Gong Fu Tea

Having had several ceremonial tea ceremonies in China, I decided to try one of my own. We have had the teaset for some year - I can't remember when we bought it, but we have a purple clay teapot and jug, with 2 types of little cups (wide and tall) which sit on a small tray, inscribed with a poem. The cups have a design on them that becomes coloured when heated - in normal temperatures, the detail can't be seen.

I had always wondered why a milk jug was included in a Chinese tea set, and it wasn't until we had our first party with lawyer Chan that I realised that the jug was for decanting brewed tea into, not for milk. I had some Pu Erh tea leaves (not very expensive ones - the tin had been marked down to $2 at Foodtown many years ago!) so I heated up water and teapot and had a tea party for myself.

It's not that much fun pouring pots of tea at the kitchen bench with no-one to share the proceeds. I think I drank about 3 mugs of tea (in thimblefuls), and I really need the special tray to stand the teapot and jug on as it's a very wet process. I didn't really look like a gong fu master standing at the bench, but its better than sogging up the carpet.

So that's how you use the cups!

Teacup Set There are two types of teacups used in gongfu tea, the aroma cup and the drinking cup. The aroma cup is the taller of the two, and is where the tea is initially poured by the host. The guest then pours the tea into the drinking cup, then smells from the newly emptied aroma cup. The aroma remaining in the cup smells noticeably different from both the aroma of the tea in the cup and that of the dry leaves, and changes subtly as the cup cools. The guest then drinks from the drinking cup. Average dimensions: Capacity: 50 ml, Height 6 cm (aroma), Length 12 cm (tray)

Things I noticed and forgot to mention

• Everyone I met in China who has a car has a newer and better one than ours. All with leather upholstery!

• The Guangzhou car fleet is newer and smarter than the New Zealand one - the only beaten-up looking vehicles are the workhorses - vans and trucks.

• The rotary hoe type vehicles are common in Xintang and the villages, but no-one rides a bike in Guangzhou. More do in Shen Zhen, especially delivery people (gas bottles and lunches - that sort of thing).

• Brides in Guangzhou wear proper hosiery and shoes under their dresses when they have their photo shoot. I can state this categorically from the sample of 2 I saw. It was almost a surprise to see no jeans or sneakers below the train.

• The rise of middle classes will eventually increase pressure to clean up the pollution and provide proper sewerage systems. There was little public rubbish lying around in Guangzhou, where rubbish bins were actually available and used. The Pearl River looked relatively flotsam free, and we saw a clean-up boat with workers fishing out bits of rubbish.

• Chivalry isn't dead - young people still give up their seats on buses to older ones.

Thanks to Eddie for the pictures. Here's a photo for a bit of fun--

China diary Dec-Jan

Happy New Year to any readers. And thanks to Eddie (http://ethelred.blogspot.com) for his photos in my previous posts. I should be able to insert my own from now on. Click on the pictures for more detail.

See Eddie's blog for a more complete description of the family and environs.

We spent five days at Ni Zi village and the following is my diary of events.

Friday 28 December

We left at 6.50, managing to catch the first bus for Xintang, and arrived in the fast time of 1 ½ hours. On the motorway the bus passed a wedding procession of several cars – notable for their decoration of parcel bows in various configurations, while the bridal car was much more elaborately decorated with a tulle confection on the bonnet.

We walked to the village, stopping only to buy a few presents for the family at Tian He Dept Store, and for Eddie to take photos.

Su Poy Yum (afterwards known as Hum) helped us book into the local hotel, which is of a reasonable standard, and most comfortable. Eddie had hoped to pay Y60 a night, but we had to take our room for Y80. I thought that was reasonable anyway, since it amounted to about NZ$16 for a double room and bath. It was great not having to share a bathroom and not have to wash in cold water, and we also appreciated the luxury of having space to spread out without worrying anyone else, and the large towels! The bed was very hard, in true Chinese style, but comfortable.

It was a beautifully fine day with the temperature in the 20s, so I only needed a T-shirt, though others were more wrapped up. We visited Yuk Tim, Hum's father. had lunch at Hum’s, then took a ferry across the river to Cha Gaau where Eddie’s cousin, Lei Yung, lives. We mooched around her part of the village, talking to locals (one old lady thought I was a boy – not sure why) for a while, ate some bananas Yung gave us, then walked back to the ferry landing. One of the motor bike taxi drivers recognised Eddie, which pleased him.

We walked back to Ni Zi, refreshed ourselves, and joined Hum and family for dinner. Mosquitoes were out in force, despite the cooler weather, although we didn't seem to get bitten, except by the ones in our hotel room. After dinner, Yuk Tim, Hum, and his brother Kei all came back with us to inspect our room.

Kei had asked Eddie if we had hot water in the bathroom, to which he replied "there had better be." To make sure, Kei went in to test the shower (rather than the basin taps), leaving water and dirty footprints everywhere. I had quite a clean-up to do after the men had gone for a walk and had to sacrifice a hand towel to the cause. I don’t really like wet bathrooms, much preferring a shower stall to control the water.

We had a good sleep, in spite of the mozzies and my aches and pains, which resulted from the long walk.

