Our Whirlwind Balik Kampung Trip

Food court, Ipoh Garden, Ipoh – Dunno the official name of this place. We used to call it Toungku Thing (Mushroom Stand) as it used to be an open-air area filled with tables that had large umbrella stands that resembled huge mushrooms. Now we just call it Woolley, which is actually the name of the indoor food court next door. …Who cares about the name? As long as there’s great hawker food haha!

What a trip? We just came back from a very quick trip back home – 1 day in KL, 2 days in Ipoh, and 4 days in Butterworth & Penang. (7 days in total …plus 2 days in the airports & 4 days in Bali actually, ahem). The Bali trip was supposed to be with my dad and mom, planned ages ago, but due to mom’s unexpected cancer development, we had to go ourselves.

The main purpose of our trip was to see the family, and yes, we saw a lot of the family. Here’s a brief photo post of our whirlwind trip back home. (My writer’s block is still there and will still be there for some time to come, judging from my ‘who cares?’ writing attitude nowadays. So, bear with it, OK? Besides, a picture speaks a thousand words, so here’s fifteen thousand words and more. Enjoy!)

First Stop KL: Was with Cousin Jack and Aunt Helen for the whole day. Visited Helen’s new home in Taman Desa (yup she finally moved out of the old one). Cousin brother Joey (Helen’s son) bought the new apartment and sold his old one off.


A surprise! Justin met his school classmate, fellow Malaysian Varshana in KLIA! Varshana and her mom were on the same flight as ours, but we didn’t meet until we were at the baggage carousel waiting for our bags to arrive. Talk about a small world!


With Jack and Aunt Helen at the new apartment, Abadi Villa, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur


A view from Helen’s new home, Abadi Villa

Next Stop Bali: We spent only one day in KL, and then we were off to Bali (…and that is for another day to tell hehe).

Third Stop Penang: Coming back from Bali, we flew straight to Penang, transiting KLIA. Jason and family were in Butterworth but they were due to fly back to Singapore in slightly more than a day’s time. So there’s precious little time to bond. But still, a little is better than none at all.


Justin and Stacey Ong, in Butterworth. The last time we saw Stacey was in Singapore when she was about umm 8 months old!


Dinner with Jason, Fang and Stacey, and the Butterworth side of the family. With the recent passing away of grandma and grandpa, mom’s parents, there’re considerably less family members now in Butterworth


2 aunts, an uncle and a cousin, Butterworth – don’t ask me what this restaurant’s name is. I have completely no idea. (And no, I wouldn’t be able to find it with Google map, …coz I wasn’t paying attention when Dad drove us there!)

Fourth Stop Ipoh: Right after Jason and family left for Singapore, we drove back to Ipoh. Decided to spend the weekend in Ipoh as I wanted to be back in Butterworth & Penang on the working weekdays to attend to a few important things.


Jayden and his great grandmother, my mother’s mother - 91 years old, at her home in Taman Merdeka, Ipoh


Jipek, at Taman Merdeka – We picked Jipek up from the old folk’s home and went straight to granny’s house


Breakfast with Ajit – the only friend we managed to meet this trip round, at Keng Nam coffee shop, with his daughter Ravini. The coffee shops (where most Malaysians eat their meals) in Ipoh are bustling with business! Every place is packed. Are people that well off? Or was it because of the Ching Ming festival that was on, that particular weekend?


Picking Helen up from the Ipoh Railway Station


Helen and Big Aunt (Tuako) at our Canning Garden House, Ipoh

Back in Butterworth: Headed back to Butterworth after the weekend. Got some errands to do at the banks and wanted to do a medical check-up. And most importantly, to have some family bonding time with the parents. Helen and Auntie Choo, our neighbour from Ipoh followed us back to Butterworth. We roped the aunts in to help Kim out in Auckland during the birth of her second child. (She's gonna have a baby girl!!!) Keeping our fingers crossed that all will go smoothly.


Anu, the kids and the aunts near Dad's house in Butterworth


Some shop-houses in Jalan Nagor, Penang - Dad stopped here to pick some bread up from a bakery called Continental. Malaysians are that crazy. Buying bread from a specific bakery on the island across the sea from your home? Can't you get bread in your local grocer down the street??


Family dinner in Teksen Restaurant, Penang, on the penultimate day of our trip – with Penang cousin Kar Yee and her husband

There! Our trip in 15 photos.

Mom’s down with Stage 4 lung cancer. She’s undergoing treatment and looks fine except for her hair loss. We know there’s little hope for a cure scientifically, but we’re praying and depending on divine help. If you’re reading this, please do us a small favour and pray for her. Thanks!

