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A Year of Living AwesomelyA Year of Living Awesomely
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A Year of Living Awesomely

enero 2024 - enero 2025
In which we take our last big trip. SE Asia and Europe Leer más
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  • 145huellas
  • 4países
  • 142días
  • 850fotos
  • 122videos
  • 10,8kkilómetros
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  • 185kilómetros
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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 14

    Awesome Seafood Dinner

    24 de enero, Malasia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Another day of taking it easy. Doing some laundry, getting some supplies. Getting computer work done and our usual pool time.

    We decided to hit a place we’d seen reviewed by a YouTuber by the name of Mark Wiens. I’d love to be able to fund my travelling the way he does; millions of people watch him eat his way around the world. Actually, come to think of it, I prefer the other side of the camera.

    We are early evening diners. It turns out the rest of Malaysia isn’t. Our Grab driver seems as hesitant as we are when we arrive at the designated address. He gets out of the car with us to make sure the place is open before driving off.

    We have no idea what is on the menu board. I stand phone in hand attempting to figure out what “jehanuk” and “udung” are, among a dozen other choices. “Sotong” I know, squid. But everything else is a complete mystery. A young couple join us at the counter and help us figure out a few things. We grab a bowl and proceed to add the items we want I to it. A largish whole fish and two very large prawns. We don’t know if the prices are per item or by weight and fear we are in for a very large bill.

    We take a table then I go and get us a couple of drinks, apple asam boi, which Google advises is apple juice with a dried salty plum that is apparently refreshing and thirst quenching.

    A young guy comes to ask if we want plain rice or nasi lemak. We opt for plain and he plonks two bowls of chilli in front of us.

    The food arrives and it looks sensational. The fish has been butterflied, cooked with a mild chilli paste and covered with a banana leaf to keep it warm. The prawns are served whole in the shell with a skewer through the length. Everything has been cooked over flame. A fantastic meal, the whole lot came to less than $30. I was still trying to figure out what the fish was (because I’m hopeless and don’t know one from another) and again with google’s assistance found out it was sea bass or barramundi.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    2
    Día 15

    Two Beautiful Temples in Harmony Street

    25 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I had big plans for today. Today marks the beginning of a four day Hindu festival called Thaipusam. It is a huge event in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and still significant in Malacca. The problem I encountered was establishing where and when exactly events were to be held. Especially since the only temple I could find anything for is a half hour Grab ride away.

    So we headed in to Jonker Street to the Chinese Temple instead. The first temple we visited is the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. The temple site dates back to 1645 during the Dutch Malacca era. It is a Chinese temple practising the Three Doctrinal Systems of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. It is a beautiful temple with a gorgeous main gate that opens into an open courtyard in front of the main prayer hall dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Guan Yin. This hall is ornately decked out in rich dark timber and lavish gold.

    Encircling the main building is a series of shrines and smaller prayer spaces. Some were filled with memorial plaques with a small image of the person to whom they were dedicated. Others contained large images of a deity with offerings left on tables, incense burning alongside.

    Along the street a little from this temple was a second less ornate but equally lovely temple, the Xiang Lin Si Temple. This temple follows a different branch of buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhism which apparently originates in ancient India. From the upstairs window is a great view of Harmony Street, so-called because there are the two Buddhist temples, a mosque and a Hindu temple all co-existing harmoniously within close proximity to one another.

    We were ready to leave the area as the crowds began to build and the day began to get hotter but first we stopped for an iced coffee and a pastry.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 16

    Lion Dancers and Portuguese Dinner

    26 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    The first thing I saw on waking this morning was a lovely full moon.

    We have settled into a routine which generally involves doing some Duolingo (Richard is doing German, I’m doing Spanish), exercise in the gym and pool, writing up this journal and editing video.

    And of course, we’re still exploring. Today we discover there’s a bit of an event happening right across the road from our apartment. Marquees have been erected with tables, chairs and a small stage, occupying a slip road on a corner outside an office building. On the stage are four lion dancer costumes. Ooh! There are people setting up a sound system and I go over to ask what it’s all about. I find out the time the lion dancers are performing and we head off for our usual breakfast.