Saturday 29 December

We were booked for yum cha with some members of the family, so were out by 7, walking to a local restaurant. It was a pleasant occasion, but I find the smoking in restaurants hard to take – one’s clothes take on the smell and need a lot of airing.

After breakfast, Hum took us to Zeng Cheng for an outing – he had offered us a trip to Guangzhou or Zeng Cheng and Eddie thought he should see the city which is the capital of his ancestral county. We set off by bus, for a long ride north west of Xintang. The weather was quite chilly and we were pleased to have our woollies, scarves and hats with us.

We walked along the river bank, looking at the ‘old bridge’ the Japanese crossed when they moved down from the North. The river was lined with old, derelict boats, home to poor, old people who had no other accommodation. They could reach the bank through cobbled-together, rickety rafts, or in small boats. Along the promenade, older people were sitting and chatting or playing chess or cards, in spite of the chill wind.

We wandered through the town to a large shopping plaza, in the grounds of which was a special grove of ancient lichi trees (well, one ancient one, anyway – the others just keep the tradition alive). Apparently the fruit is astoundingly expensive, but the owners sell to each other, to avoid money changing hands.

A further walk took us to another side of the river, where there are 2 pagodas on opposite banks, like a pair of chopsticks to pincer the enemy. This area contained a pretty park and some very impressive apartment buildings. We walked to the nearest pagoda, climbing the hill it surmounted and inspecting trees, plants and altars on the way.

Eddie and Hum attempted to climb it, but gave up when the stairs narrowed and steepened. I decided not to bother and stayed below to mind Eddie’s bag and take some photos.

On the way down, Hum souvenired a hefty length of bamboo – not sure why, but he must have thought it would be useful as he carried all the way home.

Unfortunately, when he went to pay for our fare on the return bus, Eddie discovered his money purse had disappeared, which was a shock for both of us. He coped well, but it was an sad end to the trip.

Off the bus and on the way back to Ni Zi, we stopped for lunch at a clay pot restaurant. They had sold out of fish so we had ‘tin gai’ (field chicken or frogs) instead. I didn’t translate that mentally until I was half way through mine, but it was tasty although there were lots of small bones to be coped with.

Hum had to leave us to get back by ourselves as he had something urgent come up. We walked through the fields, slowly, with Eddie taking many photos. There are many tenant farmers living in shacks by the fields they rent (Y1000 per year for a mu (1 Mu=666.6667 square meters)). Electricity is jury-rigged to the lucky ones, and water can be pumped from wells. Others cook burning what they can scavenge for fuel.

It’s not an easy life, but must be worth it for so many to come from afar. Most of the farmers, or jeans workers for that matter, don’t speak Cantonese.

After cleaning up at the hotel, we spent a bit of time with Hum in his plot of land, admiring his building (a little house that he will let out when he has finished it and found access to water and power), and his dam, and mango trees.

After dinner, we spent some time on Hum’s computer, checking our mail and trying to download Google Earth, then went for supper with his sister Fong, and Kei and his son. Fong took me on her scooter, which was unnerving in the cold and dark, with neither of us wearing a helmet. I still find it very difficult to internalise driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. It’s not so bad in a bus or on a highway, but it’s really strange when I’m in the front passenger seat of a car.

Although it was late, the restaurant was still serving dim sum, so we had a few more things to eat on top of our dinner. The trip home was even colder than the previous one, and we were relieved to have a warm shower and get into bed.

Sunday 30 December

We did a lot of washing before meeting Hum for breakfast at 7.30. We took a walk through the market, which is reasonably extensive. There is a full range of vegetables, fish and meat. Among the meat for sale, I noticed fatty pork (about 2 inches of fat on some of the cuts in the traditional way), a dog (I’m sure I saw paws), and goats, the heads still with their horns.

We had a quieter day generally today, with eating, walking around and visiting the highlights.

In the later afternoon we went for a walk around the parts of the village we hadn’t yet seen. Changes are dramatic from this time last year, with a new road taking traffic from the old, and more buildings put up, while others have been demolished.

We had dinner at Yuk Tim's,which was a major effort invovling all the family and a great deal of cooking. There was meat and fish in plenty, cooked by the eldest daughter's husband, set out on several tables. The adults sat on saw-horse-like benches inside and the children were outside near the entrance. Afterwards, we were taken to visit his brother ’s daughter's grand house at Phoenix City, some way out of Xintang (she is a jeans queen and not short of cash). The area is a gated community of houses and gardens rather than apartments, and each is very large and splendid, though obviously from new money in their showiness. The fish pond in the garden must take some upkeep and is obviously the husband’s hobby. They have some fruit trees in the garden which will take some years to become established, and I was amused to see vegetables drying on the garden swing.

The couple have 3 daughters who kept us amused practising their English, while we ate peanuts and mandarins and drank tea. We were driven home by 9.30.

Monday 31 December

After breakfast at 7 at Hum’s, we left to cross the highway 107 bridge to get to Zhongtong. Eddie’s plan was to visit his Hong Kong cousin’s lawyer cousin and then walk to Cha Gaau to see the lawyer’s mother.

