someone bring people around and explain things to them or more activity corners for kids. Just by looking at the pictures and artifacts don't quite get the imagination of a kid moving. It's a good thing that history is something that I love and enjoy; and to be able to connect it to our present world to the kids hopefully will open up their minds a bit more....

Before we went in, I noticed a Ridsect aerosol mozzie spray sitting beside the Muzium Negeri Kedah sign. Left behind after a pak-tor session??? LOL! The museum is located beside the river, with makan stalls just a stone's throw away. Ideal place to bring your g(b)f for a date... some more out in the open. No secret-secret place for the religious officers to come storming.. LOL!

The Paddy Museum has undergone some refurbishments. I've been there a couple of times since they opened. At this museum, the presence of a knowledgeable guide is sorely missed. For kids, many of the tools they show don't make much sense. If only they put in video clips to show how they were used. And someone to tell stories to bring the artifacts and displays alive....

On our way there, we spotted these farmers planting paddy.... it's paddy planting season now! There were 7 of them and we stopped our car to watch them work. These farmers worked fast and it was fascinating watching them transplant the paddy into the field. It was quite mesmerizing to watch them stick the seedlings in a systematic rhythm as if in a dance, into the muddy bottom with water which was at knee deep. The speed and efficiency were amazing! One of our kids couldn't imagine that someone can do this the whole day!

The last museum for the day was the little museum we stumbled upon at the Kuala Kedah Fort. The kids had a nice time running (and climbing) on the fort walls which have been beautifully restored. Mind you these walls are made from a mixture of honey, egg shells, egg white, shells and what have you not... all very natural ingredients. LOL!

The lawn was beautifully manicured but unfortunately the cannons are rusting. Should do something to slow that process down. We bought some keropok lekor and chomped on them while letting the children run loose. But with so much space and their kiddy agility, it was rather tiring trying to keep up with them. They had a wild time running all over the place!

Museum visits can be fun for kids too, I realize. But it's up to us also to do a little homework to get them interested. People from ages past were actually quite smart, you know. Study the way they work, made things that worked for them like the bubu, adze, etc, etc.. and you'll realize how innovative they were too. It's good to get the kids to be aware of that. Ours is not the only generation of great advancement. Every recorded human age has witnessed its own leap forward....

So, 3 museums in a day! I amaze even myself. LOL!!!

Weekend home..

Even though now home is where I have my own house in my current location... home in my heart in many sense is still the place of my childhood and teenage years, Sitiawan.

Made a quick trip home during the weekend and it was a weekend with a flurry of rushing and loose ends to see to. Also, sis and nephew were around plus nephews and niece from Other Half's side. So, there were many quickie things to do.

This was part of our lunch in Kg China... the fish and sea cucumbers in the ko-ru came all the way from Sabah. Mom had soaked the sea cucumber to perfection... and it went well with the fish maw... cooked in our favourite style, sweet sour; only in Sitiawan.

Fish was very good - shipped all the way in a polystyrene box from across the South China Sea. Dad said they call it the 7-Star Garoupa. This is an 'East Malaysian' fish! We had my favourite mixed veg, Sitiawan-style also.

This traffic light was one of many which we passed along the way home. The problem with this one is it faces the setting sun. With the sun shining brightly, you can't tell which light is lighted up unless you stare at it intently to catch the slightest change.

Also a first for Son... his first highway drive. LOL! He just got his license a fortnight back. His dad sat beside. I was behind... but it was a tense 100km for both of us for sure. I found myself pressing on my imaginary brake.

Already passed the half way mark of the hols... dread to go back to school. World Cup is on. In our household, there is no football fever. Read that in Bangladesh, fans actually went on a rampage because the power supply went off! The craziness of football - 22 men chasing one small ball all over the field and trying to net it. And the whole world goes into a feverish and mad frenzy when the World Cup comes on just to see the 22-men do that.

We caught the opening match between South Africa and Mexico while we were home. But that was viewed in between channel surfing and house-switching. LOL!

Up the hill...

Been almost a year since our last hike up the 8888 hills of Pokok Sena... but since we did not have anything in particular planned out last Saturday, we decided to pay our favourite hiking haunt a visit... Anyway, we thought it would be good for our lil one. Many kids find themselves in unfamiliar territories when it comes to such activities these days... in part because time for physical games and activities has been sucked up by the all-important and pervasive tuition.

I try to think back of my childhood and the things I remember are all those related to play and games. I used to follow my dad for tuitions - he was a good teacher but the memories etched in my mind are that of the times he took us to places like Lumut and challenging us to a race (our little legs could never quite catch up back then), trips to Simpang Tiga to visit grandma followed by a stop at the konlo mee shop, evening badminton with him and his friends. And also, how Audrey, Jean, Victor, Ko-Lyn and I used to play hide-n-seek before tuition at Ko-Lyn's place.... hiding on the roof, drain.... those are the memories I carry with me.... not much of the tuition. Then the afternoon Chinese school where we'd play 'ah-chi-lok' swinging from the monkey bar and all the way up (and down) the two trees beside the monkey bars. Those things I remember.....

