On our penultimate day in Langkawi, we decided to head up to the Crocodile Farm. Far less scary than the snake sanctuary, I had thought. Finding the place, like the snake sanctuary, was not as easy as one expected. But the drive was scenic and enjoyable. When we finally did reach the croc farm, we were pleasantly surprised by the openness about the place.

Unfortunately, the crocs themselves looked a little sad. Some of them had lumps on their bodies and toes (claws?).

Read the rest of this entry »

The third day on Langkawi was quite a restful day. We decided to head down to a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Kuah town, near the vegetarian restaurant where we had lunch the day before. We then decided to take a drive down to the south-west tip towards Pantai Chenang.

The ride was pretty and definitely far more interesting than our usual dual carriageway to Kuah from the hotel. The passed by a naval camp, I think, which was really nicely done, hardly looked like a naval camp. And again I marvelled at the roads! They were so slick and smooth with not a bump, not a blemish or hole! I can’t understand why this is the case, when roads in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya (actually chunks of Selangor) are cratered like the moon’s surface.

Within about 20 minutes, we were at Pantai Chenang. My friend mentioned that it was a lot like a ’sanitized’ version of Phuket. We had no difficulty finding the Underwater World. Even though this was probably the most crowded we had seen Langkawi (aside from Kuah Town and the jetty), we even managed to get a parking spot immediately. We paid our RM28 each, and headed in. Read the rest of this entry »

This was one relaxing holiday, and I honestly needed it. I got up on the second day around lunch time, then we headed down to town for some lunch. We ended up in a vegetarian restaurant on the outskirts of Kuah. After lunch, we were herded to the shop next door by the restaurant, as she perhaps felt we needed a good tour of Langkawi or some such. We listened with interest (at first) at the tours available.

Honestly, I would have loved to have gone to Pulau Dayang Bunting, the second largest island in the Langkawi archipelago. The photos looked super spooky and cool, plus there’s a fairy tale involved. What’s not to like?

On Pulau Dayang Bunting is the lake of the Pregnant Maiden. Believed to be guarded by a white crocodile, the waters of the lake is said to bring good luck and fertility to bathers. The island is said to be where Mat Teja, sorcerous genie was ensnared by the charms of Mambang Sari, a faerie princess. To win her affection, Mat Teja procured mermaid’s tears and smeared them on his face on the advice of a wise man, Tok Diang.

So they fell in love and Mambang Sari was soon preggers. However, the baby died in its first week. Distraught, Mambang Sari entrusted the waters of Tasik Dayang Bunting with the corpse of the child and returned to her celestial abode. The corpse turned into a white crocodile, still resides in the waters and appears to those who are upright and pious. Cool no? Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t stepped on to Langkawi for almost ten years. My first visit was when Dr. M just designated the island as a duty free haven. Things were very different in the early 90s. Kuah Town was just fishing village, with one row (at the most two rows, if memory serves me right) of old-skool shop houses. Now, things are very different.

courtesy of Travel Malaysia Guide

Read the rest of this entry »

Jalan Pudu Lama is one those areas in Kuala Lumpur which takes you back to the good old days. It’s tucked away from the crowded main Jalan Pudu, and walking along this little hillslope backlane, you wouldn’t imagine the dusty Pudu Bus Station is just a stone’s throw away.

Sitting right next to Maybank, this road features rows of refurbished shoplots, a refurbished house which used to be a restaurant (but it’s been closed down – rumour has it that it’s haunted), loads of backpacker hostels, a sikh temple, plenty of friendly strays… It’s really just charming.

 

Go take a look-see!

In October, I signed up for a silent retreat at Maranatha House in Tanarimba Janda Baik, on the border of the Selangor and Pahang state line. The retreat was set in a property development, which had country homes of people who have much more money than I do.

The retreat and surroundings were conducive for meditation. Although my room was a bit small and very damp, it was a worthwhile package. The food was reasonably good too.

It was a fantastic weekend of fantastic spiritual growth for me. If any of you are thinking of seeking guidance on meditative Christian prayer, this is definitely the place to go to.

I spend the days driving around, or walking around taking pictures. We even went to places and roads I had never been to before. That’s not to say that Fraser’s is very big, it’s actually quite small, but there were so many little corners and nooks I had never known existed before. E and I even spent a breezy sunny afternoon sunbathing on a paddle boat on Allan’s Water. Surrounded by the green tropical virgin forest, the climate was exactly how I wish the climate would be like in Kuala Lumpur. I ended up getting burn shoulders!

The Glen (pic above) still looked as inviting as it ever did, sitting aloof on top of a little hill overlooking the golf course. I was keen to go on one of the forest trails, but in the end, we hadn’t any time. I definitely look forward to heading back again.

One can see bungalows peeking through trees from a distance

The Police Station, erected in 1919

The Town Centre Clock Tower

Stream on the way to the Jerai Waterfalls

Jerai Waterfalls

Old government quarters

Government holiday bungalow, appearing quite abandoned

Well, techically a hill, not mountain. After having lived all my life in Petaling Jaya, more than three decades no less, I’ve never been up Gasing Hill. Unbelievable, even to me, considering I spent some time in the Methodist Primary School nearby. It is the only “green lung” within the whole of Petaling Jaya. Unfortunately for all but an elite few, this green lungs is slowly being eaten away by the cancer known as high-rise condominiums and similar developments. Before it disappears into nothingness, I decided to haul a friend up the slopes of the spinning top. 

At the foot of Gasing Hill are some of the most elegant houses in the Klang Valley. I’m not talking about those colossal mammoths teetering precariously on the slopes closer to the Federal Highway, but the nice former government houses in the deeper recesses of the foothill (pic), and close to one of the entrances to the jungle trail. Apparently, there are many entrances into the jungle trail, but this was the only one I was aware of. So, E and I parked here and walked in.

Despite the rising heat of the day, we were kept cool in the bowels of the forest, with a green canopy shading us from the sun’s rays. E and I were quite taken with the forest environment. E commented that the only thing missing was the sound of water, and in hindsight, I must agree. The sound of a stream, or some kind of water element, would have made the experience a lot better. In any case, we came to a little junction near the entrance of the forest trail, and opted to go upwards, rather than along a little stream (from which came no sound).

We walked on a little wooden bridge over the noiseless stream, and then headed up along the uphill path. The path was earth hewn into steps, and kept in place by wooden planks, very handy for those wearing slippery trainers like me. We came across interesting large mushrooms/fungus (pic below), as well as ferns towering high above our heads.

When we reached what we later found out was the top of the hill, we discovered a little lookout hut on stilts (pic below). I climbed up with excitement, reminded of the little tree huts my brother and I used to have in our fruit trees at home. The view, although breathtaking, was partially blocked by the trees around us. I could see a few other peaks along the jungle reserve, including the towers of electrical or telecommunication stations. The hut itself was covered in interesting graffitti. Tempted though we were, E and I did not include any further contribution to the pop art.

We made our way down the hill, and came to a little path which led to a fence. It seemed to me that either we were in the ‘learning’ forest (perhutanan pendidikan, or something like that… yes, I don’t use Malay at all in my daily life!) enclosure, or the fence partitioned off the ‘learning’ forest from us. Whatever it is, the walk got a little boring along this route, and we finally came to a point when we just ended up exactly where we were when we started out. We decided to take another path, which looked like it headed in a different direction, but ended up walking alongside a few houses before we reached an exit close to the main entrance (pic with next para).

I have to admit, I was disappointed at this juncture, but when it came down to making a decision of whether to go back by the stream, or go out for coffee, I opted for coffee. I think subconsciously I realised that I hadn’t done enough research as to the tracks and the maps, and I really didn’t want to do a half-arsed walkabout, especially with the dark clouds rolling in. So we rolled into E’s car, and headed for a drive along Gasing Hill.

We drove along a few routes which I never been on before, considering that most of my exploration of the area was on my bicycle years ago, and the slopes chosen were way to steep for me to cycle up. We came across the famous Hindu temple right on top of the hill. We parked along the side, with a breathtaking view of old Petaling Jaya, and the fantastic development along the Old Klang Road. I can never get used to the colossol multi-storey highway there, which reminds me so much of Bangkok. We got a good look at the monkeys playing there (in all senses of the word – pic below), and we also went up to the temple, from which there was an even more spectacular view (pics further below).