Although a fine morning it was bitterly cold with a biting wind. We crossed the bridge amongst the traffic without incident (though walking on an espressway isn’t my idea of fun), and walked to the lawyer's house through dusty road works and ankle-turning rubble. They family didn't get up till 10, so we waited for a while, chatting with the man across the road. Once they were up and dressed, we were invited to drink tea with him & his daughter, while his wife went to collect the other daughter from school.

We sat in the garden at his tea desk and took tea till after 12, drinking 2 kinds of very expensive tea, which were brewed with full ritual in a small purple clay teapot (rinsed, filled and refilled with water many times) and served in tiny cups. We had Ti Kuan Yin, which was very fragrant and not at all strong and bitter. Next we had Pu Erh tea which had been packed in an inside-out pomelo skin which had been cut and then sewn together and dried. The skin was still fragrant, but I think the scent was somewhat lost in the tea. He said the package was 10 years old.

He next denuded his blossom trees for flowers which he used to flavour the next pots of tea.

After 12 we went for lunch with the family at a local restaurant, then drank more tea till 3.30. It’s very easy to while away time chatting and brewing tea, and sipping more and more little cups, particularly when the sun is shining and the garden is pleasant.

Finally, we started to walk the long way home in order to visit his mother, but got lost so we retraced our route and re-crossed highway 107 bridge. I found it easier in the afternoon as I think there was less traffic.

After a stop in the hotel, we went for a walk to see where Uncle Mok Au’s burial place is – Hum met us and took us through a road construction site, and across weedy ground where we collected a healthy crop of grass seeds that had to be picked off later. He showed us how to eat sugar cane and we spent quite a bit of time chewing and spitting. However, politely, one should chew the fibres into a wad and spit them out into one’s hand before discarding them rather than just spitting them out. It’s hard to do genteelly, and I have difficulty peeling the nodes of the cane with my teeth. The rest I can manage.

After dinner, Yuk Tim took us to visit his #3 son's wife, who gave us tea & fruit. We were tired and made excuses to leave early, but went back to Hum’s for a computer session, looking at http://52maps.com, which is like Google Earth and can be quite absorbing and time-consuming to play with. It was very cold again, but there was no hot water in our bathroom so we had to go to bed without a warm shower.

Tuesday 1 January

Unlike in New Zealand, the night was quiet – I don’t recall hearing any revellers or fireworks at midnight. The celebrations are reserved for Chinese New Year which will have its share of fire crackers and excitement.

We joined Hum for a breakfast of congee, with deep fried devils, in the market – unfortunately sitting next to the local drunk, who got more abusive and noisy as the firewater in his glass took effect. We were pleased when he finally went, but it rather spoilt the occasion.

Hum’s aunt invited us to her house for morning tea and again we were treated to a tea ceremony. It’s something that was unpractised until quite recently, and indicates rising prosperity among the new middle classes, who can now afford the tea things and the tea.

Hum’s sisters had organised an excursion to the country, so we set off in two cars with Bing, Fong, Jing, Hum, Fong’s two children and the respective husbands. We stopped at Shapu to get Jing and were plied with pickled walnuts while we waited. We then had a long drive to the mountains past Zeng Cheng, stopping at a lookout, then continuing on a narrow looping road (reminiscent of the wilder parts of NZ) to a village for lunch and buying provisions. We passed small villages on the side of steep hills, surrounded by lichi orchards, and other crops. The comment was made that the air was very healthy, and it was a pleasure to see that there are parts of China where there is little pollution.

The village we stopped at is set along a stream, which was most picturesque, and seemed to specialise in selling dried vegetables, honey, dried meat and strings of dried small birds, some of which the party purchased.

For lunch, we sat in a pavilion beside the stream and ate ham, snow peas, three kinds of green vegetables, whelks, chicken, soup, and a very tasty rice. I commented that I supposed it might have dried birds in it, and Eddie said it had. He said it wasn’t much different from eating chicken, which is true, and they certainly added savour to the dish. There wasn’t a grain left at the end of the meal, unlike the whelks, which weren’t so popular. We drank special tea provided by one of the husbands along with a small drop of cognac to toast the new year.

After some of the party had annoyed a fish in the local river by trying to catch it, we set off on the return journey, stopping at a mountain stream to collect water in large containers. Next was a quick stop at Bing's husband's village for more ritually served tea, before we continued on for a quick stop at a park to see a thousand year old vine, propped up on concrete pillars and draped over a trellis.

At Shapu we stopped to deliver Jing and her goods – even there we were offered boiled eggs. Eddie said that this family’s life revolves around eating. Unfortunately, while he was negotiating a narrow street behind Bing’s shop, Fong's husband damaged their new Camry by scraping a bit of metal projecting from a nearby truck. They took the mishap philosophically – Fong said the two cars kissed. Rather a rough kiss, sadly.

For the evening we had dinner booked with Hum’s aunt & uncle's families – there were about 20 in all in the party. It was an elaborate meal with soup, prawns in cheese, duck, fish poached, fish casseroled, choy sum, a guts dish which was rather tough, and casseroled chicken. We couldn’t manage rice, but finished with mandarins & two kinds of man tou. We drank tea and Chinese red wine, which I found a little thin, but drinkable.

