Day 29 - Ipoh and Penang, Malaysia

Ipoh and Penang, Malaysia

My morning in Ipoh started off slow and uncomprehending. I ended up skipping breakfast. Last night sometime after three in the morning, the green glow indicating that the air conditioner was on full blast splashed an eerie tint over my eyelids and drove me off the floor mattress where I was supposed to sleep and into my sister’s bed a few inches away from me. I was, for some reason, afraid of that room: the way it smelled of stale and musty wood and people, the tarnished vanity set with its distorted rectangle mirror and the wardrobe door that creaked open by itself no matter how hard I tried to push it in. I was cold under my fleece blanket even though it was 32 degrees outside of the room. I slowly crept beside my sister’s comforting warm body and fell asleep instantly. This morning, I was groggy. I woke up sluggish and mute. I found that Tom welcomed himself back into my life for July.

Around 10:30am, I mustered up the energy to roll out of bed and put on the clothes I wore the day before. I paraded downstairs into the living room wearing my sister’s Thailand beer-brand graphic tee and my blue high-waist shorts. I just screamed “I do not give a ****!” today. I greeted my relatives with a warm hello and then plopped myself down on a chair. I really do love my relatives. Mama, my grandmother, was sitting in front of the television along with Uncle George and Auntie Helen. I’ve grown accustomed to their leisurely environment and enjoyed it quiet well today. I love Uncle George and Auntie Helen. They are the sweetest people with the biggest hearts. But I just didn’t feel like talking all that much to anyone today.

Later on, Auntie Po-Chee and her daughter, Samantha, the women of the Boey household to get our eyebrows threaded in Little India, just ten minutes away from the house I was staying in. Auntie Po-Chee’s little car weaved through the residential area of Ipoh and I saw houses upon houses crammed along uneven streets and eroding alleyways as if the government was having a competition with the contractors to see who could fit the most houses in one square kilometer. Drivers are ravenous and hazardous in Malaysia. You can barely see the road itself because it’s so jammed of vehicles. I ended up unintentionally drowning out all the boisterous laughs and animated stories told in the car and focused on the world outside of the air conditioned car I was sitting in. A man with a thick groomed moustache riding his electric scooter wavered in and out of my sight through the passenger window as he tried to pass the traffic like everyone else.

He stared into my eyes like many people in Malaysia have done on this trip. This was the first time I took into account how many people actually seen me and looked me straight in the eye, shameless. I wondered. I had always quickly looked away unable to ever win a glaring contest with a true Malay stranger. Of course, there are the select boorish men who have made kissy noises close to my ear, whistled daringly, and looked at me with elevator eyes. I had grown numb and indifferent towards them. But what about the people who saw me as a rich foreigner? Had I been able to blend in with my surroundings as well as I thought? I am, in fact, Malay like them. I just display lighter skin and lengthier limbs. Maybe my Westernized clothing had given me away. I looked into this man’s eyes disregarding the helmet on his head, his large onion nose and the well-kept moustache underneath that. I looked into this man’s eyes and realized I was looking at a person who had a way different life from how I lived mine. That man probably had a wife and around four children now. He grew up in a world where clean drinking water is not easily attainable, the educational system discriminates and corruption is everywhere; where scholarships, even though a number of students get straight A’s, are divvied only into a few large sums that go to purebred Malays even if their grades worse (Malaysia consists of various ethnicities since it’s lost almost every war it’s been in and has been conquered numerous times). He grew up playing and studying in the blistering sun and breathing heavy, humid air every season of every year. I looked into this man’s eyes and tried to see myself in his shoes. And I just couldn’t. I have been too damn blessed to be born in Canada.

For all my life, I have had goals that I could achieve if I worked hard towards. I now have enough money to travel to Europe next year through working well-paid part time jobs. I’ve earned scholarships for university next year. I’m still following my passion for music and performing for others. I already have a few things crossed off on my bucket list, like travelling to Australia and surfing. I have all these dreams and goals that I can accomplish and fulfill if I am passionate to do so, like running a half-marathon by the time I’m 21 years old and lounging on the beautiful islands of Greece. I have all these doors opening up to me because my two courageous parents moved to Canada. Because they chose to give their children a better life. And I can’t thank them enough.

As I stared into this Malay stranger’s eyes, I thought of all the other strangers I’ve made eye contact with. I yearned to know their story, to delve into their lives. I thought of how strange, selfish, and totally human it is for us to only think of our own lives and not of the others we don’t know. So many questions I would want to ask to the woman in the red sari that sat on a mat in front of the hypermarket, smiling gently at me from below. Or to the mother of that beautiful wide-eyed Arab girl with long eyelashes who clung to her mother’s knee. Sitting in the vehicle, my legs told my brain they wanted to escape. I wanted to travel. I wanted to move. I wanted to go. To learn four new languages and immerse myself in experiences and discoveries more valuable than money. I felt as if this trip wasn’t good enough for me, it was more family orientated than anything. Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting family I’ve never met before. But this wasn’t travelling. I guess that will have to wait until I’m a bit older.

