A TRIP TO FT LABUAN

(Our memories)

Planning

We planned to go on a holiday to the Federal Territory Labuan. This is a follow-up after our last two holidays to Ipoh, Perak and Alor Setar, Kedah. I have been to Labuan when I was working with a federal government agency. My wife, who is still working in a federal ministry, used to travel on official duties to almost every state in Malaysia, including a few remote towns along the Sungai Rajang in Sarawak but did not have a chance to visit Labuan. That was the reason why we chose Labuan this coming holiday. I started to collect information for this trip as early as July 2012. I prefer to prepare myself much earlier so that I would be able to overcome any obstacles early, and to make sure the plan would run smoothly.

Hotel Bookings

I browsed the internet searching for a reasonable hotel in the Labuan town area. It’s a bit surprise that about 90% of all the hotels in Labuan did not have their own website or even an email address to contact. Most of the booking for these hotels were done through a third party. It’s a bit difficult for us to get more info except by phone. We can have the phone numbers of some of the hotels through the Malaysian Yellow Pages.

The Hotel

Browsing the internet, I happened to come across a few websites of hotels in Labuan. I sent emails to inquire further on room rates and other information from these hotels which I feel it is reasonable and economical enough to stay. Only one of my emails was replied and I hold-on to book until I have finalised my flight.

Flight Bookings

There are daily direct flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Labuan. The Low-Cost Airline (Air-Asia) offers a flight to Labuan too early in the morning and we may not be able to catch the flight in time. One of the daily flights offered by the Malaysian Airline System (MAS) departs from KLIA at 9.00 am and expected to arrive in Labuan at 11.30 am. We chose this flight as the other flights would either depart a bit late in the afternoon or that would stop over at Kota Kinabalu to arrive at Labuan late in the evening.

We hope to be able to reach KLIA before 8.00 am to catch our flight. We have to hire a taxi from our home in Taman Seri Gombak (TSG) to Kuala Lumpur Sentral – Transit Hub (KL Sentral) in the earliest hour. We would check-in at the Kuala Lumpur City Air Terminal (KL CAT) before 7.00 am, and then travel to KLIA by the Express Rail Link (ERL). We would then have ample time to have our breakfast at the KLIA or, maybe we can have our breakfast during the flight. Our return journey would not be a problem as the daily scheduled flight departed from Labuan at 5.20 pm to arrive at KLIA at 7.40 pm.

I used to travel to Sibu and Kuching, Sarawak when I was attached to a private company after my retirement from the government service. During those days, booking a flight was a straight forward matter. I went to the MAS office counter, inquire about the flight, fares and any discount for a senior citizen like me, usually 50% on domestic air fares, pay up and got the tickets. Nowadays, this system is history, even the MAS office I used to go to has moved to other location. That shows that I have not travelled by air for quite sometime.

My wife and I went to the nearest MAS counter at the KL Sentral. The customer service was very patient with me and I thank her for the time she took to bear with my curiosity. I was advised to book my tickets online by the internet as this is already a trend nowadays. I was told that the fares would be much less than that at the counter and that there aren’t anymore direct discounts for senior citizens.

Whether I like it or not, I have to book our tickets online. This is my first experience and I have to be very careful so as not to make any mistakes. I have to browse the airline webpage many times to understand all the features and get all the online help to understand how it should be done. It looks easy enough.

For two (2) days I tried to book my tickets three (3) times but it seems does not work. My booking was not approved. I called the airline customer service and I was told there was nothing wrong with the way I did my booking only that it does not reached the approval stage. I kept wondering where I did wrong during my transactions.

It was then I decided to call my credit card provider to inquire if there is any problem with my card. They told me I have to activate a feature in the credit card website for my account to enable me to use the credit card for any internet transactions. Walla! (French for “Here it is”) That was the only problem and after I activated the “Secure Code” I was able to do my internet transaction without any hassle. The fares were reasonable and I received my E-ticket by email a few minutes after I completed the transaction.  I felt relaxed, at least I have done what I wanted to accomplish. That was on 15 August 2012, and it was too early before our trip scheduled for 29 September 2012.

So, for those who intended to use your credit card for any internet transactions and for the very first time, inquire from your credit card provider for all these details. I still have a lot more to learn!