I expected an early night but after walking home, we spent some time with Hum on his computer, trying to trace our route on Google Earth, so we didn’t get to bed till after 10.

Wednesday 2 January

We met Hum for breakfast at a stall near Xintang, having rather tasty rice rolls. We took a walk round the markets and the old town, which used to be a main market for the area – some of the old merchants’ houses still exist. I was intrigued by an art deco house which stood out among its more traditional neighbours. We continued along the river bank past the Cha Gaau ferry pier and walked back to Ni Zi through the fields.

After a visit to Yuk Tim, where we picked up his family photos to scan so the family can have a copy and the records preserved (some prints are very degraded and all very dusty), we checked out of the hotel, had lunch with Hum. One day, he asked Eddie what was the English for "sik fan" or the invitation to eat, and Eddie told him "Eat" - so he took great delight in ordering me to "Eat!" whenever we sat for a meal. I found it really amusing but thought Eddie should have at least put in a "please" for politeness' sake.

We left to catch #9 bus and walked from the Tian He store to New Good View hotel where we caught the express bus to Shen Zhen at 1.45. I noticed yet another bridal car in the car park, this time decorated with real roses and greenery, wilting in the sun (see photo above).

We were home by 5, back where the traffic is quieter and more predictable and (mostly) stops at pedestrian crossings.

It shouldn't rain at Christmas in Hong Kong

And luckily it didn't. There was rain overnight, and we feared it would last the day, but once the sun had risen, the clouds stayed but the rain stopped.

We set off after breakfast to deliver a present to Jacky Chan, a friend of long standing, who teaches at a school for the mentally disabled in Mongkok. It took us longer to get away than we expected, but we met him at about 10. After an exchange of presents (another scarf for me - this time a more tasteful one than other years), and a short chat, we went our separate ways.

We walked on down to TST, through the wet markets. I haven't been to a really good outside wet market for years, and this one was like those of the old days with stalls piled with fruit and vegetables of every kind, dried fish, dried mushrooms, biscuits and cakes, butcher's shops festooned with meat and entrails, poultry shops with hens in cages awaiting the chop, clothes and haberdashery. I didn't see any baskets of frogs or small birds as we used to see at Sham Shui Po years ago, but everything else was there.

After browsing our way through the stalls, we stopped off for a quick bite of dim sum at a restaurant we'd not visited before. We had spare ribs, shao mai, chicken's feet and prawn rice rolls - all tasty and well-cooked. Eddie found it more expensive than he expected at about $9 per dish, which is a reflection of the current state of inflation.

We continued our walk past the Jade market (not open) and down Canton Rd, through the Harbour City complex to the Star Ferry, where we crossed to Wan Chai to look at the computer centre. Lots to look at and reasonably crowded with more foreigners than at the Golden Computer Centre - I think I heard a Kiwi accent in passing. We checked out several floors then continued walking to Central.

We went through the Wan Chai market - this one has been tamed and is mostly in shops rather than stalls on the roadside, and seems to have shrunk from the days it covered several streets. We couldn't find anything that suited both of us for lunch so we carried on walking down Hennessey Rd till we reached 3 Pacific Place. I thought this was where we could see Christmas decoration, though the main buildings are 1 and 2 - but we went to the first floor just in case, and discovered a group of young handbell ringers performing carols. This was well worth the stop, and we enjoyed listening to them for 15 minutes.


Continuing on to 1 and 2, we found that the decorations weren't quite as mean as Eddie thought - the theme was "White Christmas" and featured several Christmas trees and an ornate Santa House in European style.

Having enjoyed the decorations, we went through Queensway, then on to Statue Square, where there is hardly any glitter and sparkle. The main tree is skeletal - a cone with some gold strings inside, surrounded by a few angels. It's not as tall as last year's tree which was across De Voeux Rd and seemed much more impressive, if only because that one looked like a proper Christmas tree.


While we were having a rest, we were asked by a visiting couple to take their photo. Eddie got talking and found out they were from Beijing, on a day trip to Hong Kong. He is a retired shipbuilding researcher, with very good English. We helped them get on the MTR for Lo Wu, and hope they got back to Shen Zhen in time to meet the friend who was taking them on to Guangzhou by bus.

We crossed the harbour again, and bought something for tea from Wellcome in Harbour City, sitting outside the Cultural Centre to eat. We had a long wait before the performance (6-7 pm) that we wanted to see, but it was worth it. The young a capella singers were clever and entertaining, well deserving their applause, and a larger audience. (Hayden singers on Youtube 2006?).

At the end of the concert, we walked back through the crowds to the train - unfortunately many of the subways and exits were blocked off and we had a longer walk than intended to get to the station. East TST was colourful, but not as busy as we expected. I think the hawkers who used to add liveliness selling their coloured lights and santa hats have been banned. There didn't seem to be as many impromptu carol singing groups as previously, unless the night was too early for them. We were tired, and keen to get to bed, so we didn't wait round, and took the next train home .

