A Year in Exile

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The end of the year

October 3 - out to lunch with Juliet and Robert and we decided to go for a Thai so they took us to a different part of Georgetown’s heritage. Along from the ferry port there are wooden jetties, each named after a Chinese clan or family, Tan, Chew etc., they stretch out into the water on stilts, much of it on reclaimed land. Along the road there are many food stalls particularly at night but we went along Tan Jetty to the end where there was a Thai restaurant sitting right out over the water. Excellent food and company as usual, on the way back we stopped at Sunshine, a local supermarket that does good wine deals and stocked up ready for Friday at the Old Frees where there is a karaoke competition. 14 contestants each sing a song of their choice (in English or Malay but not Chinese), the 8 best get to sing should be good fun.

We had dinner at the club first, very nice and then went into the large function room for the karaoke, about 50 or so came to watch and there were 12 contestants. The contest was won by one of Robert’s friends, Gerry, a lecturer, who unlike most of the contestants took it very seriously. He was very good, he practices a lot and enters karaoke competitions on a regular basis. I also enjoyed Ricky’s numbers, hot numbers he called them meaning they were quite upbeat and not the usual ballad, he sang a version of Achy Breaky Song and Chains by the Beatles and a youngster who sang Smoke on the Water. After the contest we went into the bar and the singing was very much for fun, the best being a young lad (well 28!) who sang various Elvis numbers complete with all the actions. Alice, a really lively woman who runs the restaurant and lives in our apartment complex drove us home at 3am – don’t know how we do it!

The next day we were guests of a trainer and his wife, Swee Hock Tan and Lynn, at Penang Turf Club. We had been told that there was a strict dress code and had to go shopping, trousers and shoes and socks for Brian (he borrowed a shirt and tie from Robert) and shoes and a top for me, the biggest spending spree we have had since we left the UK. We were in the Trainers and Jockeys box, along with 2 or 3 others, and it was good fun, especially after Lynn told us we could do a forecast bet for RM2 (about 40p) so I stopped worrying about what we were spending. The afternoon cost us RM39 so not bad at all, only one winner though! We were invited back for Day 2 and Brian was keen to meet Swee Hock and Lynn’s son Soon, who had just finished working for Godolphin for 7 years, he turned out to be an engaging and bright young man and good company. We were surprised that the racing on Sunday was on as it rained all night and then again in the morning and it had been pretty wet the day before but we arrived for the first race and it went ahead. Between the second and third races the heavens opened and the third race was run in appalling conditions, when the storm finished there was water lying on the track, they delayed the next race for 10 minutes but then went ahead. I got into a conversation with a girl whose boyfriend was a jockey and she was very unhappy and thought they were putting lives at risk. Another delay before the next race and eventually the meeting was called off – much to the delight of the jockeys who had been standing around waiting for a decision. Swee Hock said later that his jockey had said that he couldn’t see a thing coming down the straight so definitely the right decision. We had been invited out after the races but when an owner decided to stay on we postponed to Monday.

On Monday we had a ‘crisis’ call from Dan, there were several queries about the tiling that needed immediate answers, however, we missed the call and by the time we responded Lisa and her Dad, Alan, had solved them all! So the tiling is now done that just leaves the shower doors and mirrors, the garage, the paving and the outside painting to do – won’t be long now!

Monday evening Swee Hock, Lynn and Soon picked us up and we went to a very nice fish restaurant in Strait Quays owned by a friend of Soon’s. Strait Quays turned out to be the most expensive area of Penang and the restaurant overlooked a marina full of expensive yachts, yet another beautiful mall on the island, we intend to go back in daylight and have a wander, it really was very, very smart.

In the meantime we have Sumatra to look forward to – it feels a bit like an October half term holiday except that I haven’t been at work. We had a lunch out with Juliet and Robert on Thursday and a final karaoke session on Friday after a meal with Juliet, Julia and Ricky. Robert had a meeting finalising wedding plans and joined us later, we were all out the next day, us to Sumatra and Juliet and Robert to a wedding in Ipoh so we called it a day at midnight, on the way home Robert asked if we wanted to go for ‘snacks’, we declined.