I wonder what memories our kids will remember of their childhood..... theirs is a hard pressed gen, life evolving around tuition. Perhaps like the rise of the hippie culture of the 60s after post World War II which required lots of discipline and hard work (with great obsession), the generation that followed went the opposite direction.... and 'hell' did break lose with all the dope and the misunderstood mix of Eastern and Western philosophies. Sometimes, I feel we parents have lost the balance some where.... but that's just my opinion.

It was just the 3 of us but we met familiar faces at the foot of the hill. Lil One sobbed half the hike up. She was apprehensive about the tiring trip up but in the end, I think she found it rather easy. All the squash and swimming have paid off, I would say... her fitness level is definitely way up. 8) She'd probably be faster than me in a couple more runs...

The hill at this time of the year is like summer and spring lumped together. It's so hot that the trees are actually getting to be quite bare of leaves and the footpaths, layered with dried leaves; which can be quite slippery. But while we were there, I noticed that the leaves were slightly wet. It had rained..... it's been so hot that lots of vegetation is drying up. Regular gym visits and swims have also made the trek up rather relaxing for me. 8)

The journey home was interesting because of the changing skyscape. The sky was a golden hue just as we passed Pokok Sena town. The sky is always more colourful at this time of the year.... evenings and mornings now made up of vivid colours.

Five minutes down the road, and the sun had turned red; the clouds making it look like as though it was playing a game of hide and seek. The sky was really fun to watch cos you'd see cracks appearing in the cloud and suddenly rays of sunlight would burst forth. Then as suddenly as they appear, these cracks would seal themselves up and you're left with the gray again.

We had dinner at the stalls and was followed by this. We dropped by to collect some CNY goodies (pies and my favourite 'SCS' butter cake) and Ah Ho was baking this.... muffins, with jam inside and cinnamon sugar toppings at Other Half's suggestion. He had gotten her the recipe for this from the net. Because it's vegetable oil that is used, they're not buttery like the usual butter cupcakes that we're so used to...

Tis a blessing to be her friend, definitely... 8) My stomach says so.... LOL! And while we were there, it rained cats and dogs, the first in many weeks! Showers of blessing!

The Old Penang...

... continued from previous post.

When we take our kids out jalan-jalan, it's usually to the malls, to those sterile and artificial and pseudo world. True, everything looks really nice, classy and glassy (and also expensive in many cases), but it feels so encased... mummified, sometimes. Hence, this venture turned out to be something of a reminder of the old ways....

Anyway, this slightly different outing was made possible because we were out bag hunting... Jusco had limited choices. There was a shop with the haversack we wanted but a price that will knock your head off. So, the hunt went out of the sterile buildings into Penang Road and the adjacent areas, places which we've been long time ago but like most overprotective parents, deem them too unhygienic or not clean enough for our kids. However, this area is a treasure trove for bag hunting. You can find all sorts of bags at reasonable prices; plus other stuff as well.

This is the not so new Penang, where businesses operate from standalone shops and stalls. One, which I feel enabled us to experience the old world ... well, at least the world that I used to know as a kid and one that is rather foreign to my kids. It was quite an interesting trip.. this is like Little China and Little India put together.... 8)

These Indian kuih smelled really wonderful. They were tasty too. Of course some might complain that the oil used for frying is somewhat 'overused' but it's not everyday we eat it.

Fruits on sticks... not exactly a very 'hygienic' display what with the heavy traffic. But we got ourselves some jackfruits on stick anyway. 8)

Wondering around certainly was not as comfortable as the mall but it filled us with different sights and sounds too. And of course the humidity. Son said it was crazy to go such places in long pants...... (see what I mean - he's a creature of comfort)

Food is what most of us seem to live for... everywhere where food is supposed to be good, you'll find crowds of people who will brave the humid weather.... even just for a bowl of cendul, which you eat standing by the road side. LOL! It's most uncomfortable but people just came in droves. I've not eaten here for a while... the cendul is not as good as it used to be. I think James' cendul in Sitiawan beats this hands down now. The taste seems a little artificial now... I was told by Other Half on our way home that they use red beans from cans now.

We also wandered into the Chowrastra Bazaar since it was just down the road. Secondhand book stalls! They actually sell new books there as well... at a discount. Got some books for both kids.... would have cost me double or more for the same thing at bookshops like MPH or Borders.

Penang should spruce up such places. They have the potential to rival or equal places like Little India or Little China in Singapore which are crowd pullers but overly commercialized.