Penang State Museum

I'm in the museum mood these days... this is the 4th museum I've visited this month. The Penang State Museum - the last time I visited it was when I was really small and I don't think I could understand much back then.

I think it's good to visit a local museum at the start of any trips so as to get a better picture of the place you are visiting. It's like doing a background check thing. Helps you know a person you're about to hire/interview better. For a place you're about to visit, it helps you appreciate the value and aesthetic beauty of the place. I wished I had gone to the museum first before we went round The Heritage Trail. But it was closed on the day we planned to visit it. Anyway, the building used to house the Penang Free School which now is in Green Lane.

I finally can see why Penang is called The Pearl of the Orient. Penang was truly beautiful in the days of Francis Light. They have such beautiful paintings of the scenery and the mansions built by the colonialists at the museum. Back in the old days, there were no cameras. So we have only paintings to rely on. The colonialists came and built many mansions with beautiful and spacious gardens. I guess it's something to remind them of home. Only that in this part of the world, the gardens are green throughout the year. Britain gets really dreary during winter. Suffolk House was one such house built back in the old days. You've got to see it to see what I mean; truly breathtaking and reflects the beauty of a pearl. And I didn't know that Penang was originally called Pulau Ka Satu too. You always learn something new when you go to the museums.

The Penang State Museum has more paintings than artifacts, which is understandable given the fact that Penang history is actually quite recent, unlike Kedah which is a seat to older civilizations. But the paintings and pictures brought to life many of the old streets as well as buildings. It also gave a very good account of its progress on a timeline, which always serves to build a better understanding and appreciation.

Also I learned that the British too had slaves to maintain those beautiful mansions with their undulating surroundings. Got that from reading Sir Francis Light's will. The rise of any society often means the enslavement of another, quite true also in today's society even though enslavement has taken on a more palatable form today.

Next to the museum is the Church of Assumption which was built in the 19th century. I tried to read up more about it and learned the difference between a church and a cathedral. It was recorded that the church was elevated to the status of a Cathedral in 1955, which enable it to hold the seat of a Bishop. Interesting! 8)

Hannah said I was kiasu when I told her that I had read up about Rummikub after she asked me over the phone (before we met up) whether my kids had played with it. That's just me... it's not the kiasuness which compels me to find out more. I just want to know.... for the fun of it. 8) Sometimes, knowing all these has also made me realize that there are many similarities we share with those before us.

And hurray! Today the SPM ends for my school... it means I can finally have this off my mind! Else I've to keep reminding myself of the last day so that I can go back to school to collect the school's harta pusaka from the Chief Invigilator. So I went to school this morning, cleared all the stuff and I'm finally done for the year... where school is concerned! Can 'sau-tong'

Science Centre, Northern Region

This place was opened early Nov; soft opening. We took Daughter there last Saturday. Son is now house bound. The Science Centre is located behind the Muzium Padi and beside the Aquatic Centre, which now seems to be lying idly. Nearby you can also see a huge sign - Gua Gunung Keriang... looks like there is a cave complex opening up soon too!

Entry to the Centre is still free for now but I expect they'd be charging soon. It was drizzling when we arrived. A few cars were already there. The complex is huge. Lots of empty space on the ground floor. The gallery is upstairs. The first exhibit which greeted us was a Proton car.

When we got in, we were disappointed that it was only one floor. There weren't very many exhibits. But a few weren't too bad, especially the 'Disaster' displays. Found the earth shaking house quite fun.

There were workers still putting up some more exhibits but work seem to be progressing rather slowly.

However, already we could see signs of vandalism. And rubbish strewn in one of the exhibits.. this huge man made tree (on the left of the photo) which you can climb up into the Playland. Kinda like Th Magic Faraway Tree.. 8) Children would find this fun!

However, they should put more guards on duty. Some components of the exhibits were already missing. Many of the exhibits did not have any instructions. Wonder what their Science Officer is doing. It can't be that difficult to put up all the instructions.

The rain got slightly heavier while we were there and it was very noisy from the inside. I dread to imagine how it'd roar when it pours. Roofing seems to lack dampening material.. either that of the roof sounded like zinc sheets!

Street Smart is there too... one of the reasons for this 'soft opening'.

They have activities for the kids, which is nice since it's school hols now. It's nice to have another tourist attraction up here. But the relevant authorities better step up on the maintenance as well as enforcement.

On our way out, saw this dying plant. So many workers around, so much rain falling onto the ground outside, yet this poor plan is dying cos no one remembered to water it.

Breakfast in Changlun

Would you make a 40 minute drive just for breakfast? That's just one way. By the time we got back, it was lunch time. Well, that is what we did... 3 of us last Saturday morning.