The taxi arrived on time, the plane left as scheduled and we were off to Medan. The taxi drive from Medan airport was grim – Medan is a very large city and not blessed with much beauty, not an encouraging start. The hotel, however, was very nice, we got a free upgrade and the room was large, comfortable and clean. After unpacking we went for a coffee in the hotel café, it arrived 25 minutes later! We looked at the menu and decided to come back later for dinner. So – off to explore.

On leaving the hotel we were met by four lanes of heaving traffic and no pavements – we made it about 100 yards in one direction before going back and trying the other way. It was marginally better and we found a supermarket of sorts where we stocked up on beer and nibbles before finding our way back when it started to rain. On the way back we picked our way through rubble, up and down a variety of steps and on the road, at one point I went to go up a drive to avoid the traffic and found myself flat on my back, I had slipped on a new coating of wet cement. I was covered in a thick layer, my clothes, my shoes, my bag and my skin, much to the amusement of some of the workers, certainly not me! Luckily we were only a few yards from the hotel and I went straight into the shower fully clothed to try and rescue my clothes and shoes before it set. After the shower and a beer I calmed down and we went for dinner – we decided to share an avocado salad and then have fish and chips. After much toing and froing we were told no avocado salad, never mind we say, we’ll just have fish and chips, fish and chips all finished we were told, OK then, 2 tuna salads and 2 lots of chips. Well – the tuna salad was covered in sauce at least an inch thick and there was no tuna in sight, the chips at least were edible, not happy we collected some brochures and went back to the room.

I wasn’t feeling very happy, the trip to see the orang utans was a 3-4 hour drive each way with no guarantee of actually seeing any and cost more than we had expected, there didn’t seem much to see in Medan itself and we couldn’t really walk anywhere as the traffic was horrendous and there are no paths. I said to Brian that I wished I hadn’t booked a week as I didn’t see what we could do, next thing I had booked to go back to Penang on Tuesday rather than Saturday, the cost of the airfare almost exactly balanced out the hotel refund, we both immediately felt much happier.

On the Monday we went to Sun Plaza, a huge shopping mall, air conditioned and traffic free, we spent 6 hours, shops, pictures, food, a good day but not something you could do every day for a week!

Medan airport summed up the city – grim! We were both ridiculously pleased to get back to the apartment.

Malaysia is an extremely visitor friendly country, a 90 day free visa which can be renewed by leaving the country (as we had just done) and returning as quickly as 24 hours, Indonesia, on the other hand demands a pay on arrival visa (about £18) and an exit fee when you leave of between £5 and £10 per person. Guess where we would go again!

When we got back it was right in the middle of a 10 day vegetarian festival. Our local veggie was absolutely packed with extra tables and chairs outside and queues everywhere but the food ….. was amazing, the usual 20 or so dishes was increased to at least 30 with extra stalls doing broth/noodle dishes to order – food heaven it is some of the best food I have ever tasted, shame it is only a 10 day festival.

Back at karaoke on Friday much to Julia and Ricky’s delight as they had friends over from Adelaide, a really nice couple, he an English Aussie and her Malaysian, they met when she was there at uni.

Also on Friday we had an email from our builders saying that the paving and garage were done – panic stations, we started looking at air fares and applied for 6 month visas as the usual 3 month one wouldn’t take us to March when we can apply for a more permanent one. This meant we had to have chest x-rays, luckily there was a hospital in Penang that we could use. We decided to go and see on Monday. Two bus journeys and we found the hospital, everyone was so friendly and helpful and arrangements were made to go back on Tuesday with photos and several extra forms filled in. From the hospital we walked to Gurney Plaza for a mooch and a coffee and cake.