I sent an email to the hotel in Labuan to confirm of our arrival and departure to enable them to reserve a room for our holiday.

The Trip

A day before our departure, I called the hotel in Labuan to check on the status of my booking and other relevant matters. Everything seems to go on as planned.

I called a few taxi services to fetch us from our home to the KL Sentral early in the morning. I did make a good decision as to which would give me a better service and charge for the trip. The first wanted to charge me exorbitantly while the other did not. These are legitimate services but it’s up to us to make our choice.

I was sleepless the whole night worrying if the taxi did not come and that we would have a problem to rush to the airport. We were relaxed when the taxi came much earlier, and at 6.00 am on September 29^th, we started our trip to KL Sentral. We want to make sure we won’t be late to catch our flight. As planned, we checked-in at the KL CAT and then took the ERL to KLIA arriving at about 7.15 am. We have our breakfast at a fast-food outlet in KLIA.

My favourite pancakes for my breakfast at KLIA

Smiling all the way to Labuan

Welcome to Labuan

We arrived at Labuan Airport at about 11.30 am. We took a taxi and checked-in the hotel which is situated in the town and it is an easy access to the many places around.  It’s time to pose for our collections, using only our mobile phones cameras.

Posing ... Posing ... eh
In Flight - Top Left: A happy couple; Right: Life MUST go on"
On Arrival - Bottom Left: Arriving by car?; Right: Welcomed by Marlin of Labuan

We have our lunch at a restaurant nearby which served local delicacies that satisfies our taste. After lunch we walked around the area where they were preparing for the Sunday market. The Labuan Walk is beautiful scenery but the surrounding area was not. These photos say a thousand words!

This photo (Left) shows how beautiful this Labuan Walk is; but the photo on the right says otherwise.
These photos were taken on the same day at about the same time.

Enjoying our breakfast; as usual, the baked beans; the hot-dogs are once a favourite of someone.

The next day, after breakfast we walked to the dry market looking for anything that could not be found in our hometown, be it anything that we could carry and take home. At the dry market, we bought some rice which was brought from Bario, Sarawak besides a few types of local cookies, such as “kueh cincin”, “sotoku”, to name a few.

At the dry market looking for something that never exists elsewhere?

I remembered, when I was a young kampong boy, I used to buy some sweetmeat made from sago, in the form of “powdered” and packed in a cylindrical plastic and called it as “sesagun”. I found this at a stall and the seller introduced us on how to enjoy this delicacy with bananas. We tried it and it’s just awesome. We also found a new snack and we just call it “Pulut” as we have forgotten the actual name given by the seller at the open market. This snack is made of cooked glutinous rice wrapped with either pandan or coconut leaves.

The newly introduced local delicasies
Left: "Sesagun" with bananas; Right: "Pulut"

Nearby the dry market are rows of bazaars that sell dresses, clothes, and accessories. My wife was looking for a headdress to go along with her dress, and when she could not find any that suits her taste, she turned to look for accessories instead.

The right accessories for the right dress.

On our way back to the hotel, we passed by this signage “Siswazah Corner” or should it be “Sudut Siswazah”?. We were wondering as to why that particular area was named as such; is it that the area, with a few stalls and food kiosks were maintained and run by the “siswazah”; or is it that area are where the “siswazah” sat and discussed their studies or preparing their thesis? We asked around but no one could give us a good reasonable answers.

The only "Graduate's Corner in Malaysia

We went to the Financial Park that has become the main attraction in Labuan for the local and tourists alike. During lunch, we met a few new students from the Peninsula who recently enrolled to study at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Labuan. We wish them success in their studies.

The Financial Park, Labuan

At one of the stalls selling various kinds of dresses and headdress, my wife found what she have been looking for, at least she had something to bring home. At this stall, the owner was not surprise to see us. She said she saw us in the morning, most probably during our walk to the bazaar looking for the headdress. We asked her why, and she told us that she’s touched to see us walking hand-in-hand as a very romantic and loving couple. My wife smiled and thanked her for the comment.

Labuan is a Duty Free island and we went around for window shopping. There are quite a number of shops selling chocolates and sweets. We bought some sweets and this would always remind us not to take a lot of sugars, or else, maybe someone would end wearing this Extremely-Extra Large Size pair of Jeans.