    At 10:00 I return to see what’s happening and now the marquees are filled with people, all wearing lanyards, some wearing t-shirts bearing the branding of the insurance company whose shopfront we are out in front of. Generali. I doubt I am allowed to enter the barricaded of area so I make my way along the median strip separating the slip road from the main road camera in hand ready for action. Several minutes later, as the dancers make their way towards the building entrance with me keeping pace, I am confronted by a number of staff inviting me to enter the sacred space and get a better vantage point. It was explained to me that this was the official re-opening of the office following a complete refit and the ceremony was to bring good fortune to the business.

    For dinner we make our wake to the Portuguese Settlement, an area of Malacca recognised as being an enclave of residents descended from the Portuguese who lived here in the 16th century. There is a small area of mostly seafood eateries here. We negotiate the touters all vying for our custom and circle back around to a small place sitting a little away from the rest. We like his prices and his non-touting methods. His menu is simple, a choice of fish cake, stingray, chicken wings or squid. All baked in peri-peri style sauce and served with cucumber, onion, tiny limes, and bread. We both reckon this was the best meal we’ve had so far. And far cheaper than we were expecting at $25 including 2x beers each    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 17

    Getting Organised for Onward Travel

    27 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We suddenly realised today that we really need to get our act together and organise our transport from Malacca to Ipoh on February 12. We are aware that Lunar New Year begins around this time, it was part of the reason we extended our stay in Malacca. Not because we were aware of any particular event but because we were strongly advised against travelling in the lead up to the first weekend of the holiday period.

    We spend the morning poring over transport websites, checking routes, fares and seat availability until we land on a workable plan for the day. It will involve one Grab, two buses and a train, and most likely another Grab once we reach Ipoh. The more we looked the more realised it was a good thing we did this today as the seat availability wasn’t huge.

    The rest of the day was spent doing our usual routine stuff followed by a cheap dinner across the road to counter the many outlaid on fares.

    Random pics of things seen today, and a. video of some random fireworks this evening.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 18

    Being Flexible

    28 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We could have stuck to the plan today. We set out this morning with intention of getting breakfast, wandering around the market, then heading across town to a megamall to check it out. We ticked of the first two returning to the small eatery that did chicken and rice balls that we enjoyed the other day. Then we turned right. Instead of heading in the direction we had planned, we too a stroll further along the street, poking our noses into small shops along the way. We paused to investigate what I'm fairly certain was a Sikh temple but unsure and also unsure if we would be permitted to enter so we kept going.

    We reached an intersection and noticed a small crowd gathered across the road. A little further scrutiny and an element of deduction and we realised we had reached the Poh San Teng Temple. The small crowd was of course a tour group. This temple is dedicated to Tua Pek Kong (a Taoist deity of Peranakan folk religion practiced by ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Indonesia) and was founded in 1795 during the era of Dutch Malacca. A beautiful temple with lovely ornate ceramic decorative finishes.

    Also on the site is a cenotaph erected in 1948 and dedicated to the memory of the Chinese slaughtered by the Japanese.

    We continue to circuit the block passing a street vendor cooking noodles with bean sprouts and egg, earmarking it for breakfast another day. There is a row of lovely Peranakan shophouses, the end one of which houses a lovely cafe. We stop for coffee and tea.

    We pass a large hall with people inside having their hair cut. It is customary to do so before Lunar New Year and apparently here today only, it is free. Richard isn’t tempted.

    Back at the fruit market we buy a few pieces and also a “spectacular oversized muffin”. I later discover from a Malaysia Facebook group that it is called “huet kueh” and is a steamed rice flour cake . We tasted it and weren’t impressed and it seems this cake be meant to be used only as offerings.