In any case, now I’ve done a little research, and hope to go back into the forest reserve soon. There appears to be five peaks, and we appeared to have just climbed the one closest to the entrance. Very disappointing…

(FYI, this post was written before the previous haze post. Notice how the haze was already there when we climbed up Gasing Hill, albeit not as bad yet)

View from my backyard

When I bought my new Sony Ericsson K300i a few months ago, I thought it’d be fun to do a whole blog just using my camera phone. Of course, it won’t be as clear as my Nikon digital camera, but I thought it would be good to mix the technology, see the results, and if anything comes out wonky, call it “art”. Aside from that, this post revolves around “the making of” a V Mag article, so I have to ensure that there was no clash between the “professional” photos taken, and the ones used for this blog. And no, you’ll have to buy the magazine to find out exactly what the article is on.

Anyway, the day started early-ish. I met C, a freelance writer for the Chinese V Mag, at his place, but due to some complications, we had to kill some time before kicking off to Putra Jaya. So he took me to the Bukit Bintang market (pics above and below), where we had a drink. He mentioned that the market was really popular with hairdresser types, before they went in for work. Looking around at the tables around me, I could see what he said was true. Unfortunately, I stupidly deleted those pictures, but have a few of the market instead.

We made a pit-stop at Imbi Plaza, passing through Jalan Imbi and Jalan Bukit Bintang along the way. When he was done with his business, we headed south-west towards Putra Jaya, through Sungei Besi. There appears to be quite a number of abandoned developments in the Serdang/Seri Kembangan area (pic below). These areas look great for exploring, I think they’ll be like totally different worlds to me. I should look into this some day.

Putra Jaya made itself known to us when the street lights along the highway became all interesting and ornamental, quite amazing actually (left pic). We drove around, looking for the Town Council building. Unfortunately, and unlike any other Malaysian city, Putra Jaya is divided into “precints” and “parcels”, and we initially had no idea whether a ‘parcel’ was inside a precint, or the other way around. However, I did know how to get to the main administrative parcel/precint/plot, where I knew most of the ministries were (I believe Precinct 1?).

The whole of this area was one stupendous roundabout. I told C that he needn’t worry if we missed something, because we’d be bound to come to it again, so long as we don’t get off the road. We took a drive into the Health and Education Ministry section, and were both quite impressed with the architecture. For some reason, I was reminded of Singapore (I bet the stones will soon start being hurled!). We finally found an Information Centre(right pic), where we enquired as to the whereabouts of the Town Council building. No one knew where this was. Unfortunately, it didn’t help that neither C nor I knew what “Town Council” was in Malay. Eventually, we managed to explain ourselves, and got directions.

We headed pass the huge stadium-like mosque, which led to a massive bridge, and then on to a massive boulevard. From the Putra Jaya website, I can’t ascertain which promenade we were on, but it looked like “Dataran Wawasan” to me.

All I can say is: impressive! I certainly was awed by the vast huge massiveness of this stretch of the city. I also found some of the buildings totally awesome in design and structure, definitely worth a visit. This part of the city had an added surreal quality, because there were hardly any cars, or pedestrians, or anyone at all around. Added to this atmosphere was a light drizzle, which all made me feel like I was an unwitting perfomer in a science fiction movie (pics above and below). Thrilling!

We finally made it to the Town Council building (pic above), which was an amazing two-building structure, with an interesting metal arch joining them both. Facing it was a massive field, in which was a massive square with flag poles. We parked, got out of the car, and mooched around, waiting for the rain to stop. In the meantime, we popped into the “Palace of Justice” right opposite the Town Council building (pic below).

Again, I was very impressed (C was too, although he might deny this later). I can’t possibly imagine how much they must have spent building each building here in Putra Jaya. Apparently, the main aim is to make Putra Jaya visitors feel small and ant-like, and it works. I also have to admit, this building is a far far cry from Denmark House along Jalan Ampang, or the old beautiful colonial Magistrate’s Court house along Jalan Raja. To waste away more time, C and I headed on to the cafeteria, which balanced the beauty and vastness of the building, in its small and unimpressive corner. However, the over-inflated prices made up for its humble looks.

Eventually, the rain stopped, and we managed to get to work. When we were done, C decided to take a drive around Putra Jaya, where we saw these magnificent bridges (pic below).

Can You Name Those Buildings?

Anyway, I parked my car some distance away from his home, at the end of the street, close to the “City Apartments” (left pic). I’m not too sure whether I’d like to live at this end, what with the towering new development at this end of the street. However, I might want to mention that this street might well be the next “hot” area to be developed, kind of like Tingkat Tong Shin, possibly. Who knows… 

Mamak Stall on Jalan Galloway (pic below for huge rubbish dump behind it)

Houses on Jalan Galloway

I like the idea that my friend, C, had his house open to the public, to just step in and watch theatre if they wanted. From the street, I could see that something was going on, and it seemed quite bohemian to me to just leave your friend door open for anyone to walk in to watch a play. He had lighted candles in his front yard, and their flames made the whole area almost dream-like and surreal. A little table in the front featured a press release and other promo material. Unfortunately for me, the play (pics below) was in Mandarin, so I couldn’t understand a word (well, I understood a few words, but what good is a few words?). It was an interesting setup and had a reasonable turn-out.

I am one of those few Klang Valley dwellers who has not moved his entire life. Well, yes, I have lived in various parts of the world, for studies and medium-term travelling holidays, but my home has always been in SS1, Petaling Jaya. In an amusing way, a lot of KL and PJ people don’t have a clue where SS1 is. “Is it near SS2?” is the response I usually get. Well, yes, SS1 is right next to SS2, and is obviously an older section of town compared to SS2. Tucked away after the light industrial area of Jalan 222 and the cowboy towns of sungei way (piece of trivia: ‘SS’ stands for ’sungei way-subang’), SS1 is largely overlooked because there isn’t much in it, aside from houses and the primary school. 

Me Big!

Me Bigger!

Me Biggest!

One of the older houses with minor, or no renovations. Nice, no?

A slice of orange sponge cake, anyone?

Me dogs doing their thing…

A gripe: why do they dig up a little trench in the road, fill it up like this, then have to fill it in again in a month’s time? It’s bad for the car, makes my CD skip, and you know what? Bangkok does not have these trenches on their roads!

The food is still alright (Restoran Seng Kee [?] has some really good Chinese food) and the places of worship are still there. However, some of the old quaint railway quarters, as well as the old cinema, have been torn down to make way for development. Now, the epicentre of Brickfields is the looming Sentral station, and hotels Hilton and Meridian (pic above). New condos have been built nearby (left pic) and most shops have jumped on the bandwagon and renamed themselves to “Hotel Sentral”, “Kedai Runcit Sentral” etc. It’s unsurprising that the little pathway between the monorail and the train station now features little tents selling all manners of wares for commuters (pics below).

On the southern side of the junction is an old beautifully green field on which football is played every evening (pic below). The field has beautiful old railway quarters [Ed: I have been corrected; these are old government quarters, the old railway quarters were torn down to make way for the Sentral Station]. on two of its side. I love these old buildings, although they are not much too look at when one drives by. However, up close and personal, the buildings have such character and charm (pics below), it would be a pity if anyone decides to tear them up for condos or some such. Unfortunately, the alley was a bit of an eyesore (and more of a nose-sore – pic below). 

Further down the road was my old school, Vivekananda. Actually, I should qualify that I was in this school for a total of three days while waiting for my transfer to another school. It was fun though, those three days. Unfortunately, the school is now a horrendous salmony peachy pink (left pic). We turned southwest on the Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad intersection, and headed towards the Lutheran church (left pic below). Built in 1924, it has been beautifull maintained, and is quite an interesting church, with a belfry seperate from the rest of the structure (right pic below). 

Twilight on the cruise boat

James Brooke Cafe

I found myself at the KL Tower for work recently. It’s a sad thing, I know, being a KL-ite, and just visiting the KL Tower at this juncture. Another example of how I take things for granted here. The drive up was nice, set on Bukit Nanas (or Pineapple Hill, see left pic), the short drive up was quiet and green, a welcome respite from the dust and bustle of the city, left at the base of the hill. The view from the base of the tower (the top of the hill) was impressive already (pics below), and I could imagine how much better it would be from above. 

I was at finished with work just after noon, and I was free to mooch around. At the base of the tower were the usual touristy shops and stalls, selling keychains, t-shirts and the like (left pic below). There were busloads of school children visiting, all excited to be out of school on a field trip. There were also the usual number of tourists about, and interestingly enough, I also found a Modesto’s underneath the main fountain platform there (right pic below). At the very base of the car park, where tourist buses park, is the entrance to the Bukit Nanas forest trail (pic further below).