Back to the hospital next day, again very helpful and the x-rays were done and paid for. This time we walked a different way and found an older plaza, coffee and a third of the price, a leather bag and wallet for Brian, 2 pairs of flip flops for me and a Thai massage later we returned to the apartment - a good day.

We were stunned when we had notification the very next day that the visas had been granted – pretty efficient for a government department, so now our focus has changed and we are already looking forward to going to Australia.

One little hiccup with the house – Daniel mentioned that the laundry and loo hadn’t been tiled so we sent an email to the builders who informed us that it wasn’t included. Somewhat baffled we asked for an explanation and were pointed towards the original spec with an apology if it hadn’t been explained clearly. Sure enough it wasn’t on the spec – no mention of it at all so how we were supposed to know I’m not sure, anyway after many emails we won’t have a tiled laundry and loo when we move in (they did offer to do it but at an outrageously exorbitant price!). Not the end of the world and reports from Aus are all favourable so we won’t let it spoil the overall joy.

Friday night is karaoke night but the last few of weeks have been a bit different – there are two groups of people, one in the ‘tavern’ and one in the main hall, previously we had only been in the tavern but we one Friday we went into the main room first, Juliet had made a delicious pasta dish and others had brought contributions to the supper table – all very nice. The next week, Juliet took her air fryer (an amazing bit of kit that fries without fat) and made chicken and chips so the third week I decided it was time to make my own contribution and made a Thai green curry like I had been shown in the restaurant kitchen in Phuket. Perhaps a bit ambitious as it was the first time I had made it but it was OK although Robert would have liked it spicier with a thicker sauce! So now Fridays is spent half in the main hall and half in the ‘tavern’ – apparently the two groups don’t get on, hence the split, but a difficult situation for Robert and Juliet who are popular with both groups.

We’ve also started to do a bit of shopping and had a stroke of luck when we went to look at karaoke machines (which, by the way, we have decided not to buy at this time), I popped into the Post Office to see how much it would be to post a machine and discovered that it was very reasonable. So we’re not posting a machine but have packed a fairly large box full of ‘stuff’ to send to Aus rather than taking it on the plane.

The bus service in Penang is excellent, the buses are clean, regular and cheap, the bus station has an electronic board that tells you how long before each bus arrives or that it is at the jetty, we have been very impressed. However, the bus station seems to be a ‘hanging out’ place for people with nothing to do and we are often engaged in conversation. One elderly man started by asking which bus we wanted, asked the inevitable ‘where are you from?’ question and then started talking about the Guinness Book of Records – how did we know it was true? etc. – but then started talking about Rudolf Hess and how he couldn’t have committed suicide the way the Guinness Book of Records says so that is why he doubts it! It was a long discussion but finally our bus arrived, I said goodbye and asked what number bus he was waiting for, his reply ‘ Oh, I’m not waiting for a bus, I’m waiting to die’ – what do you say to that? Speechless.

We decided to go to the cinema to see the new James Bond – excellent. Bonus was that the whole thing – bus fares, cinema, popcorn, water, dinner and drinks afterwards - came to about £12 altogether – that we ARE going to miss. Came back to listen to the Saints v Quins in the LV Cup, love the fact that we can get the games here and therefore, hopefully in Aus too.

Well, that’s it – A Year in Exile – it is exactly a year since we left the UK – and what a year. I feel extremely privileged to have experienced the different cultures; we have met some wonderful people, who will be friends for life, have tried so many different foods and drinks and haven’t been cold once! Brian and I are not only still talking but have become closer and are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives. We called it our pensioners’ gap year and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

Penang Turf Club

The opera for the ancestors - in the street by the food hall, performed by travelling Thai actors

On the fourth floor of the mall in Medan - for lazy shoppers - catch the train!

Cute crockery in a coffee shop

One of our favourite meals, Char Kway Teow and Yong Tau Foo with yam rice

The beautiful Botanical Gardens

One of the many mosques in Penang

Botanical Gardens

Botanical Gardens - again!