    Heading out for dinner, we first stop by an atm and since we are in this neighbourhood we decide to check out a porridge place we walk past often. It only opens for dinner and serves a variety of dishes all based on rice porridge. One of these is frog. We decide to share one with two pieces, meaning two whole frogs. Although the sauce is delicious the frog is incredibly fiddly, tiny as they are. I can see why the French just went for the legs. We discuss the whole question of eating on way back to the apartment and once there we look it up. I didn’t realise the endangered status of frogs as a whole. I mean, I’ve watched Luke Nguyen catch them in paddy fields. We won’t be eating frog again.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 19

    Not Shopping

    29 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    The one thing we have had difficulty finding is places to shop for basic items. So we’re heading to a megamall to see what we can find there. We’re actually unsurprised to discover, well nothing. Oh there are plenty of boutiques, phone shops, cosmetics and the like. But something like a budget homewares store for instance, still remains an undiscovered mystery.

    Still, it is mildly interesting comparing differences and similarities to what we’re familiar with. Many familiar stores and brands and often quirky differences. And then we take a turn down a different branch of the mall and find ourselves in a labyrinth of completely different stores. Spice stores, food stores, clothing stores, all aimed at a completely different culture and demographic to the shiny, mirrored stores in the rest of the centre.

    We find the food during our exploration and decide to grab an early lunch. The chicken hotpot looks amazing and it’s only 9.50RM ($3.50) and large enough to share    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 20

    Monkeys at the Fort

    30 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Not very far from us but a little too far to walk, St John’s Fort straddles a hill. It dates from the days of the Portuguese and underwent a number of transformations with each occupation that ensued. Now the trees have grown up around it so the remaining guns no longer command an uninterrupted view in all directions.

    We had the place to ourselves, apart from a small group of lively monkeys occupying the nearest treetops. And they didn’t even try to rob us!

    For dinner we tried a different food centre we just discovered. Newton food centre is only about a 10 minute walk and has mainly Chinese and Nonya foods. We had barbecued chicken wings, satay sticks, rice and Portuguese tarts. A well balanced meal.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 21

    Being Guided

    31 de enero, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    I joined a free city walking tour today. Booked via the same organisation I was doing Sydney tours for, Guruwalk. I met Imran at the appointed location, beneath a tree outside the Christ Church in Dutch Square. We were joined by two young solo travelers, Rohim from London and Guel from the far north of Germany.

    Imran was fabulous, animated and passionate, he really helped bring context and clarity to some of the streets I had already walked along. We gained insights into distinguishing the Dutch built houses from the others, learned the reasons for some of the distinguishing features of the Peranakan houses and saw the remains of the bridge destroyed by the Australians to slow down the Japanese during World War 2.

    We finished, well I finished as the others were going on to climb a big hill with lots of stairs, at a cafe near the riverwalk with iced coffee. I may have gained two new fans for the beverage.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 22

    Ruins and Relics, Exploring the Past

    1 de febrero, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    To say that Melaka has a colourful history is to state it mildly. Indications of former occupations can be seen in abundance, once you know where to look. We took a Grab to the district where there are several historic sites in a bit of a cluster.

    Porta de Santiago is the only remnant of the old city wall that remains. Beyond the gate a set of stairs leads to the top of the hill, Bukit Melaka atop which sits the ruins of the Church of Saint Paul. But before we tackle those we head for the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum. This is a full scale replica of how the original Sultanate Palace would have looked at the time of the Portuguese invasion in the early 16th century. It is home to artefacts that represent different eras since that time. There are costumes, hats, weapons, jewellery, porcelain and dioramas depicting different scenes from history. There is also a recreation of the Royal bed chamber and one of the Sultan’s meeting hall. A fascinating collection and the first entry fee we’ve paid since our journey began.

    We then head for the stairs and climb to the top of the hill.    Leer más

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  • A Year of Living Awesomely
    Día 23

    Getting the Footage

    2 de febrero, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    This morning was spent walking back over previously traveled paths camera and gimbal in hand, recording scenes I had failed to get previously. I was dropped off at the bottom of Bukit Melaka and made my way to the Stadthuys entrance. I walked down in Dutch Square, along the River Walk, along Harmony Street then down Jonker Street and managed to record about 90 minutes of footage. Now to put it all together.

    Dinner this evening was at a Chinese place around the corner from us. Chinese only menu. We chose from photos, a fried noodle and prawns, and a noodle soup with pork belly. Close, air conditioned and really good food all for about $13 with drinks.    Leer más

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