The chocolates may end you to this Extra Large pair of Jeans

There is a ferry service for those who wish to travel to the Sabah mainland or to Brunei Darussalam. For the local or those from the mainland Sabah or even from Brunei Darussalam this service is their favourite mode of transportation to visit friends, relatives or shopping in Labuan.

Going somewhere?

The drivers in Labuan are very considerate lot, no matter what they drive. They are willing to stop just to let us or anyone to cross the road, anywhere in the town. The town is a small busy town, you won’t get lost! But if we were to do the same in Kuala Lumpur, I am sure we’ll be honked by the drivers behind us persuading us to move on. We may not be able to try this hospitality in Kuala Lumpur. That’s the beauty of Labuan, among others.

Around the town area, there are rest areas where they build shades and chairs for the town folks to rest and chat. The greens which are well kept would be a good shade and cooling from the heat of the afternoon sun. No doubt, Labuan is a small island but it has a lot to offer to visitors.

The History of Labuan (Middle) and the rest areas in the town center.

The Return Journey

We enjoyed our stay in Labuan. We plan to visit Labuan again, but we would like to go by way of Kuching, Sarawak and then to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. From there on, we would take the Ferry, either from Kota Kinabalu that would take 2½ hours or from Menumbok, Sabah that will take 1½ hours to reach Labuan. Actually, this plan was discussed sometime ago, and hopes to realise it when the time comes. It would be a memorable holiday for us then. How’s that? Whatever!

We kept ourselves busy during this holiday, thus forgetting “whatever” problems that have been haunting us all these while. We do hope this holiday will give us some peace of mind when we return home, leaving the pain and frustrations behind on this island.

We left Labuan on the 2^nd October 2012. We have to check-out of the hotel by noon, sent to the airport with the compliments of the hotel’s management. We check-in for our flight scheduled at 5.20 pm to KLIA and have to wait for few more hours. My wife has her chance buying a dress that she had longed for from a boutique at the airport which she found out to be much cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur.

Our trip back home. Top: Waiting for the flight; Bottom: Travel by ERL to KL Sentral

We reached our home at about 10.00 pm, tired but happy. Anyway, we are a bit unlucky when we board a pre-paid taxi from KL Sentral. It was driven by a young driver who started “campaigning” from the moment we board his taxi until we reached our home. That would add more tiredness on us.

It’s good to be back at “home, sweet home” and nothing better than to get a good rest.

The smiles of happiness

Note: Something to ponder!

Whenever we travel by air, we were instructed to switch-off our cell phones, hand-phones, smart-phones, tablets, notebooks or whatever we call it that are all categorised as “phones” and electronic devices. We were not allowed to switch on these items during the flight as it may interrupt with the flight system. Fair enough!

We saw a lot of passengers did not abide by the rules. The smart-phones and tablets are still being used during the flights and enjoyed by some. What are the differences between these items if we were to categorise them as “electronic devices”? If “smart phones” does not comes with the category stated, it’s a bit odd as “smart phones” are “cell phones” or “hand phones” too, and it has no difference in usage, to make calls, play games or even snaps a few photos. From www.webopedia.com it explained that “A smart-phone is considered to be the combination of the traditional PDA and cellular phone, with a bigger focus on the cellular phone part”.

There should be a full explanation as to why we cannot use our cell phone or mobile phone during flights? Some phone owners may not want to make calls, but merely for using the phone camera. Just wondering … Browsing through the internet, there are a few countries that have already allowed the usage of these devices during their flights.

A TRIP TO ALOR SETAR, KEDAH

The Preparations (9 June 2012)

Recently I travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh by the new double track train, the Electric Train Service (ETS). It was a day trip that took about 2 hours, and I did enjoy the scenery all the way. I planned to travel much further and by the night train.

I arranged for the train schedule and fare for the trip from KL Sentral to Alor Setar, Kedah. I was information technology personnel prior to my retirement and thus I am used to browse the internet for any information that I need. I browsed the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) website to find out more about the fares, train schedules, the up-to-date discount rates and other information. It is regretted to say that the website seems not updated. You can browse the fares pages, but when it comes to the discounts given, especially to a senior citizen, there were no details on how the discounted fares should be calculated. When I called the Call Centre, they did not explain as how the final fare comes to and the discount rates given on the website are different from what was informed to me. No doubt all those who are eligible to discounted fares are not allowed to book their fare online, as there is no way to prove their age and eligibility. They have to go to the counter and provide all documents necessary to book or buy their tickets.

