Author archive
10 January 2013
Above: Hakka Noodles in Ipoh. I broke with tradition today. After two dimsum breakfasts in Ipoh, I opted for Hakka noodles washed down by the famous Ipoh white coffee. All two coffees I had in Ipoh were excellent and cheap. It’s not hard to be good when you roast the beans in butter (or margarine) […]
9 January 2013
Today I wanted to go to Kellie’s Castle, an incomplete castle built by a Scottish businessman around 1915. I did that after another dimsum breakfast as my first one didn’t disappoint in terms of the quality and quantity of fillings. The castle is about 30 minutes by car from Ipoh but took me 2 hours […]
8 January 2013
A geriatric doctor, not a geriatrician I needed to see the doctor to check on my fluey ears and chest. There were plenty of choices around the hotel but upon enquiry some of them were “specialists” of various kinds. Strange that they’re not marked as such … perhaps the doctors have had experienced in various […]
7 January 2013
Above: Poached chicken and beansprouts, and rice noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, are two of Ipoh’s famous dishes.. I landed at KLIA LCCT 20 minutes ahead of schedule on AirAsia. I had booked online a bus to Ipoh allowing for 2h30 in between. So I had a leisurely lunch. I kept an eye out […]
31 December 2012
Above: Taking the boat back to the apartment. After an early breakfast, I taxied out to Supadio International Airport. I had to wait briefly for check-in to open even though it was 90 minutes prior to the flight. We were delayed for about half hour. The MASWings flight was very empty despite the zero-fare promotion […]
30 December 2012
Above: “Pondan” is a brand of cake mix here but just across the border, it means “transvestite”. After a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, I ventured out. Nothing much was open being a Sunday morning. I found Carrefour and spent some time in there. I believe supermarkets offer an interesting insight into local life. […]
29 December 2012
Being normally an extremely heavy sleeper, I was surprised to have slept lightly through the night. I wandered out and found few choices for breakfast. With a long and rough day anticipated, I passed on the satay and opted for a selection of cakes. After breakfast, I investigated options for getting to Mandor where some […]
28 December 2012
My travel (pronounced truffle) picked me up at 1300 for the 3 hour (USD7) journey north to Singkawang. With a lunch stop and traffic, it took 4 hours. The scenery comprised forests, rice paddies, coconut groves, Kerala-like canals, homes surrounded by black water canals with people swimming and washing in them, and the brown sea […]
28 December 2012
I woke at 0400; the result of retiring too early last night and the early wakeup yesterday. I popped half a sleeping pill and that took me back into dreamland till 0700. I enquired with the hotel about onward travel to Singkawang. As the bus station here is out-of-town (which requires a separate bus or […]
27 December 2012
With a 0715 bus departure, I had to wake early to catch a taxi to the bus station called Kuching Sentral which is on the outskirts of town, next to the airport. I hopped into the taxi five minutes before 0600 not knowing that it was only five minutes till the 50% night surcharge was […]