Malaysian Passport Renewal at UTC Pudu Sentral, Kuala Lumpur

Saturday, 25.08.2018

0600: Left the house
0610: Parked near the MRT station
0620: Took the MRT
0635: Arrived at Merdeka MRT station
0645: Arrived at UTC Pudu Sentral. 30-40 people ahead of me in the queue.

0650: Doors open. We get to sit on the chairs for waiting. Everyone sits in sequence. Lights are still off, so we have to sit in the darkness. I read a notice on the wall and it says the office opens at 0830. 

0700: Lights just turned on, now everyone can read.

 

0740: 100+ people waiting. Only the first 50 or so have the privilege to sit. The rest gotta stand at least an hour. Security uncle tells me later that the normal crowd at weekends is like this. Lots of families with kids. Not many senior citizens for now. I remember that my parents went on a working day and reached there around 8 am or so. For them it was still okay, but they qualify for the seniors lane so they get priority service.  

 

0825: Five minutes to opening time. I estimate 300+ people here. Imagine 250+ people standing for more than an hour before the doors open. Even after that they would need to continue standing for at least another 30 minutes before they can get a number. 

0830: Doors open! Senior citizens (age 60 and above) go in first. They get numbers starting with 2001. They only need to pay RM100/= for a five-year passport compared to us who have to pay RM200/=.
0850: I got No. 1025. Now serving No. 1005.

0905: Serving 1007 and 2004. Super slow ... Now moving a bit faster. If got kids, takes longer. Or if got people do passport first time.

0945: My number got called. Thumbprint, take photo, check details, sign. Now waiting to pay $. Depending on your luck, the immigration officer could be chatty or straight to the point. Mine was nice, just a few routine questions (Marital status? Address? Phone number? Same as before?) and that's it. At another booth I saw another officer ask a kid "What's your name, where do you go to school, what's your friend's name, where are you going, Korea?" For a young teenager, the questions were "What's your identity card number, etc."

 

1020: Still waiting to pay. Number 1280 just given out at the counter.

1030: Paid RM200/=, got back my identity card & payment receipt, passport ready in half an hour. So gonna wait till 1100.

 

1110: Passport collected. Everything okay. Done! Yippee! Yoohoo! See you (UTC) in four and a half years' time.

Takeaway: Best to go on a working day during non-school holidays. Weekend plus school holiday means super crowded. On such days, numbers run out around 1030. Security guard uncle told me that only 300-400 numbers are given out on any one day. So if you're late, come again another day. And when you come, please come before 6:45 am if you want to sit down. I was lucky. All the best in your passport renewal or new passport application! 

P.S.: Renewals are the most straightforward. All you need is your old passport, your identity card, RM200/= cash and yourself. That's it. No forms to fill in, no photos to bring along because they take your photo there and then. Oh yeah, very important, no contact lenses allowed because they want the photograph to capture your iris. So wear spectacles for that day if you're a contact lens wearer because you just need to take off the specs while being photographed. Also wear a dark coloured shirt so there's contrast with your face, but no worries they have jackets ready for wearing.

Road Trips: Why I Enjoy Them

I've always enjoyed road trips because of the feeling it gives. Having embarked on a journey of a thousand miles before, I look forward to the next drive be it on a familiar or unfamiliar route.

The most important thing is preparation. Yes, you need to ensure that you're in good physical and mental condition for driving long hours. You need to ensure your car or vehicle can survive the entire journey to and fro. You need to get proper supplies based on duration and environmental considerations.

In the past three years I've done quite a fair bit of day trips to places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. Tanjung Sepat, Bentong, Hulu Yam, Kuala Selangor, Sekinchan, Bagan Lalang to name but a few. It's possible to do Malacca and Ipoh but for these and further destinations I prefer at least a night's stay, and for places like Penang I prefer two nights' stay.

Driving along the Kahang - Felda Nitar - Mersing route at night gives many opportunities for seeing stars. Without any street lights or populated areas, the whole road goes pitch black when car headlights go out. Some might feel nervous but I felt entirely comfortable doing it a few months ago. It's just me.

Passed the PADI Open Water Diver course

Yes! We made it! KF & I passed the PADI Open Water Diver course at B&J Dive Centre, ABC Beach Pulau Tioman over the Hari Raya weekend. We're happy with the achievement after all the hard work and effort put in. Moreover, the revision session with Mr Jerung at TUDM Pool helped a lot to get us familiarized with the needed steps.