Pictures taken by Juliet - we really did sing at the karaoke!

The new Barron residence - look at those blue skies!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Penang September

We no longer get strange looks when we go out to eat and are, in fact, greeted as regular customers – the drinks arrive with no sugar automatically so you know you are a regular! We try to get out for a walk but don’t always manage it, it can be very hot during the day and as it is the rainy season some days are literally a washout.

Last Sunday (Sept 9) we went for a very pleasant walk along the river and decided to prolong it by walking round the block and approaching the apartments from the other direction. When we got to the end of our road we found it completely blocked off by a huge marquee, baffled we first checked it was the right road then decided there was nothing for it but to squeeze past the side. We passed two guys barbecuing who offered us food, we smiled but declined, and then as we got to the end of the marquee another man offered us some fruit. Brian accepted some water melon and asked what the occasion was, at this point another man came up to us and said we were very welcome, he ushered us to a table, sat us down and brought us several plates of food and a drink! It was Hari Raya, the end of Ramadan and the party was a celebration, an open invitation to everyone, all religions, all nationalities. We ate very well, a variety of Indian cuisine, while karaoke and competitions went on at the front on a small stage. The man who had invited us in explained that his sister lived in the end house and was responsible for the event. We stayed an hour or so and then after thanking our hosts walked up the road to the apartment. Another example of the amazing Asian hospitality!

The day before my birthday we got a phone call from Juliet and Robert asking if we wanted to go out to eat and that they would pick us up at 7. We went to a Steamboat restaurant and were met there by Willi, Ying, Joanne and Ying’s cousin Lynn and her husband Sweehock, apparently to celebrate my birthday. Cameron Highlands is the home of steamboat and this was a Penang/Korean version that had a barbecue as well as the steamboat. Steamboat – on the tables is a gas ring with a divided dish on it in which are two different ‘soups’, a spicy one and a chicken one, around the dish is a ¾ inch ring of tin foil that acts as the BBQ. Everyone helps themselves from a huge array of meat, fish, seafood, noodles and veg, you then either BBQ it or cook it in the broth, there are also noodle dishes cooked to order, various satays that are cooked in oil, sandwiches, cooked meat, eggs and more, not to mention the deserts and drinks! Very, very nice and of course you can eat as much as you like so we were all stuffed when we left. We then went to sing a few songs at the Old Frees as Wednesday is karaoke night and got home at 1am after rounding off the night with a Beatles’ medley. At midnight Juliet gave me a birthday card and Peter and Jade informed me I had another 86400 seconds of my birthday to enjoy.

I was delighted to get birthday cards from Australia and the UK, thank you Malaysian Post, as well as the hand-delivered ones. Brian and I both had our hair done by Raymond, a young hairdresser just round the corner, and were surprised to find a head massage, face wash and enthusiastic shoulder and neck massage included. He was actually very good and at £4 for Brian and an amazing £10 for my colour and cut, well worth it. We received another invitation out to dinner followed by a visit to the night market at Batu Ferringhi, the big tourist area on Penang. We were again joined by Willi, Ying and Joanne, dinner at the No-Eyed Deer, very nice, Chili and Lime Barramundi for me and a grilled chicken salad for Brian. The night market is geared to tourists but well worth a visit and we will go back before we leave to shop in earnest! Unfortunately it rained so we had to pop into the Holiday Inn for a glass of red wine while we waited it out – an excellent birthday – thank you very much Juliet, Robert, Ying, Willi and Joanne for the treats.

Brian and I also tried the local Thai restaurant which was excellent but at R10 for the cheapest curry, twice as much as we usually pay so although we will go there again, probably not that often!