When I travelled with the ETS, the full fare has to be deducted RM8, which is the charge for the seat, before any discount can be calculated. This discounted fare is then added back with the seat charge to get the right amount payable for the fare. I presume the same system applies to the train fare, where the charge for the berth or seat, wherever applicable, has to be deducted from the total fare to calculate the exact discounted fare. We have to know the berth and the seat charges before calculating the exact fare.

I hope information on how fares are calculated for any persons who are eligible for discounted fares or not, and anywhere the person is travelling to, be displayed on the websites as first-hand information, direct, precise, clear, easy to understand and the website pages are easy to reach continuously from one subject to another. The public will then know how much fare and what they are paying for, and to prepare before hand the actual amount to pay at the counters for their tickets. This up-to-date information would help the public and be a good marketing strategy for KTMB. The staffs at the counters should also be able to explain to their customers on details of the payments. Maybe this information may be printed on the ticket itself, where it would state the actual fare, the berth or seat charges, the discounts, if any and the final fare paid.

Those who are eligible for discounts and given these privileges are senior citizens, retirees, the disabled (OKU). For the other passengers, it would be a straight forward case where the fare is concerned. Since we are in Malaysia and most of the passengers are Malaysian, it would be better if the website could be in dual-language and the public may choose either in Bahasa Melayu or English. It would help the public to understand more on what KTMB has to offer and to make KTMB more users friendly. The internet has become part of our daily life nowadays, and that everybody knows how to use it.

The interactive system to book tickets may not be used widely by the public, not everyone would register and use it, maybe because they seldom or once in a while used the train service. What the public want is information only, and finally they still have to go to the counter to get their tickets.

My wife and I went to the KTMB counter and bought our return tickets early to avoid any disappointment.  We chose the night train with the sleeping berth cabin (1^st Class Coach – ADNFB or Air-Conditioned Day-Night First-Class Berth) as advised by the staff at the counter. My wife and I were given 50% and 60% discounts respectively on the fare and that’s the beauty of being senior citizens. With the little information I got from the counter, I was able to calculate how the fares comes to the amount I paid.

KTMB Tickets: KL Sentral to Alor Setar and Return

We bought our tickets on the 9^th. June 2012, and that is a long wait until our departure date. At least we know that we are already being reserved a seat or cabin and it gave us the time to prepare for a journey that we never had the chance.

The Journey (28 June 2012)

On the departure day, Thursday 28^th June 2012, we left our home for KL Sentral and after dinner, we left for Alor Setar with the train leaving the station at about 9.20 pm, and expected to arrive at 7.15 am the next day.

Preparing for the trip; Waiting for the train, restlessly and very excited …

We boarded the train and look for the Coach L3 and Cabin 5 as stated on our tickets. We were delighted to see the cabin which was clean, complete with all the necessities, and well equipped for travellers like us. If we are on any journey, we don’t expect everything would satisfy our every taste. As a traveller, to anywhere you are going you have to bear the hardship and accept whatever is there for you and have to be moderate in all aspects. We accepted the cabin which is very much adequate for us.

The Coach L3 (Top Left); The Cabin 5 – the lower and the top sleeping berths

To familiarise with the coach, we walked around looking for the café or the toilet to make sure we were able to go whenever there was a need to.

We were very excited as this was our maiden travel first class in a train. The journey took some 10 hours passing through about 20 stations along the way. Since we were travelling at night, we may be sleeping most of the time and have to forget the night sceneries.

During the journey, my wife switched on her notebook. She enjoyed browsing the internet while connecting to her Facebook friends, sending messages that she was travelling by train. We experienced no interruptions to browse the internet while in a train.

Browsing the internet in a moving train

There would be a lot of differences between sleeping quietly at home and on a moving train. There were times when we were awakened by the train stopping at the stations along the way. You have to bear the noise around you, all the screeches, the sound of the train braking, or when the coaches are being pulled to move.

We hope we could wake up early the next morning to look at the sun rise. But then, from Kuala Lumpur we were travelling northward and that our cabin is on the west side. We were not able to see the sun rise after all, the sun will not rise until in the early morning.