Feeling glad to have achieved the mission objectives despite being forced to schedule matters at the worst of times. Even though there were some hiccups here and there, but nothing unsolvable with some little adjustments.

Also grateful and appreciative that important things went on smoothly and the worst case scenarios didn't happen. Not forgetting to be thankful for good guidance and feedback on areas to improve.

I'm also glad to know the answers to some outstanding questions despite some of it being unpleasant to the ear. At least I got some potentially useful suggestions and tips to improve on. For that, I appreciate. Thank you. You know who you are.

Going Overseas (Over The Sea) 出國 (過海)

Back in February I predicted that I'd go "overseas" (as in over the sea) three (3) times this year. It's now November and I went "overseas" five (5) times. Three times within the same country, twice to foreign countries. For the foreign countries, one's considered ancestral country and the other a neighbouring country.

Actually going to Sabah/Sarawak can be considered "overseas" because to get there one must cross the sea. Back in college I used to joke with friends about why can't we take the bus to Sarawak. The bus can only go as far as Kuantan, it can't cross the South China Sea. Unless it turns into a waterbus?

二月嗰陣時我預咗我今年會過海三次。而家十一月，已經過海五次。三次國內，兩次國際。關於去外國，一個係祖國，一個係鄰國。

其實去沙巴/砂勞越可以算係 "overseas" 因為要過海先到。我喺學院讀書時候有同朋友講笑點解唔可以搭巴士去砂勞越。巴士最遠去到關丹，唔能夠過南海。唔通變成水巴士？

Random Thoughts on Visiting Singapore

If there's something I like about visiting Singapore, it's the mall experience. When daytime temperatures shoot up into the 30s (Celsius) and the sun's rays beat down harshly, just do what the locals do - escape indoors or underground.

Personally I'm a fan of bookstores and can spend hours browsing through their collections. Ever since young reading has been a pleasurable activity. It's just me.

Get an EZ-Link stored value card for use on their MRT and buses. You'll get a discount for each trip, very worth it when you add up all your journeys. Beats me why some people prefer to pay for per trip tickets every time when it costs more.

It's very hard to get lost in Singapore. All buses eventually end up at one of the numerous interchanges located near MRT stations and from there you can continue your journey to other parts of the island. You can even take the MRT to the airport.

The only downside for me is of course the currency exchange rate. If you earn a living in Malaysia, no matter what Singapore is expensive. If you earn a living from somewhere where the rates are better, Singapore is about the same as any developed nation with strong buying power.

Random Thoughts about the Boat to Manukan and TARP Islands

 As of Sunday, 14 August 2011, I've been to Manukan and Sapi.

: Boats depart from Jesselton Point ferry terminal starting from 8:00 AM till 4:00 PM on a more or less half hourly basis, or when there's enough people to fill up one boat.
: Return trips from the islands start at 10:00 AM and the last boat would be 5:00 PM at the very latest, but for many the last boat is either 4:00 PM or 4:30 PM.
: Fares are RM17 per island for the islands of Manukan, Sapi, and Mamutik. Gaya and Sulug would be classified under boat charter price, a different category due to the smaller numbers of people going there.
: You can choose from any of the boat operators, the fares are all the same standard price.
: There's a jetty terminal fee of RM7.20 to be paid at a different counter.
: There's also a park fee of RM3 to be paid upon arrival at the first island on your itinerary. You don't have to pay the RM3 again if you visit more than one island.
: Manukan's the largest and most developed island with the most facilities.
: Sapi has a large population of resident monitor lizards. They're not scared of people, they hang around the barbecue pit areas.
: Mamutik's a popular destination for team building excursions.
: TARP stands for Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It covers the islands of Gaya, Manukan, Sapi, Mamutik, and Sulug.
: There are Filipino immigrant settlements on the eastern side of Gaya facing Kota Kinabalu city. To get there, ask the Filipino people at the Filipino Market, they'll know who to direct you to.
: It's possible to take a day trip to TARP from KL. Take the earliest AirAsia flight from LCCT at 6:50 AM, arrive at KKIA T2 at 9:20 AM. Get a taxi to Jesselton Point, and you're all set. Take any flight after 6:55 PM from KKIA back to KL and you might reach home before midnight.

