Penang Day 3

The day started with a small hitch – we were going to have breakfast in the canteen here at RECSAM, however it turns out to be not only a public holiday, but they are holding a wedding there as well, so the canteen was shut! We went to Gelugor, just down the road, instead. No picture of breakfast due to the sudden change of plans.

After breakfast, we caught a bus to Penang Hill. This involves a bus to the Komtar bus exchange, where we change and catch another bus. Penang Hill was beautiful, and we were very spoilt, as not only were we able to catch the funicular railway, but we were high enough up that it was cool. Can I say that again? It was COOL. We looked out over Penang, and we were able to see the bridge that joins Penang Island to mainland Malaysia. It felt strange to me to be able to see where the island ends, and see the mainland on the other side. Can’t do that in Australia! As well as the amazing views,

One of the view from Penang Hill. You can see the bridge and the Mainland.

we saw an Indian Temple;

Apparently this has a meaning that I was not privy to - a couple walked around to see this, and cracked up laughing!

an aviary that mostly contained birds rescued from traffickers (the spruiker from the aviary wins quote of the day “G’day mate! Every day is mating day!”); ate lunch;

Nasi Goreng Ikan Masin - Fried rice with dried, salted fish.

and had a Devonshire tea at David Brown’s at Strawberry Hill – served in beautiful English style gardens, outside a colonial style house. Oh, did I mention – the temperature was cool!

The lily pond in the English Gardens.

On the way back, we passed a sign for the Bats' Cave Temple. I couldn’t resist, so three of us broke from the main group, and headed into a few back streets to find the temple. The front is a brightly coloured and decorated temple, with a small cave at the back, which did indeed contain bats hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately we were unable to take photographs (we imagined what a flash would do to the bats), but it was worth the detour.

Look at the models of bats on the roof!

We then made our way back, and caught the bus back to Komtar. Komtar is a very tall tower in Penang, that was once the pinnacle of shopping. We, however, were unable to find our way to it! We could see it from the outside, but actually getting in appeared to be impossible. This was disappointing, in that we managed to find a bat cave (insert batman theme tune here), but were unable to find the tallest building in Penang! Well, it turns out we weren’t quite so hopeless. We were there already, we just didn’t know it. They are doing so much renovating that we didn’t recognise it for what it really was.

Komtar Tower - the tallest building in Penang.

Dinner was walking to Island Glades, a popular local eating place. I had Claypot Chicken and Egg, along with an iced watermelon juice.

Left: As it looked when delivered. Right: As it looked after I got to it!

I also saw the following can, and simply couldn’t resist. Enjoy!

Penang Day 2

Breakfast this morning was a doughnut and banana, steamed inside a banana leaf.

After breakfast we were taken on a tour in the RECSAM bus to see where our schools are. We simply drove past them, so no photographs yet. The school that Erin and I will be teaching in is the furthest away from the complex, possibly about ½ hour drive.

When we returned, we caught a local bus, and headed off to visit the Kek Lok Si Temple. The buses in Malaysia are quite easy to catch, however you must have the correct money – no change given! The temple was amazing. I will let the pictures do the talking, although my photograph can’t capture the sheer immensity of the statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy – it is 36.5 metres tall. Apparently it used to stand on the hillside on its own; they are constructing a pagoda for it now (“in the future 16 ornately decorated bronze columns supporting a roof over the statue, as well 1000 two-metre high statues of the goddess are planned to be built.”)

Bottom of the Kek Lok Si Temple

Dragons!

The enormous, splendiferous, statue of Kuan Yin

On the way up, we stopped at the turtle pond, and fed the turtles some sort of green vegetable that was for sale for that purpose. Much like feeding the kangaroos and emus at Featherdale! Although the day wasn’t necessarily hot, ascending the mountain in the humidity was very draining; literally in the case of the amount of water I was losing in sweat! Luckily it was decided that we wouldn’t walk up the hill – we caught an incline lift.

Incline Lift - no walking, phew!

We had lunch down in the town at the foot of the Temple, and as it turns out, the timing was fantastic. We made it just before the skies opened and the rain absolutely pounded down. I will try to get a photographs of the drains surrounding the roads here. They are all at least a foot deep, if not deeper. This is to be able to cope with the sheer volume of water that is dumped when they skies open. We caught a taxi back to RECSAM. On the way we drove past an accident. We saw 4 motorbikes and a car pulled over. There was a man in a blue suit (policeman?) waving people past. There was also a man laying on the road, covered in blood. I don’t think it was good news, because no-one was down tending to him. Apparently this is not an unusual occurrence, and it is easy to see why. Although they aren’t as crazy drivers like other countries I’ve heard about (a friend took a video of a Vietnam intersection – insane!), the road rules seem to be pretty loose, and all bikes, cars and buses change lanes at the last moment, seeming without regard for other vehicles around them.

The thunderstorm at lunch. I had some of those hanging chickens and pork, with rice.