The main fountain platform itself was quite impressive (left pic below), with the jets of water streaming in different directions to create a slightly different pattern, rather than the usual upward jets of water (right pic below). There were also interesting ethnic art pillars inbetween the pools of water.

I took a short break, and had a drink by the cafe. I noticed the monkeys from the Bukit Nanas forest reserve were playing among the motorcyles. They were climbing from trees and on to buildings and motorcycles, eating leaves, and having mock fights. Unfortunately, as soon as anyone approached the motorcycle parking lot, they would scoot up some pipes, and wait on top of the freestanding annex building, peering to see when they would be alone again. It was quite fun to watch them (pics below).

I approached the entrance to ride up the tower (I thought was quite impressive, with its ornate tiled patterns, pic above), and was about to grudgingly fork out the RM15 to get a ride up, when I found that media members from the function earlier were getting free rides to the top. This is definitely one of the perks of being a writer with a magazine. I grabbed a media sticker, and ran after the group, and made the lift just in time.

KLCC (left) and Maybank (right)

A friend, C (see Segambut Night Adventure), wanted to take some pictures of the National Mosque recently, and I decided to keep him company one drizzly evening. We parked outside the Islamic Religious Department of the Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur (left pic). I don’t know much about architecture, but the facade appears to be quite middle eastern, and definitely very impressive. I felt dwarfed in front of those massive doors.

While C set off in an unexplained haste to set up his tripod, I sauntered down Jalan Perdana towards the roundabout. The moorish-styled Keratapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) headquarters was brightly lit (right pic), as were most buildings in the area. This, and the old train station across the road, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, are one of my favourite old buildings in KL. The KTM headquarters, completed in 1917, was designed by Brit architect AB Hubbock in 1913. The building apparently is a blend of various architectural styles, having elements from 13th and 14th century Ottoman and Mogul empire,s as well as Gothic and ancient Greek designs. The building is now a designated “Old Monument and Historical Site”, fully protected under the Historical Relics Act 1976.

I crossed the road to took pictures of the fountain (left pic). I noticed a tourist washing himself a bit further away from the fountain, while some malay folk were relaxing after prayers and breaking fast. The National Mosque itself was impressive (pic above), with light pouring out of its every crevice. Designed by Howard Ashley of the Public Works Department in 1965, the building has extended horizontal planes, generally free from walls on their sides, lending the atmosphere a bright and breezy feel. Apparently, the initial design was provided by Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Being designed and built during Malaysia’s “international style” period, the National Mosque unsurprisingly is modern in design, although maintaining the integrity of islamic archecture. The patterned grills along the building, on the upper verandahs, and on the smaller domes are based on Sarasin design, although modified to suit the times. The mosque has a unique folded concrete plate roof, with 18 spokes representing the 13 states and five pillars of Islam. According to the mosque’s website, the roof and the tower represent “loyalty”, as they both represent the royal umbrella (whereas the roof represents an opened umbrella, while the tower represents a closed one). The main part of the mosque has a charming moat. I’m not sure if there is an Islamic basis to this…

There was some construction work going on (pics above), possibly in time for Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr). After taking some photos around the building, I had a dire need to use the gents. So I walked up to the guards to ask permission. I had to take off my shoes and socks, which was fine. This was my first time in a mosque, I had to walk down a flight of stairs and came upon a massive area used to wash one’s feet before prayers. I couldn’t help myself, I took a picture (left pic below). When I came up again, I found the whole area was actually open from the ground level (right pic below).

Soon, it began to rain in earnest, and C and I took refuge in the old train station. We took a walk into the Heritage Hotel, hoping to get some coffee and dessert at the cafe, but unfortunately it had closed at 10 pm. The hotel looked dark and a bit sleezy (pics below), but it had a charming old-fashioned lift, in a grilled cage, around which the staircase rose up. The train station itself was unsurprisingly dead (left pic further below), since the main locomotive activity is now at the new KL Sentral station. However, I did find the postal workers hard at work, sorting out parcels and packages outside (right pic further below).

When the rain had stopped, we scooted back to the National Mosque again. Instead of going straight to the mosque, I walked down Jalan Perdana away from the main road. I came across the Islamic Arts Museum (right pic), which looked pretty nice from outside. On the right of the street was a car park (with interesting shades) catering to the National Mosque. Just before that is the mausoleum for prominent country leaders, a white structure replicating the folded roof of the National Mosque (left pic below). Actually, the whole scene was quite charming after the rain (right pic below). The guards wouldn’t let me into the car park, because there apparently was a visiting VIP (at midnight!), but I saw an interesting little gazebo in the distance beyond the car park (pic further below).

After C was done with taking pictures, we took a little drive down the Lake Gardens roads, all wet and serene and quiet after midnight. I definitely need to go back there during the day some time.

So I hurriedly took a few last pictures of Morib, and we gathered ourselves back into the stationwagon, and we headed down to Port Dickson, in Negri Sembilan. I have to say that the coast road is really very scenic, especially compared to the dull north-south highway. We travelled through the Guthrie plantations, and saw quite a number of planes, all probably heading towards (or from) the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which was nearby (pics below).

Port Dickson is one of those places which reminds me of my childhood, like Fraser’s Hill and Mimaland. We used to go down quite often when we were children, and stay at Headlands, a KTM-staff getaway. It was a beautiful white colonial-style house, on a hill on a peninsula down in Port Dickson. Unfortunately, not only has the house been razed down, but the hill flattened as well. All in the name of development…

We reached Port Dickson quite soon, passing through the huge electrical towers, which I used to think were static giant robots when I was a child (left pic above). The town centre itself has expanded, but the older shops are largely still there (right pic above). We stopped by the Port Authority and Customs at the town’s pier (left pic below) to take a picture of two boats which has been on that shore since I can remember (right pic below).

The older parts of Port Dickson hasn’t changed much, and the coast road is still pretty to drive along (left pic below). Along the way, we passed by the “buaka puasa“(breaking of fast) stalls (right pic below), and thought of stopping to get our dinner. We decided to backtrack when we were done with the beach. As we were going down to my brother’s “secret” beach, we passed by a huge temple (left pic, further below) and also a cemetary (right pic, further below), both of which I can’t remember at all from my childhood trips down to PD. I also saw a number of broken down old houses, like the one in the large pic, even further below.

When we reached my brother’s “secret” beach, we discovered it wasn’t so secret after all. The tide was still out, and there were quite a number of beach combers. The sand was rougher than that on Morib’s beach, but the shoreline looked cleaner, and the sea more welcoming and less muddy, although the sand was courser. Unfortunately, the development of a condo block (yet another) marred the landscape. I also discovered a few old ruined colonial houses, used as pastures for cows and bulls.

We called it a day after that, and made our way back to Kuala Lumpur. We were so tired, we forgot all about getting food from the stalls. We stopped at the Nilai rest stop on the way up for some drinks. Needless to say, I grabbed some pictures of the highway (left pic, below) and the rest stop (right pic, below) for the blog.

When we went to Carey Island recently, I failed to mention that we wanted to drive down to Morib, but decided against it because of the rain. Feeling restless and adventurous, my brother decided to go down with his family to Morib, and I happily jumped on the stationwagon.

We took the same route as we did down to Carey Island, so there was much the same to see. Once we were beyond the Carey Island turnoff, I began to look around, and found that pillars and stone constructs were big business in the Kuala Langat district (left pic above). The area seemed predominantly Indian by the number of temples around, like this peach coloured one along the main road (right pic above). It seemed like the district was developing rapidly, with golf driving ranges along the way, and even karaoke joints and massage parlours (with interesting names like “Sauna Herba De Aroma”) in little shop lots.

We stopped after about a bit more than an hour’s drive at a little coffee shop for lunch (pics above) on the outskirts of Morib. Little coffee shop though it was, a meal for five came to RM45, which is close to KL prices. I mooched along the main road (left pic below) and came across another temple (right pic below), and also a charming little malay kampung house (large picture further below). We waited for the drizzle to subside, and jumped back into the station wagon. It didn’t take us long to find the beach.

My parents were wrong. Morib’s beach was much nicer than Carey Island’s. There were quite a number of people combing the beach or flying kites, despite it being overcast and also during the fasting month period. The beach was swampy to the north, with a few fishermen digging for shellfish (left pic below). To the south, the beach was brighter and the sand less muddy (right pic below).