Random Thoughts about the Road to Kinabalu Park

As of Sunday, 14 August 2011, I've been to Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill, Genting Highlands, and Berjaya Hills. The road to Kinabalu Park differs in several aspects and has some unique points not found in the aforementioned locales.

: The ascent is much gentler and the climb isn't really obvious until you see the mountain up close.
: Not much primary forest along both sides of the road, mostly secondary growth, empty land filled with grass, or farmed patches.
: At times the road follows the top of a ridge where you can see faraway mountain ranges from both sides.
: Cool weather doesn't begin until a couple of villages before Kinabalu Park if you're coming from Kota Kinabalu. Kundasang's cool, but Ranau's warm.
: We were lucky to have gone on a sunny day. Usually by 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM clouds cover the summit of Mount Kinabalu, but that day the clouds only covered up the summit after 12:30 PM.
: Bring sunblock to protect your skin from the sun's rays.
: It's hot in the sun but cold in the shade. Yes, quite a big difference in temperature between exposed and shaded areas.
: Make sure you have enough petrol. Fill up in Tamparuli if you're coming from Kota Kinabalu and your petrol tank has less than two-thirds fuel remaining. Otherwise the next petrol station is the one and only Shell in Kundasang, and if that one's closed the nearest would be in Ranau.
: Kundasang's a cowboy town with a diamond shaped cluster of shophouses, dusty gravel roads, and scattered farmhouses on hill slopes.
: Ranau's a small town that serves as the district administrative centre. It has all the facilities expected of a district capital.
: You can drive around Kinabalu Park on the tar road all the way up to Timpohon Gate. Otherwise you'll end up walking and hanging around the entrance area where the information centre is. Not to worry you can see Mount Kinabalu towering above the entrance area.
: Allow yourself at least two (2) hours if driving from Kota Kinabalu. The distance isn't too far but the road becomes one lane each side after Tamparuli.

Random Thoughts about Fraser's Hill

The one and only food court in town is uphill from the mosque. Take the 9 o'clock exit at the mini roundabout and you'll see a children's playground. Next to it stands the food court in a small valley.

In days gone by there were two Chinese restaurants. Kheng Yuen Lee 瓊源利 located near the entrance from The Gap along the same road with SM Stores, the post office and the police station was famous for laksa. Now it seems to be closed, so the only surviving Chinese restaurant is Hill View 山景 that used to be located in the town centre but now occupies a lot in the food court.

Most of the Fraser's Hill local Chinese speak Hainanese. They also know Cantonese and Mandarin.

As of mid-July 2011, the "new" road has been reopened so the old Gap road is now used for uphill trafic only while downhill traffic uses the new road.

The Gap is now a ghost town. The Gap Resthouse has been abandoned for years and the jungle is on the way to reclaim it. Hing Kee 興記 restaurant opposite the road has also been abandoned.

Lovely, cool temperatures ranging between 24 degrees Celsius in the day and 14 degrees Celsius at night when you're above the 1200 metre level.

No petrol station on Fraser's Hill. Nearest petrol stations in Kuala Kubu Baru on the Selangor side and Raub on the Pahang side. So make sure you have enough petrol remaining to reach either town from Fraser's Hill.

Old road uphill from The Gap is 8 km long and takes 15-20 minutes to cover. Maximum speed 30 km/h only due to the numerous bends. New road downhill is 9 km long, maximum speed 30 km/h only for the most part except a few areas towards the end. Takes 15 minutes to cover too.

Three primary schools: one Bahasa school, one Chinese school, one Tamil school. All are quite far from each other: the Bahasa school in the northwest, the Tamil school in the northeast, and the Chinese school in the south. No secondary school so the kids have to go to Raub or Kuala Kubu Baru.

You can see Genting Highlands from two places. One is the part of Mager Road near Kingswood Bungalow, another is the south part of Girdle Road on the way to No. 23 (Kamsiah Bungalow). Both are south-facing slopes. Genting Highlands should be 25-30 km away south-southeast as the crow flies, but the road distance is substantially further.

Water at Jeriau Waterfall seems clearer now. Must be because of the sand trap installed upriver near the entrance. Beyond the abandoned bridge is a deserted golf course and clubhouse.

The 4 km of Waterfall Road to Jeriau takes 12 minutes to traverse due to its numerous bends and bumpy condition.

