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.
After a huge breakfast which consisted of dragon fruit, melon, pineapple and aloo puree. together with a cup of Indian tea. This will definitely keep me going all day!
We walked to the Gurdwara.
Gurduara sahib Mainduab
No 75, Jalan Pudu Lama,
50200, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
As it was a weekday there were only a handful of people.
Despite the popular belief that Sikhs were brought to the then Malaya as police and soldiers, historically it is proven that Sikhs were actually sent to Malaya as political prisoners. The first few Sikhs to set foot in Malaya were Nihal Singh (better known as Bhai Maharaj Singh) and Kharak Singh, who were thrown out of India due to anti-British involvement somewhere around 1800. These prisoners were sent to the Outram Road prison in what is now Singapore. In 1865, it is believed that the process of migration of Sikhs to Malaysia started again but this time involved recruitment in the armed forces in the British Empire mainly as police, military and guards.
There are a total of 112 gurdwaras throughout Malaysia. 42 of them are situated in the state of Perak, where the majority of Sikhs in Malaysia resides.
Afterwards we popped to
Excellent Vege Re
Lot 13 – 14
Lower Ground Floor
Low Yat Plaza
57100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
T: +60 16 220 2209
As I was still full from breakfast, Sangeet ordered.
Plaza Low Yat (Simplified/Traditional Chinese: 刘蝶广场 / 劉蝶廣場; Pinyin: Liú Dié guǎng chǎng; Malay: Plaza Low Yat), or commonly referred to as PLY, is an established commercial shopping centre specializing in electronics and IT products in Malaysia. As an IT related product shopping centre, Plaza Low Yat is the most well known and most established among competitors and is to Kuala Lumpur what Sim Lim Square and Funan is to Singapore. In year 2009, Plaza Low Yat has been accorded “Malaysia’s Largest IT Lifestyle Mall” by the Malaysia Book of Records.
Located at No.7, Jalan Bintang, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang Central, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, PLY offers a great variety of single products with its collection of inter-chained stores. This is in contrast with streamlined arrangements in other electronics malls. Therefore, PLY allows the consumer to have greater buying power and freedom in selecting the products or electronic parts they wish to purchase. Most parts that are sold here are bargainable and many stores also offer their services to assemble the parts tailor-made to the customers’ specifications.
Each floor within the complex has its own speciality specialising in laptops, mobile phones, etc. Eateries and cafes can be found at most of the floors.
IT!! Hence the big smile
On the way to the restaurant we passed many intriguing items
Telling traffic there are road works ahead
Later we walked back to the hotel for our free high tea!
With a pot of Irish Whiskey tea….no real whiskey just a tea!
Whilst Sangeet recited her paath (prayers) I popped to Excellent Vege Re, I managed to get halfway before turning back……all I could hear was “massage sir!?” and also Sat Sri Akal come to our restaurant we do halal!!
This was getting very annoying so I turned back and went back to the hotel! Whilst I was having breakfast in the morning the waiter gave me some containers so I could pick the fruit and take it with us……we may be in a nice hotel but whilst on this trip I have learnt to horde food for later! So once I got back to the hotel I ate the fruit.
As if is our last day in Singapore we just spent the day relaxing and getting organised for Malaysia. First we went to the Khalsa Dharmak Sabha Gurdwara, another Gurdwara really close to our hostel! There was recitation of Sukhmani Sahib ongoing. After a short while, we headed over to
for lunch. We arrived just after 14:30. Unfortunately the restaurant shuts for lunch at 15:00 and takes last orders at 14:30. The restaurant was completely dead.
Our plan was to have lunch at Whole Earth Vegetarian and then head to the Gurdwara:
Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road
8 Jalan Bukit Merah
Singapore 169543
Tel: + 65 6222 2208
Fax: + 65 6225 1994
E: [email protected]
Fantastic windows
As it was raining very heavily we took a taxi to the Gurdwara.
In the early days of Singapore, there were only two Gurdwaras in Singapore. Members of the Sikh Contingent of the Straits Settlements Police Force had their Gurdwara on Pearls Hill. The Civilian Sikhs had their Gurdwara in Queen Street.
It is only after the tombstone, found in the ground of General Hospital, was brought to Silat Road Gurdwara, on 12th October, 1966 that this Gurdwara became very popular with the Sikhs. The Samadh (tombstone) is believed to be that of the Sikh Saint-Solder, Bhai_Maharaj_Singh, the hero of the Sikh resistance to the British occupation of Punjab. The attraction of Silat Road Gurdwara is the Shrine of Bhai Maharaj Singh containing his Samadh.