The rain then set in with a vengeance so that most days we have to wait for a dry spell and make sure we take the umbrellas out with us. One night when we came back from dinner I managed to get the key well and truly stuck in the door so that despite our best efforts we had to call in reinforcements in the form of the security guard, Velu, at least 70 and 6 stone wringing wet, it was no surprise that he couldn’t help, he did, however, offer to go and get the maintenance man – or so we thought – from the 5^th floor. When he returned he happily told us that the maintenance man had phoned the owners of the flat, Juliet and Robert, we had hoped he might have come down but no – he made a phone call. I called Juliet to apologise but they were already on the way and turned up on their motorbike 20 minutes later. No luck with the key though and no getting in the other door either as I had very conscientiously put the latch across! Juliet then phoned the brother of a friend who was a ‘handyman’ and 10 minutes later he arrived. Half an hour later having taken the door apart we are in the apartment and he promised to return the next day with a new lock and keys, meanwhile we had to put a chair against the front door. He duly returned the next morning at 9.15 (a time we don’t often see these days), fitted a new lock, lectured us on how to put a key in a lock and lock and unlock a door, complete with demonstrations, charged us RM70 (about £14) and left. We probably got off lightly – let’s see, in the UK a callout fee plus 30 minutes at night, a one hour job plus parts – bet we wouldn’t have seen much change from £100! At least I now know how to put a key in the lock so that it goes ALL the way in and straight before I try to unlock the door!

We have found much to our delight that we can listen live to all Saints matches on the radio. Evening games are no good as they start about 3 in the morning but the Saturday and Sunday afternoons start at 10pm so absolutely fine especially as our days have shifted several hours going to bed much later and getting up later – just fitting in with the locals! We can also watch the full match on the laptop next day – happy days. We were listening to the Worcester game when we became aware of noises from outside, drums, music etc. so at half time we went and had a look. It was a procession of floats and people including young children walking along the main road, apparently something to do with a new temple but it was very colourful with some very elaborate floats and went on for a good 30 minutes – at 11 o’clock at night – see what I mean about fitting in?

When Robert and Juliet came about the key they also gave us a DVD that Peter had copied for us – our very own karaoke video so that we could practice – no pressure then. We went to the karaoke on Wednesday after dinner at an Indian with Juliet and Robert. It really is good fun with no pressure on anyone, just a few beers and a sing song really. Peter and Jade are very keen to stay in touch when we are in Perth, they go every year as their daughter and her family live in Morley, and I’m sure we will. We are even being persuaded to buy our own karaoke machine as they are much cheaper here than in Aus!

After ghost month we then had the Moon Festival, moon cakes started to be sold some time before the actual festival which is September 30^th but leading up to it we also saw more large incense sticks being got ready and an even bigger stage than the puppet show being erected outside one of the temples. On the night of the 30^th we ate at the veggie restaurant then walked back via the stage. There were probably about 100 people sitting at tables with cloths on being served courses of food, we were invited to sit at the front on stalls to watch the show. We were told it was opera but they didn’t sing so I guess a play. The play was not for the people there though but for their ancestors and was performed by a travelling Thai group. We watched the first few acts and the actors at one time left the stage to go into the temple and pray but it was quite hard to follow and the stools were not that comfortable so after eating our moon cakes, fluorescent pink with coconut inside, and drinking the can of Heineken offered we went home.

Our house is now at lockup which means they have started on the inside fitting doors, shelves and cabinets, tiling the wet areas undercoating the walls, doing the paving and finally the carpets and blinds. We are allowing ourselves to get excited that we could be in for Christmas, that would be amazing.

A rainy day from inside the apartment

Thai meal - yummy!

Penang Hill

An Indian hawker - very relaxed style of cooking

The sign at Penang Hill

The view from a temple on Penang Hill

An elaborate carving outside the temple

The most elegant cup of coffee we experienced - at Penang Times Square

The 'opera' on Moon Festival night

The moon cakes - Brian said they look like boobs - don't know whose he has been looking at - definitely not mine!

