This post is titles Penang Princessing cos I felt like a total princess in Penang. Family members were constantly buying me breakfast and delivering it to my hotel every morning. Some mornings more than one person would buy me breakfast! One day one of my aunts even drove down to my hotel and delivered bobochacha which she'd just finished making! And while she was there, she gave me pocket money. I love my familyyyy.
But on this day, I woke up with a strong craving for Nasi Lemak. And I casually mentioned to my aunt: omg, I neeed Nasi Lemak today. And BAM! She got right to it, getting pot after pot out, washing rice, cutting the chicken. What I did not know was that I was about to have the best Nasi Lemak in my life. (Okay, it was on par with Changi Village's Nasi Lemak lah).
My view when I chill on the hotel's rooftop.
The wonderful chef.
Komtar!
And the view from the balcony overlooking the strange cloud formations rising from Penang Hill.
There you have it. Our chin-family Nasi Lemak! Sooooooo yummy. Also remembered as the day my stomach (not kidding) felt the fullest EVER. I felt the definition of 幸福 (for non-chinese speakers, this means happiness). As we were eating as a big family chinese style (aunts uncles cousins grandparents etc) on the roof of the hotel, other relatives/workers of the hotel came up to the roof to water the plants etc etc. And whenever someone came up we were like ehhhh! come come and join us! grab a chair for them, I'll go scoop rice for you! Lai lai lai, eat! And after Nasi Lemak, my uncle called down to reception asking someone to go buy the famous Ice Kacang for us, and at the same time buy some for themselves too. Its like one biiiig family! Definitely been out of this kind of environment for way too long.
Cameron Highlands
Few days later during a long weekend, a huuuuge group of us drove up to Cameron Highlands. My aunty and uncle has a holiday home bungalow up there. So all 27 of us made our way there. But because all of Malaysia was thinking the same thing, a few hour car ride become a many hour car ride. But who's to complain when you're with loved ones?!
The view from the bungalow. Say whaaaat!
The night proved an interesting one. Two cousins and their girlfriends and I (yes i know i know, forever alone.) were suffering from lack of internet. So we decided to busy ourselves by going to the local night market. (We were also on the hunt for snacks to munch for our drinking sesh). The traffic jams were still not subsided, so we drove a little, and decided to park the car and walk the rest of the way.
Not knowing how far it was gonna be, how long it was gonna take, and me really needing to pee (SO BADLY) we took the risk. Wait, I must say this first, there wasnt a foot path, there was the road, and then a forest. So we were walking on the road 50 cm away from the cars. 'Okay! the pasar malam (night market) is just round this bend!' was said like five times. 'Its just infront!' was said about ten. Snakes were crawling out of the forests and everything. lolol.
I was so close to going into the forest to relieve myself, but we finally got there. Armed with fried chicken fillet (Taiwanese style. omg.), sweet potatoes steamed (Cameron Highland's must try!), Char Kway Teow, and candy floss we made our (long) way back to the car.
The journey back was so jolly. The distance felt shorter cos we knew where we were going, we spoke about anything under the sun, our paths were well lit by the traffic jam that was still going on. And I felt super looked after (I hope they don't read this). Being the only foreigner, they made sure they spoke in only English albeit it being difficult sometimes. They kept asking me to walk inside while they walk outside, it was loooovely! They kept joking about how rich I am because of the pounds vs ringgit exchange rate, and they were like decks out in scarves and everything cos they were so cold!
Anyway, everything was jolly, until someone said: Good thing theres a traffic jam, if not it'll be sooo dark. And correct they were, cos as soon as that was said, we saw the end of the jam almost immediately, and then bam. Darkness. If you stretched out your hand, you couldn't see it. You couldn't see anything. Us girls took it in turns freaking out. When both my cousins heroically produced a torch. Switched it now, and it switched off, no battery. Its okay! Still got phones, switched it on, and it switched off, no battery. Cars were zooming past us at craaaazy speeds, I swear we almost died. For the first time I was glad my cousin looked so paikia (gangster), if not, someone would've bothered us.
Anyway, yes, that was my adventure.
The two above pictures are classic specimens of the photos I take when I get woken up by the screaming person jumping on me asking me to wake up and take pictures of the sunrise. I extremely promptly flopped back to sleep, hugging my camera as a bolster.
I remember writing my Cingjing, Taiwan post here.
Played table tennis, which I was, apparently, very pro at, that this little guy kept begging me to let him win. I found my calling in life! Trashing little kids at table tennis!
Cousins and I drove down to Starbucks in search for internet and peace. We also went to a temple where everyone joked that its a Sunday, and instead of going to Church, I'm going to a temple. (I was the only Christian one, and going to a temple instead of church on a sunday had happened about 5 times already).
Just realised Tau Sa Piah is involved in many of my favourite childhood memories.
Me waiting for STEAM BOAT TO BE READY, HURRY UP!
An epic steamboat happened.
The whole group of us! Minus me. I was behind the camera.
I remember stepping back, and then back, and back some more. And then a few people screaming: Be careful! Don't fall back! And my grandpa saying: BE CAREFUL! DON'T FALL AND KILL THE PLANTS. wahlao
93 and still chugging it down yo!
The oldies retired to bed while the youngsters remained outside drinking. And thanks to my white genes, I don't go red when drinking. So the others kept thinking I hadn't drank enough. So they were all like come! let me pour for you! You haven't drank enough! lolol.
On the way back to Penang, we stopped by a tomato and strawberry farm.
So toot.
hamsum boi.
93 and still pulling faces yoooo! (He still uses his walking stick to hit me, and when I react to it, he goes what?! not meeeee)
One of my favourite pictures from my five-month tour. <3
hamsum bois.
Me with hamsum bois.
I look like I'm grabbing on to my cousin for dear life.
Two confessions to make: this was my 100th chatime in Malaysia (okay not really) and I was still wearing my pyjamas.
Stopped in Ipoh for lunch.
My grandpa absolutely refuseeeed to eat. So a rule was created that if the oldest person on the table doesn't want to eat, the youngest has to eat their share too. So people were piling food onto my plate while I (pretended to) protest. I walked out feeling extremely high. Food high.
Hope you managed to feel the epicness of this trip through this post. aaaand stay epic you guys! xxx