We had Guru Ka Langar at the Gurdwara. When I asked if they were serving Guru Ka Langar they asked me where I was from. I said England, they said “ok we will serve you. Usually we only serve between 11:30 to 2pm and then after 6pm.” I always thought it was served all day long. Whilst we were eating the Guru Ka Langar, a lady asked if she could have Guru Ka Langar, they said they would start serving at 6pm (it was around 3pm). Though we really appreciated the Guru ka Langar, his made us feel awkward, everybody is equal and everyone should be served equally, that is usually how things are done. Thankfully a little later they started serving biscuits in the Guru Ka Langar, with tea, so we didn’t feel as uncomfortable.
Afterwards we got a taxi back to the hostel as it was still raining heavily. It has rained every day we have been in Singapore! Sangeet went to the Gurdwara for the evening whilst I looked into options for transport to go to Malaysia tomorrow. We have the following options
1) Taxi – very expensive
2) Train – would miss the smaller towns
3) Fly – would not see a thing on the way
4) Coach – would see a lot of small towns, reasonably priced
5) Walk – we do not have that much time!
We decided on taking the coach. There are various operators, the prices range SGD$28 to SGD$124 depending on the level of luxury.
There are many express bus services from Singapore to KL. Some of the famous express bus operators like Starmart Air Asia Liner, Aeroline and First Coach offer almost hourly trip between Singapore and KL.
Most of the bus operators will depart at Golden Mile Complex. But they are some operators which depart at other location like Key Point (Golden Coach) Harbour Front (Aeroline), Novena (First Coach), Boon Lay Shopping Centre (Grassland, Konsortium and others) and many more. For the arrival location in KL, most coach will call off at Puduraya, the largest express bus terminal in Malaysia. Some coach will call off at other location like Berjaya Times Square (Starmart Air Asia Liner Express), Bangsar, 1 Utama Shopping Centre or Pasar Rakyat. Do note that some bus operator will offer non stop express bus service to KL and others will stop at Yong Peng for a short 20 to 30 minutes break. Please check with respective bus operator before book the ticket.
The table below list down the trip duration for some of the most popular
bus route in Malaysia/Singapore.
Please note that journey duration listed below is just an estimation only.
The actual travel time may varies depending on the traffic condition.
Trip Duration
Singapore to Malacca 4 hrs
Singapore to Seremban 5 hrs
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur 6 hrs
Singapore to Genting Highlands 7 hrs
Singapore to Shah Alam 7 hrs
Singapore to Klang 7 hrs
Singapore to KLIA/ LCCT 8 hrs
Singapore to Perak 8.5 hrs
Singapore to Butterworth 9 hrs
Singapore to Penang 10 hrs
Singapore to Hatyai 12 hrs
Genting Highlands toSingapore 7 hrs
Johor Bahru to Genting Highlands 6 hrs
Johor Bahru to Alor Setah 10 hrs
Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur 4.5 hrs
Johor Bahru to Seremban 4 hrs
Johor Bahru to Penang 9 hrs
Johor Bahru to Perak 8 hrs
Johor Bahru to Perlis 11 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to CameronHighlands 3 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru 5:5 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Kedah 7 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Seremban 1.5 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Penang 5 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Perak 3 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Perlis 8 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore 5.5 hrs
Kuala Lumpur to Hatyai 9 hrs
Malacca to Johor Bahru 3 hrs
Malacca to Singapore 4 hrs
Seremban to Johor 4 hrs
Seremban to Kedah 9 hrs
Seremban to Kuala Lumpur 2 hrs
Seremban to Malacca 1 hrs
Seremban to Penang 8 hrs
Seremban to Perak 10 hrs
Seremban to Perlis 11 hrs
Seremban to Singapore 5 hrs
Penang to Johor 10 hrs
Penang to Kedah 1 hrs
Penang to Kuala Lumpur 5 hrs
Penang to Malacca 6.5 hrs
Penang to Seremban 7 hrs
Penang to Perak 2 hrs
Penang to Perlis 2 hrs
Penang to Klang/ Shah Alam 6 hrs
Penang to Singapore 11 hrs
Penang to Hatyai 3 hrs
Perak to Johor Bahru 8 hrs
Perak to Kedah 3 hrs
Perak to Kuala Lumpur 3 hrs
Perak to Malacca 4 hrs
Perak to Seremban 4 hrs
Perak to Penang 2 hrs
Perak to Singapore 9 hrs
Shah Alam to Singapore 6.5 hrs
Shah Alam to Butterworth 4.5 hrs
Shah Alam to Johor Bahru 5.5 hrs
Shah Alam to Penang 6 hrs
Klang to Singapore 6.5 hrs
Klang to Butterworth 4.5 hrs
Klang to Johor Bahru 5.5 hrs
Klang to Penang 6 hrs
LCCT/KLIA to Ipoh 4.5 hrs
I used the website www.busonlineticket.com which lists most of the operators, the times and ticket costs. We ended up using StarMart Express Air Asia Liner Pte Ltd the cost per ticket was SGD$30.
