Hartamas : a gecko's point of view

 

It would be wonderful to always have a pretty view without the inevitable pain in the neck afterwards!

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Kuala Lumpur : so colourful (in more ways than one) !!

I was in the city recently (Kuala Lumpur to you; Kay-El to the locals). We arrived about 2, just in time for lunch, which was a quick noodle affair. The waitress got my drink order wrong (again). I love my Chinese Tea extra hot, but they always come either tepid or ice cold. I guess they think they heard me wrong when I say very hot (and it's blistering outside!) I don't make a fuss though and almost never send it back. Anyway. So I digress a bit.

Maybe it's me but I think (or should I have said imho? (1 second interval) naah!) KL has gotten very (very!) colouful. Yes, colourful in every sense of the word, but then this is a non-polictical blog (so I won't say more). It will stay that way for a bit longer too ;)

We were in KL to meet some friends, who wanted to check out an electric keyboard. The place is on Jalan Imbi but it was closed for lunch when we arrived. This is my Sky Watch image for this week :) Catch other images on here.




















So we walked about two blocks away to a covered food stall area. By covered I mean roofed: no walls, as is a common feature of food stalls everywhere in the city. We KLites are quite hardy people - only need protection from the sun and rain: dust and other forms of pollutants in our food and drinks? No problem! Note to the traveler with a delicate stomach : bring sterilising tablets - loads of them! Seriously. No. I'm exaggerating (again, as usual).

3 pm is just fantastic to be in a place like this. It's not so crowded that one can get seats immediately and not so deserted that people watching is still quite possible. Like that guy watching me watching him (and taking a picture of him!) He turned away afterwards, so I couldn't take any more pictures of him!

The shop finally opened again at 3.30, by which time we'd gotten quite dusty and hot and sweaty; but no sweat! A few minutes in the shop with air-conditioning on extremely high, we're good to go! :)

I love these amps! I have never seen them in colours other than black. Now, they even come 'girl-friendly'! I shan't complain, but privately, I would have liked if they had baby blue ones or custards or or lime or. Hmm.

Rantau Abang - Rain Rain No Need to Go Away

This is at Rantau Abang again, our favourite beach on the East Coast. :) 

I was there last week, focussing on getting some vitamin D, after spending two weeks cooped up indoors, downing copious amounts of caffeine (not good I know), working on work.  

This is definitely a different look for Rantau Abang from my previous visits. It's always been bright and sunny; blue skies, hot hot sun, beautiful puffy clouds; we had those too this trip, but this time, we also had dark rainy tropical thunderstorm days; two in fact.

It's not as bad as I probably make it sound. I actually loved that it stormed and raged. It was wonderful to look at the gathering clouds; and to watch the storm come in from the sea. After taking this picture, I raced against it, towards shelter, not for my sake, but for my camera's!!

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Hartamas : looking up

 

We had such pretty skies last week; puffy clouds, stretchy clouds, cotton candy clouds.. so visually breathtaking, I couldn't help but develop neck cramps! 

  

This was driving home in the morning, I had to stop and capture the sky. Good thing too; this week we've seen mostly overcast skies.

  

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Rantau Abang : An orange on the beach

I thought it was pretty exciting to find an orange among the broken shells on the beach. I'd never seen that before and this was long before Chinese New Year

The two week long Chinese New Year celebration (Feb 14 - Feb 28) is now officially over, but I only remembered this picture today. Should have remembered earlier. Darn.

There's a tradition among the Chinese single women (not sure if it's a Malaysian thing or an all over the world thing) to throw oranges into the sea (or any body of water) during Chinese Valentines (15th day of the Chinese New Year) in order that their future husband might pick up their orange.

Oh, but before they throw their orange into the water, they write their phone number onto the fruit. Oh, and the men will be right there, waiting to catch the orange of the woman they fancy. Make that orangeS and women. Using nets too to catch as many oranges as they can!

I think it's such a cute tradition. I think we Asians have so many cute traditions. :)

Anyway, so I'm wondering if this was such an orange. Only, it wasn't the right time then. And there was no ink on the orange either. Hmm, it could be someone who couldn't wait two more weeks! Perhaps.

I think next (Chinese) Valentine's I might throw an orange into a lake. :)


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Kuala Abang : a little hut and the blue blue sky

Just sitting in a run down shed; I think a shelter and place to nap when it's too hot to look for clams on the beach, and looking up.

The shade of blue looked so pretty against the dark of the roof. And then a wisp of cloud floated in from one end.

I whipped my camera out (as fast as lightning) of course :) But the clouds were faster. They moved so quickly out of sight again! Before I could take more pictures. Dang! Well, I did, but they weren't as pretty as I wished.

Two guys joined us soon after; just come back from the beach from clam collecting, both hot and thoroughly burnt from the sun! One guy had a little bucket full of clams; for his tea later, or perhaps dinner, but it didn't look like it would be enough for dinner. Well certainly an extra small portion by my book! Maybe he doesn't eat much. Maybe it's just appetisers. Maybe.