From the Jeriau car park it's a 15-minute walk to the waterfall. The only public toilets are at the very end of the path near the lower pool of the waterfall. Near the entrance there's an Indian man selling snacks and a Malay man with barbecue grill. Everyone leaves the waterfall latest by 6:45 PM because by 7:15 PM it gets dark and there aren't any street lights.

A little playground near Ye Olde Smokehouse along Waterfall Road offers beautiful sunset views. Prepare your camera and note that colour changes last only for a minute or two before it's gone or transforms into something else.

Two Hindu temples: One near Allan's Water and another one along a bend in Waterfall Road.

Guangzhou Trip Itinerary for December 2008

[I first wrote this on Monday, 15 December 2008, a week after returning from my first visit to Guangzhou, China.]

Thursday, 4 December 2008
: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
: Check-in to Hotel Canton 广州大厦
: Lunch at hotel
: Leather goods shopping at Zhonggang Leather City, Sanyuanli 中港皮具成， 三元里
: Goodies shopping at Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Shopping Street 上下九
: Drop by 6th Grandaunty's place at Zhongshan Balu 中山八路
: Dinner at Panxi Restaurant 泮溪酒家 near Pantang Lu 泮塘路
: Back to hotel
: Quick walk to Beijing Road Pedestrian Shopping Area 北京路

Friday, 5 December 2008
: Breakfast at hotel
: Depart for Zhaoqing (Siu Hing) 肇庆 by rented van
: Modern highway from Guangzhou 广州 to Sanshui 三水 , trunk road from Sanshui 三水 passes by Dasha 大沙, Sihui 四会, Lianhua 莲花 before reaching Dinghu 鼎湖
: Tour of Dinghu Mountain 鼎湖山
: Lunch at Zhenbao Hotel, Zhaoqing 珍宝酒店， 肇庆
: Drop by 7th Grandaunty's place near "Sekolah Menengah Bandaraya Siu Hing Ke-Dua Belas" 肇庆 市第十二中学
: Visit to Seven Stars Crags 七星岩
: Return to Guangzhou
: Dinner at Hongxing Seafood Restaurant (Yidu) near the Pearl River 鸿星海鲜酒家 (艺都)
: Shopping at Beijing Road
: Salsa at Wind&Flowers 风&花

Saturday, 6 December 2008
: Breakfast at hotel
: Start off the day tour of Guangzhou
: University City 大学城
: Whampoa (Huangpu) Military Academy museum 黄埔军校旧址
: Tianhe Sky Metro City 天汇城广场
: Museum of the Nanyue King's Tomb 西汉南越王博物馆/南越王墓
: Lunch at Xintaile Restaurant 新泰乐
: Yuexiu Park, 5 Goats Statue 越秀公园, 五羊石像
: Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall 中山纪念堂
: Chan Clan Academy 陈家祠
: Pearl River Cruise from Dashatou Wharf 珠江夜游 / 大沙头码头
: Xinjiang Daxia Bogeda Uighur Restaurant 新疆大厦/博格达
: Salsa at Qba, Westin Hotel

Sunday, 7 December 2008
: Check out
: Last minute shopping
: Computer City, Tianhe 电脑城
: Shangxiajiu and Zhuji Road for pine nut seeds 上下九 / 珠玑路
: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Bitten by the Travel Bug

I've been bitten by the travel bug and hence felt the need to explore more potential leisure destinations. Lots of gems are waiting to be discovered. They need not be super far, perhaps an hour's drive away at furthest, yet they're good spots for relaxation, food, leisure etc.

The trick is knowing when to be there and how to get there. Sometimes it involves getting out of one's comfort zone where everything's familiar. Often a spontaneous discovery leads to another new place and so on.

For the first half of this year, I've covered Tanjung Sepat, Hulu Yam, Bentong, Broga Hill, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kuantan, Sungai Lembing, Cherating, Kemaman, and Kota Kinabalu, not to mention numerous small destinations within the Klang Valley.

More Road Trips Taken

Back in December 2009 I wrote down a list of road trips taken. That post is available at:
http://ujoelee.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trips-to-date.html

Since then, I've achieved the following visits from that list:

01. Port Dickson (twice)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach & several other beaches)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (thrice, all including Historic City, visited Portuguese Settlement but not yet Umbai)
05. Sungai Lembing (Lembing Mee, Tin Mining Museum, but not yet sunrise)
06. Seremban (to attend the funeral wake of a friend's father)

Also revisited Bentong twice and Tanjung Sepat thrice. Went to Penang once, and stopped by Ipoh on the way back. Went to Singapore thrice.