Birthday celebrations at No-eyed Deer

The family room looking out on to the alfresco

Kitchen

Family room

The outside - the garage will be to the right

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Penang - August

We settled really well into the apartment and began to find our way around quite well. One day we caught the bus to Penang Times Square to top up the internet card and do a bit of shopping, on the bus back we rang for our stop and as Brian got up the driver braked sending him flying across the bus, he didn’t see the front door right next to us had opened and went to the middle doors, then as he went to get off the handle on the toilet rolls broke so he had to go scrabbling across the floor to pick them up, we were giggling like school kids when a voice from the bus called after us and we had left one of our purchases on the bus- if they didn’t remember us for being the only non-Asians on the bus they would for Brian’s comedy routine, we just couldn’t stop laughing.

We were also introduced to Malaysian Karaoke by Robert (who is a professional singer) and Juliet, they took us to their club, The Old Frees, a school OBs association. The school, in Georgetown is called Penang Free School, the free relates to the fact that all religions are welcome and it is famous throughout Malaysia having educated many kings and statesmen. The building was a bit like the Freemasons in St Georges Ave with rooms for every occasion, they have ballroom dancing, line dancing, sing-along and karaoke. Never having been ones for karaoke at home we were very apprehensive especially as Robert kept telling us we had to sing for our supper! It couldn’t have been any more different from anything we had experienced. Everyone took turns to sing and people either joined in or carried on with their own conversations, it was really enjoyable and literally everyone was so friendly and welcoming. When we were dropped off at the apartment at 2.30 am we were buzzing we had had such a good time. We were then invited out again the next day this time to the sing-along which turned out to be – karaoke! We then went for lunch (at about 5.30) and back to Robert and Juliet’s apartment on the 24^th floor of a block overlooking the sea. They have the most beautiful apartment, originally 5 bedrooms they changed it around for themselves, very stylish, very modern and definitely worth a bob or two! They also had a 3D TV and we watched some of the closing ceremony in 3D – amazing – I want one! It was then on to the Old Frees second club house, much newer and much plusher with slot machines downstairs, some even had private rooms with an ensuite for those that didn’t want to be disturbed while playing! Upstairs was a gym, a couple of games rooms, a sauna, a TV room with a bar and a pool table where they were watching the first Premiership game (West Brom v Liverpool) and – a Karaoke room. Weird – this time it was like a private session with four of their friends from the night before and a couple of guys who dropped in to sing their favourite songs! We left at about one and went for a ‘bite to eat’ that turned out to be an Indian meal at a 24 hour restaurant. 1.30 am and it was packed, families groups, couples, all ages and it was still packed when we left an hour later. There are lots of 24 hour eateries here and most other places stay open until 1 or 2 in the morning, a whole new way of life.

Our 41^st wedding anniversary! We decided to push the boat out and eat in a smart restaurant, Salsas, very, very good AND we had a bottle of wine, a very decent red, so a very good night was had by us both. We’ll be eating at the Vegetarian restaurant for the next few weeks – two meals and drinks for under £2!!!

While we are on eating, I should describe where and what we eat, we have become so used to it that we take all the sights, smells and tastes for granted but they are certainly different to what we are used to. Firstly I never cook at the apartment for two reasons: the apartment has a great kitchen but absolutely no cooking utensils, probably because of the second reason, eating out is so cheap you couldn’t cook it for less or even the same.

We use two main places, one is a vegetarian restaurant, they have an array of help yourself foods, usually about 18 – 20 dishes, curries, sweet and sour, vegetables cooked in a variety of ways and some things that we have no idea about. You help yourself to rice from a huge pot, as much or as little as you like, then pile your plate from the dishes, you present your plate to the cashier who tots it up and you pay her – our two dinners average 8 – 10 ringgits, £1.50 -£2. The drinks are ordered from a separate waitress, an additional 3ringgits, 60p for 2 fresh lime juices with no sugar. (You have to really stress the no sugar bit as Asians have an incredibly sweet tooth and look aghast when you request it, usually with protests like ‘less sugar?’ repeated a few times. Although they are beginning to realise we mean it now! The food is delicious; especially the curry and we still can’t get over the prices.

