This morning after a good breakfast we sorted out the flights to Cambodia, hotel in Siem Reap, other bits and pieces and then went to Wadda Gurdwara. Got a taxi back to the hotel.
There is an addition to the above.
We had to get back to the hotel by 8pm to collect a rental car (There is a huge samelan in Ipoh and we thought it would have been good to attend the opening day and surprise a few friends). So we flagged down a taxi outside the Gurdwara giving ourselves plenty of time. From the start when we noticed the taxi driver smoking we should have sensed this will not be a good journey!
He parked up and spent two/three minutes smoking the cigarette! Then whilst driving he spent ten minutes coughing away, not even covering his mouth!!! He then spent another few minutes spraying air freshener all over the car including the air vents – the amount of spray was overwhelming!
There are a number of ways back to the hotel. The busiest way is through town, especially on a Saturday night when everybody wants to go out in KL city centre. The taxi drive took the busiest route but then also a bit of a detour within the centre which was taking us further away from the hotel! They charge 10 cents for every twenty seconds. The counter starts at RM3 and quickly got up to RM9. I tackled him pointing out that he was taking us the busiest way and the long way. He just nodded and said “Yes yes busiest way”! We asked him to drop us off on the spot, which happened to be in the middle of town right next to Bukit Bintang Station so at least we could take the monorail.
Even though the queues to buy a monorail ticket were large, the salesperson was chatting away on the phone and serving people slowly!
Monorail track
A busy monorail carriage
The KL Monorail is an urban monorail system (previously known as Peoplemover Rapid Transit – PRT) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It opened on 31 August 2003, and serves 11 stations running 8.6 km (5 mi) with two parallel elevated tracks. It connects the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transport hub with the “Golden Triangle”. It was completed at a cost of MYR 1.18 billion by the KL Infrastructure Group (KL Infra).
KL Infra declared bankruptcy on 15 May 2007 after repeatedly missing loan repayments. On 29 November 2007, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPNB) signed a sale-and-purchase agreement with KL Monorail Systems Sdn Bhd (KLMS). The current operator for the KL Monorail system is RapidKL Rail, a wholly owned subsidiary of SPNB.
According to Ministry of Transport statistics, the annual ridership for the Monorail Line in 2008 was 21,765,233.
On 1 March 2012, KL Monorail was integrated with the Ampang Line light rail transit when the “paid-up” or restricted areas of the Hang Tuah monorail and LRT stations, and also at the Titiwangsa monorail and LRT stations, were physically linked up, allowing transfers without the need to buy new tickets for the first time since the system became operational.
Once we got back to the hotel we had missed the car rental representative, concierge tried to call them, there response was “get somebody else!!”
We even got Amex involved who in this case were unable to get any car!!
Looks like the surprise trip to Ipoh was not meant to be.
So we popped out to Brickfields for some food!
Walking along the alleyways we saw a big rat running across
We walked around looking for a vegetarian restaurant called masala chaat on the way we ended up finding one called
Gopala
59, Jalan Thambipillai,
Brickfields (at near KL Sentral, behind Jalan Tun Sambanthan)
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia 50470
T: +60 12-3513713
Chennai roti
Yes it was good!
If you order popular dishes one should be fine. Ordering fries which is cooked in days old oil is a bad idea.
The walk back – crazy parking!
Hotel foyer
So there you have it, Waheguru reads my blog and decided to make it more interesting! Otherwise how bored would you have been reading the post for today?
Today Melvinderjit and Pervinder took time out to show us around. As we still had the rental car we drove around, in hindsight it might have been quicker taking a train.
We first drove to
Gurdwara Sahib
6 Jalan Balai Polis,
Kuala Lumpur,
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Then parliament square. Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. The city covers an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 1.6 million as of 2012. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country, in terms of population and economy.
Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they were moved to Putrajaya in early 1999. Some sections of the judiciary still remains in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The official residence of the Malaysian King, the Istana Negara, is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. Rated as an alpha world city, Kuala Lumpur is the cultural, financial and economic centre of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a key city. Kuala Lumpur was ranked 48th among global cities by Foreign Policy’s 2010 Global Cities Index and was ranked 67th among global cities for economic and social innovation by the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Index in 2010.
Kuala Lumpur is defined within the borders of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and is one of three Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Residents of the city are colloquially known as KLites.
Since the 1990s, the city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events including the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the Formula One Grand Prix. In addition, Kuala Lumpur is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, which have become an iconic symbol of Malaysia’s futuristic developments.
Yes it took three people to figure out a parking meter!
Sewerage gets dumped into this river
Parliament
Lunch was at
Cameleon Chinese & Thai Vegetarian Restaurant
1 Jalan Thamboosamy,
Kuala Lumpur,
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
We ordered so much food, all of us ate VERY well. The food tasted awesome just a shame we do not have time to go back.
Afterwards, we drove to
GURDWARA TATT KHALSA
24 Jalan Raja Alang,
Chow Kit,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Stroll east from the Bazaar Baru Market along Jln Raja Alang to peek at the Tatt Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara, the largest Gurdwara in Southeast Asia and spiritual home for KL’s 75,000 Sikhs.
We then decided to drop off the car. In KL, when driving, you just end up in traffic jams. Most of the time it is better to take the monorail or taxi.
In the taxi
The driver and Melvinderjit
The next Gurdwara blew my mind
Gurdwara Sahib Police Training Centre
54100 Jalan Semarak
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
In 1940 the Police Depot which was situated in Bluff Road (present Bukit Aman) was moved to gurney road (now know as Jalan Semarak) Kuala Lumpur. This Depot became the main training centre for the Police personnel and recruit. There was an official Sikh Police personnel.
To serve the religious needs of the Sikhs in the Police Depot, the Government built a Gurdwara Sahib within the Depot area in the early 1941
The Gurdwara Sahib which occupies 17,000 square feet of land was officially declared open on 24th April 1041. This is the third Sikh Gurdwara to be built Kuala Lumpur. Sgt Major(R) Giani Dasoundha Singh Village Amargarh, Bhatinda served as a Granthi for about 7 years in this Gurdwara sahib in the 1950’s.
As time passed Gurdwara Sahib Pulapol got its pride of place when the government gazetted it as a heritage building under the Antiquities Act 2004 and it remains active to the present day.
When I was told about a Gurdwara in a police training ground. I imagined a small ‘room size’ and that is all. When I saw this it just made me so proud.
You walk/drive through a police training camp to get to this Gurdwara!
A beautiful sky
Police training camp
As it was getting late, also Melvinderjit and Pervinder had to go home and pack for a Sikhi camp in Ipoh we decided to take two taxis.
We would like to say it has been fantastic and a privilege to have spent the day with Melvinderjit and Pervinder. These two have shown a true love and very good knowledge of Sikhi. I learnt a lot from them. They are not your average pair who gossip or talk about what rubbish is on the television, like soaps. They can easily converse with people of all ages.
One of the many hotel benefits I have is a diamond member of the Hilton hotels, which allows you free upgrades, late checkouts, free breakfast regardless of room booked and access to the lounge. When we returned from a great day out we went to the lounge to relax and have some snacks and drinks….I enjoy this, especially as they are free! There we met Howard from North Yorkshire. He works in the gas industry and was out here on business. Hope to see you back in England!
After a fantastic night’s sleep, Phenji made pronthe which were very tasty.
We awaited for veerji to arrive he had a case to present in the law courts.
We chatted to the family for some time, Kumi veerji has a fantastic knowledge of Sikhi and can quote many lines from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, then gives a explanation.
For lunch we went to Kumi Veerji’s sisters house and had a fantastic meal.
The time seem to pass very quickly, we had to get back to Kuala Lumpur to return the rental car.
Unfortunately on the drive back we hit traffic. Avis the rental company are able to pick up from the majority of hotels in KL city centre. When we checked into the Hilton (courtesy of a very good rate through Amex) the Avis office had already closed.
Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
T: +60 3-2264-2264
View from the room
In the evening we went to
Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Jln Kg Pandan
15, Jalan Kampung Pandan,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
T: +60 13 340 8069
www.ourgurdwara.com
And met all the gang. It was fantastic to see them.
Today we were very fortunate that Shareenjit and her mother wanted to meet for lunch, we went to
Life Style Veggie
50 Macalister Road
10400 Penang Malaysia
T: +60 1 3398 8933
We were talking as if we had know each other for a very long time in fact it was only a few minutes!
We had so much to eat, at first we ordered many dishes. Once we finished them Shareenjit’s mum said lets order more!! I am in the company of foodies…..fantastic!!!!
Afterwards they kindly took us to
Khalsa Dharmic Jatha
51 Patani Road,
10150 Penang
Malaysia
The gurudwara was founded in 1937 by the sikh sangat of penang, Malaysia. All religious ceremonies, social and community services are performed. The sikh sangat runs a Khalsa school and a library for the weak students to learn sikh philosophy, Punjabi language and religious hyms. The Managing Committee has over 100 members
We then went to
POLIS SIKH GURDWARA,
JALAN CHEAH CHOO YEW (PATANI ROAD),
10150 George Town,
Malaysia
Unfortunately this Gurdwara was closed due to the lady not being there.
They then took us to the Colonial town, Wharf and Little India where we had fresh coconut water. It was like a private tour of the town.
The few hours we spent together just seem to fly past! It was time to leave Georgeown and head to Ipoh. Shareenjit and her mum said that when we next come to stay at their house. Just like family!!
We got dropped back at the hotel where we said our byes, picked up the car and headed to Ipoh.
Whilst in Penang we tried two fantastic dishes Char Kway Teow and Laksa Asam. A definite must try.
Crossing the bridge back to the mainland.
The motorway
Arriving in Ipoh
We made our way to one of the many Gurdwaras in Ipoh
WADDA GURDWARA SAHIB IPOH, PERAK
Jalan Gurdwara,
30100 Ipoh,
Perak
Malaysia
In the twilight years of the 19′ Century. there was a small community of Sikhs in the Ipoh area who worked in the tin mines as general labourers or were bullock cart drivers and dairy farmers.
These Sikhs built their first Gurdwara Sahib around 1890 along Club Road. Sometime later, the Ipoh Police Station was built next to this Gurdwara Sahib. Subsequently, the management of this committee came under the control of the Sikh police personnel. The civilian Sikhs vacated this Gurdwara Sahib in 1910 as its location within the Police compound was found to be unsuitable due to security reasons.
Around 1910, the Sikhs were allowed to build their Gurdwara Sahib on the present site. In 1920, these Sikhs built a new wooden building, which was used as a Gurdwara Sahib. The Sikh Holy Book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, was respectfully placed in the Darbar Sahib on 13th December 1920. A jormela was held during, this occasion, which was well attended by the Sikh sangat from near and far. This Gurdwara Sahib land, which is 1 Acre 1 Rood in size, was gazetted as a Sikh Temple Reserve in 1929.
By 1981, the Gurdwara Sahib was in dire need of repair. It was also too small to accommodate the Sikh Sangat, which had grown considerably over the years. The Management Committee set up a Building Fund Committee to raise donations to build a new Gurdwara Sahib.
The foundation stone of the new double storey Gurdwara Sahib building was laid on 3rd January 1982 on the site of the previous Gurdwara Sahib. The cost of this building came to RM1,000,000.00 out of which RM120,000.00 was donated by the Government. The first religious function in this newly completed Gurdwara Sahib building was held on 9th October 1983. Sant Baba Harnek Singh Ji did kirtan and katha during this programme. This new Gurdwara Sahib was officially declared open on 22′ February 1988. The first floor is used as the Darbar Sahib. The ground floor and the annexe comprises of the Granthis’ quarters, langgar hall, kitchen, store, office library and two rooms for Sikh visitors.