Sorry about that little schpiel. I needed to get that out. Back to my horrible turned wonderful day. Little India had fragrant stores filled with spices and flowers. Elaborate, colourful saris fell gracefully on the mannequins’ hips on window display. Indian music blasted on a small portable stereo. It made me want to dance Bhangra. I loved it. I thought of my best friend Emily and how she was in India this summer for a Free The Children youth trip. It made me want to go to India. After we got all of our eyebrows shaped and primped, we walked to the nearby market where hundreds of earrings were displayed stretching the length of a full wall. Shiny beaded bracelets, delicate body jewels, dazzling hair clips, and makeup were to be found in bins, on shelves, on counters: everywhere possible. Samantha bought me two pairs of earrings and henna. (I created my own flower design on my foot that night using it!) I was left a happy customer.

Six hours later, my family had endured another tedious coach ride and we arrived in Penang, my dad’s hometown. It was much like Kuala Lumpur, except cleaner (which I liked). My dad’s old classmate, Kevin, picked us up, and drove us to our new humble abode we’d be staying in for the next five days: my dad’s other old school friend, George. All three of them had been friends back in the day. George hired Kevin, who is an electrician, to work on his new vacation house. Funny how that all works out to be. Did I mention his house is absolutely stunning? Well, his house is absolutely stunning. Like. Stunning. His house that I am currently typing away in is three storeys high, has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, one large kitchen, one dining, and one living room. Oh yeah, there are a few balconies and an adequate patio as well. I was flabbergasted when the gate to George’s driveway folded open. It’s not fully renovated, but that’s not to say it’s not absolutely fantastic! George lent it to us since he knew we were vacationing in Penang. I already feel like a princess here. There is a waterfront just a kilometer away from this house and a shopping mall that’s the same distance. Tomorrow, my sister and I will be taking a wonderful early morning run to these place. Now I must get my 6 hours of sleep. Good night!

Day 28 - Ipoh, Malaysia

We reached Ipoh, Malaysia this morning at 8:30am by bus from Singapore. Uncle George picked us up and took us to his house where we met Dai-Yee (my Aunt). We went to the nearby marketplace to eat Chee Cheong Fun and then drank iced coffee. The toilet in the marketplace was a hole in the ground and it was filled with another human’s excrements. Outside the coffee house, there was a butcher fileting fish on newspaper on the gravel with net bags filled with turtles, frogs, and fish surrounding him. In a cart beside him, there was a pile of chicken with his friend butcher cutting out the innards. I felt faint. I definitely take Canada for granted. I held Mama’s held and walked her through the streets and into the house.

Day 23-27 - Bedok, Singapore

23-27th in Bedok, Singapore:

I advise all tourists to go to Singapore. It is designed for tourists with all their sporting attractions, strategically planned out high-rises and endless shopping paradise. At the marketplace, they sell t-shirts calling Singapore a fine city. It is an overused repeated joke there amongst the locals. They will fine you for littering, smoking and eating on the MRT platforms (subway train) - but that all creates an incredibly beautiful and well-displayed city. My dad’s niece told us that old men riding bicycles in parks are actually undercover spies that watch for people littering.

 We were picked up by my cousin, Karen at the Singapore airport. She reminds me a lot of my other cousin in Canada, Dawn. She took us out for dinner at a hawker store and then went back to her 1.6 million dollar apartment on the 12^th floor. It had an amazing view of the ostentatious city with a cozy balcony. Inside, the house was furnished with beiges, whites, and dark mahogany coloured pieces and had a grand Buddha painting accenting the front entrance pillars. We finally met her first two year old child, Cayden and her Swedish husband, Hans. I fell in love with Cayden. The first night there, we lounged outside sitting on her white Ikea couch talking with fresh mangosteen piled on a place and glasses of iced water in our hands. Did I mention that every morning her housekeeper (ya-ya) constructs a sandwich platter for breakfast for is all!?! She’s amazing.

