Wonder.Food.Travel

Valentine's Day falls on the 14 February every year; the Chinese have another day to celebrate love- on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Chap Goh Meh. I don't usually celebrate Chap Goh Meh, often because it's the last day of Chinese New Year, which means that i have to wait til the next year for another round of holidays, good food, family reunion, red packet 'ang pau', non-stop fireworks and little 'casinos'. This year, i decided differently; i went to a Chap Goh Meh celebration in Ipoh. Despite the wet weather, my friends and i had a terrific time, this visit being our first.   After dinner, we drove to the Kwan Yin Cave Temple (Jalan Gopeng, Ipoh) and parked opposite the temple, along the row of shops, for a fee of RM 4 by the local 'jockeys'. It was around 8.30pm when we arrived, not as crowded as i'd expected. 'We're still early,' my friend said. At the entrance, there were stalls selling food and dri...

One thing i like about my country is the festivals celebrated, regardless of my religion, race and culture, that i am part of that uniqueness. The various spices make life interesting, after all. So when this year, i saw Thaipusam was on a Sunday on a long weekend, i decided to head to Batu Caves- it was a choice well worthy. I have been to Batu Caves several times, often as a guide to my friends visiting KL, and i enjoyed climbing up and down the stairs, usually feeling at peace inside and a sense of completion. But i was warned of the immense crowd for the festival. Photos from previous years in the newspapers showed seas of people and the stairs i usually climbed packed. I wanted to see for myself. I wanted to experience. My dad dropped me off near Sri Gombak and there began my cultural visit. It was a wise choice to stop me there and i'd recommend the same as the roads were not heavy of traffic, good car parking spots and walking distance to Batu Caves. I went there around...

Bak Kut Teh is very seldom my choice of breakfast- because it's too heavy. But for some reasons, my family and i always visit this eatery in the morning since i was little. There was a gap between that memory and my recent visit, such that i cannot recall entirely what have changed or how it tasted then. Presently, the shop is brighter, cleaner and bigger, and fits my taste buds alright. When speaking of Bak Kut Teh, Klang comes to mind to many with the best claimed to be there; however, as i have yet to try the Bak Kut Teh that gives Klang the label, fame and glory, there are several Bak Kut Teh shops in KL that proves to be tough contenders to the title. One is this restaurant. We were there on a Sunday morning. Our car was parked at a car park on the lane behind the restaurant. There were many tables occupied. After placing our orders, we sat, watching the neighbouring tables receiving their hot, steamy claypots of Bak Kut Teh. Our stomachs grew hungrier. Ours came not much l...