Viewing the Promised Land

A view of the Promised Land, from Mount Nebo, Jordan

I’m still taking the easy way out and doing picture posts. I don’t really like the way I write nowadays. I used to put a lot of thought into writing a post. Now, it’s like err… 30 minutes and I’m done. Of course, this helps create a lot more posts on the blog, but they’re not as interesting as what I used to write. I read them after some time and think …”What rubbish am I writing?” But what the heck, who reads my blogs nowadays anyway? At least, there’re some interesting pictures, right?

Anyway, here’s another holy site in Jordan. This was where Moses (Nabi Musa if you’re Muslim) supposedly saw the Promised Land (the land promised by God to his people) before he passed away at the age of err… was it 120? In his quest of bringing his people, the Hebrews out of Egypt, Moses somehow pissed God off, by having doubts and not following exactly the commands of God on at least one occasion. As a punishment, Moses wasn’t able to step on the Promised Land and could only see the Promised Land from afar. Moral of the story: Don’t ever piss God off!


A Memorial to the Prophet Moses on Mount Nebo


Mount Nebo, Jordan


A mini Nativity Scene on Mount Nebo in conjunction with Christmas – we were in Jordan during the 2015 Christmas season


The Brazen Serpent sculpture, Mount Nebo


Greek inscription in mosaic at the small museum on Mount Nebo – don’t ask me what is says, it’s all Greek to me. (The label below this reads “The 762 A.D. Greek Inscription” …yup, that’s it)


Justin on Mount Nebo – we were told that even Jerusalem is visible on a clear day. …But the only thing I could see the day that we were there, was different shades of brown and grey. Those plants behind Justin are olives.


More olives! Jayden and papa posing with an olive tree


Mommy and the Abu Badd – honestly don't know what that is but from the name, that must be one helluva bad ass stone!

On Holy Ground

The Baptism Site, Bethany beyond the Jordan, Jordan

OK, an Easter-themed post for a change. This is a first I think. I’ve done loads of posts on Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Chinese festivals, and of course Christmas, but never one on Easter. Heck, I usually don’t even know that it’s Easter until someone tells me like, “Hey, did you not go to church on Easter?” “Huh? When was that? Last week?”

The problem with Easter is that it is unpredictable (for me anyway). I have no idea when Easter is (although I am supposed to be Christian). Sometimes it’s in March, sometimes April, how would one know huh? (Except if you go to church regularly, which unfortunately, is not the case here, with yours truly).

Back in Malaysia, I’d have my family to remind me, and since Easter is always on a Sunday, I’d go to church. I always make it a point to go to church on Easter. Hey, I have to at least make that effort twice in a year, right? (Easter and Christmas, ahem). Here, Sunday is a working day (OK, OK, OK, Friday is a public holiday here, and I can actually visit church on Good Friday, but I’d have to know about it in the first place, right?)

Anyway, Easter’s come and gone, and I was on a flight. …I was also on a flight the last 2 Christmases. …Hmmm, it looks like we fly a lot on Christian religious days. (Flying on Christmas day makes sense here in Dubai due to the large number of European/ Western expats going back to their home countries for Christmas and the winter school break. On Christmas day, they would all have gone, so the flights will typically be cheaper! Told ya we’re cheapskates, haha).

Here’re some photos of the Baptism Site, the supposed place where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist. No, I have no idea how they found the place after 2000+ years. But a lot of people believe it to be genuine, including the Pope. There’re explanations in the place on why it is very likely the baptism site i.e. remains of ancient churches, archaeological finds that matches the descriptions in the Bible, etc… It’d be too long to describe here, besides err I didn’t finish reading the placards. …Hey, I have to look after the kids, OK?


Another view of the Baptism Site


A shelter over the ruins of ancient churches overlooking the Baptism Site


Around the Visitor’s Centre (where the car park and ticket counter are located). All trips are conducted tours. A shuttle bus will pick tourists up from this place and drop them back after the tour. I guess they do that because we’d have to cross military checkpoints to get to the Baptism Site (hey, it’s stone’s throw away from the border with Palestine/ Israel, OK?) The Visitor’s Centre is very popular with the local flies. I dunno what can make so many flies gather in one location. It wasn’t particularly dirty or smelly, I don’t see any livestock around, but the flies absolutely love this place. Maybe they’re a remnant of the 10 plagues of God?!? Watch out for the dustbins!




The River Jordan – East Bank vs West Bank, they’re really that close! We’re on the East Bank. The modern buildings with the flags (of which one of them is the Israeli flag) is on the West Bank.




Justin, by the River Jordan


I can bloody wade across, …if they don’t shoot me first


People on the West Bank, Palestine / Israel








John the Baptist Church, a Greek Orthodox Church beside the Jordan River


A wooden bridge at the Baptism Site