My sister and I slept in Cayden’s room. The apartment building provided a pool and a tennis court which I totally took full advantage of. The first two mornings, Hans, Gary and I were out on the tennis court at 8am sweating profusely in the humidity. It was glorious. My sweat glands needed a workout. A few moments after that, my sister and I switched out of sweaty apparel into our bikinis and dipped into the pool soaking in the morning sunrise. From those few dawning hours I was able attain a slight golden tan. The whole family soon joined us along the poolside and Cayden was swimming and blowing bubbles in the water with his little arm floaties. We soon drove to Suntec City where we walked around and saw a Merlion statue that had the head of a lion but the tail of a mermaid spewing water out of its mouth. My sister and I took funny touristy shots where we stood in front of the statue. My dad explained to me how the name, “Singapore” or Singapura translates to Lion City. I’m not too sure where the Mermaid comes in, maybe because Singapore is an island, I’m not too sure. I’ve discovered the whole country of Singapore is incredibly tiny and it only takes an hour’s drive to go from one end to the other. Don’t let that fool you though. There are so many things to do in this small City called Singapore. Our next stop was Jumbo’s, an always fully-booked 200-table restaurant feeding over a 1000 mouths by the waterfront. The thing I found most unique about Singapore is that encompassing the island there are thousands of ships at sea all docked for importing and exporting. When it gets dark it looks as if another mystical city is floating nearby. Dishes of sea cucumber with mushrooms, chilli and pepper crab, and butter egg deep fried prawns bombarded our round eight person table. I sadly declined the offer of crab because of my allergy towards it. Sitting beside my sister was horrible. All she would do was moan and sign in satisfaction the crab meat was giving her. Whatever.

On Monday, Karen took off a day at work and took the family to Sentosa Island via gondola. Sentosa Island is a must see. There are attractions that you will tilt your head in awe of. Ashley and I went luging. Freaking awesome. Oh my god. I felt as if I was a part of a Mario-Kart racing game. It’s basically a plastic bin you sit in with metal handlebars that brakes, accelerates, and turns depending which direction you pull it in. They had automatic cameras that took photos of people when they pass through the finish line, like the photos you see at Playland when you’re on the wooden rollercoaster or the waterlog ride. Silosa beach was filled with tanning bodies. Above our heads, people zip-lined across the water to another small island about a kilometer away from the beach. Further down the beach there were restaurants, a plethora of bars, pools, palm trees, and tourists. Gary, Ashley and I got to experience the Wavehouse, a manmade wave contraption where blasts of water break the laws of gravity. You can try your luck wakeboarding, body boarding, or knee boarding but I only had enough time to do wakeboarding. By my 3^rd attempt I could edge (carve in snowboarding terms), and ride up and down the wave. I was overwhelmed with a need to go snowboarding afterward. All three of us ended bailing as some point and acquired extreme whiplash the next day. Other than that, it’s worth trying. On our breaks we discovered Cayden’s favourite crave for lime juice. He ate it with everything or just straight plain. He ate it with calamari, rice, and his biscuits. His sour face was just the cutest thing ever. We walked through this man made rainforest.

Our fourth day in Singapore we ventured to Orchard Street known for their shopping malls after shopping malls. In the food court, they were having their annual food festival so I had happily sampled all these great Asian cuisines and desserts- green apple frozen yoghurt, Japanese teriyaki chicken, asparagus wrapped in bacon, fried chicken skin, prawn balls, beef jerky, almond cookies, mousse cakes, dark chocolate biscuits, pistachio tarts, curry puffs etc. I wanted to cry it was so good. Shopping was a totally blundering event. All out energy was drain from the day before when we went to Sentosa. The night we went for dinner with my Dad’s niece, Sandy. She was personable and caring. After dinner we feasted on durian at this outdoor durian marketplace. Hundreds piled high-twice of my height- and all our faces dropped in amazement. She bought us three whole durians to eat. I was feeling fatigued from all this food. It was interesting seeing my dad interact with her kids. The Malay slang and hand motions were mimicked by each other as I watched in curiosity. Never have I seen such a connection. I just don’t have the culture in me to act that way with my dad. I am too “Canadianized” as my dad puts it.

Ashley and I were slugs the next morning. Cayden jumped on our beds and on my back at 10am to wake us up and happily rolling on top of our blankets, but we did not feel like going to Bugis Street (especially known for their cheap merch). Instead, we both ended up wasting time inside Karen’s house while she worked away on her computer when both my parents left to see this tourist site. I ended up playing with Cayden and his plethora of colourful toys, tracing his hand with crayon on paper numerous times, and teaching him the notes on the piano for a few hours before he went for his morning nap. Ashley and I taught him how to pound it. He brilliantly picked it up. I miss him so much right now. Anyway, Karen and both us girls went to this fancy Yum Cha restaurant in Chinatown (yes, again.) I’m starting to crave Chinese food more and more now than I’ve ever in my whole lifetime. My parents and Gary met up with us and we walked around looking at little boutiques. I hated going into a dress store and all the saleswomen would be so pushy for you to try on things and buy their clothing. I just wanted to leave after the three stores I walked into. I ended up buying a pair of wedges that my mom bartered down for me for $25 SG, roughly $22CAN. I was super excited. Our last dinner with Karen’s family was at this authentic Indian restaurant that served the fattiest and best butter chicken, lamb curry dish, spinach and cheese dip with roti. It was soooooo good. But I felt terrible on the bus ride to Ipoh, Malaysia.