Back in Hong Kong

Nothing much of note has happened in the past few months (the life crises I've touched have all been other people's), but now I am back in Hong Kong till mid-January and there may be more days worth a diary entry.

I left Auckland in the early hours of Thursday 20 December, and arrived in a windy, grey Hong Kong morning. I was home by 8 a.m. - unfortunately I had to wait more than half an hour for a bus, or it would have been sooner, as I was off the plane and through formalities in less than 20 mins.

Thursday was spent posting Mary's and Eileen's Christmas cards, and arranging a China visa for me. We got the passport in just before close-off time of 12 noon, and then went to HK side to see about lunch. Slim pickings there, especially after we waited for a long time at a stall in dai pai dong with no service. We left after nothing seemed to happen to our order and we were running out of time for an appointment at Jardine Flemings.

After meeting our adviser we came directly home, where I heard of the death of a long-time friend, Andrea French. It was not unexpected news, but saddening nonetheless, as we will not be able to attend her service on Monday. I was pleased to have seen her several times this year.

On Friday we went to see an old school friend of Eddie's who is retired and living in a village near Fo Tan station (Lok Lo Ha village). Apart from the 'Everest steps' one has to climb to get to his house - 114? I lost count at 10 and was out of breath at 30 - it's a very pleasant spot, with a good outlook, a hill behind for good feng shui, and not too many people around.

We went to help him with his computer - I did what I could and he seemed happy enough with the results. I hadn't worked with Vista before, but it wasn't too difficult. Anyway, he had done most of the work installing his own copy of Office and once I removed the second copy he had installed in frustration, it worked well.

The day was fine and warm, but not too humid, and we continued on to TST East to collect my passport and visa, had scraps from the supermarket for lunch, then came home for early dinner and sleep.

Saturday was spent at home, tidying up, and sleeping. We were both wide awake and busy from 2 am to 4 because of the early night, so we went back to sleep for a while, before doing some washing that became a marathon as more and more items were found to wash. Unfortunately the humidity was high, and with little wind and no sun, nothing dried.

Eddie fished out his portable clothes drier, figured out how to assemble it, and we had everything dry by bedtime. It was so much easier than waiting for the sun to come back out. The washing would have been mouldy first, although the forecast is for finer and drier later next week.

Sunday has slso been a day at home - we listed Eddie's books and he has spent more time scanning stuff before junking it.

A week in Penang

Diary Penang 2007

Friday 14 September

Left Auckland after 1 pm. Uneventful flight. Spent time watching Shrek 3, reading Anita Shreve novel (The last time they met) and listening to music on the entertainment system.

Arrived KL at 8 pm, transferred successfully to domestic and left for Penang at 10 pm. Arrived at 11, had a short wait for my bag (2nd one off), then met Eddie. He was feeling fragile after a fall in a ditch on the way to the airport to meet me. He had a sore left arm, 2 sore legs and some grazes. I fixed him with what medicines I had (vitamins and arnica-symphitum compound) once we got to our accommodation.

Took a taxi to Leisure Cove -- RM 47. A long drive in the dark and rain. Rain was heavy as we landed, and continued throughout the journey. The wind was strong most of the night, though we both slept well once we'd relaxed. Bed is comfortable, and it's great having a lot of room -- a bathroom each and room to spread out.

Saturday 15 September

The wind stopped howling sometime during the night, and we slept quite well till about 6. We had not much to do till it got light, but around 8 we went out to see what provisions we could find.

The fruit and vege market I remembered across the road has disappeared, but the adjacent shopping centre doesn't look any more thriving. The bank has moved, although there was a pile of shattered glass outside it. We weren't sure if it was from an attempted robbery.

A walk further down the road revealed no more provisions shops so we went back to the first place and bought 2 frozen pies for breakfast from a place selling frozen and tinned goods. Once thawed, they were very tasty.

We had breakfast of pie, mandarins and chocolate, with my used tea leaves in the cup I take on the plane re-watered for the third time. They were getting rather pale.

We finally set off for the cemetery around 9. Found the entrance relatively easily, and were found by the sexton relatively easily -- the same one who had refurbished the headstone 7 years ago. We showed him a couple of photos of the place we were looking for, and he recognized himself in one, so we gave it, and another, to him. His brothers were working in the area, so they quickly slashed away the overlying grass and rubbish, then scrubbed down the cross, which has lasted quite well through the years.

Eddie gave them quite a lot of money for their trouble, then we wandered off, as we were being bitten by something and the rain was returning.

Back at the Midlands shopping centre, we found nothing to buy, nor anything to eat, so we walked on, getting hot, tired and hungry. We found a stall selling won tun mee and had a bowl of that before continuing on down the road towards Georgetown.

It was really too far to walk, so we caught a bus to the terminal at Weld Quay, and walked to the Tourist Information Centre, which was shut. We think it might have moved actually, but were not sure.

I was really tired by that time, and probably quite dehydrated, so we took a bus back to Tanjong Bungah, bought some more provisions (bread, baked beans, biscuits, tuna and chicken sausages), some of which we ate as soon as we'd washed our hands.