The other place is a food hall of which there are literally hundreds if not thousands in Georgetown. The one we favour is a two minute walk from the apartment, 80 tables and 35 hawkers (food stalls) round the edge. The food is Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai and Western, go to a stall order your dinner and it is brought to your table, drinks from the drinks monitor as in the veggie restaurant. Our favourite here is a dish called Foo Kang Tau – you collect a bowl and put in whatever you fancy from a three-tiered selection of tofu, meat, fish, quails eggs and fresh vegetables, hand your bowl over and your selection is cooked in a broth and served with rice, again very tasty. Slightly more expensive, the meals and drinks generally work out to about 15 ringgits or £3! We have also tried the fish and chips among other things! Very civilised, four large TVs, one at least on a sport channel, fans and an open roof – about which Brian and I had speculated. I have said that when it rains in Asia, it really rains and we wondered if it was retractable, like Wimbledon or the Millennium at Cardiff but this building is a concrete base with no walls and a zinc roof, not exactly high spec. However, as we were eating one night, right under the open roof it started to rain and within seconds the roof glided shut, not a moment too soon as the rain increased and the din as it hit the roof was phenomenal – so loud you couldn’t hear your own conversation – amazing.

I have to say it took us a while to even try the food hall let alone some of the food but if you go to Asia it is really the only way to eat.

We decide it was time to explore more than the shopping malls so we set off at 2pm on a Monday afternoon to find the Penang Botanical Gardens, I had seen a bus several times at the bus station that said Botanical Gardens, a number 10 so we were fairly confident. A bus into Komtar (the station) was followed by an hours wait – we were about to give up when the bus arrived so on we got along with several other ‘tourists’. The bus took the strangest route, looping round in circles, doubling back etc. so that a journey that should have taken 15 -20 minutes ended up taking 45 minutes, never mind, a good way to see parts of Georgetown we haven’t seen! The Botanical Gardens were really good, peaceful, green, free to enter and full of interesting plants and trees with lots of paths. A very popular place for joggers, in fact the first time we had really seen any. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll around and agreed it was well worth returning, with books and a picnic to spend more time. We also decided to buy some fruit from a hawker and opted for two that we had never experienced – jackfruit and dragon fruit. The jackfruit was a strange mixture of mango and banana taste with the texture of a nectarine, the dragon fruit was amazing, bright magenta in colour with black seeds, very juicy with a hint of blackberry, yummy. We had been told the bus back was at 6.15 and at 6.15 on the dot it arrived, excellent. 15 seconds down the road it stopped, the driver got off, we sat on the bus and waited, and waited… 15 minutes later he returned and off we went. The drive back was even more bizarre; we went past the same places at least twice, stopped for petrol, got stuck in traffic and arrived back at Komtar a full 95 minutes later! Luckily our bus back to the apartment was more direct and we arrived back at 8pm, 6 hours later, having spent most of that time either waiting for or on a bus! Next time we’ll be prepared, I spotted some familiar sights and we will get off much earlier and walk back!

Just like buses, not one outing but two in two days – when we got in from dinner after our day out Juliet rang to ask if we would like to go to Penang Hill with them the next day as they were meeting some friends there – of course, the answer was yes.