Karyn was home over the weekend. And she's one who would be 'crazy' to suggest that. Of course, she'd have to find people equally crazy to follow... and she found willing partners-in-food-hunting in Mei Yan and me.

This is the shop.. Changlun Seafood Restaurant. By the looks of it, it should be a seafood restaurant at night. What did we drive all the way there for? 'Konlo' mee. She 'swears' that it's a really plain, simple but nice konlo mee. Verdict? I enjoyed it... has this nice taste. Okay... location. Take the right turn at the Changlun town traffic light. The shop is at the far end corner of the shop houses on your right. Opposite is a row of fruit stalls. Won't be difficult to find.

This is the konlo mee... you'll have to take your chopsticks (and spoon) and give it a good stir to mix the sauce and chilli up. I noticed that everyone around me was doing that! The shredded chicken goes nicely with the mee. It's quite nice. The konlo mee comes with a small bowl of soup with a generous portion of wantan.

Spot anything odd? This was after makan. We stopped by this stall which was diagonally across the mee shop to get some fruits; bananas mainly as there were so many nice ones hanging around.

This was another stop for pomelos, but at one of the many stalls by the North-South Highway. We got some as well...

It was a nice hang-out time... good to this every now and then. De-stress, catch-up, do what 'ladies' do best... yak, yak, and 'shop' - even though it was just fruit shopping. So, if you are bored or crazy enough to try this, by all means do so. This is Alor Setar, where we still try to enjoy it's idyllic pace but it also seems to be more and more fleeting these days...

Kuala Kedah Marina

One of our walkabouts.... and this was in Kuala Kedah, at the Marina.

And what a white elephant it is. Completed in 2003, it cost RM23 million. Then the roof leaked and they needed about RM7 million to repair it. So from sporting the castle towers it now looks like this... zinc roof!

Zinc roof to cover the majestic towers which were leaking. Raindrops turning into music notes on the zinc roof? Originally the repair bill was supposed to be a couple more millions. Makes me wonder how that couple millions only gave rise to the zinc roofing. Supposed to be a yacht club but not a single yacht was in sight. Colourful fishing boats and dinghies though, dotted the villages fronting this majestic castle. We saw a lone guard at this English-looking castle when we walked the 'beach' beside it.

Not just that, this project probably also created an ecological disaster too. It seemed the place used to be covered with a mangrove swamp. But I didn't see a single mangrove tree. Guess all the mangrove trees must have all been cleared up to make way for the never-did-berth-yachts.

What we saw was muddy sea water....plenty of it. The waves rolling in were brown in colour. Mangrove trees serve a purpose. To break the waves so that the water is not muddy. In Kg Sitiawan, Perak, where is also a mangrove swamp, the river water is still clear enough for you to see fish swimming in it.

Look at the layer of mud.. and there are no mangrove roots to break the waves. And this is the only clear stream of water in the whole area. Separated from the rolling waves by a stretch of muddy 'beach', the water ran slowly. See? No waves rolling on muddy area, clear water! But it will be engulfed by the brown murky water once the tide comes in. What could have been a nice place is now dirty looking... from the plane, our country looks like it's surrounded by brown water.

But George managed to locate this big 'fler' while we tried to walk down the once upon a time mangrove swamp. Cockle! One of my favourites. But we decided to leave this fler in that little clear 'stream' that cut through the muddy shore... I've not seen cockles this big for quite some time. Nancy got all excited after this discovery and started digging the mud only to have her leg sink into a thick layer of mud... LOL!

This is hardly a suitable place for a yacht club... it's easy to see. The winds are kinda strong, the water muddy.... the siltation would keep it too shallow for a yacht club. So, how was this project allowed to proceed? No EIA reports? No rehabilitation? Taxpayers money, all gone down the sea, through the Kuala Kedah river mouth!

Restoran Bahtera Nelayan

This was a Saturday morning foray with George... we went to a couple of places and Restoran Bahtera Nelayan was one of them. It was opened in May this year. And a week ago, they just had an official ceremony there. It seems this place was built 7 years ago at the cost of RM6 million. It is now run by the Fisheries Association. There were shoplots in the adjacent block but they were all empty. The covered space would be great for skating.. 8)

Tucked in an obscure corner of Kg Kelonchor in Kubang Rotan, it requires a little effort to get there. The road leading to the restaurant is built on a bund and is rather narrow. There are also no street lights which means that it can be quite a challenge trying to manouver your way there at night. A wrong turn of your steering wheel might land your car on either side of the road... which is a slight drop.