Then I had a shower, got into bed and stayed there for the rest of the night, too tired to do anything else. The wind howled through the sliding door, which is missing most of its rubber sealing, and the rain came over in heavy showers.

Sunday 16 September

Slept late for us, and we enjoyed watching the day arrive, with windows open, although we had to rush to shut them when the occasional squall blew over.

The roosters started crowing about 6, but other birds aren't heard. It was a pleasure to see them flying from tree to tree at the shore.

We had chicken sausages and baked beans for breakfast, followed by a mandarin. We are missing our cup of tea. After I cleaned up, we left for the supermarket at the Island Shopping Centre -- it's a Cold Storage, but I found it rather limited with its supplies. However, we got provisions to last quite a few days, including bread, eggs, tea and water. We included a chocolate cake for a treat.

We caught a Chinese Hin bus down to the centre -- we think they are cheaper than the air-conditioned Rapid Transit ones. It cost RM 1 as a flat fare.

We returned with the groceries and had an early lunch, then a sleep, so we weren't ready to get going again till about 2.

It was really pleasant lying with the doors and windows open, feeling the breeze come and go. Though it's been rainy, the temperature and humidity have been quite comfortable. We haven't needed to do as much washing each day as I expected.

We planned to check out a route for the airport, so took a Chinese bus to Weld Quay terminus, then caught another Rapid to Bayan Lepas (airport area). The driver helpfully showed us where to go, and we walked in the rain up the approach road, sloshing through the puddles in the car park till we found the terminal building.

Eddie wanted to find the ditch he fell in on Friday, but had to settle for a close approximation for a photo.

We spent a short time at the terminal, then walked back a different way to Bayan Lepas village, where we bought some delicious bananas at a stall. They were so tasty and we were so hungry we ate them all, and Eddie went back for some more.

We had difficulty getting a bus back - we waited on the wrong side of the road at first, and couldn't understand why people told us to cross over. Eventually we got sorted, with the help of a local shopkeeper, who passed the time talking to Eddie in Cantonese.

The bus took a very long time to arrive - we waited for well over 30 minutes, but otherwise the trip back was long but uneventful.

We were home about 9, had toast, tea, sausage and cake, did some washing, had a shower and went to bed.

I found out today why you are not to put cloths in the microwave longer than 2 minutes to sterilise them. Eddie's flannel got burned when he left it too long (and it was possibly too dry). It's a poor sad rag now. Lucky it was a 'foundling' from the New good View Hotel in Xintang!

Monday 17 September

We decided to take a trip to Butterworth to book Eddie a trip to KL on the train rather than by bus.

The day was hot and fine, and we took a ferry across to look around. We thought we had lucked in when we were told that the trip was free. So it was, but we had to pay RM 1.20 each to get back. It was a calm crossing, which took about 15 minutes once we took off. Ferries are very frequent, with every other one being a combined passenger and vehicular ferry. The vehicles and drivers load onto the lower deck – there are usually many more scooters than cars. It was interesting to look from our boat down into the neighbouring one at the drivers congregating together.

We thought we knew where to find the train station, but turned the wrong way and had to ask for help. The station is old and not very busy, but well-maintained with 2 museum engines outside. We read that the train went every day at 10, and decided that would be most suitable, till we enquired about tickets, and discovered the train left daily at 10 pm. So Eddie will go back by bus. The bus is actually a bit cheaper as it cost RM 30 by train. Eddie had difficulty understanding the girl behind the glass when she quoted the price, and she gave him an exasperated look. That was all very well but people seemed to hear us say ‘four’ whenever we actually said ‘five’ – so it went both ways.

There wasn't much else we found interesting at Butterworth, so we caught the next ferry back to Georgetown.

We decided to test the bus route to Nibong and took a U303 to the terminal. Once there we bought a ticket for Eddie on Friday on the 10 a.m. Plusliner, then looked for a lunch place, most of which were shut because if Ramadan.

There wasn't much else nearby, but we eventually found a stall across the highway selling 'economy rice', which we settled for. We were given a plate of rice and could choose from a range of toppings, to be charged accordingly. It was ok, but exposed to flies and not hot, so Eddie didn't enjoy it.

After eating, we waited a long time for a 401 bus back to the quay, where we decided to take a Chinese bus back to the hotel. This was a mistake, as we waited a long time before leaving the terminus, and even longer at Komtar while the driver tried to drum up passengers.

We didn't get in till nearly 4.30, by which time we were hot, tired and hungry. After tea and refreshment, we went for a walk on the local beach. It's rather grubby fishing beach, with mangy dogs - although fortunately they didn't bother us much.

We watched fishermen mending their nets, trudged along the sand and rubbish piles to the mouth of a small river, then went back for dinner, which consisted of eggs, potatoes and beans.

Tuesday 18 September

We had a reasonable sleep, and didn't get out of bed till 7. The washing hadn't dried very well in spite of the fan I’d left on it overnight, so I resorted to the hair drier for some of the damper things. In the end, I wore my trousers, which smelled slightly of damp washing, and hung the rest in the bathroom.

After breakfast of toast, tuna and tea, we left at about 9 for Batu Ferringhi. The bus took us through a winding road, with picturesque coastal views, and many cleared sections being prepared for high rise complexes.