The road leading to the beach

Aside from that though, there was not much else to see. My brother had done some research before coming down, and had discovered that Morib apparently has quite a number of historical sites, like ruins of old government buildings, the Jugra royal graves, and an abandoned palace. Allied Forces used Morib to land in 1945 fight against the Japanese Army. Unfortunately, none of these places had any clear signages to get to, at least none that we spotted. Apparently, Morib also has another beach, which we also did not discover.

Feeling disappointed, my brother decided to take us all down to through the coast road to Port Dickson. Which is what the next blog post is on.

I once described the Penchala Link as a huge endless expanse of concrete leading to edge of imagination. So recently, I decided to take a short drive (short because of time constraint) along the Penchala Link to see what’s what. I had a rough idea, having taken the shortest distance from the Mont Kiara toll booth to Taman Tun Dr. Ismail one evening when there was no toll. This time, if I could, I wanted to go a bit further.

The Penchala Link was officially opened in February 2004. This is the third link under the auspices of SPRINT, the other two being the Damansara and Kerinchi Links, both in use since 2001. The Penchala Link connects the LDP at Kg Sungai Penchala to the Kerinchi Link via an interchange at Mont Kiara. It has three interchanges, namely the Penchala Interchange, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Interchange and Mont Kiara Interchange. The Penchala Link came in very handy earlier this year when the Middle Ring Road 2 was found to have cracks in its beams.

From Plaza Mont Kiara, I drove out to the Sri Hartamas/Desa Sri Hartamas flyover, and made a U-turn underneath. I then headed up on the the Penchala Link heading westbound, with the sun right in my eyes. I wanted to stop to take pictures of how high up I was, but the soft road shoulder wasn’t wide enough for a car to stop, while not inconveniencing others. So I had to stick my hand out to take some photos. None but the left picture came out alright.

The scenery was really quite interesting, and quite unlike the usual sights in Kuala Lumpur. The highway was elevated enough for a good view of all the Mont Kiara developments on the left (and new developments on the slope ahead in the west). On the left was a good view of Desa Sri Hartamas. Ahead was the Mont Kiara toll plaza (left pic), and beyond that, plenty of green. I have to say, I love seeing plenty of greenery, and it was good to know that there was so much lush forest so close to where I worked.

After the toll plaza, I could see the Penchala Tunnels (pic above). In a very childlike fashion, these tunnels are pretty exciting for me as well, like there’s something beyond which might lead to somewhere exciting (in actual fact, as exciting as Taman Tun Dr Ismail). The rest stop (pics below) was meant for motorcycles to shelter from the rain (I think). The rest stop was sheltered from the sun by the hill over the tunnels, and in the little valley next to the rest stop was plenty of green (right pic). All this made the little shelter very cool, and very quiet.

Beyond the tunnels, the scenery was no less breathtaking. Emerging from the dark tunnels, with a hill on the left, I could see little kampungs in the valley on the right. In less than two minutes of driving, the road branched with the Taman Tun exit on the left. I opted to stick on to the main road. There were quite a number of interesting houses on both sides, but there really was nowhere for me to stop. All I could manage were the pictures below.

After going over the hill in the pictures above, I took the turn off to Mutiara Damansara/The Curve. As mentioned, I was time constrained. I would definitely continue on one day to Sungei Buloh when time allows. More artists’ drawings of the link can be found here.

Post Script: the flat rate of RM2 makes travelling from Mont Kiara to Taman Tun/Bandar Utama is a bit steep.

I decided to start an intermittent series on housing areas I like, or wish I lived in. There are loads of them, but I chose section 16 in Petaling Jaya because it was a quick stop on the way to the gym. I’ve always loved most of section 16, it was one of my usual cycling routes when I was a teen. It’s a hilly area, so there is plenty of opportunity to lift those quads and work those abs, but I’m digressing.

For photose, I decided to stop by the really exclusive cul-de-sac, Jalan Sultan Salahudding Abdul Azia 16/9, since it was just off the main road, Jalan Dato Abu Bakar. It’s really quite an elegant neighbourhood, although there are the usual too-big-too-ugly-too-ornate houses. That’s almost a Malaysian necessity in any neighbourhood. Entry into the neighbourhood was torture for my old faithful Proton. The hill was so steep (right pic), I had to switch of the air-conditioning and CD player to climb up that hill, all the way on first gear.

Most houses had names, like “Sri Cemerlang” and “Permata”, and most of them were huge. However, unlike other areas where there are huge houses with pre-shrunk yards, these houses fitted their grounds well. Some of them even had little “summer houses” and almost al of them had guards.

When I reached the top of that treacherous hill, there was a charming little playground on the left, overlooking Petaling Jaya (pic, above). The whole area is covered with big leafy green trees, and the playground was well-maintained. Another thing I liked about this neighbourhood was that not all the affluent felt they needed to have sizable mansions. Some of them had decent-sized houses, in proportion to their lawns, as opposed to a massive house squeezed tight into the compound. And there were also some nice quiet little single storey bungalows like the one in the left pic.

Unfortunately, the huge commercial area right behind the hill marred the view (pics). I think the whole Phileo Damansara and Eastin developments are about just over a decade old, while the Star building is more recent. Notwithstanding the not-so pretty view, I know I definitely would gladly move into this neighbourhood if someone gifted me a house there.

Recently, RPM Nut invited to show me around his area of Kuala Lumpur, which is mainly in the northern and north-eastern side (I think). So after the gym, I headed down to Kuala Lumpur City Centre, because I needed to get some stuff at the Twin Towers. Unfortunately, it was the first Saturday of the month, and I stupidly took the Duta way. Had I known there was massive roadworks, I would have had avoided it. So I was stuck in a jam for more than half an hour (left pic). Needless to say, I used the opportunity to take some pictures.

After the painful Duta stretch, I finally hit Jalan Kuching. Southbound was free flowing, and I reached KLCC in no time. Unfortunately, this “shopping heaven” did not sell any swimming flippers, and did not have Bjork’s new album (I am looking for the Japanese import), so I bought some books, then headed out to Ampang Point. I forgot Jalan Ampang had its fair share of traffic jams, especially before the Keramat turn-off. After that, I hit Ampang Point in less than five minutes, and settled down for coffee with RPM Nut.

View from Kinokuniya KLCC

We soon headed out from the Ampang Point area, underneath the middle ring road, and made a u-turn towards Ukay Heights. RPM Nut wanted to show me some of the houses there, and I have to admit, that was a very nice residential area to live in, despite its single access in and out. We ended up at the foot of Highland Towers, which is now abandoned. The remaining blocks standing were dark and gloomy, while the forest around it looked creepy (left pic).

We then cruised along the middle ring road, and ended up near Wangsa Maju. The shoplots in Desa Setapak, once a haven for VCDs, is still thriving (right pic). We headed further into the older areas of Wangsa Maju. The flats in section 2, of the low cost variety when first built, actually looked quite good, with large trees outside, and marginal traffic (pics below). We surveyed the area, and I took some unsuccessful pictures, before we moved back towards Ampang Jaya (specifically Jalan Kerja Air Lama) for dinner.

Along the way, we stopped by the Sri Maryamman temple along the Gombak River (pic below). There was some kind of festival going on that evening, but I couldn’t venture out to ask anyone because RPM Nut was waiting illegally on the road shoulder. I also grabbed a few cool shots of the elevated highway (left pic).

We travelled into Ampang Jaya, where there was an interesting little stall. It was gaudily lit, and had bright chandeliers and an interesting clock-fountain-tap (respectively below). The food was reasonably good, but the teh ais (iced tea) was fantastic! Highly recommended! After dinner, we headed even further out north to Ukay Perdana, where there’s a really good view of Kuala Lumpur (last pic). It’s quite a nice area, although quite far out of town for me.

Then we headed back into town, and like any other weekend night, I got caught in a traffic jam at 12.30 am.

After mooching about Central Market recently, I ended up at the National History Museum. It’s located on the southern side of Dataran Merdeka, on the junction where Jalan Raja and Victory Avenue meet. Admission is free, and there were no photographing restrictions. It was nice to get into the cool air-conditioning from the sticky heat outside. The building has been nicely refurbished, with sliding glass doors and central air-conditioning. The information sheet said that the National History Museum was officially opened in 1996. Well, that explains why I didn’t know it existed, I was out of the country at the time!

Through the sliding glass door panels, the first exhibits are wood carvings and copper toolings of Malay warriors and the like. The centrepiece (left pic) is quite impressive, almost from floor to ceiling. Other historical artefacts, like the keris (malay sword) and malay traditional clothing are exhibited in the main foyer. I turned left, and began my journey from the very beginning – prehistory. There didn’t seem much interesting to me at that point, mostly bits of stone and flint displayed (apparently tools prehistorical people used), although there were some nice photos of the prehistoric painting in the Niah Caves.