The place is scenic enough but like most of our mangrove swamps, you can see rubbish everywhere. That is our Malaysian trademark, sad to say. They actually built this walkway which leads you to the river but beware not to pull your hands along the railing as the wood chips might find their way into your hand. The bridge looked hastily built, though; according to friend, like it's not made to last.

We enjoyed watching these 'red crabs'. There were very beautiful. Other Half tried to catch one but they disappeared down their holes as soon as he feet landed on the ground! LOL! Nancy wanted to take the rubbish scoop to scoop them up! Also a no go! Okay, next... the food!

Talked to the waitress what their special dishes were. Mee udang is one of them. I've tried the mee udang from Teluk Kumbar in Penang and also some other places... This one boleh tahanlah. It's a bit too sugar sweet though.

We ordered a ikan jenahak... asked them to cook curry with the fish head. This is a forgettable dish. The curry was very bland and tasted watery. Maybe because the fish head was not big enough.

We asked them to grill the rest of the fish, plain. It was okay. You can't go very wrong with grilled fresh fish. Daughter enjoyed the fish quite a bit.

Anyway, it was nice to sit in an idyllic setting and while away your time while watching boats of different sizes chug past, leaving in their wakes, ripples of water which swooshed their way into the mangrove swamp. Also, the tide was coming in; you could see the water line rising and what little mangrove swamp being swallowed up.

But given the location and also that the food was so-so, it would take some effort for us to go back there again. They have a set table kinda thing at RM350 for 7 people but going through the menu, I find it rather expensive cos for that kind of price, I can go to any of the restaurants in town and get a very good seafood meal; same price for more people. So, if I were to come back here, it'd be more for the nature experience than the food.

And oh! BTW, this is perhaps one of those RM6 million structures where their toilets don't work. You can spend that much building it but not make sure the toilets work... so if you do go, make sure your bladder is well emptied first.

A Trip to The Muzium Negara

This was during our last trip to KL in June this year... Daughter followed us. When we asked her whether she wanted to go to the museum, she enthusiastically said yes. Which parents won't be just as enthusiastic about an educational trip when the child is, huh??? *grins* With Son, it would be difficult to elicit any response with eagerness save for a flat 'yes'!

So, Muzium Negara we went. It's been more than 10 years since our last visit there with Son. Getting there took a little effort as we have lost feel of the roads in KL after such a long hiatus. The place was just opening when we got there. Got our tickets.. RM2 for adults and free for those below 12. Cheap!

They have 4 galleries... I enjoyed the first three. The early history was quite fun as lots of the stuff that I taught Son and his friends are still fresh in my memory. Malaysian history actually has quite an uncomplicated timeline... it just kinda moved from one stage to another... Malacca, Portuguese, Dutch and English eras... so not very difficult to understand if there is interest.

The last one... Malaysia Kini / Malaysia Today (pun intended) felt kinda propaganda-ish. Anyway, these are also 2 of the online media which are critical of the gahmen. LOL! The study of history shows that when a kingdom is at its nascent state, there is less opposition. Everyone works for a common goal. You are more likely to have common ideals then.

But when power is entrenched, those who hold the power will start to strengthen their grip through various means.... and that also usually marked the beginning of their downfall cos greed by then would play a big role... which give birth to corrupt practices, less than ideal values, etc, etc.

And this.... I wrote about Hang Tuah and his friends some time back.. I thought it used to be outside the museum.

History is actually an interesting subject. There are so many perspectives one can take about an issue or event. But sadly, history as a subject is not liked by students. And our Malaysian history too has been re-written in a propaganda-ish form.... Because of that, very often we cannot confront our past (and present) mistakes or admit our wrongs. History is supposed to make us better... make us insaf.... but instead, it sometimes sow seeds of hatred and mistrust instead.

Anyway, the museum was a nice trip. We were glad that we could squeeze in the visit despite the little time that we had. It was well worth the detour. Spending the extra time in the malls would not have given me this much satisfaction.

Sitiawan's Taman Paya Bakau

... or the 'monkey place' as the children would call it. It's full name is too much of a mouthful for them to handle.

Took my kids and nephew there for another look-see. My last trip was a couple of months back and construction and painting were still underway then. There were still some work going on, mainly repairs of the street lights.

This was the first sight that greeted us. So human-like in their behaviour, these monkeys!

The mangrove swamp... though muddy and dirty, is a haven for creatures; water and land alike.

Life thrives here! There were swirls of fish in the muddy water! I saw some kids fishing there. Been a long while since I did that!

There is a short canopy walk there. It's our first time on it. Nephew has been to the park before but dared not walk on the canopy walk... this time I supposed since Daughter went on, he had to also. 8) Kids need other kids to spur them. Adults too!