Once arrived, we took a leisurely walk past some of the hotels we remembered from our first trip. We couldn't see the Casuarina resort and assumed it had been taken over or redeveloped.

We came across a handwritten sign: Waterfall 300m, and decided to have a look. A traipse through what looked like a deserted quarry brought us to a bridge over a small river, with an approach to the falls guarded by a dog that didn't sound too pleased to see us. Luckily, it was chained up.

At this point, I lost my desire to carry on, but eventually decided to keep Eddie company. We climbed some concrete and brick steps, clambered over some rocks, and enjoyed the small, pretty falls.

Retracing our path, we continued on up the main road till it ran out of footpath, when we returned to our starting point, discovering on the way that the Casuarina was being refurbished, hiding behind a length of metal fence. This explained why we didn't see it when we walked past.

Eddie decided to take a walk on the beach, so we spent a while on the sand, admiring the view, before carrying on. The beach was almost deserted, as was the whole area. It felt very empty for a tourist area. The few restaurants open were keen for business.

We went to the shopping centre, hoping to find a supermarket, but hardly anything was open, which was disappointing and disconcerting. We decided to have morning tea anyway, and ate banana pancake with honey and ice cream from an Indian stall - it was delicious.

We went back to the hotel after a long wait for a bus, had lunch, and set off again for Komtar to do some grocery shopping. After another long wait for the bus, we finally arrived and spent some time looking around the complex which again seemed tired and deserted.

I bought a sarong length from a shop there, then we went over to the second building which houses the Giant supermarket, where we got a few provisions. We ate some of our bananas in front of the people setting up the Ramadan night market, then bought some cakes from the first stall – 3 for RM 1.

After our refreshment, we decided to walk through Chinatown and visit the Khoo Kongsi. It took a bit of finding, but in the process we walked the length of Rope Walk (Pintal Tali). I had a vague memory of historical remains of the original rope walk, but if so, it wasn’t in evidence, despite the fact that we walked the length of the street. We met up with some friendly people in Lebuh Armenian, who gave us directions then invited us to have a cup of something with them, as they were sitting enjoying the evening.

They bought us some barley water, and chatted to us for a while in English and Cantonese. They picked Eddie for a Hong Konger, as people seem to do here. One of the men owned the shop, which was ostensibly a bicycle repair shop, but was stuffed with knick knacks and bric-a-brac – clocks, dolls, china were stuffed all around the walls, the fruits of 25 years of collecting, apparently.

We drank and chatted and exchanged addresses, till at 4.35 they said we had better go if we wanted to see the Khoo Kongsi as it closed at 5. We found it easily enough around the corner and tagged onto a tour party to listen to the guide's patter, which was interesting and amusing.

Once the place was shut, we walked on to the Weld Quay terminal and got a bus home. We had to wait a long time before the bus left, then we had a very long trip through the evening traffic. The bus driver did a U-turn across 3 lanes of traffic to get fuel on the way, to the amazement and derision of the loud Ferringhi passengers - they sounded most uncouth.

We had a short chat to an Iranian student who is at USM studying a PhD in environmental science and who was with her mother.

It was a relief to get in by 7.30 and get some dinner - chicken sausages, potatoes and cakes. After doing dishes, washing and having a shower, we were ready for bed. Eddie has turned brown, and I am sunburned, but it was a good day.

Wednesday 19 September

Were awake early but didn't get up till 7-ish. Had breakfast of an egg, sausages and baked beans, cleaned up and left just before 9. Had to wait a while for the bus, but reached Jln Utama by 10. We walked quite a way looking for the place where the man was feeding the monkeys on our last visit, but only saw a few animals around an Indian temple. We carried on up the road for a while but saw nothing likely, so we walked back to explore a road by the temple. Here we discovered a delightful park with fountains at every turn. It was peaceful, cool and pleasant, so we took our time, and many photos.

We continued on down the road to the intersection with Jln Gottlieb, where we hoped to find something to eat, but pickings were slim. We settled for an ice cream each from a cake shop and shared a tuna bun - the muffin I chose was disappointingly dry and crumbly and wasn't much better after it had been microwaved for afternoon tea.

Then on to the cemetery, where the sexton produced a pot of paint just as we arrived, and proceeded to paint he letters on the headstone while we waited. We wondered if he would have done it at all if we hadn’t gone back, though he commented several times about the recent wet weather. It was very hot by this time, and I got even more burnt.

We looked around the graves for a time, and Eddie took pictures of the marble dog, then we left before we could be persuaded to give the sexton a grave-keeping fee on an annual basis.

We found a bus-stop across the road and thought we could save time by using the U102 route, but no bus turned up, even after nearly an hour. We finally gave up and walked back to Midlands, where we got a bus immediately.

We stopped off at Komtar and bought presents, but I didn't enjoy the process as we were both hot, tired, hungry and cross, possibly exacerbated because our sugar intake has been higher recently than the beginning of the week.

We bought a few items from Giant, but again pickings were slim, and we settled for ice cream and water, which we consumed amongst the traffic at the entrance to the complex.

