3 Jul 2019 – Byebye Jun Hello Jul
Fri: TGIF on this lovey early morning. Besides a robot cleaner, also bumped into Sharon@T2 who is flying on the same plane as us to Penang! Byebye SIN for now.
Safe&sound in Penang, delighted to catch up with nephew John&Fran+WanAnn (flatmate&friend from Dublin school days) for the most scrumptious plate of Penang ChowKuehTeow on Jalan DatokKeramat.
Can’t seem to get enough of this beautiful magnificent huge tree@ShangriLa RasaSayang Resort where we will be for the next 4nights.
How to holiday in style, tkx to Les.
Decent Hainanese home-cook style dinner around the corner from the resort – quite a contrast from our accommodations.
3UCD medical grads Les&Ivy+WanAnn whose cousin, SiewLing, also another doctor, but from Trinity. Left Dublin by the time he arrived in 1975, thus my first meeting with him here, and of course in an Irish-Pub for a pint. Never enjoyed these crowded noisy pub-scene even in my youth, and less so now, yes, up in age but not yet deaf!
Said hi to all in the pub and took a slow away from the noise, but within the mall. Unlike SIN, do not feel that safe wondering about in Malaysia.
Sat: up bright&early to check out the breakfast-spread which has a good decent selection but only took just a few pix, more interested in the street-food.
Had a cup of coffee&some fruits as I wanted to spend the day with Chon&Fran who I hardly get to see!
A personal tour on wheels for today – along Gurney Dr and Esplanade Rd, City&Town Halls, Fort Cornwalls.
Interesting overhead bridge, road sign and round-about – could not have guess what is on top of this around-about, can you?
On to the famous Penang-Street-Food – starting with PrawnMee, a broth to die for. The owner has been selling this dish since age 17 and now he is into his 70-80s.
Ernest Zacharevic’s The children on the bicycle on Armenian Street is one of the most famous murals and done in 2012, it is one of the 1st street art here. Old Chinese Temple, Acheen St Mosque, St. George’s AnglicanChurch.
A snack@Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee 鸿记(廣式) 竹昇云吞面Campbell Street before more touring, mee here looks good but no space for a full meal. The line was for TohSoon Cafe 多春茶室, thank goodness as the heat was quite unbearable to be standing in line!
Re-visit to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Those who remember The Little Nyonya 小娘惹, a SIN 2008 drama serial, might recognize some of the scenes filmed here. Again the ornate architecture and interior never fail to fascinate me.
https://amylamsg.com/2013/05/19/the-island-of-penang/
Fried oysters were OK, but not my favourite. The other dish LokBak is new to me, tasty and so was this 3LayersT, highly recommended.
Like this painting of the location.
ChinaHouse – 3Heritage shop-houses linked by an open-air courtyard converted into many spaces –
comprising of shops, cafes, restaurant, galleries and bakery with 80varieties of baked goods!
Qu’ils mangent de la brioche
Appreciations to SiewLay&Elise for dinner@BeachCorner. Elise told the story as to how& why their daughter chose to work in SIN. She offered jobs both in KL&SIN some years ago and decided for in KL at first. When she was there to sort out matters, was then pick-pocketed and after that she decided to accept the job in SIN and has been there ever since.
SpringRolls, Duck with Yam, AssamFish
Fried Chicken, Squid, local crabs, fresh ingredients and very tasty.
Sun: lunch@BayviewHotel and what a good idea with that dome to keep food warm as well as nice presentation.
It was a lovely Conferring Ceremony for this 2019Class. Congratulations to all.
Good to see Drs Manning&Halpin (UCDs Chancellor&Registrar) again. The last time we met was when Les received an NUI Honorary Degree of Doctor of Medicine/honoris causa.
https://amylamsg.com/2014/06/20/degree-of-doctor-or-medicine/
Last night’s dinner was good enough for another night at the same location, but with a few change of dishes. So thrilled&pleased with this, must be the best sunset shot I will ever capture. A case of being in the right place at the right time. Alone we walk striving to understand the meaning of the small role we play in this magnificent creation – tkx to MichaelBrown’s comment.
Mon: back to PrawnMee for Les&Ivy to try and was lucky enough to get his few last bowls. So it was meant to be…
Food shopping and here Ivy&Fran managed to fight the crowds and got what they wanted hahaha while Les sat outside, Chon on the phone outside and I taking pix outside lol.
Standing on a hilltop at Air-Itam, near PenangHill, KekLokSi is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. You can also get a great view of the town from there. The clouds might have looked threatening here, but only got a few drops of rain.
Market in Air-Itam
Have never been a fan of Penang-Laksa until I tasted this and could not get enough of the broth which complimented the rosella drink with a delicious fruit to finish this lunch. For my oversea friends – Laksa is a spicy noodle soup popular in Peranakan cuisine of SE Asia, and it will take me a day to list out the various varieties of Laksa!!! Safe journeys to Chon&Fran who will be flying off after lunch. Good to have caught up.
Cheong FattTze張弼士Mansion now a boutique hotel won the prestigious UNESCO Conservation&Heritage award in 2000. 1+hrs was not enough time to see this amazing mansion, would have liked to have spent a day there!
Wooden-craved partition and the tile flooring are originals from the end of the 19th century.
The mahjong scene from the movie Crazy Rich Asians+many more movies were filmed here.
Cheong FattTze first introduced grape vineyards in China’s Shandong province, and later brought in Austrian wine-producing experts to improve the ChangYu vineyard in Yantai, Shandong, so the Ingido Bar has quite rightly found a place here.
Twenty Ways You Can Tell You Have Asian Parents. Number one on the list: Your parents never, ever call you just to say hello ― Crazy Rich Asians
Tkx Kat for catching up with us and for yummy RedPrawn durians at her lovely house. First bite for this particular kind of durina and a definite die die must have again! Dinner was scrumptious at Kat’s neighbourhood, especially the fish&eggplants for me.
Tue: thank you and byebye Penang. Hello SIN – back safe&sound after a smooth uneventful 1+hr flight. Took 6 travalators! (I counted) to get from the gate-immigration, thank goodness the wheelchair was waiting for Ivy upon arrival. Appreciations to Les&Ivy for this delightful trip and it is easy to get used to this style of travelling, but alas the travel from now until Nov will be of a completely different category!
Wed: always content to be back to familiarity until Familiarity Breeds Contempt and then again time to move on, the whole secret to the balance of life…
4 Jul – Happy 4th
14 Jul – Happy Bday Keith and Happy Bastille Day/France
17 Jul – Happy Bday Nancy Bowman
19 Jul – Happy 22nd Anniversary Linn&Jeff
20 Jul – Happy Bday David Yeoh
21 Jul – Happy Bday Albert Chua
22 Jun – Happy Anniversary Dike&Mark
23 Jun – Happy Bdays Lucas&James