The name of this Gurdwara Sahib was officially changed to Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh on 10th June 1985. Some of the Presidents who have served in this Gurdwara Sahib include Baba Bela Singh Kairo (1940s – 1950s), Sardar Ditt Singh J.P. (1960s), Sardar Sowdagar Singh (1970s), Sardar Tara Singh (1980s), Dato’ Seri Darshan Singh Gill J.P. (mid 1990s) and Sardar Darshan Singh Keliah (late 1990s to present).
The Management Committee comprises of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, their assistants and ten committee members. The present Trustees of this Gurdwara Sahib are Dr. Awthar Singh, Sardar Hira Singh and Sardar Dheer Singh.
There is a Sikh Assistant Registrar of Marriages who officiates at Sikh marriages in this Gurdwara Sahib when called upon to do so. The actual marriage ceremony is performed by the Granthi in accordance with Sikh rites.
Among the Granthis who were engaged in this Gurdwara Sahib was Bhai Gurdial Singh Gill Village Kambo Dhaiwala, Amritsar who served from 1949 to 1985, a period of about 36 years. Prior to this, he had served as a Granthi in the Gurdwara Sahib Lahat, Perak for about 10 years.
There are presently about 300 Sikh families in this area who participate in the religious activities of the Gurdwara Sahib. The normal weekly prayers are held on Sundays from 6.30a.m. to 8.30a.m. Prayers are also held on Thursday evenings from 6.30p.m. to 8.15p.m. The Asa Di War Kirtan is held from 5.30a.m. to 6.30a.m. except on Sundays. The Isteri Satsang programme is held on every Wednesday afternoon from 3.00p.m. to 5.00p.m. The Sikh Naujawan Satsang programme is held fortnightly on Thursdays from 6.30p.m. to 8.15p.m.
Afterwards we drove to Kulvinder Singhs house, affectionately known as Kumi Veerji. In the evening we had a nice meal
Pakeezah
15-17, Jln Dato Seri Ahmad Said (Green Lane), 30450 Ipoh. Specifically, it is situated in Greenhill area, opposite Regal’s Lodge hotel on the other side of the road.
Business Hour 11am – 3pm, 6pm-10pm
Today I had a huge breakfast which consisted of fruit, cooked vegetables and steamed rice. I hope that it will last me until the evening, unfortunately I am hungry again by lunchtime!! I really need to cap my eating!
After a relaxed morning where I was digesting my food, we walked into the city to find a laundry. When we did find one, the lady behind a counter/desk/pile of clothes informed us that there are no self service laundries in Georgetown!! Just means we would have to hand wash the essential clothes and dry them on the back seat of the car.
Afterwards, we walked to
Lilys
Vegetarian Kitchen
98 Ground Floor
Noble House
Madras Lane
10400 Penang
Malaysia
W: www.lilysvegekitchen.com
Before you say anything…..I was still full from breakfast, so Sangeet had lunch here….okay I lie, I had a little taste for review purposes! It did taste nice but not a restaurant we would go back to.
Afterwards we popped back to the hotel to hand wash the clothes. The things we have to do!
Whilst I was looking into Cambodia (Sangeet had given me the dates of where we should be and when,) Sangeet walked to the the Wadda Gurdwara, Penang
87 Jalan Gurdwara (Jalan Brick Klin)
10300 Penang,
Malaysia
Later, Sangeet came to the hotel and together we went back to the Wadda Gurdwara. On entering the Gurdwara we saw a couple of students from the camp, they were so happy to see us. They said to me “we are going to pray for you tonight” I asked “why?” They said “so you come back to camp next year!” I cannot emphasise the love given to us. The sangat of Malaysia have been fantastic.
After evening prayers we went outside, it was raining very heavily. A couple who had also been at the Gurdwara offered us a lift back to the hotel which we accepted.
Later in the evening we met Gelinder, who took us out to a nice Indian restaurant in a location called Little India. We were later joined by her father and friend Shareenjit Kaur. They showed us so much love, her father said “next time you come to Penang, you are to stay at our home”. That is so nice of him to offer.
