Ying and Niq’s Niche

Sun, 24-May-09. We went to see the dragon boat races at Teluk Bahang Dam with Mom and Dad. There were many teams from all over the world – including the USA, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Indonesia. Noticed some interesting names for various teams, like Double Bacon Cheese Burger from USA. Witnessed Race 24, the International Women’s Race Heat 1. I bet on Boracay Bumshells from Philippines on Lane 6. Had my lens pre-focused on Lane 6 but they lost steam at the finish. The race was won by Skrine Dragons by less than 2sec. The real winners, however, were the Pink Challengers, who comprise breast cancer survivors. It was scorching hot so I had to pack up. Read 1st hand information from the Skrine Dragon’s captain. Catch more dragon boat action at the 1st Putrajaya International Dragon Boat Festival from 5-7 June, 2009.

Sat, 25-Apr-09. We went to Air Itam Dam for a morning walk. It was a clear, sunny day. The air was fresh and clean. Had a nice walk while appreciating nature’s beauty.

Need some help to identify the spider…

Sun, 19-Apr-09. Went to Ocean Green Seafood (GPS Coordinates: N5 25.576 E100 19.568) for lunch. This place was quite difficult to find. It is situated by the sea side, at the end of an alley along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, just before Despark Auto College. It is easy to miss the turn so go slow. We had oyster noodle, salted egg crabs and stir fried broccoli. The food was nice. Their salted egg crab is one of their signature dishes

[caption id="attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="414" caption="Salted Egg Crabs"][/caption]

There is a nice view of the sea.

The beach is a popular spot among anglers and offer good landscape photography opportunities. Sad to say the beach is not suitable for picnic as there were lots of ants.

Sun, 29-Mar-09. Went to Taiping with Ying’s family for Ching Ming. Planned to eat at Ah Eng’s curry mee shop but they were not open. Ah Ma (Ying’s mum) advised not to bring Gabriel along to the graveyard. So we decided to go to the museum. However, the road to the museum was closed. So we headed to the Lake Gardens. There was a massive traffic jam as it was Bukit Gantang nomination day. We parked the car as soon as we found the opportunity. After some photography, and corn ice-cream, we met up with Ying’s family.

First we went to a waterfall at Tupai River (GPS Coordinates: N4 50.146 E100 45.339). Only Ying and Gabriel went for a wade. Moments later it rained. So we chat and ate Penang Tau Sar Peah.

Next stop was Ngah Ibrahim’s Fort and Museum (GPS Coordinates: N4 48.745 E100 40.540). There was a large collection of items from the Colonial era. Entrance is free of charge.

Third stop was Port Weld Curry Mee (GPS Coordinates: N4 50.294 E100 37.709). The place was packed. Our orders took longer than our patience threshold. We complained, was given an ear-full from the proprietor, and had to even self-serve. The taste was too strong on lemon grass (serai). Neither did they do justice for the cockles (kerang) – it was like a spin off from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” or rather “Honey, I Shrunk the Kerang”. They were overcooked.

Next we walked to Kuala Sepetang fisherman wharf. We bought some large prawn at RM25 per kg. Then Loong, Ying and Gabriel took a boat ride across the river – 20sen round trip. Passengers just flung the coins on the floor board. The locals would just stand in the boat. Ying was too afraid. Even after the short ride, she still felt swaying about!

Last stop was Restoran Tepi Sungai. We had to stop here for a drink and ate boiled cockles with Kampung Koh chilli sauce. Everyone was tired walking under the scorching sun.

Penang was abloom with beautiful flowers of pink and white in recent weeks. Many took the opportunity to capture the beauty by taking photos with the trees in full bloom, dreaming of being in Japan. Now that most of the flowers, dubbed as Penang’s Sakura, have withered, there are still some perservering the rain. I found a few Tabebuia sp. trees near Bukit Jambul Indah still in full bloom. Managed to take a photo just before they fenced up the area.