When we stopped at Bukit Mertajam, the train has to change its locomotive which would be on the other end of the coaches; this locomotive will pull these coaches to continue the journey northward. At Bukit Mertajam, all the trains will move from a T-junction, either going westward towards Butterworth, going to Alor Setar and Thailand to the north or Kuala Lumpur to the south. This would change our positions in the cabin, either going forward or backward according to the movement of the train itself.

The interchange at Bukit Mertajam; the sunrise, a view from the train

At this early morning hours we would be able to see the sun rises, but we have to go out of the cabin and look through the windows on the other side of the coach.

We reached Alor Setar, Kedah at 7.30 am on Friday, 29^th. June 2012. We were a bit tired but then it good to stretch and breathe the cool morning air.

The Arrival (29 June 2012)

What a surprise! At the Alor Setar railway station, there is no platform and we have to step down the train with care. We were stunned at the condition of the station itself. The station is an old building that was built during the British occupancy in Malaysia, and that would be years ago. Most of the railway stations in the peninsular were built with the same design. The clock tower is still there but the clock itself has retired. We are sure that there would be plans to build a new station along with the new double tracks that are currently being built.

Welcome to Alor Setar;
The nostalgic building – the Alor Setar Railway Station

We were waiting for a taxi at the station, and it seems the taxi were selecting their passengers, offering to those who were going much further than the Alor Setar town itself. I walked around and after a few meters I saw one of the hotels in the town. We decided to walk to the town, and we were right as the hotel that we were looking is just round the corner. We stopped at a food stall to have our breakfast, and then walked on to the hotel, The Regency formerly known as The Grand Continental. We registered ourselves and we were allowed to check-in at that hour.

The beautiful sunset from the hotel’s 4^th. Floor

We spent our first day unpacking and relaxing, getting rid of the tiredness of sleeping in the train. It was Friday and the Friday prayers would be held at the state mosque nearby. At noon, I went to the mosque and told my wife to wait for me for lunch.

The State Mosque

We walked around and just nearby the State Mosque we found a very attractive new restaurant, which was officially opened the day before we arrived. The name really did touch our hearts and the interior decorations were beautiful.

The newly opened Restaurant: D’Dapur Ibuku (At My Mother’s Kitchen)

The foods were very tempting, the arrangement was excellent and well done, and my wife did enjoy her lunch.

Enjoying her lunch

We had our breakfast, lunch or dinners at the hotel restaurant, trying to taste all the different food served. Alor Setar is near the Thai border and thus Thai-tasted foods are abundance, we can have our food even at the stalls around the town until late at night.

Breakfast and Dinner with Chicken Rice and Steak

The Desserts: Glutinous rice with mango; Creamed Caramel and my favourite, The Apple Pie!

It was Saturday, 30^th. June 2012 and is our full day to go around the town. We went to the Pekan Rabu, the famous town market and bazaar where fresh local produce and cultural handicrafts are available. The museum and art galleries are nearby, including the Alor Setar Tower, the state mosque, clock tower to name a few. We went visiting these places and here are some of the memories.

Pekan Rabu

Entrance to the “Yellow” Palace; On top of the Alor Setar Tower;
a replica of an old historical building.

The final day was Sunday 1^st. July 2012 and our return train from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur was scheduled at about 7.15 pm. We have the whole morning before we check-out of the hotel and depart to the railway station later in the evening. We took this opportunity to walk around to the nearby shops to do some window shopping.

We may be a local tourist trying to get away from the hustle bustle of the Kuala Lumpur City. We take the opportunity to walk around the town looking for anything that differs from what we have seen in the other towns that we visited. Be it local delicacies, home-made utensils and handicrafts, sarongs, shawls, T-shirts, salted fish or even local cakes and tit-bits. It will be something to remember when you have in your collections from different places you have been.

We stopped at a stall to have the most popular dish in the northern states of the Peninsular. This “Laksa” is the favourite not only to the locals but to the visitors alike. The owner prepared her own “laksa”, made from rice flour, with her own recipe for the gravy and the taste is delicious.

The real taste of “Laksa”

To remember this visit, my wife insisted we keep our memories by taking photos. I would be the photographer and she will be the “model” of all those photos I took. The only problem is that a photographer might not be able to snap his own photos! We did not have any digital camera but we use the mobile phone camera instead. Anyway it is good to have something to remember, and we do not know when we will be coming back to this town again. We sent a few photos to those who are close to us by the mobile phone, to let them know that we were on a holiday.