Taiping (Wild Boar Temple) and Kampar (Food, Waterfall) have not been achieved yet.

Kota Kinabalu can be considered a local overseas trip, as the only way to get there other than by ship is by aeroplane, a 2½ hour flight. The distance is roughly equivalent to that of Philadelphia to Miami, i.e. a journey of a thousand miles (1600 km).

I would like to revisit Sekinchan, and also explore other places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. I have several other potential holiday spots lined up in mind, but as per my modus operandi I'll only talk about them after I have personally recceed and evaluated the places first.

Random Thoughts about my India Trip

Weather: Hot and humid in Cochin. Hot and dry in Bangalore with cool nights. Hot, dry, and sunny in Goa. I went during the first week of April 2010, and April's the hottest month in these parts.

Food: Vegetarian everywhere. Food is classified as veg (green dot) or non-veg (red dot). Have to eat from hygienic places and drink only bottled water. Don't try the groundwater, it'll make you sick. Impossible to get good Chinese food. Possible to get some nice Western and Indian fusion foods. Pork and beef available in Goa. One and only pork shop along MG Road in Bangalore. Missed the Fenny, a unique hard liquor made from the soft part of the cashew fruit, which is available only in Goa.

Language: Malayalam in Cochin. Kannada in Bangalore. Konkani in Goa. Other than these main ones, you could try Tamil in Cochin, Hindi or Telugu in Bangalore, and Marathi or Hindi in Goa. Can get by with English for most tourist purposes. English fluency much better than China, but with a very strong Indian accent.

Cities: Bangalore's big. Goa is somewhat like Malacca, lots of villages and small towns but no big cities. From what I heard about Cochin, it's much cleaner, well-organized and friendly compared to the other two.

People: Malayali people in Cochin, they belong to many faiths - Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, St,. Thomas Christians, other Christians, Judaism. Kannadigas predominate in Bangalore, but there are some Tamil and Marathi people there too. Konkani people in Goa, but lots of Marathis, as well as people from other states. Quite a number of Northeast Indians and Tibetans who could pass for Chinese or vice versa.

Tourists: In Goa, from all over India. Foreigners mainly Russians, with some British, Germans and perhaps a few Americans. In Bangalore, didn't see many foreigners despite the city being an international IT city. Not sure about Cochin because I didn't go anywhere other than the airport.

Scenery: Ranges from breathtaking to horrifying. Beautiful mountains, lovely beaches, vibrant alleys. Rubbish piles, dusty roadsides, broken earth. You'll see everything, and I mean everything from nicely-built bungalows to ramshackle hovels. Lots of stray doggies, but they're usually big-sized and look well-fed.

What else:

Don't bank on peaceful sleep if you're near any road. People honk all the time, just like in China, perhaps even worse.

Traffic's horrifyingly chaotic. Don't even think of crossing the road in peace and safety. Best thing to do, follow what the local Indians do and you'll be relatively allright.

If you're a foreigner, prepare to be charged higher prices than the locals for shopping, transportation, etc. Must know what's the market price for, say, a ride from downtown Bangalore to the Forum Mall or J. P. Nagar, then you can negotiate with the auto (pronounced "aato") rickshaw drivers. If you're lucky you'll meet an honest aato driver, so remember to tip him for his honesty.

People in the travel industry such as drivers, tour guides, porters, etc. depend on us for their living, so do remember to tip appropriately.

The dust will get into your nose and lungs. It's everywhere during the dry season. Can't avoid it unless you wear a face mask all the time. Unlike China, nobody wears face masks outdoors. So if you've got sinus, asthma or respiratory problems, you might want to think twice before coming.

Get a GPS. Trust me on this, it really helps. If not, buy a detailed map of the location you're in and use your inbuilt sense of direction. Otherwise, refer back to the GPS.

Try not to look too much like a foreigner if possible. Yes, I know it's easier said than done.

Get a local Indian SIM card for your mobile phone. It will make communication smoother for everybody. You'll need a photocopy of your passport, passport size photo and your hotel address in India.

It's always better to confirm everything and agree on the details before taking up any offer, package, or things like that. Make sure both sides are clear on the payment amount and expectations. Mis-communications can happen so take care to prevent them.

Perhaps I'll add more details and tips in other posts, if I ever get down to doing it. Have fun, my friends and readers.