When then returned in order to attend a formal afternoon tea, where we would be meeting our teachers. Some members of the State Education Department also attended. Unfortunately my teachers couldn’t be present, however I spent the time talking with teachers from the other schools. It was very interesting to be talking about the similarities and differences of the education systems, although I must say that there seem to be more similarities than differences at this point. I am really looking forward to attending my school on Monday.

Finally, we caught another bus to Sungai Dua for dinner. Sungai Dua is about 2 suburbs away from RECSAM, and I’m pleased to report that three of us went for a little exploration on our own after dinner, and managed to make it back home! Apparently the idea is that our lecturers spend the first couple of days showing us how things work in Penang, so that we can become confident enough to be independent, and get around the island on our own. Baby steps, but we are getting there.

Time for bed – even though I am sleeping like a log, we are fitting so much into each day that I am really tired.

Penang - Day 1

Breakfast this morning was in the canteen at the RECSAM complex.

Front of the RECSAM Complex

I think you will see food as a large focus of my posts! As my Malay is almost non-existent, most meals are going to be experiments. Food is incredibly inexpensive here, so although it is a waste, if there is something I don’t like, it isn’t too bad to have to leave it. I am happy to report, however, that so far I haven’t tasted anything I don’t like! Breakfast is as pictured, along with the obligatory super-sweet iced coffee. Iced means that they make a warm coffee, and then add ice, so you have a warm drink at the bottom, and cold up the top, until it all gets mixed in. Sounds dodgy maybe, but it is delicious.

Pink Sago & Coconut, Pistachio and Sesame.

We then walked to a local Tesco to purchase SIM cards and essentials. I wish I could have taken a photograph – there was an entire aisle of small dried fish, in all different varieties. You scooped them up, like the bulk nut purchases at home. Lunch was at the Tesco food court. I took a punt from a picture, and had Cucur Udang (tofu and vegetarian something), along with a Three Layer drink (I was unsure at the time, but the Internet tells me it was brown sugar, evaporated milk and red tea). Entire cost in Aussie dollars was about $1.20. Walking back from Tesco, we heard some deep rumbles of thunder, along with a small cool breeze, however it didn’t eventuate into any rain.

Cucur Udang

Three Layer Drink

After we returned, we caught a bus to the Prangin Mall. This is where we exchanged our money. This is an enormous complex of buildings that are essentially all shops. We were told that bartering is expected. Now, bartering is not my thing. If someone tells me a price, then I pay it, especially when converting to Australian dollars, everything is cheap anyway! However, I took a deep breath and resolved to have a go. I needed some new shoes, because my feet have swollen in the heat, and a pair I brought was giving me blisters. I thought I had it all negotiated, down from RM46 to RM41… until it was discovered that while I was talking price, the salesman was talking shoe size! FAIL. Undaunted, I resolved to try again, and I’m happy to report that I experienced success – two skirts down from RM100 to RM75. It is still not something I enjoy doing, and I believe I have had quite enough of shopping for this trip already!

Finally, dinner was a banana leaf curry, at an Indian restaurant in Gelugor. My picture is incomplete, as we also received some spicy chicken. The idea is that you eat with your hands, so that is what I did. In Malaysia, it is polite (not to mention generally hygienic) to wash your hands before and after a meal. To that end, they actually supply washing stations in restaurants and food courts. What a fantastic idea – something I think we could adopt at home.

Cabbage, beans, okra, rice, curry sauce & poppadum. Yum!

On a jewellery note, I found some gemcutters in Prangin Mall that have some unusual cuts of semi-precious gems, such as some beautifully cut citrines. I also saw some huge golden rutilated quartz cabochons. Prices were about as much as I would expect to pay in Australia, however that is before the bartering ;-) I haven’t decided whether I will splurge or not – I think I will wait until the end of the trip and see if my bartering skills improve.

Penang Travel Day

Welcome to Penang!

Part of the SEAMEO RECSAM Complex

It is early on Day 1, which is a public holiday. After arriving at 1:30am local time (3:30am home time), we all simply fell into our beds and to sleep. I have awoken to the sounds of birds chittering outside, and the low, constant blanket of humidity. As yet, the temperature is not unpleasant, and I’m sure the humidity will simply take some getting used to!

The day at the airport started with a brush with fame. As we were waiting for everyone to check in, we noticed a small contingent of photographers gathering at the airport entrance closest to us, along with some airline employees dressed in some very fancy uniforms. A car pulled up, the cameras started flashing – who could it be? Apparently some rather unprepossessing bloke in a baseball cap. That bloke turned out to be Keith Urban, along with Nicole Kidman and the children. They were escorted into the airport to gawking (yes, that was us), then disappeared. Nicole was very polite and greeted people on the way through, which  is the kind of thing that would seriously try my patience, especially with two children to look after!