From where the canopy walk ends or begins... depends on which side you started! 8)

You can walk through the swamp on walkways such as these. Because they are relatively new, they're quite nice still. Only thing is the rubbish everywhere... partly by man and animal. The monkeys rummaged through the rubbish bins for 'food' and throw their contents everywhere, quite a sore to the eyes!

That's the ma and daughter testing out the feel of the river water. Should be salty cos the sea is really close by; plus my feet were so sticky after that. A dip in the sea water leaves us sticky even after we are dry... that's what I remember from my sea swimming days. Son refused to cos he says it's dirty! Our kids are too clean for their own good, sometimes.

First Motorbike Ride....

Entrusted under our care, John's faithful bike. Mol had done it up and asked us to use it. So, after a really long hiatus from motorbike rides, we got ourselves a new set of helmets. This was Daughter's first real motorbike ride. And I took her to the paddy field. There's a web of bund roads in the paddy fields. Each road exits the paddy field to different parts of the town.

Our little adventure took us right to Anak Bukit. My curiousity got the better of me and I followed the road. It took us right to the back of the new government complexes in Anak Bukit. And right beside this little kampung road, we saw a proliferation of food stalls. The complex is churning the economy in this sleepy village. And probably in time to come, the surrounding area would probably be swallowed up by development... another pocket of rural Alor Setar gone.... 8(

On our way back, this botak tree caught my attention and drew me towards it. And I thought I was on the right road back. I happily rode on... while making sure Daughter was hanging on since she's still a newbie at bike rides. When you are in the middle of a vast paddy field, everything looks the same.

It was only after I came to this that I realized I had gone on the wrong road. See the orange poles on the right? There are flood lights. And there was a long row of them. It took me a while to realize that I was at the far end of the airport. On the left of the picture is the control tower. I promptly did a U-turn and went back to the end of the road. Took another 5 minutes to get back to the fork.

A short while later we saw this.. the lights had come on. A flight was coming in. I only had my camera phone with me... so the pics aren't that nice.

Daughter enjoyed the ride tremendously even though she was hanging on for dear life as I was trying to get her home on time for her tuition. I figured we covered almost 25 km. This is the rustic and idyllic Alor Setar that I like very much; and to which I'm very at home. The charm of agricultural landscape coupled with the 'away-ness' from the city....

A motorbike can take you to places where cars can't go. And on it too, you can explore the little lanes and be taken away from the busyness that makes us forget the simple ways of life. Sometimes to have such a feeling stirred is kinda nice.....

David Brown's Restaurant @ Penang Hill

While we were up in Penang Hill, we decided to check out this place. Other Half did a little homework before we went up the hill. Told us there was an 'English' restaurant up there. Anyway, he had ample time to check the place out as I was still quite a distance away from the top and was still plodding up the hill when the first group arrived. This particular restaurant is located on Strawberry Hill, another 2 minutes of walk up. Didn't see any strawberries though.

Actually it was the longing for English muffins and scones that brought us up there! Another influence from yesteryears where I got too much dose of Enid Blyton. LOL!

It's got this quaint backyard gate. Has that old English countryside feel of the storybooks. 8)

David Brown's Restaurant offers open air dining on a manicured lawn... with a breathtaking view of Penang Island down below and comfortable cool air. It's like having a picnic only that you have to dig deep to pay for your meals. 8( You can opt to have dinner in the restaurant too, no air-con. Air is cool enough all around.

There's a pond fill with beautiful lilies and it also feels like a 'well-manicured' pond.

... and on the lilies you will see these frogs. I never like frogs but these are quite beautiful.

Or you could opt for dining beside the pebble path, comes with a view of a nice garden of pretty flowers.

Their menu... be prepared to pay quite a bit more for your dining experience at this place!

Kinda like this shot... nice yellow flower with the waiter serving us food in the background.

And this... the youth and his mobile. You see them totting it everywhere, all the time... up the hill, eating places, toilets too, I think. Their reason? They need it... it's their life!

Since Son, Tim and Jovaynne also went for the hike.. we asked them to join us for lunch. Have a taste of 'fine-dining', so to say... 8) Rainbow trout, chicken pie and roast beef (clockwise). It was kinda nice to try the pie with its filling outside.

.... lamb shank. The lamb shank is quite good. 5 of us shared the food which came in rather large portions. I know I'd have difficulty finishing one on my own! Overall food was generally good.

Notice how all the 3 tea spoons are all standing and sticking out of the tea cups like sore thumbs? So much for 'fine-dining' display. LOL!