Articles from this Category
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 […]
24 December 2012
Above: Christmas programmes on TV on the life of Jesus carry this warning. Jesus is also a prophet in Islam – which means he should not be depicted and the storyline may differ from that in the Quran. Two days after the second treatment I felt that my middle back wasn’t too good. The benefits […]
22 December 2012
Above: Second blood-letting treatment, this time on my lower back. I opted to return to the Chinese physician today for a second treatment, this time it is for my back. This had seized up during my 11h of airborne hell from Auckland to Hong Kong. It had been overshadowed by the butt issues so I […]
20 December 2012
In February this year, I had a fall which saw me use crutches for 6 weeks. While my knee injury healed nicely, a complication left me with recurring pain in my left butt, glute, piriformis, whatever. And it radiates down my left leg some times. Despite visits to the physiotherapist, acupuncturist and osteopaths, it seemed […]
14 August 2012
It was decidedly cool and unhumid in Kota Bharu this morning as we walked out of the hotel. I thought Malaysia was tropical but obviously I was wrong. I had the famous Nasi Kerabu (Kelantan specialty) for breakfast again before packing and heading out to the airport. The flight to KL was delayed for […]