Tchaikovsky’s 4th

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015Leave a comment

We heard this symphony yesterday played by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in the Petronas concert hall at KLCC. It is such rousing music, at times delicate and playful as in the third movement when the strings are played pizzicato, and at others loud and turbulent with horn section and timpani in full voice. Both the opening and the finale are an assault on the senses and there is plenty of work for the cymbals player. It was such a pleasure to listen to music in that setting with a full orchestra, an enthusiastic conductor, and an audience who were there solely for that purpose (and they didn’t applaud between movements!) It was also a balm to one who lives in a society where there is “music” blaring in shops and parking lots and the constant barrage of noise from the nearby theme park. Our enjoyable day was enhanced by lunch at Harrod’s cafe and a nosy round the well-stocked Kinokuniya bookshop prior to the concert!

Marvellous Majestic

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve just had my second birthday in Malaysia and we celebrated by booking into the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Because the room they gave us smelled strongly of smoke (non-smoking signs are routinely ignored in Malaysia, where smoking is endemic and there are no penalties for breaching non-smokers’ rights!) they moved us into a room just like the one in the photo above. I guess it’s the best hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. After a swim in the lovely pool, we decided to order dinner in so that we could enjoy the beautiful room. Then they brought me a birthday cake – they had seen it was my birthday from my ID when we checked in. Such a lovely day and I highly recommend the hotel.

Back in KL

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015Leave a comment

We arrived back at KLIA last night after an 11-hour flight from Auckland. I never enjoy saying good-bye and always think about how long it will take to get back again. We are now so used to arriving at KLIA that we whizzed through the airport, enjoying stretching our legs after the long flight. We caught a taxi to our familiar hotel in Shah Alam where Jim is working today (poor man!) and I am writing this post. Later on I’ll have a swim in the lovely hotel pool, which I’ll have to myself if I time it right. Then early tomorrow we’ll head back to Ipoh and resume our Malaysian lives, fortified by our New Zealand trip and having spent time with our girls, our family and our friends.

Whale of a time

May 5, 20151 Comment

We’re back in one of our favourite places in the world – Raglan on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Yesterday I walked from Manu Bay to Whale Bay, stopping many times along the way to enjoy the spectacular views of the Tasman Sea. It was a calm, sometimes sunny afternoon and the sky was a wide blue arc over the sea. There were surfers out in the waves at Manu and Whale Bays and also further along at the world famous surf spot, Indicators. The waves crashed onto the boulders at the shoreline and the pebbly sand was innumerable shades of brown and grey. I had a swing at the Whale Bay reserve and watched two Monarch butterflies fly overhead. I walked back to Manu Bay where Jim was still in the surf and watched as the light began to fade and the far hills disappeared into the dark, with the wonderful thought that we would wake up the next day in this paradise.

Auckland art gallery

April 28, 2015April 28, 2015Leave a comment

Today I walked from Ponsonby in rain, wind and sunshine to the Auckland art gallery. I enjoyed wandering around the various galleries, absorbing art from different eras by artists from New Zealand and further afield. I liked Tony Fomison’s Ponsonby Madonna and the suspended feathers woven by Maureen Lander. But almost more than the art, I enjoyed the building with its various levels and the light from windows that look out over the street or adjacent Albert Park. I had a coffee in the cafe and watched students walking through the park and thought of my daughters (one presently at Auckland uni and the other a graduate). They love(d) passing the grumpy Queen Victoria statue and the fountain on their way to and from classes. I retraced my steps to Ponsonby, crossing the motorway on the Hopetoun bridge. Looking one way, I saw a rainbow over Mount Eden and the other way, the sun glinting on the harbour bridge. I stopped in Western Park to take off my raincoat and walked the rest of the way in warm sunshine. One more little treat was a clutch of beautiful brown chooks pecking at the grass beside the footpath on the road that I’m presently living in – an amazing sight in the middle of the city!

Road with a view

April 22, 2015April 23, 2015Leave a comment

I walked (or sauntered) down Ponsonby Road yesterday. I was reduced to ambling because there was so much to look at – huge old trees getting ready to drop their leaves, intriguing shop windows, people sitting outside cafes drinking coffee, the facades of beautiful buildings, and glimpses of the Auckland city skyline dominated by the Sky Tower. I got to the end of Ponsonby Road and carried on down St Mary’s Road to be greeted by a view similar to that in the photo above. There was the harbour bridge with its eight lanes of busy traffic and the blue harbour shining in the sun. I stopped dead and marvelled. All around me, people on foot, riding bicycles and driving cars went about their business. They are used to the spectacular surroundings but I am not after living in Ipoh for over a year and I intend to make the most of it.

A sunny Sunday in Auckland

April 19, 2015May 13, 2015Leave a comment

It was a beautiful blue-sky day in Auckland today. I walked along the Remuera ridge into Newmarket. All along the route I caught glimpses of the harbour – the sea glinting in the sunlight and the white sails of scores of boats vivid against the blue. I sat at a pavement table outside a cafe with the tantalising smell of coffee all around. I wandered in and out of shops, not looking for anything in particular, but feasting my eyes on the lovely things for sale – books, stationery, shoes, china, glass. Shop assistants were friendly and helpful though I wasn’t actually shopping. Then I ambled back the way I had come, revelling in the mild warmth of the sun and the shade of Remuera’s huge old trees.

Homeward bound

April 13, 2015April 13, 20152 Comments

By the end of this week, I’ll be back in Godzone! People here ask me what the weather will be like and their most common question is “Will it be cold?” I know it will be cold compared with Malaysia but that doesn’t bother me at all. I’m looking forward to going for a walk at any time of the day without melting in the heat, like you do in Ipoh if you go out any later than 7am. I’ve already packed my raincoat! I’m looking forward to the smell of the sea, the green of the countryside, the aroma of coffee outside cafes, the smiles on the faces of my friends, but more than all that, I’m looking forward to seeing our girls! Only four more sleeps.

Car candy

April 11, 2015April 12, 2015Leave a comment

I find driving in Ipoh challenging because of the general disregard for red lights, lane markings and right of way displayed by many motorists. Motorcyclists are completely cavalier regarding the rules of the road, probably because if you knock a rider off her/his bike, it’s always your fault, even if they’ve come through a red light straight at you! However, the way people decorate their cars provides some light relief. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of little Malaysian-made cars on the roads of Ipoh, many with their back ledges richly decorated with cushions, soft toys, fake flowers and religious paraphernalia. One of the favourites is a row of brightly coloured synthetic strawberry cushions, which you can buy from any number of stalls in the Cameron Highlands where actual strawberries are grown. Alternatively you can have a worm (as in the pic above) which takes up most of the ledge. I too drive a Myvi but its ledge is disappointingly free of decoration!

Good company

April 5, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve had a lovely week in the company of my Kiwi cousin who paid us a visit. We spent a lot of time yakking about the vagaries of expat life (in my case) and doing business in Malaysia (in his). We took a day trip to Penang and had morning coffee at the cafe pictured in the photo above. We went out for delicious Chinese and Indian food and explored the old town of Ipoh, where he delighted in bargaining with local shopkeepers. It is great to spend time with someone you’ve known all your life and with whom you share a history. Back to my solitary days this week though!

Travels from New Zealand

Two olds explore the world