21st January, 2024

Well, where was I?

Ah yes, I thought you might find these photos quite fun, considering Val is still in touch with many of her primary schoolmates…

OK, so on the 18th Jan we met up with the wonderful Zee. It always used to Zee and Bash, but sadly her husband, the irrepressible Bashir, died from motor-neurone disease in January of 2020. He was such a character and all our children had great fun with him usually at the Selangor Club disco, either dancing or singing karaoke. There may have been the odd beer involved. We really miss him. A few memories….

Zee picked us up and we headed off for, you guessed it – more food. This time Chicken Rice, followed up with a short drive to the durian shop. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with this particularly Malaysian delicacy, first and foremost, it is an acquired taste. I have not acquired it, but those who do, go crazy about it – as does Val. Unfortunately for her – or fortunately, depending on several factors – Zee is also not so partial to them either, so Val was able to enjoy a whole durian to herself. Just to put it into perspective, they have been described as garlic-flavoured custard with a hint of sewage. They do smell!! And if you think I am biased in any way, you are not allowed to take them on public transport or into a hotel.

We just had time to get back to the hotel before heading out again to see more friends, this time Mila and her husband Raja and a friend of theirs, Jainty (spelling??). Val was feeling a little less mobile, nothing to do with a whole durian, I am sure, so we took the wheelchair and pitched up at the Royal Selangor Club in the centre of KL. This proved a bit of a problem on two counts. One, they don’t have ramps for wheelchairs and two, there had been a bit of a mix-up and we should have been at the Royal Lake Club!!

So into another taxi (or teksi in the local lingo – I always think some of the words borrowed from English and given a Malay spelling, must have been converted in the 1950s as they sound as if Celia Johnson sorted it out for them. Fashion is spelled fesyen.). We finally pitched up at the Lake Club (they have ramps) and it was eyes down for a full stomach of excellent Chinese food. Another great evening – always interesting, not least about the current state of affairs in Malaysia.

19th January, 2024. MY BIRTHDAY!!!

First of all, of course, many happy returns to that other star who also shares a birthday with me – Dolly Parton!! No, no, of course, I mean my dear brother, James. (Although there is also Sir Simon Rattle. He and I were actually born on the same day – I am sure he mentions it all the time!).

The day started rather unexpectedly, when we went down to breakfast and found something like 451 Indonesians had also arrived. We think they are members of various companies with branches all over Indonesia, in KL for a 3 day company team-building jolly. I don’t think I have ever seen a more excited and bubbly crowd of people. Everyone was greeting each other and laughing and calling out and taking selfies. I couldn’t even hear the jolly martial Chinese music! It was really most infectious.

Val had expressed a desire to go to a shopping mall, so we set off for the relatively infamous 1 Utama mall, where you may recall, I had such fun trying to get a taxi. We had a good mooch around quite a bit of the mall (it goes on forever) and Val did manage to buy a dress and I found a nice shirt and T Shirt on sale in Muji, that I bought. We negotiated a taxi (first offering of RM25 was rejected – they are supposed to have and use a meter) for a more reasonable RM10 and went back to the hotel, before heading out for dinner at Ad and Babes’s.

Before dinner, we had tea….

And then the best steak I have had since Buenos Aires!! A lovely evening all round – big thanks to Ad and Babes.

20th January, 2024

This blog must be sounding a bit like a shopping and restaurant guide, for which apologies, but that is mostly what we have been doing. And today was no exception with a trip to a shopping mall and another to see some of Val’s cousins. Val’s first cousin, Thangam, now lives in a nice assisted living home and we popped in for tea along with another of her first cousins, Sarasa and her son Mohan and Gobi (Sarasa’s first cousin) and his wife, Ambika.

We were pretty full of cake by this time, so supper was a light one at a local Indian restaurant.

21st January, 2024

You will be pleased to know that I am back in the pool, which is a very nice one here at the Eastin Hotel. I have new goggles and earplugs and am ploughing up and down like an out of breath walrus. Hopefully, I will turn into a sleek dolphin if I can keep it going, though it does feel like a race between the food and the exercise and I am not sure who is winning right now.

Naturally there was food again today with a large gathering of some of Val’s classmates from her days at the Methodist Girls School, KL. We met at the Bukit Kiera branch of the Selangor Club and it was me and about 11 ladies all enjoying yet more Chinese food. Great to chat to everyone, quite a few of whom are still working.

Off to the mall in the evening – or just outside it – for some excellent sate (or satay, if you prefer).

22nd January, 2024

Washday today, so off to the laundry first thing. We then dropped by a nearby health clinic as Val has an annoying mouth ulcer – and when I say, dropped in, I mean dropped in as she missed the step and fell in through the door. She was alright, though one knee is a bit bruised – and even had it seen to by the doctor.

We were then picked up by another friend, Lily Sam, the sister of Veronica Sam, always known to all as Sam, who sadly died way too young some 30 years ago. Lily is suffering a little and is cared for by her husband who kindly drove us to the mall where we ordered way too much to eat at the food court. He then drove us to a very impressive residential area, a combination of linked houses and apartments and condominiums. NOT cheap, apparently, but very nicely put together with lots of well-maintained greenery and ably supported by hospitals and schools, shopping and parks.

A swim, a very good massage for me and supper in the hotel (I had a burger!!), a game of Scrabble and so to bed.

And definitely time to publish this post. BTW, Val is third from the right, front row in the first picture and extreme left in the second one.

More soon.