 

Until next time,

Elle xoxo

Day 9 - Sydney, Australia (July 11, 2011)

At this very moment I’m sitting in the laptop room in our Sydney hostel. I definitely expected it to be filthy and cramped, but it isn’t at all. This hostel is spacious and fully furnished… many people are hovering over the kitchen counters eating their food civilly and people on the lounge couches watching television on a flat-screen TV. The hostel is so close to everything! I love it.

My sister and I are beginning to acquire an Aussie accent unconsciously. I’m not complaining. I love hearing Aussies chatter around me. Plus, everyone is tall here. I am no more “Di-Yong”, but a normal sized human being (until my 10 days in Australia are over… I’ll be making my way to Penang, Singapore).

Today, the family and I went to the Sydney Fish Market and ate the best seafood platter of my life. I am allergic to some specific shellfish and wasn’t paranoid eating this dish as I happily popped fried lobster balls and oysters into my mouth. It was too delicious for me to worry. It was only five minutes after eating I felt like I was about to fall into a deep eating coma. Thankfully, no major allergic reactions happened. We walked towards Darling Harbour and sat on the docks in warmer weather than Melbourne (thank god).

While my sister and I were sitting on a bench, we had a short encounter with a strange man. He came up behind us as we were looking a map of Sydney and casually tried to start conversation with us. “It’s a nice view, isn’t it?” he coyly enunciated. “Yeah,” I responded politely. Then there was an awkward silence. “So… Can I have your number?” he asked with a grin on his face. “Sorry, we don’t live here.” I told him. He then slowly turned his back to us and left our seating area to hit on some other girl.

My family and I made our way to the National Maritime Museum. By that time, fatigue started to hit us all and we left for the grocery store. We crossed the Pyrmont Bridge and I took a bazillion photos. In my opinion, the view of Darling Harbour prettier than any Vancouver harbour. We reached a shopping strip on Pitt Street very similar to Robson Street. Everything is super expensive here though. I found out minimum wage is $18 so I guess that makes sense. It’s night time, I’ll be blogging soon.
Love,
Elle. xoxo

Day 9 - Sydney, Australia (July 11, 2011)

We’ve arrived in the Big Hostel right in the heart of downtown Sydney that’s just a 15 minute walk to the Sydney Opera House. I’m sitting in the common room that’s pretty nice where travellers are eating breakfast and we’re waiting for our room to be de-occupied. Coffee is definitely needed right now at 7:46am. The 7-hour bus ride here was absolutely horrible. The Serbian bus driver was crude and grumpy. My mom went up to him afterward and said thank you in Italian, and all he could say was, “You can’t guess my nationality. English is fine, thanks.” In addition there were two stinky backpackers that were sitting in the two seats in front of mine and Ashley’s. I wanted to cry. Ashley and I huddled together with a wet wipe in our hands, just smelling it to get rid of the body odour intoxicating us. I was tempted to throw a wet wipe on top of their heads but then I regained my sense of manners and told myself no. Once we got off the bus and fresh air was in me, I relaxed my cringing body and could finally see clear the pure magnificence of where I am. The city of Sydney is enticing and I’m excited to discover this new part of Australia.

I’ll be updating you more often now that there’s free Wi-Fi here!

Love,
Elle. xoxo

Day 8 - Melbourne, Australia July 10, 2011

The past few days have been incredibly busy. This is my third day staying at my cousin Albert's house with his wife and three boys in Melbourne, Australia. It's wintertime and freezing compared to Malaysia; I've gone from 38 degree weather straight down to 14 degrees. It's beautiful here! It’s exactly like Vancouver except with better weather, tons more surfing, a lot of hipster/London style clothing, and awesome Aussie accents. Yesterday, Albert took my family and me on a roadtrip along Great Ocean Road. If you have to chance, look it up on Google Earth... It is the most gorgeous thing I've seen on my trip so far. We drove along the eastcoast of Australia along the cliffs and watched the turquoise waves curl gracefully as surfers in wetsuits paddled out further into the ocean. We got to see the Twelve Apostles scenic view and the Loch and Gorge. I was in awe. The drive was over 7 hours in total from where we were staying but it was worth the wait.