Next on display was the neo-lithic period (early farmers), with plenty of pots, bowls and other crude farming tools exhibited. Following this, were displays on the hoabinhian and metal periods. The megalithic culture in Negri Sembilan and East Malaysia had some interesting exhbits (like the rock mini-menhirs in left pic above). Next was a display on the hindu and buddhist cultures in Malaysia (right pic above, artefacts from the Bujang Valley).

I moved on upstairs, where the famous Batu Bersurat Terengganu, or the Inscribed Terengganu Stone, was exhibited (right pic). This is something I remember we were taught very early on in the history school syllabus. The stone is apparently evidence of when Islam came into the country, namely Terengganu on the east coast. Ask me when, and I couldn’t tell you the answer, but I do recall it was ages and ages ago, and that it came through China (interestingly enough).

The next exhibition hall had the great Malaccan period on display, when Malacca became a commercial hub for the region because of its strategic location. I was disappointed with the illustration of events in this room, they looked a lot like those in our school textbooks (albeit in colour). Displays on the periods on the Dutch (Dutch chairs, left pic) and Portuegese rule were brief, while that on the British Colonial rule bored me (but this could be because of those many hours of memorisation exam topics all those years ago).

On the second floor, the final displays were on great Malaysian patriots, writers and politicians, like P. Ramlee, Tok Gajah, Adibah Amin, Onn Jaafar, Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Sambanthan. There was also a section on great (Muslim) religious leaders. Tucked away in the back was a little display on the Japanese occupation (right pic). Next on were displays on Malaysia’s development, with a very special section called “Malaysia Boleh!” (literally, “Malaysia Can!” – which has inspired me to begin a photo blog series by the same name). Of course, there was a model Proton, Malaysia’s first car, on display, along with other great Malaysian feats, like climbing Mount Everest, yachting around the world, the KL Tower etc.

The logos and important figures in the different political parties through the decades were exhibited next, with the past few kings and queens in the final chamber on that topmost floor (left pic). After climbing all the way down the building, there were pictures of important historical buildings, like palaces, historical houses, heritage buildings and religious buildings (of which, not one single church or temple were pictured). Right at the back in that final room was a little bit on the commonwealth, with a non-working interactive computer-machine thingy and some furniture from the last CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) held in Malaysia.

The exhibits were fun, and made me slightly nostalgic for school. More interestingly, the building has been done up really well. There are the interesting staircases (pic above) at the four corners of the building, with a really nice corridor in front of the main section of the building . Apparently, the original building was made from bricks and wood, used as the main office of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. The building was later demolished and rebuilt with Moorish and Islamic architecture. The building was used by the Japanese as a telecommunications base during the second world war. After a stretch of being used by different governmental departments, it was finally given to the Museums and Antiquities Department in 1991.

When I was much younger, my mother used to haul me down to Central Market down in Kuala Lumpur. At that time, there used to be free parking spaces all over the place. Central Market was white (or at least, had been painted white), and it was actually a wet market (much like Selayang Market is now). I hate wet markets, and I used to protest very loudly, squidging in the dark muddy insides, with the smells of raw meat and drains. It closed down for awhile when I was about ten, I think. And then it was reborn, like a phoenix from the ashes, all pink and eggshell-blue, a new tourist destination for Kuala Lumpur, Garden City of Lights (no, wait – it’s Vision City now).

I do like the idea and concept of Central Market. Although the area is far too busy for me to want to go there often, it has become what it was designed to be – an arts and crafts hub. Although a little faded now, it still is as interesting a place as it used to be when it first opened as an arts and crafts market. There is the usual food fare, and some non-arts shops, like the second-hand book store my mother used to love, and also the CD shops and some clothes shops. However, local amateur artists have their little stalls in the four corners of the market, while there are plenty of arts and crafts stalls, with weavings and carvings, and all manners of local handicraft with the tourist in mind.

I discovered an artist, Adeputra, who had his political work up on display (sample below). I was quite taken with his work. He had one on Bush, some on the recent budget, all quite eye-catching and youthful, yet with darker undertones if you look closely to see what the newspaper cuttings say. He has been an artist for five years, although his main source of income is from his daytime job.

A few years after the market was revived as an arts and crafts market, an annex was built right behind it (right pic). It was initially called Central Square, with a few eateries and arts shops on the ground floor, a pub on the first floor, and a cinema on the second. Now the club, one of KL’s vibrant and longest lasting Saturday venues, has taken over the cinema, and is a double-storey affair. The newsagents and the eateries are about the same. Now, the annex has been renamed “Central Market Annexe”.

Following that development, a few years down the line, an underground tunnel was built on inbetween Central Market and the Klang River to accomodate a new line on our light rail transport system. This made the embankment much more interesting, with an elevated view of the surroundings (the elevated embankment, left pic below, left of pic). Once that was built, a little stage was set into the elevated embankment (right pic below). Both cultural as well as contemporary performances take place there some evenings.

Central Market is situated on the southern fringes of Kuala Lumpur, and on the eastern bank of the Klang River. The surrounding area is also worth working around. I discovered that some of the old shop houses had been refurbished (left pic below), while others remained abandoned or were in a state of disrepair (right pic below). I was saddened, although I am unsure as to why, that some of the old pawnbrokers were now converted into mobile phone shops. I also discovered a budget hotel, Le Village, which wasn’t there the last time I walked along Jalan Tun HS Lee. Along the bridge on Leboh Pasar Besar, you get a good view of Masjid Jamek.

Near Central Market stands our once-proud Kuala Lumpur Clock Tower (pic below). Undoubtedly not much of a tower anymore, it still looks quite good on the tarmac (which is now a busy bus stop). Next to it is the famous chicken rice shop, although it doesn’t look like it’s open anymore (but it could be that it was a Sunday). I ended my round at the National History Museum, which will be reviewed in a seperate post.

While heading into Desa Sri Hartamas for dinner recently, I noticed what a great picture the staircase along the shortcut would make (left pic). When it’s after dark, and the shortcut is quiet, just standing at the foot of the staircase looking up, reminds me of being on Whitechapel’s amber-tinted streets, on which Jack the Ripper used to hunt.

Desa Sri Hartamas is another one of those trendy evening spots. Unsurprisingly nicknamed “the new Bangsar”, Desa Sri Hartamas has practically everything the Bangsar Telawi area has to offer, including a branch of the famous SPG haunt, Finnegans (pic). Unlike the Bangsar Telawi area, Desa Sri Hartamas offers fewer night entertainment spots, and possibly more variety in restaurants. At a cursory glance, I found Japanese, Korean, Western, fusion food, food stalls, baba food, Penang food, bakeries, Strudel, Burger King, practically everything you could want in just one commercial area.

Aside from the food spots and some watering holes, Desa Sri Hart (as it’s lovingly called by locals) has the usual retail stores, like Guardian Pharmacy, a trendy supermarket, some stationery stores, a petrol kiosk, car accessories, a pet store, a fire station, a famous children’s book store and the famous TNT Kickboxing studio. The stores I usually like to linger in are the DVD/VCD stores.

Desa Sri Hartamas Fire Station

It was quite quiet on the night I ventured there for dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I wasn’t very surprised, its being a weekday evening. It’s a totally different story on a weekend night though. I would think that perhaps the problem with Desa Sri Hartamas now is the silent shock of Darren Kang’s murder recently. Unlike Whitechapel, Desa Sri Hartamas is an upmarket area, with patrons coming from the upper middle income to the affluent. Even the backlanes are well lit (right pic), with trees and grass and pavements, as opposed to dirty drains and large sewer rats. Had Darren Kang been assaulted and killed in another area of town, say Chow Kit or Kampung Baru, perhaps the public would not have been as shocked or affected by his murder.

Darren’s unfortunate demise is not a one-off or rare occurence. As mentioned in an earlier post, violence in Kuala Lumpur is escalating beyond proportions the public has ever experienced. Recently, there was an attempt to abduct Datuk Chua Jui Meng’s son from a petrol station in the area. Desa Sri Hartamas residents, like those in Taman SA, are more than aware of the situation, and have taken matters into their own hands.

The residents’ association recently formed a “Security Base” (right pic, below). Now, the public is not allowed into the housing estate, with all one entrance/exit completely cordonned off (left pic, below), and the other manned by security guads (pic, above). The guard told me that security operations have been running for about five months now. However, he did say something surprising. He said the housing area was now closed because residents were unhappy with the public parking inside. I can imagine this would be a more valid reason for Taman SA, but who’s to know. I personally wouldn’t be happy if there was a popular commercial square nearby, with the public parking indiscriminately along my neighbourhood streets.