The places of interest around the town

(Top Left) Visiting the Alor Setar Mall (You looked beautiful, girl),

(Top Right) Star Walk Café, (Below Left) in the lift going up the Alor Setar Tower;
(Below Right) in-front of Holiday Villa Hotel

The Return Journey (1 July 2012)

Our return tickets stated that we will be boarding a train with the same Coach L3 and Cabin 5 when we came to Alor Setar. Maybe it is a different train, coincidentally with the same Coach and Cabin number. We want to relax all the way and hoped to reach home safely. It is expected to reach Kuala Lumpur by 6.00 am the next day, 2^nd. July 2012.

The return trip; Goodbye Alor Setar

On our return journey, I could not have a good sleep. I slept at the top berth which seemed to rock and swayed due to the movement of the train, when it braked or when the coach is suddenly being pulled to move.

Home (2 July 2012)

We reached KL Sentral early in the morning, and we joined the office workers in their rush hour to their offices. We travelled to Gombak Station by way of the Kelana Jaya Line, and from there we hired a taxi home to our residence in Taman Seri Gombak.  My wife is on leave and will only be working the next day, 3^rd. July 2012.

The whole holiday was “awesome” as the young generations used to say and we enjoyed it very much. The train service and its facilities are good and no wonder a lot of people keep using the train for their transportation.

One of the reasons of this trip, or any other trips, is trying to get off the stress and the hectic life in Kuala Lumpur City that we have experienced all these while. Every morning I drove my wife to her office early to avoid the traffic, and rushing home in the evening especially when the weather is not on our side and the rain might create flash floods around the city.

We hope this holiday will give us some peace of mind. I am a retired government staff and my wife will follow suit in about a year, and we feel we need to enjoy our life. We will make ourselves happy and try to forget all those that we had experienced, which we tried to cope with pain and difficulty. We hope to live a quiet life for the many remaining years to come.

We hope to continue going on a holiday like what we have done. The next place we would like to go is the Federal Territory, Labuan. I have been there once but my wife did not have the chance yet. We also planned to go to Pulau Langkawi. We have been to this island a few times but going there this time is to recollect the memoirs that we have had. We hope to go only after the Ramadhan fasting month and the Hari Raya celebration that follows.

During my school days, I remembered my teacher told us that the railway tracks, as far as the eyes could see, will never meet. Let’s hope our life is as far as the railway track which seems to end at nowhere. One of these days, we will travel again, to see the world!

The never ending journey

It’s good to be back at home, sweet home.

Note: Comments written on KTMB are writer’s own personal views.

Memories in Ipoh

It has been a long time ever since I traveled long distance by train. I remembered when I was at a very young age, my mother and I traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Tapah Road, to visit a relative there. The trains in those days were driven using steam, and thus the train needs water to be filled at almost every station it stopped. While on the journey, if you put your head out of the window to see what was around, you may felt sprinkle of water from the steam that might wet your face, or sometimes the dust or soot from the engine where they heat the boiler to get the steam from.

Our train systems nowadays have changed by time, and use either diesel or electric power to generate them. We have “commuter trains” that traveled short distances for the public to go to whatever their destinations, especially to those who are working in and around the Klang Valley. Since 2010, we are introduced to the new double-track Electric Train Service (ETS) that commute between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. This double-track will continue to the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. There are also the Kelana Jaya Line (formerly Putra LRT), the Monorail Line and the Ampang Line (STAR) systems to commute the public from the city outskirt to and around the city.

Boarding the ETS

There’s no summons for speeding!

Recently I have the chance to travel using the ETS, traveling from Kuala Lumpur City to Ipoh. It was an experience that I have been longing to have. Travelling time took about 2 hours and it was a pleasant journey. The good thing is that my fare was given a discount and that’s the beauty being a Senior Citizen. This ETS trains were made in Korea and you can see the speed displayed on the screen.

I have been to Ipoh a few times, but that was years ago and I traveled by car then. At one time, I went there when I was attached to one of the government agencies under the Federal Government. I was given a room all to myself and, since it was a school break, I took along my family to Ipoh. We stayed at the Excelsior Hotel, and my cute curly haired girl enjoyed herself very much.

