We've arrived!

This post is continued from my journey back to hometown (or fondly called 'balik kampung') for the Chinese New Year.

Our old family home in Penang is in Tanjong Tokong. I always enjoyed the car ride from the ferry terminal to the house. It meant that it was the end of our long tiring journey. Can soon get to stretch our legs and eat Penang food. I also enjoyed the drive. Somehow, back then (I'm not sure about now) Penang roads always had these nice old trees planted on both sides of the road. They were old, lush, and cool.

The 5 of us kids always enjoyed meeting up with our 5 cousins in Penang. Immediately upon arriving we would have an array of activities. Among them were:

• going to the beach just across the road (only we didn't have a proper road then, just a mud trail) from our house with our pails and shovels to catch "siput" (small clams)
• walking to botanical gardens to watch the monkeys. We would take the shortcut through Mount Erskine and scare each other telling frightening tales along the way because we had to walk past the cemetary.
• walking to the Pasar Malam (open air night market) in Gurney Drive in the evening. Pasar Malam in KL is nothing as enjoyable as that. No rojak to sit and enjoy by the seafront while giggling at the lovers who 'phak tor' (out on a date) there.
• lying down flat at the back of our uncle's company pick-up truck (to evade the police; living dangerously. hehe) as he drove us to swim at the pool next to the Chinese Swimming club (I can't remember the name) but we used to go in the evening to swim at the seawater pool there.
• accompanying our aunties to the Fettes Park morning market to shop for the reunion dinner

More to come.....