Juliet and Robert picked us up at 9.30am, the earliest we had been up for months, and off we went. Penang Hill is a huge tourist attraction, a funicular railway takes you to the top of the highest hill in Penang where the air is cooler and there are lots of flora and fauna and pleasant walks. It’s not that far from our apartment and there is actually a bus that goes from the apartment straight there. We met Ying, a long-time friend of Juliet’s, her husband Willie (an Austrian by birth but 50 years in America), and Ying’s step-mother, Joanna at the railway and after introductions proceeded to the train. Joanna and Robert paid 4 ringgits as senior citizens, Ying and Juliet 8 ringgits as Malaysians and Willie, Brian and I were charged 30 ringgits as foreigners!!!! We couldn’t believe it – can you imagine the London Eye – English £2, foreigners £15 please? Still can’t quite believe it and an email to the tourist office in Georgetown could be on its way! However, the ride up was good, if a little scary, especially when it stopped to let out locals at stations on the way up and slid back a little! It was lovely at the top, fabulous views, we could even see Robert and Juliet’s building on the coast and we had a walk around, looking at the trees and flowers, Ling is a gardener and knowledgeable about the local flowers and we all chatted as we went – very pleasant. The air is definitely cooler with less humidity which helps. Back down and I tried to video the steep descent, some good bits but blurred when we went fast, I’ll have to try and edit it. Lunch in a food hall and an invitation to dinner at Robert and Juliet’s made it a really good day.

On the notorious number 10 bus I spotted Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater outside Number One Academy so we decided to take a walk and take some pictures for JB. Only 45 minutes there but it was really warm. On the way back I suggested a short cut across a park, we hadn’t gone very far when the ground turned to bog beneath us, my flip flops sent up spray so that by the time we managed to get off it my shorts were soaked and the muddy water all up my legs – gross! Wasn’t expecting that in a country where the temperature rarely falls below 30! On the way back we bought some flowers to take to Juliet and then helped a girl whose car had conked out in the fast lane. Everyone else just drove round the poor girl who was only a teenager so I stopped the traffic and we pushed her to the side.

Ying, Willie and Joanne picked us up and gave us a lift to Juliet and Robert’s apartment. Dinner was excellent, Juliet had gone to loads of trouble and made several dishes, some of them veggie for me and a first attempt at a beef stew that Brian said was really good, Robert then demonstrated their ‘air fryer’ by making me fish and chips. A machine that fries without fat and even drains off fat that is already present on the food - it tasted very good so one for the shopping list. Dinner was followed by fresh fruit and frozen Bounty bars – yummy. After dinner we all went to the Old Frees for karaoke. Brian and I were introduced to Pete and Jade whose daughter and son-in-law live in Morley, Perth. Apparently there is an Old Frees association in Perth with over 30 members! We agreed to keep in touch and see each other in Perth – who knows! Another 1am finish – dirty stop-outs!

One of our walks took us to the Racecourse and the Golf Club – strangely the same place, about 30 – 40 minutes’ walk away from the apartment. The golf course has the front nine onside and the back nine inside the race track, a similar set up to Warwick race course but on a larger scale. There are 3 race courses in Malaysia, Ipoh, KL and Penang so we have now been to 2 out of 3, they take it in turns for live racing and the next meeting here is the first weekend in October. However, when there is no live racing the course is still open and the locals flood in to bet on racing on the tele! The club house was quite nice so we had a beer before setting back – too good an opportunity to miss!

Dan and Jayden went to the house on Saturday (September 1) and we now have a roof, excellent, hope they keep going at this pace!

Juliet and Robert came to collect the rent – yes we have been here a month already - and took us out showing us a lovely park, the Youth Park and another fabulous shopping centre, Gurney Plaza as well as introducing us to another Penang speciality, pasembur, an Indian dish. You choose the ingredients (hard-boiled eggs, crab sticks, peanut fritters, shrimp fritters, all sorts of tofu and fish balls) , and hand them over, they are cut up, cucumber and a celeriac-type veg are shredded over the top and it is covered with a spicy sweet potato sauce, actually very nice. There was also another similar dish, no topping, a spicier sauce with bean sprouts, cuttlefish and cows lungs! The sauce was really nice; needless to say I didn’t sample the lungs! We also called in at the Old Frees as Robert had a few jobs to do and while we were waiting we met Alice, whose daughter migrates to Perth next month – small world.

Hard to believe we have been here a month and away from the UK for nine and a half months, time definitely flies!