For accommodation I asked Maggie at American Express to look into it. She gave us two hotels from the Fine Hotels and Resorts package (Amex have negotiated with these hotels so that we get benefits like:
– Upgrade on arrival if available
– 4pm check out
– Breakfast included
– A complimentary afternoon tea for 2.
The benefits vary from hotel to hotel).
We asked Maggie to book:
THE RITZ CARLTON
KU168 Jalan Imbi
KUALA LUMPUR
MY 55100
Malaysia.
This morning we went to the Gurdwara on Wilkie Road, the Akhand Path was ongoing. Fauja Singh was due to arrive later in the morning to meet the Sangat there. Fauja Singh (Punjabi: ਫੌਜਾ ਸਿੰਘ) (born 1 April 1911) is a British centenarian marathon runner of Punjabi Sikh origin. He is a world record holder in his age bracket. His current personal best time for the London Marathon (2003) is 6 hours 2 minutes, and his marathon record, for age 90-plus, is 5 hours 40 minutes, at the age of 92, at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Singh has stated, “I won’t stop running until I die. The next target, God willing, is to be the oldest marathon runner ever.” and, “At the time when people start retiring, I thought of running at the age of 63…and today I won the marathon at 93 years of age.”
In 2004, Singh was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
Singh holds UK records for the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, mile and 3000 m for his age group, records all set within a single 94 minute period.
At the age of 100 (and a half), Singh attempted and accomplished eight world age group records in one day, at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Timed by officials in Canada, He ran the 100 metres in 23.14, 200 metres in 52.23, the 400 metres in 2:13.48, the 800 metres in 5:32.18, the 1500 metres in 11:27.81, the mile in 11:53.45, the 3000 metres in 24:52.47 and the 5000 metres in 49:57.39, setting five world records for his age group in one day. Each time bested the previous record in that age division (some events had no previous record holder, as nobody over age 100 had ever attempted the distance). Some of his marks are significantly superior to the listed world record in the M95 age group as well.
Three days later, on 16 October 2011, Singh became the first 100 year old to finish a marathon, completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8:11:06. As it took him over 14 minutes after the gun to cross the starting line, the official time submitted for the age group record will be 8:25:17. However, Guinness World Records refused to include Singh in its record book due to the fact that he could not produce his birth certificate to prove his age. Birth records were not kept in India in 1911, however it is claimed that records written in Urdu date back to 23 February 1879. He was able to produce a passport listing his date of birth as 1 April 1911, and a letter from Queen Elizabeth II congratulating him on his 100th birthday.
In October 2011, Singh, a vegetarian, became the oldest man to be featured in a PETA campaign. In July 2012, Fauja Singh carried the Olympic torch.
A great posture, most people half his age have a poor posture
Fauja Singh led the sangat in a jog around Mount Emily Park, just opposite the Gurdwara (and our hostel). Whilst Fauja Singh was running outside a couple was watching, I invited them inside to hear the talk. Andrew the chap came inside.
Andrew is running in the full 26mile (42km) marathon tomorrow. All the best Andrew. Andrew was very inspired by Fauja Singh, he stayed a while and got Fauja Singh’s autograph. Andrew used to be a hedge fund trader in London, he then moved to China. Now that his wife is expecting, they have decided to move to Singapore.
Getting some tips from Fauja Singh’s coach, for when I do the marathon. At the moment I am just bulking up!
Whilst Sangeet was having Guru Ka Langar, I popped to Sim Lim Square to purchase the keyboard.
Not bad for SGD$20
Afterwards, we went for a wander in Little India.
Sangeet was looking for a cheap suit, so obviously Little India is the place to go! A Sikh man we passed on the street recommended the Tekka Centre so we headed there.
Me pretending to enjoy Little India
I was getting very wound up, when I saw the shop keepers ‘pestering’ Sangeet. So two options stay, get wound up and punch the shopkeeper or leave. I chose the latter. As I was leaving the heavens opened up and there was a downpour, I was drenched!
I walked past the durian fruit stall, you can smell the fruits from bout 500 yards away and this was in the open. Just imagine it was in a small indoor shop. I was tempted to buy it but the smell from eating durian was still lingering around me!!
In the evening Sangeet went to the Gurdwara where we met.
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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