Random Thoughts about Hunan, China

Weather: In winter, cooler than Guangdong. Less variety of palm trees. Leafless trees in many areas. Buildings have heating.

Food: Spicy, salty, oily. Lots of chilli padi. Jacy, you'll love it since you said you can eat chilli padi like eating rice. Hahaha.

Language: Mandarin everywhere with a strong Hunan accent. In some areas local people also speak Hunan dialect, known as "Xiang" or "Changsha hua". Almost nobody speaks English and the only Cantonese you'll hear comes from tourists.

Cities: Even their smaller cities are at least the size of Ipoh or Petaling Jaya. Lots of six-lane thoroughfares even in the smaller towns. Some district cities can rival Kuala Lumpur in size.

People: Mostly Han Chinese in the big cities of Changsha and Changde, and also in the Xiangtan and Shaoshan areas where Mao Zedong came from. In Zhangjiajie and Phoenix City areas, the minority becomes the majority. Tujia people dominate in Zhangjiajie City and Furong (Wangchun), Miao (Hmong) people live in Phoenix City.

Tourists: Usually Chinese from other parts of China, and some overseas Chinese or those from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hardly any non-Chinese foreign tourists other than Koreans. Can count the number of laowai (gwailo) faces with the fingers on one hand. Non-Mandarin speakers will have a hard time here. Being unable to speak or read Mandarin means no way to ask for help, directions, or anything.

Scenery: Breathtaking. Must visit at least once in a lifetime. Take as many photos as possible. Must visit both Tianzi and Tianmen mountains by cable car. It'll make you tremble when you realise how far you are from the ground below.

What else:

People plant veggies everywhere. At the roadside, at the riverside, on any piece of empty land where plants can grow.

It's customary to sound the horn when overtaking anyone.

Traffic rules don't exist. Yet there's some sort of unwritten order such as the customary sounding of the horn when overtaking.

A lot of people still spit everywhere in public. Kiak, ptui! Yucks. So don't ever fall down on the ground or drop anything. You'll never know if someone just spat there.

Some people throw all their rubbish outside their front or back garden. The reason: They can't afford to pay for proper waste disposal.

Cable cars and high-tension power cables go above people's houses and apartments. I don't know if it's the reluctance of those people to move out or ignorance of the potential health hazards.

In the countryside and even in some cities people still wash their clothes in the river. The water's clear, I saw it with my own eyes but I'm not confident about the cleanliness of the water.

Tourist in My City: Bukit Bintang

Last Saturday, 6 Feb 2010 I went to explore Bukit Bintang on my own in the morning. To avoid traffic jams I left home at 8 something and reached B.B. at 8:50 am, parked in Low Yat Plaza basement and walked around the still-closed shopping mall. Walked the backlane to Imbi Plaza, which I hadn't set foot in 13 years. Only a mamak and one or two computer service shops opened at 9 something.

Continued on foot to Sungai Wang Plaza around 9:30 am and overheard the security guards telling some lenglui tourists that the place opens at 10. Took snapshots of the lovely tiger decorations in the basement, taking care to use ISO HI in low light conditions. Continued to B.B. Plaza and crossed over to Hicks Street now known as Changkat Bukit Bintang.

A lot of restaurants have changed, old names of yesteryear are no longer there and new ones have taken their place. Saw a cute tortoiseshell cat with blue bell collar, patted her and made her my photographic model of the morning. Checked out the new Havana formerly known as Little Havana, looks nice with all new renovations. Said hello to the doggy at the Chinese temple nearby, her owner the aunty seems friendly. Saw the new Hotel YY38 along Tong Shin Heights just opposite Hotel Rae. Seems worth a stay.

Passed by Chua Brothers coffeeshop and the famous Meng Kee char siew place, both only open in the morning. Didn't eat because I already had breakfast. Ngau Kee beef noodle already opened for breakfast, they never sleep don't they?

It was getting hot as cloud cover dissipated so I walked past some travel agencies back to Alor Road. Near the place Aunty Linda worked before, I discovered a short row of small wooden houses from the 1950s or before. People still live there and doggies too. Quaint discovery a little off the beaten track :)

Soon I cut across some unnamed sidelanes to Federal Hotel and then back to Low Yat. Bought what I needed to buy there and left B.B. just as the jam picked up. By then it was ten minutes to noon. What a way to spend a Saturday morning :) Felt so happy. Must do more exploration some other weekend mornings.