Sunday 28 August 2011

More Penang Pics

Check out these Chinese temples - awesome!





Penang

Have returned this evening to my favourite hotel in KL after a really great visit to Penang. Having spent time on business I managed to get some sightseeing in and what an amazing place Penang is or to be precise Georgetown Island off Penang. Full of history it's now a Unesco World Heritage site and although there's much to be done it's worth a visit if you want to go somewhere different. Its famous for its food a










nd that's undoubtedly true after what I've experienced this weekend. I visited a tea plantation too in the Cameron Highlands way up in the mountains and yes another great experience. I can't begin to tell you what a beautiful country this is. I saw the most beautiful orchids growing wild by the roadside and some of the most stunning flora and fauna I have ever seen in the wild. Meanwhile check out some of the food, rickshaws and sites I saw attached here.

And in case you're wondering No I didn't try the Fish Head Curry or the Frog Porridge - both favourites in Penang!!

Monday 22 August 2011

A busy Day in KL

Its 10.30 now back in my hotel room after leaving it at 9.00 a.m. this morning for business meetings. The day filled with all types of work involved delights including an amazing mid day meal with a new found Malaysian colleague who has a birthday today, the most delicious scrumptious food, pasta followed by Pastries that just melted in the mouth UM UM!! I bought two and have brought them back to the hotel with me. One is a scrummy cheescake made with Mango and the other a delightful chocolate concoction yet to savour!! Pics tomorrow unless I eat them first.

I'd eaten sufficient but then another business contact invited me out for a meal with his wife and family already too full it seemed impolite to turn him down particularly as he is a new client who will be taking 30 teaching students for his fantastic new boarding school which is about to open. Expecting a light meal I was faced with a humoungous Tai meal with too numerous an amount of dishes to mention!! Oh life is so tough - Lord help my tummy to expand just a little more for tomorrow I'm to be taken out to a Korean restaurant and my skirt is a little tight around the waistband tonight!!

Sunday 21 August 2011

KL Evening

Just to add to my Malaysian delights, we had a tropical storm this evening it was such warm rain - the only thing missing was the rain forest to benefit from it - such a shame it's almost all gone. There are a few remnants scattered here and there but nothing as grand as it used to be. Malaysia was at one time 70% rainforest now there's only a fraction left. Although I hate the fact that there is no rain forest here in this part of Malaysia the Petronas Towers is still a breathtaking site whatever type of pic I take. The water features weren't bad either but the best type of water was on the flowers being a natural sort of girl simplicity is my name!









Singapore Shots

Just to round off your days (or its nights for me actually) viewing a few Singapore Shots to brighten your day.
These are the Chinese Drumming group they were superb followed by 1) The Chinese Mooncake Stallholders complete with Chinese Lanterns; 2) Check out the menu at the Singapore food court and no I didn't go for the Pig's tails, 3) Me and Mr. M and M making out for the day - what a smoothie pardon the pun 4) The Lolly tree which to choose which to choose, 5) The Singapore view from my hotel room complete with Mosque in Johor Bahru 6) Me and the Singapore Symbolic "Melion" and









Finally look closely for the ants that bit me cos I got too close with the camera - revenge was sweet!





Singapore Fish

Hi there viewers, now back in my favourite Malaysia city so far KL and now down-loaded the pics from the fish market. Hope none of you are squeamish!! go feast your eyes or maybe I should say thousands of fish eyes!!



Saturday 20 August 2011

Singapore

Well I took the leap and caught the bus to Singapore today from Johor Bahru. What an experience that was, such an adventure and the bus fare was only RM2.00 approx 50p in English. The trip across the causeway and into Singapore centre was about an hour - value for money or what?? Singapore is so different from what I imagined with vast numbers of tower blocks and several shopping arcades. Don't know what I expected but certainly not that. Somewhere in the annals of my mind I expected some jungle somewhere along the route or something that looked like jungle but no. I visited a market with all sorts of unusual products on sale and such a fishy smell - urgh nose pinching time, but I have never seen the like before with bags and boxes of dried tiny fish like minnows, dried squid, something that looked like octopus and no end of different types of dried shrimps, cuttlefish, prawns and the most humungous bags of dried mushrooms. When I get back to KL tomorrow I'll download some pics!!

Sitting here I have to pinch myself to realise that I went and came back to Singapore all in one day. With customs, immigration in and out and that much rubber stamping on my passport the ink is there for all to see as proof!! - but another memory to add to my little picture book stashed away in the brain before I shed this mortal coil - how lucky am I??

Friday 19 August 2011

Reflections

No. 1 son 30 tomorrow where has the time gone? First time I think not been there for his birthday and its a special one. Should be "skyping" to wish Happy Birthday - how strange technology is - wasnt even thought or heard of when he was born, now we have IPods., Mobile phones as thin as paper and computers you can put in your pocket, wonder what will be on this planet in another 30 years time - hopefully me - just?!! Will I be writing on a "blog" then or will I have lost me marbles and just be a machine or will a machine be typing it for me - mind boggles?!!

In this country where I am today - will the rain forest's last remaining strongholds still be here - doesn't bode too well by all accounts and will the last Orang Utan have long since died out? I hope not for the sake of my grandchildren that are here and the grandchildren that my son may have one day will be able to see them in the wild still.

I must write down my life story it will all seem so different in a 100 years time!

Back in Malaysia

Just updating blog now back in Malaysia again. Now in Johor today the Southern tip of Malaysia after visiting students on business again. I have a lovely view of the sea and across to Singapore. Tomorrow going over the border to Singapore - just to say I've been!! Flying back to KL on Sunday my favourite city I think and looking out on the Petronas Towers once more a really breathtaking piece of architecture.

I will post some piccys of a market I went to today later. Apparently there's a Chinese festival on - Ghost Night - and in the market today the stalls were selling "Mooncake". A traditional gift given for this festival. I had a taste and wasn't impressed. They have all flavours from Chillie Bean to Almond and all sorts of flavours in-between!! They don't look like a cake to me just a very thick biscuit with patterns and designs on them but in beautiful packaging I must say.

Unfortunately during my stay here all I am being asked about are last week's riots and how shocked everyone is about them. I wish the UK could be remembered for better things, such a shame that a once proud nation can only be remembered for its riots. The Government has more to salvage than the property of the shopkeepers - I fear our reputation has been badly damaged too and some of that "stolen" along with less valuable items!!

Anyway back to brighter things of which the best bit of the market visit was a group of young Chinese Drummer Boys and girls, they were amazing, accurate and timed to perfection. Just wasn't long enough what a treat it was to see them. The heat is oppressive today but don't care once in a lifetime experience and I can put up with it a little longer!!