I found this travelogue on Desa Sri Hart. It has daytime pictures, and a very good picture of a stack of rubbish (well, it’s good to see all sides of the place).

Recently, I went on a family outing to Carey Island for seafood. We used to go there often when my brother and I were younger (and not working), but family excursions have got less frequent with the onset of age and jobs. Unsurprisingly, I was pretty happy about the outing, and was looking forward to taking some good pictures for the blog.

Carey Island is situated south of Port Klang, just off the mainland, about an hour’s drive from Petaling Jaya (through the LDP and Kesas Highways). It apparently is a huge island, alleged to be almost the size of Singapore. Its land has been used for agricultural purposes: my mother said she visited it when she was young to view the tea plantations and manufacturing procedure. More recently, Golden Hope Plantations has had its palm oil plantations on the island. For as long as I can remember, the island has been closed off from the public, although there is a bridge from the mainland to the Island.

The journey there was much faster than I remember it to be. It could be because we had opted to take the LDP and Kesas Highways, instead of the usual route of the Federal Highway, and later on through Klang. I finally discovered where Kota Kemuning and Bukit Rimau were (shameful, I know). The roads from the Kesas Highway to Banting was greatly improved, and incredibly had no toll stations at all (pic above). There seemed to me to be less palm oil estates about, and more residential development going on. There were also a great number of abandoned ‘kampung’ houses along the way, like the one in the left photo below. Of course, the thing anyone would see the most are palm oil trees (left pic).

We finally reached the restaurant, which is on the mainland along the river facing Carey Island (right pic, above), I discovered that the road and bridge leading to the island were not barred any longer. Vehicles driving freely on to the island, with no sight of any barrier or guard house along the coastline. When we had settled down at the restaurant, I quickly took leave to grab some shots of the areas surrounding the restaurant. I later on asked the restaurant proprietor what the name of the river was. She said it was the “Pulau Carey River” – I knew this was highly unlikely. Later on, when I asked my parents, they said it could be the Langat River, or possibly the Jugra River. Anyone?

 

It was when I could not bear it any longer, and practically exclaimed “Where’s the beach?”, when casuarina trees popped up out of nowhere along the road shoulders, a definite sign that the beach was near, my mother assured me. And she was right, because after a bend, there was the beach. My father’s reaction: “it’s like Morib”. My mother’s response: “Morib 40 years ago”. We parked our cars, and I gleefully jumped out to take a few pictures. The tide was out, and the beach looked filthy. I could see some huge ships on the horizon, obscured by the haze. I can’t remember what Morib looked like, but it was a place to file away for later discovery.

My father and brother mooched around a few shacks by the beachfront. They bought some steamed peanuts, and pondered on whether to buy some crabs (they opted not to). At that point in time, it suddenly became overcast, and within a minute of getting into our cars, it began to rain.

After getting home, I did some research on the island. I discovered that Carey Island’s aboroginal community, known as the Mah Meri, are very well-known for their unique culture and way of life, and especially for their votive sculptures, fashioned from a kind of swamp hardwood known as “Nyireh Batu”. I found a website, Khong’s Walkwagon (he has a really nifty volkswagen!), which had a much better travelogue on the island than mine. It also has motivated me to spend more than just an afternoon on the island. There definitely will be a Carey Island Part 2. Stay tuned.

A sudden cancellation of a movie outing gave me time one Friday night free to wander around town one Friday evening. I ended up in Sentul, another of those northern parts I hardly know. Unlike other bits of north KL though, I do have some childhood memories of the area. My father used to take the whole family over to Sentul to get our clothes tailored at Menon Brothers, along one of those Jalan Unions (I’m not sure which one). We also used to get some really great Indian food just off Jalan Ipoh, after the Jalan Sentul turn off.

Recently, a friend had treated me to dinner in Sentul, specifically Sentul Raya Boulevard (above pic). As I was shooting, a man came up behind me, asking me why I was taking pictures. Apparently, lots of people had been taking pictures of Sentul Raya Boulevard that day. In any case, I was amazed at the extent of development going on (I always seem to be amazed at development outside areas I’m familiar with). Sentul is apparently set to be the Arts hub of the nation, what with YTL providing the Actors Studio with a huge new space there, and with the National Art Gallery and Istana Budaya so close by.

This notwithstanding, Sentul has maintained a lot of its charm. Right behind the new Sentul Raya Boulevard is a little temple (above left pic). When I was taking pictures, there were people worshipping by a tree right outside (right of pic). Sentul also is home to loads of churches (like the one in above right pic) and other forms of Christian mission, legacies of which include the Sentul convent and La Salle Sentul.

I also discovered a stretch which I might even dare call quietly elegant along Jalan Kovil Hilir. Along the initial stretch just off Jalan Sentul, there is a stretch of terraced single-storey houses. Right behind them are huge cranes in the midst of a large developing area (above pic). Further up, the road broadens and goes a little uphill (left pic below), but just turn right and you’ll find old interesting low-cost houses (right pic below).

If I’m not mistaken, Sentul was initially railway quarters. There is still a station (pictures below). The area is considered a poor area of town, with its complexes of low-cost flats (left pic). It’s also a haven for food , especially Indian food (being a predominantly Indian area). It really is a fascinating place, and this post certainly doesn’t do it justice. I have to go back during the day soon.

Dataran Merdeka (or the Independence Square) has been in existence since Malaysia’s independence in 1957, but has gone through several facelifts, the most notable change being the erecting of the flagpole. It is flanked by the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) on the west, and across the road to the east are the Federal courts. On its north is the RSC field, on which cricket used to be played until about the 1980s. North of the field is St. Mary’s Cathedral, the mother Anglican church for the country, and where I worship (see pic below for view from the square looking north).

I was glad I decided to take a look-see, some things have changed since I last mooched about (which was probably before the great flood underneath the square). For one thing, the road right next to the platform has been tiled over, and is a pedestrian walkway now (which seems to make more sense). There is a heritage centre and a museum of natural history (both of which might have been there before – see right pic below – but I never noticed, which brings us back to my taking things for granted). I plan to drop in on both, and will do a little review on the blog soon. There is also a new library next to the heritage centre, on the south-west of the square (left pic below).

Everything else seemed to be the same. The good old fountain is still there (left pic). The RSC still looked good. It’s funny how the area behind the club, the side along Jalan Kuching, used to be notorious for its activities. I remember when I was about five or six, my parents used to make my brother and I turn the other way after Christmas service at midnight. Of course, when someone tells a child not to do something, they tend to go right ahead and do it. I got an eyeful of a lot!

I crossed the road over to the Federal Courts (pics above), where I was called to the Malaysian Bar. That was a nice day, the end of the pain and torture of being a pupil-in-chambers. Behind the Federal Court flows the Klang River. You can see Central Market (another huge tourist stop, left pic below) from there. If you face the other way, you can see the Sessions Courts (right pic below), and Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque), which also is a major LRT stop.

I crossed back and took a walk across the Klang River. There is a garden here (left pic below), which used to be much more dense, and much less well maintained. It used to be another den of notoriety. I even got mugged here by a drug addict in my late teens there. He claimed to have a knife in his pocket. It was unlikely that he did, but I was young and less brave. In recent years, the authorities have cleaned up the whole area, and to ward off anyone high on drugs, they have built a monster-like venus flytrap fountain (pic, right). Huge in scale, monstrous in design, it is sure to give any person nightmares, whether flying high as a kite or sober. Right next to the venus flytrap fountain garden are food stalls. Being a very necessary part of KL lifestyle, these are slightly more “upmarket”, with the trendy name of “Di Tebing” (loosely translated, “by the shore” -right pic below). There is a friendly old malay man who serves me great iced tea before church every Sunday.

I was late for church, but I had to stop for pictures of St. Mary’s. I have a fondness for this church, it was the one I was baptised in, and spent most of my church-going life in. It now is dwarfed by buildings surrounding it, and suffers from floods arising from the swelling waters of the Klang River. Service can be quite hard when there are festivals at the square. There is no way our little church’s PA system could ever match a hi-tech outdoor PA system. And when it rains, the roof sometimes leaks.