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Early morning on Melinsung Beach

Hope you like my Skywatch post! Check out more images on here.

 

I just love visiting my sister. She lives right next to the beach and it's great to wake up early and hear the surf outside.

I slide open the door and the sound is instantly magnified! 

This was last December. Can't wait to get back there again!

Kuala Abang - a fishing village

We were back again on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia last week of January. It was much much hotter than it ever had been since we first started going mid last year. And of course I forgot my sunblock. And of course we spent too much time under the sun. And of course I was badly burnt. Ugh. Don't ask. Thank you.

But the clear skies and sunny sun meant everything looked technicolor brilliant and amazing! Each time we go to the east coast, we explore places we hadn't been before; take that little road there, follow the sign that promises some exotic obscure village or something. This time was no different. And we found a little fishing village called Kuala Abang, not far from Rantau Abang.

It's such a quaint little place; so much activity going on; bustling even! It was hot and fishermen were coming in with their catch, and there was a little station (more like a little hut) where they got their catch weighed in. And there were others who were playing cards. Some napping on makeshift counters. Some shooting the breeze, talking coffeeshop talk. Ohhhh, it was nice!  I wish I could have taken pictures of all of that but everyone kept staring at us wherever we went; quite unsettling! Sigh. I need a camera with those huge lenses so I can go far far away, and take pictures unobtrusively! I had to settle for empty sampans (little 2-men fishing boats) :) But it's okay, I still like this picture :)

Kijal - a sunny afternoon by the sea

 

This beach in Kijal is one the prettiest beaches on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia.  I've been here four times already, maybe, in the space of a few months.

I always see something different each time I go. This time it's a mom and her three kids frolicking in the (extremely hot) sun.

One time we went, we went by motorbike. We parked the bike and went off to take photographs. When we returned an hour or so later, one of our helmets, that we'd left dangling on the bike, had been taken. All that was left was the strap. That was a nasty surprise.

Another time we went, there were mats and mats of fish being laid out under the sun to be dried. Dried salted fish! Yummm! Didn't smell too good at the time though.

Yep, something different each time. Can't wait to come back here again!!!
    

Respite

 

 We were on our way to Tabawan Island: passed this solitary hut in the sea.

Not too sure what it is, but I think it's a place where fishermen stop to rest. Maybe they prefer not to float about while they catnap!

I think that's a reasonable explanation! :) Maybe someone out there has a better idea? :)

Evening sun over Tabawan!

Darvel Bay has got to be one of the loveliest place I've been to. We stayed in this cute little wooden house on stilts in the water just 50m offshore of the island of Tabawan.

Imagine waking up to the sound of water lapping against the stilts of the house and ending the day with a sunset like this to the sound of crickets. Or some other insect. Maybe cicadas. I think we heard crickets.

Check out my video 'Sound of Silence' early morning on Tabawan island. No human sound. Just the water and the insects. Pure bliss! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMY_ptKwd4

Yayasan Sabah Building

That building brings back so much memories.  It was the tallest building in the state (don't know about country or the South East Asian region, I'd like to think so, but it probably wasn't) when it was completed. I just found out that that was in 1977.

And I just also found out that it's now called Tun Mustapha Tower!!! How awful.  But that's just my personal opinion on the matter. I guess they (whatever authorities are entitled to do so) wouldn't have changed the name had there been a lot of protests.

This view is from the Likas Hospital, some 10km from Kota Kinabalu. I was in and out of the hospital visiting my mum, who was undergoing an operation at the time. Aug 2009. She's okay now. Recovering nicely and in the best of spirits. :) Love you mum :)

Those are Sabahan (left) and Malaysian  flags.

Peace and Quiet!

 

I love the beach. When there is no one else around. Well okay, not completely empty. Maybe just another soul per square 40000 meters. Yes.

And be the first one to make footprints on the sand.  Yes!

I've been to this coastline at least five times now. And love it even more everytime.  :)

This particular beach is Cherating. Quite famous. Not sure why. Because there are other more beautiful (imo) beaches along this coast! Okay, it's easy to fall in love with this beach. But wait till you see the other beaches. And I mean wowowowow. :)

        

 

Dreaming in Teluk Bidara

Was in Teluk Bidara over the weekend. Super weather! Super skies! Super water! Super scenery! Super travel companion! A super weekend altogether!

Bidara means angelic beautiful woman. Pretty apt for this beach, in my opinion. :)

Feb 4 2010

Langkawi ~ The sky on the sea!

Reflection of the sky on the Langkawi side of the Andaman

Kuala Lumpur ~ Cotton puffs in the sky

A fine untypical sky just outside Kuala Lumpur. Sigh.

Petagas Beach at sunset

A july sunset in 2009, not too far from my mom's place

Skywatching - Sunset on Petagas Beach

Petagas Beach, Sabah