What to write about?

... after 4 months of 'silence'?

Spring (brings Tết and holidays)
I am watching a change of seasons move through the south of Vietnam. Longer days, warmer temperatures, slow springing of plants and trees back into green, the barren brown hillsides gradually covering over in foliage.

Two months ago we marked the arrival of spring (Xuân) by celebrating Tết for the year of the cat (the rest of the world knows it as the year of the rabbit). Bảo and I (along with another friend) flew out to Singapore on the afternoon of 1st day of the new year, but before leaving we spent a few days in Saigon.

We visited the flower festival in Nguyễn Huệ street by day and by night, but this year decided not to watch the fireworks there at midnight on the last night. Instead we went to another flower festival in one of the city parks, wandering through displays of flower and fruit sculptures, a variety of orchids, amazing bonsai landscapes, and many, many more flower beds.

On 1st day we joined the family on the annual round of pagodas in the morning before heading off to the airport for the evening flight down to Singapore. Our visit coincided with Anne's - as she does always, we were looked after admirably, starting with the honour of joining Anne, Serena and Steve for lunch on 2nd day. After lunch, Anne took us on a walking tour of Chinatown, telling us some of the history of the area, giving us an idea of how much the old town has changed over the centuries, and showing us some of her favourite places. She also inducted Bảo and Hiệp into the art of hotel foyer and toilet usage and threw in a quick tour of Orchard Road, before delivering us into the hands of Frankie and Jeffrey for the evening.

I counted that this was my fifth visit to Singapore and my sixth to Malaysia. For me, the plusses of coming to Singapore revolve around food and friends, and enjoying the reliability and access provided by the MRT; but travelling with first time visitors allows me to see the sights in a new way. Plus Singapore changes constantly. For example, Bảo expressed an interest in visiting the boat on top of the building. I had no idea what he meant, and strongly wondered whether he knew what he was talking about! But of course he was talking about the amazing construction at Marina Esplanade. We also had the chance to visit the Hongbao festival that takes place at the Esplanade, plus take all the usual cheesy shots at the Merlion Park.

To get to Malaysia (destination Penang) I had booked with Konsortium Bus company to travel on the Sunday after Lunar New Year. Then I found out the roads were likely to be busy with everyone travelling between Malaysia and Singapore to get home ready for work on Monday. I had estimated 8 hours travel time; the bus was 1 hour late reaching Singapore in the morning because of traffic, and in the end it was almost 12 hours before we finally checked in to the hotel in Penang :(

We had a very good time in Georgetown, walking around to see the different cultural and historic features of the city, and taking in buildings of all religious persuasions, from Islam to Buddhism to Confucianism and Christianity. We enjoyed the visit Khoo Khongsi Clan house and the Peranakan Mansion very much, for the insights they gave to different ways of life from the past.

Penang Hill has eluded me yet again, this time because the funicular railway system is closed down and the road entrance is on the other side of the island from where we were. But instead we followed a sign to the intriguingly named Bat Temple, which seemed in the end to possess nary a bat but a huge fish in a distressingly undersized pond. Further up the road we came across a ceremony to dedicate a Buddhist pagoda, and finally we climbed up to another pagoda that had great views back across Georgetown.

We also trekked up to Kek Lok Si pagoda complex. This mammoth edifice continues to expand, funded by wealthy patrons from around the globe. The latest addition is a huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy, sheltered by an even more immense canopy.

So this visit to Georgetown (my third!) brought a mix of new and already-experienced sights. One evening Bảo and I also came across a clan house from which a procession incorporating drums, marchers and a branch of a tree was starting. Bảo has a great video taken as we chased the procession down the road and onto a bus!

After 3 nights in Penang, we started the journey back south via KL. Since the utter confusion I experienced on my first visit to KL, I have gained a very rough idea of how the areas of the central city are laid out and connect, but the cardinal directions for travelling to the outer areas continue to bewilder me! KL's transport system is a little chaotic and woefully undersized for the demand but it works well enough when combined with foot. Of course, we booked in and visited the skybridge at Petronas twin towers - a bit of a coup for Bảo as a colleague had tried to convince him that it was not possible to visit any more.

Leaving Hiệp to his computer on the final day in KL, Bảo and I also set out to visit the Istana (Royal Palace). Having never been here but in possession of a map, I figured it would be relatively easy to walk there from Chinatown. It was up to a point: we discovered that the multi-lane highway adjacent to the palace gates had no place to cross. We braved running across - with our hearts in our mouths - but the thought of it was too much for trying to get back. Fortunately we were able to walk alongside the highway down the hill to a monorail station!

At Anne's suggestion we took the overnight bus back to Singapore. Puduraya Bus Station has now closed and most of the south-bound buses have supposed to relocate to a spanking-brand new bus terminal outside KL. Most have not, but ours had. It took the taxi driver (who learned in a kamikaze school of driving) three attempts to get us into the place because he kept missing the correct entrance, but eventually we were checked in. The staff have little to do here and so the individual attention to service is high. Wish the same could be said of buses in KL. The VIP standards of the past are declining, particularly in cleanliness, although leg room remains luxurious. We arrived back in Singapore early, took a taxi to Tanjong Pagar and drank coffee at an all-night shop while we waited for a decent hour to knock-on Anne and Serena's door. Little did we know they were already awake and waiting for us. But thank you again to them both for looking after us for the morning.