A lonely man with a lonely heart !

During this trip, I stayed at the same hotel, to recollect memoirs that have been haunting me all these while. I still remembered this cute girl enjoying herself at the breakfast table with the most hotdogs she could eat, which was her favorite dish. This was the first time I introduced her staying in a hotel, enjoying whatever she liked and advised her on how to take her buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner alike.

The hotdogs were really tasty …

At that young age, she was asked by her mom to get some “panadol” at the stall nearby. She did and with her mom worried restlessly, until she reached back at the room. She asked me whether there is a swimming pool at the hotel, and when I told her “No”, she enjoyed her bath at the bath tub, singing her favorite songs. I used to take her along on my other trips, and I would choose a hotel that has a swimming pool, just to please her and to fulfill her wish, or at least a room with a bath tub.

The next day in Ipoh, I took the chance to walk around to see whatever is new and remembering those days when we were together. I came across a group of people queuing at a stall. It was selling “Tau Fu Fa” and looking at the crowd, I joined in and it took me about 10 minutes to be served. It was one of the finest “Tau Fu Fa” I have ever tasted and I bought some with a small bottle of the juice back to the hotel.

Queue up for “Tau Fu Fa”

I took a walk along the “Memory Lane” where they sell whatever they have memories with it. I came cross a lot of those memorable items, such us the typewriters. Nowadays, many younger generations does not know the types of typewriters that were used in those years. I remember using a few, from the hard-to press keys of “Remington” to the much softer like “Adler”, or even to the electrical types using fonts introduced by IBM, to name a few. Nowadays, our children do not use these typewriters instead they use computers and print it to a printer. I assumed they does not know how to type using the “typewriting system” that were taught at those “typing class” in those days.

The oldies ...

and the faithful!

I have a problem looking for a muslim shop to have lunch or dinner in Ipoh. I found a few after asking around, but to get there, I have to walk and that was a little exercise for me as I am getting older. There are a lot of Chinese restaurant around selling “salted chicken”, “bean sprout chicken”, and not to forget the “chicken rice”, the “koitiau”, the “mee curry”, to name a few. The “bean sprout” is a bit different from what I use to see in other towns, it’s a bit special, germinated from a selected species of bean. No doubt about it as Ipoh is well known with the Chinese community ever since the early tin mines era.

One of the favorite’s foods in Ipoh

I did not planned to go to Ipoh but decided to do so only because my wife has to attend a course somewhere in Kuching, Sarawak. I left KL Sentral quite late in the evening that day, and luckily I got a seat. It was a memorable trip for me and gave me the chance to remember all the memories that I experienced.

I know that I could not forget all the memories with my cute, curly haired girl, but at least I could recollect it, with or without tears, and placed it at the right place for the right time. I left Ipoh at about 3.00 pm, with the same ETS and reached Kuala Lumpur at about 5.30 pm.

BALD HEAD!

I remembered when I was young, of about 4 to 5 years of age, I used to be bald. Whenever my aunt shaved her husband, I would then ask my mother’s permission to do so. My mother did not object and agreed. I was happy with my bald head.

When I started schooling, I seldom shaved and have to keep my hair short. During those years, our barber was a Chinese man who knew our family. My father would just ask me to go to the barber whenever I need a hair cut. It costs only 50 cents per head then compared today.

I am now 65 years old, and have never been bald ever since my younger days. It so happened that I make a wish and promise to be bald again, and when the wish was fulfilled recently, I have to keep my word. On the 29th February, 2012, I went to the barber despite comments and reluctantly agreed by my family. I told them that this was what I promised for and that the day was to celebrate the Leap Year. Thus if I want to do it again, I’ve to wait another four years!

It took almost my age to be bald again. I am happy with it and in the meantime I am carrying an “air-condition” unit on my head, at least until my grey hair grows back to normal. My wife had intended to dye my hair then using the henna leaves, but I am sure it would only be temporary. If you have grey hairs, it will still grow grey. She does not like my new look and told me to wear a cap whenever I have to go out of the house, to avoid the heat of the sun or at least been seen by our neighbours of which I have no problems.

I sacrificed myself being bald just to satisfy myself and to let you know that I would do anything to keep my promise.

This is no “Kojak”, (remember this character?) but plain me!