And yet, the wood is always shiny and varnished. The velvet on the kneelers are always bright, and lint-less. There are always flowers (unless it’s Lent), and the grounds are well-tended. My brother and I used to love playing in the grounds when we were younger. It seemed so vast, and we used to collect those little red seeds used for making little pillows for 5 stones. Although I don’t know too many congregation members, I secretly feel very much at home in this little cathedral. Despite its disadvantaged circumstances, this is the cathedral British royalty visit when they are here. It has a lot going for it.

The area is definitely worth paying a visit. At night, everything is quite brightly lit, and there usually are police and local authority officers patrolling. The main road, Jalan Raja, is usually shut during weekend nights, making the area a pedestrian mall. Unfortunately, there are quite a number of noisy motorcyclists about, although they refrain from racing until much later in the night.

Sometimes, the spirit and the flesh are both willing, but technology isn’t. A friend (C) and I decided to take a drive tonight around town. Due to the rain, we had to hole up in Petaling Jaya for awhile. The rain had done its usual; traffic was at a standstill, on all roads, and even worse at junctions and roundabouts.

After a fish curry dinner, C began to drive around aimlessly. We headed south-west towards Klang, then ended up making U-turn back towards Kuala Lumpur. The next thing we both knew, we were in the shadowy corners of Segambut. I was surprised at how the little roads in Segambut broadened into multi-lane dual-carriageway roads, then suddenly bottle-neck back into a narrow two lane road.

The picture on the right is what I had hoped to show this phenomenon. Unfortunately, I opted for the “sports scene” function, which made the cars turn out static, but the flash failed to work, leaving everything else to the viewer’s imagination. I guess this evening’s outing was as much an exercise in using my camera, as it was actually exploring. I discovered quickly that it wasn’t easy to take good pictures while looking for potentially good photo subjects.

Segambut is one of those areas I’m not familiar with at all. Whenever I end up in Segambut, I feel totally lost and alien. Historically, the area was a light industrial area, although the developing parts further out of town has turned residential. Its original industrial areas (right pic, above) are closer to town, along the Duta roundabout area and surroundings. Residential areas are sprouting all over the place (left pic, above), some glossy and new while others look a little knackered. We ended up in a new residential area (I can’t remember the name, because I was so busy trying to take decent pictures in a moving car). The neighbourhood reminded me of a younger and less dense Wangsa Maju. And it is one of the few areas where Rukun Tetangga (similar to Neighbourhood Watch) huts exist. We found a tae-kwondo class going on in one of them (left pic).

We drove around, ending up on Jalan Ipoh itself (right pic). This area never ceases to amaze me with the number of bridal shops. There’s even a Bridal Parade. There are a number of interesting little shopping complexes, looking relatively bright and new on Jalan Ipoh, like Wisma Mutiara (right next to “Kelab Goldhill” – looking surprisingly much higher class than “Club De Vegas” [!] on Jalan Imbi).

We stopped by some stalls for dessert, Loke Mei and some other very fattening deep fried chinese desert and cake. Right by the stalls was a building (later discovered to be “Sungai Mas”) with the word “FAG” in bright pink on its side. Interesting…

(picture taken by C)

I always enjoy a night out discovering, but I’m slightly disappointed with the photo results. We decided to call it a night after dessert. Northbound traffic out of town was at a standstill at 10.30pm. Yes, head home before traffic heading anywhere else decides to build up.

Work took me to the Putra World Trade Centre recently. Since I had my camera with me, I thought why not make a little adventure of it. If memory serves me well, the Kuala Lumpur Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) was built in the mid 1980s. It is on the fringes of Chow Kit (KL’s shady area), and is very close to Kenny Hills (or Bukit Tunku), one of the most expensive areas to live in. So, just down the road are destitute drug addicts, while right next to it is the Pan Pacific and Legend Hotel.

The PWTC apparently hosts over 1,000 events annually. It occupies 133,000 sq.ft, with one plenary hall, two multipurpose halls, three exhibition halls, seventeen meeting rooms, and VIP suites. Right opposite the PWTC is “The Mall”, and right next to the Mall is an LRT station (I think the stop is called “PWTC”). The building itself is a big block, with the tall UMNO building on top of it, and also a big hall (see pic above). So this sort of gives me the impression that it’s just two buildings on a hill, when in actual fact, the “hill” is in actual fact a building as well.

I reached there close to 10.30 in the morning. It was eerily quiet, unlike most of my visits there. The car park was semi full, and there wasn’t a soul about. I could hear the central air-conditioning engines humming, but aside from that, absolutely nothing – even though, I could see the traffic and crowded streets outside through the air shafts. The car park, on ground level, is wide and sprawling. As I had feared, I couldn’t find my car later when I was leaving.

In any case, the building itself was surprisingly quiet when I got in, despite there being one conference held, and another unrelated press preview going on. There were just a few workmen about, a few cleaners, and not many others. Surprisingly, I was told that this was the peak period for conferences; before the budget, and before the onset of the fasting month.

In my newfound spirit of adventure, I decided to suss the building out when I got my work sorted. It’s funny how life can sap out the sense of curiousity and adventure in me. I recall as a child how I would be running ahead to explore things, to the extent that I would be far off from my parents (who sometimes got frantic when they couldn’t find me – or vice-versa).

Anyway, I have to the PWTC a lot for work now, for conferences and things like that. But I remember coming here when the place was brand new and sparkling to watch a couple of concerts, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the place has been well maintained (unlike many other endeavours I will not mention at this time). The white marble tiles are still relatively white. There were few visible cracks, and doors and exits all seem to work. I crossed over the Gombak River to a new exhibition area, and captured the shot below. Aside from the muddy drain water, and the murky hazy sky, I think this is a pretty good picture of KL.

Just past the exhibition, more construction is taking place. I’m not surprised, what with YTL’s developing Sentul into something spicier and upmarket, I can imagine a similar bid for Chow Kit.

I decided to walk up to the main UMNO building (adjacent to the PWTC, although I would call it part of the centre, since they’re both joined through massive corridors underneath). When I got to the top, I was surprised to see blood-red posters of our nation’s leaders (pic below). There was one for each, and this massive one for all. As usual, there were security guards and chauffers for VIPs lounging about and having cigarettes. It was a hot hot day.

I went back in, wishing I had the time to go through the exhibition celebrating UMNO’s many victories. But work (and a lunchtime swim) was waiting for me.

Recently, a friend and I decided to have some Thai food. I know a pretty good Thai coffee shop in the Jalan Alor area, so we headed on down there one Saturday evening, with 70s disco hits booming from the car speakers. We parked behind the Pudu Police Station, along Jalan Galloway. As usual, there was a man waiting to collect money, a grand total of RM3. I asked for a student discount (well, I could be a student, you never know), and he told me that if I were to park across the street, it would cost RM5. So I reluctantly forked out the money, and we crossed Jalan Pudu. Safely, I might add.

We walked through the car parks along Jalan Tong Shin, and headed on to Tingkat Tong Shin, where the famous beef ball noodle store is. My friend (“Loki”) told me that right across the road from the beef ball noodle is a famous barbeque pork rice stall, which opens during lunch. I think I read about it in the newspaper recently. The stall-holder actually buys the pork, and barbeques it himself everyday. I bet he’s minting money…

Anyway, we headed on down Tingkat Tong Shin, with the refurbished houses-turned-cafes (pics above). This has to be one of KL’s nicest streets to walk along. It’s just great that we have actually done some nice refurbishment of old colonial building(which are not painted in pastel colours or salmon). The tall trees (which amazingly have not been chopped down), the old/new look of the area, and the massive looming buildings on the horizon,makes this street just so special. Furthermore, associations I never knew existed are set up here, like the Au Yong Family Association, the Foo Descendents Association and the Selangor Newspaper Vendors Association. Imagine that!

I stopped for awhile, and took a couple of snaps. La Bodega and the rest didn’t look too busy, but saying that, it was just past seven in the evening (I was told that it was quite busy later on in the evening by someone who was there).

We made a right, down on to Jalan Sahabat. We were both in good spirits, sightseeing in our own backyard makes you open your eyes to a lot of things you miss. And it also gave us a sense of adventure, which we might have lost when we began the mundane routine of worklife. The skyline along Jalan Sahabat was amazing, with the old terraced houses on the hill, and the KL Tower looming up in the twilight. There was a new condo at the end of the road, with an interesting banner below its tennis courts (pic, left).

We walked to the end of Jalan Sahabat, where there was a Chinese temple. I pulled out my camera, and was about to take a picture, when Loki pointed out a “church” right next to it. We climbed up to the “church”, which couldn’t possibly fit more than ten people at a time. It was a little white hut, with black crosses spray-painted all over the front. There was a few minutes of conjecture, “church” or “Christians paranoid of temple’s influence” or what? Anyone?

