Blogger seemed to be down yesterday so I gave up trying to post.
So far I’ve had a good time here. Things have gone as planned, and everyone has been quite welcoming and helpful, despite being incredibly busy. Internet access in the training labs at the college has been somewhat slower than I’m used to, which has been a bit frustrating at times. Makes me thankful for what we have, and take for granted, in Perth!
My days have been mostly spent out at the college, and my evenings so far have been spent with family friends and relatives who have very kindly taken me out to dinner! On Monday night some very close friends of my parents, Uncle S and Aunty T, took me to a steamboat restaurant. The food was tasty (a huge range of seafood, vegetables, meats, and beancurds), and it was good to catch up and have a good chat. I was coughing quite badly still, so after dinner Uncle S insisted on taking me to PJ Old Town (which is near where my family used to live!) and bought me a glass of a medicinal tea. This particular tea is supposed to be ‘cooling’ (and thus good for my cough) and the vendor added some ‘medicine’ to it, which made the tea really REALLY bitter. It was strangely easy to drink despite the bitterness! I don’t know what was in it (the sign at the stall just said teh ubat or ‘medicinal tea’) but it seemed to do the trick and that night I slept well because I didn’t cough at all!
Last night’s dinner excursion was a bit of a comedy of errors. A cousin of my Dad’s, Uncle W, and his wife Aunty I., wanted to take me out for a seafood meal. I should’ve known it was going to be an amusing night, when I went down to the lobby of the hotel to meet Uncle W, and then realised I had no idea what he looked like! So there I was, going up to all Chinese men of a particular age, asking them, “Hi, are you Uncle W?” It was a bit embarrasing, to say the least! Eventually we found each other – Uncle W was tentatively approaching me as well – and he too admitted he was wondering if he would recognise me! I think we recognised each other’s slightly sheepish and quite tentative facial expressions…
Uncle W said he wanted to take me to a place called Port Klang for a meal. Apparently there is good seafood to be had at Port Klang. It was about forty minutes’ drive from the hotel and we chatted all the way. Then, as we approached the restaurant, Aunty I. noticed that the restaurant was dark: “Oh no, W, the restaurant is closed!” Indeed it was – Uncle W and Aunty I. thought it was a bit strange for a Tuesday night, but Uncle W didn’t seem unduly perturbed and just continued driving, saying there was another restaurant a bit further along that was just as nice.
About five minutes later, Uncle W turned into a street that he said was where the second restaurant was. Aunty I. had been scanning the street keeping her eyes open for this restaurant, and kept saying she couldn’t see it, and was W sure this was the right street? Uncle W insisted it was, and eventually came to a stop outside a location – and instead of a restaurant, there was a shell of what had once been a building! It looked like either an attempt had been made to demolish the building, or maybe it had been in a fire (it was a bit dark to tell, and we didn’t get out of the car). No restaurant! Uncle W said that it had been about a year since they’d been to Port Klang for a meal – obviously a lot’s happened since then!
I could tell that poor Uncle W was very embarrassed by these two failed attempts at getting a meal. They’d picked me up at 7:30pm, and with the drive and everything it was dark and getting later and later as we drove around the very busy streets (there is so much traffic in Malaysia!). I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I think Uncle W in particular was, and he was trying hard to think of a good place we could go to to get a meal.
Finally Uncle W just pulled up in front of a large restaurant and said we’d try it. It looked promising because there were lots of tables and a few of these were occupied (Aunty I. suggested that the first restaurant we’d tried might have been closed because yesterday was the 15th day of the month according to the lunar calendar, and observant Buddhists fast or only eat vegetarian food on this day of the month. Many people therefore don’t go out to eat on such days.)
Thankfully this final restaurant was good – we ordered a steamed fish done in ‘Teochew’ style, with lots of rice noodles and vegetables and a clear soup – very nice and light and tasty. Again it was nice to meet this cousin of Dad’s and his wife. We chatted about all sorts of things, and Uncle W has decided to take me out to dinner on Friday night, to a place called, of all things, “Fatty Crab”, for a “proper” seafood meal.
Tonight I’m going out with a friend of my Mum’s. I haven’t had a single free night since I’ve been here. This is good, in a lot of ways, as I’m a bit homesick at the moment, missing M and Baubles the Cat, and quite looking forward to going home. I have one final class tomorrow and Friday off – Uncle S and Aunty T want to take me out to brunch and then shopping…