Weekend Home…

Thursday we departed to Ipoh for what’s becoming the annual birthday bash for mom Goh. We arrived late in the evening and went to bed shortly after arriving.

The next morning, we were allowed to sleep in, and so we did, until 8:30am. Sister Hong took us to a boutique hotel, called Indulgence where we had breakfast, except the food that was given to us, was very little in the way of indulgence and more for the minimalist look. If that was the case, they succeeded. The coffee, on the other hand, was pretty good.

After breakfast we had a tour of Ipoh, with sister Yih, brother-in-law Allen, Wilson, and Yvonne, who were also visiting from Xiamen. The first stop was a temple dating back to 1926 that was built in the side of the mountain just outside of Ipoh. The contrast of colours made it quite handsome. Across the way we stopped to feed the turtles, where Allen demonstrated how this was to be done. Quite the form he has!

Allen in fine form!

After the tour, it was time for lunch, yea with all that walking we worked up an appetite. We went to a local restaurant, to try some traditional Malay food. The menu consisted of satay, which was close to our favorite, but it lost out to this wrap which was delightful, (Yih couldn’t remember the name of it, though I'm sure if I asked Alex or Dr. Lim they would have known) chicken with rice, noodle soup, sausage, and bean sprouts. While the rest of the gang continued eating, Mark and I wandered around the area to check it out. Though Ipoh doesn’t have the glam of K.L, it has some amazing older buildings that are quite colourful, similar to the Caribbean.

Wilson, Yvonne, Allen, Yih, and Mark attacking lunch!

Downtown Ipoh

Downtown Ipoh

Later on, it was time for some shopping, and so we headed to one of the better malls in Ipoh. Here Mark and I purchased the usual, wine and magazines that one can't get back in China, while the first time guests, Yvonne and Wilson bought souvenirs. The rest of the day was spent at leisure, catching up with Hong, Ben and Daniel. Daniel and Ben both missed Mark, up until Mark made Daniel cry. Being five, he got over it pretty quick.

Mark and Deklin playing cards

Daniel playing with my camera!

Sister Hong

The agenda for the evening was dinner at an Indian restaurant, followed by dessert in another location. Alex, as always did an outstanding job of picking out the dishes which included nan bread, curry lamb, peas with mushrooms in a curry sauce, tandoori chicken, eggplant, and a few other dishes that I forgot. It made Mark and I realize how much we miss Indian food.

During dinner, Alex inquired as to when we thought we may be heading back to the U.S. since he would be holding a series of concerts, in Ipoh and K.L. and would like for us to support him. You see, Alex is a classical pianist, trained in England and in Canada (he actually has a real job, CEO for the family’s company) and plays beautifully, naturally we agreed to come back.

And here we thought this would be our last trip to Malaysia before we had back to the U.S. Ah, Alex you’re good!

After dinner, we went to another restaurant, where dessert, coffee and wine would be served. We sat outside enjoying the lovely garden, catching up with everyone. The fun came when trying to settle the bill. Our family is extremely generous when it comes to paying, so one has to be a little sly. I slipped the waitress our credit card, not realizing our little gal was a good friend of the family. The gal wanted to speak to Alex first, but I convinced her (or so I thought) not to say anything, to put the credit card through and would sign at the end of the evening. I was so proud of myself until the time came, and the waitress spoke to Alex about us trying to settle the bill. Of course the family didn’t want us to pay, so it took some sweet talking before Alex relented.

Sister Yih and Dr. Lim

Brother Alex Ying, Landis, Mom, Min, Shi Xian and Pow

Back at home, another bottle of wine was opened before retiring for the evening. Ah, it was good to be back home!