We continued on through an alley, and ended up on Changkat Bukit Bintang. There was some kind of event going on, “Music & Fashion @ Changkat Bukit Bintang” (pic, below left). The street was closed, with traffic cops barricading each end. Right in the middle was a stage, with a dance presentation (of sorts). Apparently, this was part of the KL August Festival. In any case, there weren’t many people around, with Hemingways, Frangipanni, Deutsches Bierhaus etc. all but empty (pic, below right). The cops, a handful of tourists and us were the only ones around. I’m sure things picked up later. Loki, who has been based in Singapore for awhile, didn’t know how “cool and happening” Changkat Bukit Bintang had become.

Since it was early, we decided to nip down to Low Yat Plaza to check out computer stuff and DVDs. This time it was my turn to be surprised at how busy Low Yat Plaza was. There was even a semblance of a street bazaar on the outside, and the roads were just so busy (pic, left). Things inside weren’t any different either. We checked out prizes for PDA covers (too expensive for me), and some DVDs (got me some Buffy!).

We headed back on to Changkat Bukit Bintang to the Thai coffee shop, and were soon digging in to an authentic (and cheap) Thai meal. Because it was on a slope, I could see things I had missed earlier. I saw the Africans bunched around, I saw people heading towards Bukit Bintang, and I saw people looking out through windows from those old shop lots. And it occurred to me that there are people who actually call these streets their neighbourhood. Girls were sitting outside on their balconies reading and talking (pic, right). Some were braiding other’s hair. Okay, I know, some of these girls might be in a profession of ill repute, but this place is still their home.

After dinner, totally stuffed, we headed down Jalan Alor (pic, left). We observed two African guys humourously victimising two Malay guys, who sped off on their little motorcycle. Loki said the Malay guys were cops. Isn’t that ironic? Along Jalan Alor, we experienced smells of delicious food (pity we were so stuffed). There were at least three ‘budget hotels’ (cheap comfortable rooms for RM45 per night, the banners stated). This was the time when I was most aware that I was carrying a digital camera, and trying to take photos. People were everywhere, and with the recent spate of reported snatch thefts, I am really thankful to God that I still have my camera.

In any case, we got back to the car, everything and everyone intact, and capped the evening with some American Chillis’ dessert.

I recently was at Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) to get Bjork’s Medulla. When I discovered that it was shockingly still unavailable in Malaysia, I decided to take a drive through the residential area by BSC’s northern side, called Taman SA. When I turned round the corner of Jalan Menerung, I was surprised to find it the road barricaded, with a little security hut on the left, and security guards manning the blockade on the right.

What with the whole controversy in the local media about closed / gated communities, I decided to find out more. I parked my car, and went out to speak to the security guards. Right next to the barricade was a sign stating that there was “restricted access” to the neighbourhood. When I initially asked the guards how long the area had been closed off, they seemed a little bit defensive, saying that they were just doing what they were told to do. They then referred me to a registration book, where visitors of the neighbourhood’s residents had to sign in their particulars. A glance at the registration book revealed that the area had been shut off since August 2004.

According to the guards, there had been some break-ins and robberies in the neighbourhood. Furthermore, a corpse was apparently dumped in a ditch in the area. I asked the guards if Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (the city’s local authority) or the police had given permission for, or had allowed, the barricade. They rolled their eyeballs, and told me that the police had advised them the night before (Sept 10) to remove the barrier, but the resident’s association head had instructed them to continue business as usual the following morning.

It was a bit inconvenient having the place blocked off just when I decided to go explore it. I have no issues with gated communities like Country Heights, Sierramas or Tropicana, which were gated communities from the outset. However, to close off a neighbourhood which was once “public” seems a bit irregular. What of those who used to go for an evening run there? Or those walking their dogs? Or just people like me who wanted to explore? It is fortunate for Taman SA residents that there is just one exit and entrance by road, or I could not imagine anyone being happy with their shutting off the area.

Of course, I do not blame them for their caution. Violence in the Klang Valley has escalated by leaps and bounds in the last few years. And Taman SA is a relatively secluded area. When I related this to my mother later in the evening, she told me that my aunt, who lives on the other side of Bukit Bandaraya, had a guard on her road as well. She told me that my aunt said the police apparently encourage residents to actively protect their neighbourhood (which conflicts a little with what the guards implied).

It is in an interesting conflict, the seemingly unilateral (and unpublicised) shutting off of a community, opposing the public’s right to venture on to land owned by the government, to whom they pay taxes.

(By the way, if the pictures appear unclear or grainy, it’s due to the haze)

I work in Mont Kiara, an upmarket area in the northern suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. There is the commercial hub, Plaza Mont Kiara, which is surrounded by swanky apartments and condo units, and flanked by two private schools. When I began to work here as a writer about a year and a half ago, I quickly discovered how convenient it is for me. Just fifteen minutes away from my home in Petaling Jaya, and just fifteen minutes away from the city, it has everything within easy reach, and on occasion, walking distance too.

I found I could get my haircut at the Indian barber at Plaza Mont Kiara, lunch is readily available everywhere. There is a motor workshop nearby for emergencies (I learnt this through experience, having a beat-up decade old Proton Saga). There is a gym with a pool, which I use frequently during the week. And with the new footpath into Desa Sri Hartamas, I get easy access to Burger King, stall food, and also the pet shop, where I get my dogs groomed. Very easy.

Saying this though, I can’t imagine its being a tourist destination. There really is little to offer culturally, since most of the retail outlets cater to the higher middle income bracket, and expatriate community. There is nothing traditional or cultural happening in Mont Kiara, unless you count the Sunrise Jazz Festival, and the flea market (no longer so-called, because it never really was a flea market – the place is too upmarket for second-hand goods to be sold!) on Thursdays and Sundays “cultural” (see pic above right).

I think the developers, Sunrise Berhad (or an associate company) had designed the neighbourhood to be “posh” though. Aside from the obvious frenchified “Mont” in its name, the location of the international schools, Mont Kiara’s feel and vibe comes across as being slightly contrived, dare I say, calculated. That notwithstanding, I am quite content to work in the fountain-sprayed environment of Plaza Mont Kiara. It is also a place I go to when I want to spend some time alone with a book, and a cup of coffee. And many of my friends come here to work in the coffee places in the area. It has that kind of tranquil atmosphere.

All this, of course, draws in quite an interesting crowd. Aside from the working expats (from Japanese to Middle Eastern to Americans), there is the usual bunch of international school kids (sometimes by the droves), as well as quite a lot of local eye candy. A friend who moved to Singapore used to despair at the state of Malaysian women, until he began to hang out at the local Starbucks. Then I began to receive quite a lot of text messages, expressing relief that there were some “hot chicks” in Kuala Lumpur after all.

Not all is well in paradise though. The new monolithic Penchala Link highway (see pic above right) has marred the poshness of Mont Kiara. The terraced highway cuts right across Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (another “posh” district) right over Mont Kiara to Jalan Duta. However, I find the sight of it pretty exciting, like a huge endless expanse of concrete leading to edge of imagination. Also, there are heaps of new developments and building erected every month, like the bright “Shoplex” in the picture above (left).

If I’m not mistaken, this whole area used to be palm oil plantations, which was developed (and still is being developed) by design to cater to the upwardly mobile community. The downside of the area is that it can get quite dusty, with all the construction going on. Unsurprisingly, right next to Mont Kiara is the neglected and less wealthy area, Segambut. I once got lost one evening while being adventurous, and took a turn I usually didn’t, and ended up somewhere in Segambut. The roads are dark and narrow, and houses look lean and quiet. It took me some time to find my way back to somewhere familiar, but I think I will go down there again one day. I’m sure there must be adventures to be had there.

Cities have always thrilled me. There is always something beyond the vastness of a city, something hidden in deeper recesses. It’s like something you see in the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look, it’s usually gone. Cities are like that for me: a panoramic vista, with something not-quite-there-unless-you-look.

Throughout my late teens, and early twenties, I went adventuring throughout most of Europe, hunting for mysteries down the streets of Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid… More often than not, I discovered the quirks I was looking for, braving alleyways, going down dark roads on purpose. For sure, I went through the main streets as well, just to see what needs to be juxtaposed. In recent years, I have come to appreciate how much adventure can be had in the Klang Valley. Having been brought up here, I realise how much I have taken it for granted, and how much I have missed because of this.
Read the rest of this entry »