We continued on to find the grave of Captain Light in the old Protestant cemetery, finding a shop selling meat and rice on the way. We enjoyed that with a cup of strong sweet coffee for me and Milo for Eddie.

With a bit of map reading and a detour through a Kuan Yin temple, we finally found the cemetery, where we spent some time looking at the graves, which look like caskets above the ground. The cemetery operated from 1789 to 1892, so it was interesting to note the names associated with Penang's history, as well as how young many of the dead were. One family lost 4 children, another woman died in childbirth, after losing 3 others very young, and was buried with the infant.

Once the mosquitoes started biting, we went on to find the HSBC bank to enquire about opening an account. It was strange to be treated as honoured guests after fending for ourselves for so long, but the coffee and water provided were welcome. We need to go back to complete the process which we will do tomorrow.

Our bus back left about 4.50, meaning we had a faster trip than last night. After a cup of tea and something to eat, we went out to find something for tea. Again we couldn't find much, so we settled for some fruit - bananas, mango and a pineapple. We also walked to the Floating mosque which we can see fm our room.

Once back, we had fruit and tea and did our washing. Eddie took hours over his, but managed to get the stains from his fall out of his trousers.

Thursday 20 September

We had a reasonable sleep, although I had difficulty dropping off, and woke at 1 a.m. feeling as if I had slept a whole night. We got off to a slow start, but got a bus into Georgetown about 9.30. It was a fine warm morning with a pleasant breeze blowing and Eddie remarked how cheerful the Protestant Cemetery looked with the sun on it, as we rode past.

It didn't take us long to find the bank, where we spent the next 2 hours setting up our new account and getting all the paperwork completed. It took longer than we expected, but at east we know all the cards and security devices work.

After finishing at the bank, we walked to the Giant supermarket to get something for lunch. We chose our staples of bananas, cake and ice cream.

We spent a bit more time looking at the Parkson Grand store, then went outside to eat lunch, afterwards crossing the busy intersection to explore the Gama department store.

After checking out their goods and using the toilet to wash our hands, we returned to Komtar where we found a shop that would make a DVD copy of Eddie’s photos. We had a pleasant chat with the woman while we waited for the process to complete.

Next we caught a 103 bus to Plaza Gurney, a shopping complex at the end of Gurney Drive, where we had stayed previously. We walked the length of the Drive, noting how few of the original houses remained. Most sections are now taken up with high-rises and hotels. I found the walk interesting but tiring, and was ready to go back once we reached No. 1, our first timeshare accommodation.

Finally, we checked out Cold Storage back at the Plaza, but nothing appealed, so we left empty-handed.

We got a Chinese bus from the other side of the major intersection with Gurney Drive, expecting a fairly fast trip back. There was some slow traffic around the evening food stalls near the Tanjong Bungah Hotel, and the bus had to change lanes through it. Once clear, and near the Caltex service station, the driver started to move left again, swiping a car coming rapidly on the left, and forcing it into a power pole. Bits of the car were spread along the road, and we couldn't see if the driver was injured. We expected the driver to stop, but to our astonishment, he just kept going as if nothing had happened.

We got off about 3 stops later, and Eddie alighted from the front to see what the damage was - he said there were some scratches, but as the bus was so battered anyway, they hardly showed.

It was a relief to get back to our nest, have some afternoon tea and debrief. We couldn't have done anything, but we felt quite shocked that the driver didn't stop.

Once calmed down, we decided to have a look at the pool on the roof, since we didn't get a chance last time. We had a very quick dip (Eddie found it too cold to do more than get wet), sat in the sun for a while, the came back to our room for a shower.

Dinner consisted of leftovers.

Friday 21 September

We had a rushed and very early start to catch the bus at 7. We expected the rooms to be checked before we got our bond back, but the receptionist just asked if everything was in order before handing over the money when we assured her it was.

There was a very long wait for a bus at the terminus. I let one 401 go as I was waiting for a 303 to go right to the platform at the Nibong bus station, but in the end, as time was going by, settled for the next 401. Eddie was very anxious about arriving on time, but we made it with time to spare in spite of slow passengers and traffic. Then the express bus took a while to turn up, and actually didn’t leave till about 10.30. I passed the time talking to a woman who was farewelling her godmother, and she was kind enough to offer me a lift to the airport.

Once there, I had a very long time to fill in, waiting for my flight at 5 p.m. I bought a pair of earrings with my saved taxi fare, and had an expensive (RM 7.90) cappuccino which was really a flat white at the Coffee Bean restaurant. The rest of the time I spent wandering around in and out of the building. I ate bread and boiled egg in the terminus and out in the carpark just for something to do. I read an abandoned paper, where I found out about the Nai Yin Xue case, and changed clothes ready for the long haul. I watched a group of performers in various kinds of Malaysian dress get ready to greet some dignitary, and followed them for part of their procession. I was disappointed I couldn’t see the results of the preparation, as they disappeared into a closed off area.

I checked in at 3 - it was a relief to get rid of my bag – and waited around some more for the short flight to KL. There was only an hour or so to wait till we boarded the plane at Subang Jaya for an uneventful trip home.