It's All About The Experience
Posts tagged place
BahKutTeh
Oct 25th
Aiya…so long didn’t post anything, feel a little guilty. First I want to hit my head for accidentally deleted Ah Tat’s comment. Silly me but I blame the spams for starting me on deleting the comments in the first place.
So, up to now my life journey has zigzagged to Klang. In the past few months, I have been like Bah Kut Teh – mixture of this and that but all the goodness in one pot. In this post, I want to thank a few people. I want to thank Thinhes for helping me around KL so much for so many times. He even let me stay in his place and helped me to find an accommodation in Klang. Sometimes he bought me meals. Thank to Uncle Goh for donating two pricey items for my use in my empty apartment. He even footed the transportation cost. TQ TQ so much. Thank mum also although she’s over-worried about me moving to another place.
Klang is actually a nice place to stay not only because of the bah kut teh. Almost everything you need can be found nearby. And they do not have bad traffic jams like in KL. And the cost of living is similar to Ipoh. And the majority of the Chinese people here speak hokkien. And the staff is very friendly and welcoming. They even have all sorts of DIY drinks in the pantry to which you can help yourself to whenever you want. They even share the snacks such bread, biscuits, tidbits, cakes, mango, pau etc etc. Satisfied. My place is quite cooling, not only strategically shy from direct sunshine but windy as well. Nowadays at night you can even enjoy illegal fireworks display. huhu…
I’m at peace but busy learning and earning also, which is good. Haven’t brought my JitChak along, that’s why no pictures in my recent posts =(. So here it is – just a short update on my part. You if come to Klang, do drop by for a visit. You can crash here too if you want.
Till then, chaoizzzzz
Day10 (HN-KL)
Jun 27th
Jesse, Chunaki and I slept for only half an hour. We woke up at 5am, washed, gathered our bags and ready to leave, for good. Ha had initially planned that Da would fetch us to the airport, and we were all for it. We would meet him at the junction of the road but Ha’s mother was awake too, saying she would call a cab for us. Ha cautioned that her mother was suspicious. So the cab came and we were shoved in. We insisted on seeing Da anyway, so Ha asked the driver to pull over after some distant away and waited for him. Since we had too many things, we stayed put in the cab and Ha alone shifted to Da’s car and followed all the way to the airport. We check-in our luggage and went for breakfast since we had another hour before boarding. It was beef noodle (again??) and I couldn’t finish mine, so I gave half to Jesse. Ha and Da were always so affectionate, oblivious to the surrounding and us, but of course we were happy for them. They sent us off and finally left when we were out of view. I sincerely wish them all the best and may they get to overcome the obstacle they are facing. Gambateh!!
I don’t update my blog often and when I do, I write long posts such as the recent ones. I bet, out of ten who visited, none would be able to finish them but it was my pleasure to tell the stories of our trip. What I related was only the gist of our journey and it does not do justice to all the big and small events that made this vacation a memorable one. Next time I wouldn’t be able to write such long posts anymore due to other commitment, but while I still can, I’ll continue to do so for my own documentation. I would like to dedicate these 10 posts to Kelvin, Jesse and Shean Chuan aka Chunaki for making the trip a success and a brilliant one. For those who have helped, both directly and indirectly – THANK YOU!
RIP M.J
Day9 (HLbay-HN)
Jun 27th
The breakfast was egg, toast bread with butter and jam, and coffee/tea. Woke up late this morning and we missed to sun rise but never minded. It was nice curling up in the air-conditioned room where outside was hot and humid but glad it was like that rather than raining as it could hamper the trip due to poor visibility.
That morning was just cruising around for more sightseeing. We bade goodbye to the Vietnamese family and the doctor as they left for a stay on the beach which was part of the 3-day package. The rest of us stayed on our boat waiting for other people to come on board before headed back to harbour. That was the end of our trip. Therefore, for those who has not much time, 1-day trip is recommended because the following day doesn’t really have much activity other than sight seeing.
Before going back to Saigon, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the harbour and that place was hot. To matter worse, the generator wasn’t working while we were having lunch, so there was no electricity. I’ve never sweated so much while eating before. We had a typical Chinese-ish lunch but the conversation at the table was interesting. For example, we get to know that Tom and Kim sold their bike and car, and quited their jobs to travel – for a whopping one year continuously! If they were still talking at the end of their travel, they would get married. Then there was the French guy about his life and travel. It was nice to get to know them and we took a picture for remembrance.
We were then cramped, with all our luggage, into a van for the journey back to Saigon. I had more conversation with Kim about things in general. She was nice to talk to. Most people including myself slept on the way back. Upon arrival, we got down near Dong Xuan market area. Jesse bought a belt. We wanted to shop more but the shops were already closing at 5pm. So we wandered aimlessly around, occasionally stopping for a cold drink and snack. At one corner we had a bread stick (RM0.80 one) that looked simple but quite delicious. Then at the other corner, we stumbled into the best kebab I ever tasted. We sat down and ate 1-kg of lychee (RM2 – 3 per kg) before wandering the crowded market area with bags on our back. We continued to walk about, mindless of destination because we couldn’t go back to Ha’s place yet as she was still at her aunt’s place. She asked to wait for cue to go home and we obeyed. Anyhow, through this way, we actually get to experience the city and the hawker food, including the dessert (see picture). When we reached a park in the city, the sky was already darkening. Albeit tired and dirty, we had each other for company – chatting, joking and playing ‘chi ku pak’. After what felt like 10 years homeless in a foreign land, finally we were allowed to go back, yea!!
We were introduced to Ha’s cousin, who was back from the States doing her internship. We clicked almost instantly and the way she talked showed maturity and intelligence. She said fast food made her fat and she’s getting fatter, when it clearly wasn’t. Sigh, what’s wrong with Vietnamese girls? But then again, girls are always like that, right?? Kelvin was most manly to push the bike for her all the way to the junction, where we hailed for taxi. There we parted ways as we were going for night market, and she had to finish her report. Sad that we didn’t take a picture for remembrance. Wuwuwu~
Da came to join us as the night market. How nice it was to see him again, and we’re glad that our ‘pasar malam’ outing gave them a chance to see each other. They were quick into their own sweet world so we asked them not to worry about us and we walked separately. The night market was so long that it seemed endless. We bought more things, then it was closing time before we managed to see the end. We met up with the sweet couple and went for supper at a stall – beef noodle (again). It was nice nevertheless but again we were sweating while eating. Seating place by the stall was low because we sat on stool. Da insisted to foot the bill for us, again. After that, we left for home and they had a teary goodbye. Nah just joking, they just embraced and said goodbyes.
What surprised us when we got back was a bunch of goodies for us. Earlier, her mum and Lynh went and bought us each two packets of tea and cashew nuts, and 3-kg of lychee. And they wouldn’t accept us paying for them, saying it was a gift to bring home. So generous of them. We felt bad but grateful. We kept pushing money to Ha, but she just wouldn’t take it except for the flight expense. That night, we all chatted in the room way into the wee hours. That’s when we got to know her more, and liked her even more.