Today, we went to the Victoria market in downtown Melbourne with my cousin Albert. His son Louis is probably the cutest thing ever. He’s 6 years old and has gotten acquainted with my sister and me. He is so imaginative and observant. We were window shopping as well and I loved the majority of the clothing they had on display. Tomorrow we’re staying in a hostel near Sydney. I don’t know how my parents will handle things.

I am in love. I am deeply in love! I'm going to move here next year. My parents and Ashley surprisingly are encouraging me to study here next year. If my grades and application are good enough this year at SFU, I'll hopefully be able to study at the Monash University in Melbourne. No matter what, I know that I'll be back here.


Love,
Elle.xoxo

Day 4 - Downtown and Petaling Street, KL, Malaysia (July 6, 2011)

Auntie Dai-Yee, Uncle George and Mama left this morning to go back to their home in Ipoh. We will be seeing them when we get back from Australia. AHH! By tomorrow my family and I will be flying to my dream homeland where the kangaroos roam free.


Uncle Francis, my dad’s old school friend, was kind enough to lend his chauffeur to us for the day. His chauffeur’s name is Azlin. He is the sweetest, most amiable chauffeur I’ve ever met. Well, that’s to say, I’ve never really met many chauffeurs in my lifetime. He has five children and calls his wife Lovely. That is enough to win me over. He drove us over to Kuala Lumpur City Centre where we shopped and he picked us up again to go to Pavilion shopping mall.


We went to the famous Petaling Street Market where vendors crammed their little shops beside one another in messy rows. They sold everything under the sun: souvenirs, toys, food, clothing, etc. Chinese red lanterns zigzagged throughout the market on string tied onto poles. Scooters were parked in odd places in alleyways. Many backpackers travel to see this specific destination where you barter for prices of items. Plants and moss crept along the walls of old colourful stucco buildings. Traffic was hell. It was 10 times worse than being in Vancouver during rush hour. My family and I befriended a newlywed couple sitting by a durian stand, who came to Malaysia specifically for this fruit. They were Australians travelling all of Asia. Durian has a creamy texture and has a unique taste. I like it. They shared some with my dad. Suddenly, roaring thunder cracked and rain began to fall as we ran for cover. The rain was soothing in the humid heat.


At the indoor market I took a keen observation of the cultural workers, the Bahasa (Malay) accent, and the traditional clothing. I began to see a resemblance between Malaysia and Canada in how they are so multicultural. (Let me not lead you to believe that Malaysia’s political system is anything remotely close to Canada’s… I’ve realized how fortunate and blessed I am to live in Canada after hearing and witnessing the corruption from the government in everyday life, the extreme censorship, the cheating educational system, and the obvious discrimination that still exists. I wonder if my blog post will be censored from writing this… anyway, I’m drifting away from my point.) Malaysia incorporates Indian, Arab, and Chinese tradition into their clothing, their language, and incredible food. Malaysia with its palm trees, butterflies, birds, and radiating sun reminds me of Hawaii. Malays look like they are Filipino. And here I am: a Chinese hyphenated Malaysian hyphenated Canadian. I am beginning to really confuse myself as to what my parents consider as their true culture. I’m grateful that I can say I have many cultures that make up who I am. I am also quite curious to meet more of my extended family living in Singapore and Australia in the next weeks ahead of me.


For supper, we ate basically in an undercover alley for dinner. The tile floor was slippery from the rain outside and a metal fan blew grime into our faces. My sister told me it had good ratings in the Malay newspapers, so we trusted her. We ate stingray served with chilli sauce. Yes, you heard me. Stingray- I feel so invincible right now. It was dingy and delicious. My tongue started to swell up and lightning bolts shot out of my mouth. Just kidding, it just tasted like fish. I also had coconut water straight from the coconut shell. Azlin came and picked us up and he drove us by the KL tower and the Twin Towers. Both architectural structures lit up beside the sunset sky and sparkled like diamonds. It was breathtaking. At 7:30pm sharp, the Call to Prayer began and resonated throughout the city. The voice was beguiling and the sung louder as we passed this beautiful white mosque. The congested roads we drove on were enclosed with palm trees and overhanging branches that dangled Christmas lights. Scooters squeezed their way between inching vehicles. Night time in Kuala Lumpur was fascinating. Azlin took us back home after that.


I think today was the best day so far I’ve had in Malaysia. I’ve now experienced high-end materialism downtown Kuala Lumpur and the real working class of Malaysia on Petaling Street. Tomorrow, Uncle Francis is taking us to some sort of museum. A demain!

Love,
Elle. xoxo