Sri Ananda Bahwah
25 Penang Street
Georgetown
Penang
Malaysia
Gelinder’s father had to leave early. Gelinder and Shareenjit were very kind to show us around. We went to Straits Quay. Straits Quay is Penang’s first retail marina. Lapped by the waves of the Andaman and set over 12.4 acres, Straits Quay is a veritable hub of shops, boutiques and restaurants.
We had a fantastic evening and were so glad and privileged that they all took the time out to spend with us.
In the morning, okay to be more truthful at lunchtime I was woken up by Melvin tapping on the car window. He said “come the lunch is good!” It is great to find another foodie!
It took me a while to straighten up….sleeping in the car can be cramped!
For lunch we had nasi Lemak. Nasi lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and “pandan” leaf commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish; Brunei; Singapore; Riau Islands; and Southern Thailand. It is not to be confused with Nasi Dagang sold on the east coast of Malaysia or Terengganu and Kelantan although both dishes can usually be found sold side by side for breakfast. However, because of the nasi lemak’s versatility in being able to be served in a variety of manners, it is now served and eaten any time of the day. Wow if the food is like this I am definitely coming back to camp next year.
After lunch I was talking to the local sangat. I have never experienced so much love with unknown sangat. They will do everything to accommodate you.
In the afternoon the children get a 1.5 hour break, some were playing soccer
We then popped into a lecture which was based on the movie ‘Oh My God’ OMG: Oh My God! is a Bollywood comedy-drama film that satirises certain religious beliefs. It is directed by Umesh Shukla & co-produced by Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. The movie features Paresh Rawal in the lead role and Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Lubna Salim, Poonam Jhawer, Govind Namdeo, Mahesh Manjrekar, Nidhi Subbaiah, Murli Sharma and Om Puri in supporting roles. The movie also features Prabhu Deva and Sonakshi Sinha in a special appearance in the song “Go Govinda”. The movie is based on a Gujarati play called Kanji Virudh Kanji (literally Kanji vs. Kanji), and with a plot similar to that of the Australian film The Man Who Sued God. Made on a budget of 20 crore (US$3.64 million), the film received positive response from critics upon release. Box Office India declared the film a Superhit after its three week run.
Afterwards I went for some tea, somebody said there is tea I helped myself looked a bit strange, okay, I thought perhaps Malaysian Indian tea. Tried it wooooah how much sugar in here….had another taste then I knew this must be milo!!
Milo is a chocolate and malt powder which is mixed with hot or cold water and/or milk to produce a beverage popular in many parts of the world. Produced by Nestlé, Milo was originally developed by Thomas Mayne in Sydney, Australia in 1934. It is marketed and sold in many countries around the world.
Most commonly sold as a powder in a green tin, often depicting various sporting activities, Milo is available as a premixed beverage in some countries, and has been subsequently developed into a snack bar and breakfast cereal. Its composition and taste differ in some countries.
In the evening we had a Kirtan programme called Holy-wood, the kirtani Gurmukh Singh who is well respected sung Kirtan to Bollywood show tunes. Some people look down upon this, but the children loved it. The children listen to Bollywood songs so could relate to the familiar tune. We are very quick to criticise and say this is wrong, all that is performed here is that children are listening to Shabad Guru. Slowly they get attracted to the Shabad Guru and are wanting to learn the actual raags. It is a fantastic way for kids to learn. Personally, I felt such an amazing connection with Shabad Guru something I last felt at morning Sardhana in Espanola.
Hi, thanks for visiting my blog, feel free and have a look around.Here is a bit about me, as you may or may not have guessed my name is Mandeep,I work to travel as opposed to work to pay bills and die!Every trip for me is an adventure, I have been very fortunate to stumble across amazing places and meet awesome people along the way.
Why gaygoat? When I first started this blog I was a vegetarian, so gaygoat – happy goat! Also you have to admit it is catchy and a URL you will not forget!
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