The flight was with Malaysia airlines, and I am pleased to report that even in cattle class, I had legroom! There was a good 10cm between my knees and the seat in front of me, and I am not a short person. It was also possible to stretch my legs to full stretch under the seat in front of me. The 8 hours went relatively quickly, and we arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport at approximately 10pm. Flying into KL at night was like flying over a quiescent amusement park. There are lights of all colours dotting the landscape, following the roads in loops and swirls. KL airport was also very pretty, which is not something that you can usually say about airports! Allan, the tour leader, had given us all a 50-ringgit note to carry us over until money exchanging today (2.76:1 in Australia, 3.17:1 in Malaysia!). We didn’t plan too well, and drove a poor coffee guy to close shop because he ran out of change when we all tried to buy single coffees with our 50 ringgit  notes. Mental capacity was starting to fade by then. We waited a couple of hours, then a short 50 minute flight took us from KL to Penang International Airport. Hop on a shuttle bus, and we arrived at RECSAM, for sleep. Can’t wait to see what we get up to today!

View from the balcony of my room!

PS Internet access is a little sketchy, so these posts will not be as formatted as I would necessarily like. Post and run!


PPS When logging into my blogger account, Google recognised I wasn't at home and asked me for verification details! Is that a "Yay" for looking after me, or a "Boo" for spying on me?!

Update on Gold-Filled

After suggestions on my Facebook page, I took the coil to a local jeweller, to see if I could have it tested. He was unable to tell me whether the wire was plated or filled, however he did note that the wire was not flaking, which would be a sure sign of plating. He did take the coil for me, and polished it up using some Tripoli and a buffing wheel. You can see the result in the picture - top half, shiny, as I would expect it to be. Bottom half, dull.

Click to zoom

All in all, I must assume that the wire is gold-filled, and this is a puzzle. Does anyone have any suggestions for tumbling gold-filled? Anything different that needs to be done compared to sterling (remembering, however, that the first lot were tumbled in the same tumbler load, so I would have expected them both to be affected)? I have also put more feelers out to see what comes back, so there may be another update yet! At this point, I am assuming that it is gold-filled, and that I will have to attempt to polish it before I can use it.

Trouble With Gold-Filled

Shiny :-) vs. dull :-(

I recently had a request for some gold-filled rings. These are the coils I made from the wire I received, although they were made from two different lengths of wire. They were made at the same time, and tumbled together. The large coil is as expected - beautifully shiny. The small coils are dull and pitted on the surface.

Click to enlarge - you can really see the difference!

My supplier insists that both lengths of wire are gold-filled, so the question becomes one of mandrel size. Has anyone ever experienced gold-filled dulling down with smaller mandrel sizes? Or do you have any other explanation for the difference? 

Please ask your jewellery making friends as well!

Vale Cordy

This is the first morning without my beloved dog.

She came to us about 10 years ago, when we were looking for a companion for our other dog. We chose her from Siberian Husky Rescue, which had picked her up from a pound on the Eastern Suburbs. The only thing we knew of her was that she was an escape artist - assumedly from her initial home, twice from the husky rescue people, and once, just after we got here. Luckily for us, her idea of running away was to run up to the front door of each house she passed, so I was able to catch up with her.

She was very overweight when we got her – so much so, that she had difficulty standing. She would sit at any opportunity. She had jaws of steel, capable of working their way through anything but the thickest part of gigantic raw bones. Despite being so overweight, she was incredibly difficult to walk, as it was like putting a miniature tank on the end of a leash. She would put her head down, and she would just GO.

She was initially afraid of men, however this changed very quickly, as our family and friends embraced her.

She was stubborn, demanding, loved people, loved pats, loved walks, and loved eating. She would perform each night when she decided it was time for her to be fed. She would demand pats and cuddles, often at the most inopportune times – numerous cups of coffee have been spilled over the years, as she hooked her head under our elbows. She would lick our toes, or come up and give my husband a bath on the back of his head. She came to us a cat chaser – luckily she never had to opportunity to catch one, but there were times where she launched herself, and I was dragged, ineffectually flailing along at the end of the leash.

She was a tolerant dog – she liked children, and would let them do anything they wanted (within our supervision, of course). She also stoically put up with the many visits to the vet we made over the years, and indeed, became a favourite of one, after an extended stay. This time, however, after all of these years, it was time to go. She became very ill, very quickly. We don’t know how old she was, but based on our other dog, she would be 14 or 15. It really hurts that no matter how much you do, or how much you will it, you simply can’t stop time, or extend life forever.

Our experience is by no means unique – it is one that many, many people will have in their lifetimes. This doesn’t make the pain and grief any less, for anyone involved. When you have loved something daily for 10 years, and received love back, it becomes a part of you.

In the end, we believe she had a much better life than the one she came from, and the memories of the years and years of love both ways are what will help to eventually ease our grief. She died in our arms. Now it is time for us to adjust to life without her.

Vale Cordy, we miss you so.