Throughout the past month, I've been playing host to many caucasian buddies of mine here in Malaysia.

December felt like a month of not only sharing & introducing Malaysia, my culture, my lifestyle, my food and my people to friends from abroad but also getting more in touch with my own country on a totally different level.

 

Believe it or not, being a constant tour guide does have its profound impacts on a local. 

I can vouch for that in its entirety. 

 

But to be honest, being a tour guide/host is not an easy streak as constantly going out and about to never-ending places of interest is more than likely to render me strapped for cash; draining my wallet of its dosh. $$$$$$$

 

En route to Batu Caves!

 

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy it regardless – well proven with my 1st Australian guest I hosted last month.

So…. bring on round #4 of bringing foreigners around in a month! 

 

Batu Caves, the 400 million year old sacred Indian hilltop temple of worship

was one of the touristy destinations I took 'em all to

 

That 140 feet Lord Muruga statue we have is the tallest statue of its kind in the world! *proud*

Currently it's not so pretty as they are re-doing paintworks – hence construction scaffoldings around it.

 

Birds will flock together in unbelievable amounts! 

I've seen the entire walkway covered with a sea of birds on certain evenings

 

Oooh tiny boy chasing pengui – - wait, I totally meant pigeons.

Honest mistake there. Unbackspaced for shits and giggles 

Anyway, I've been frequenting Batu Caves so many times in a month that I think I could totally climb up the stairs in under 5 minutes now. It's not exactly that tough, trust me 

300 steps all in all – 272 steps to get up there and another 20ish steps inside the cave.

 

But seriously, please, what can 300 do to you?

 

Oh wait…. right. 

 

*gulp*

 

Right, so…. the next time I pay a visit to Batu Caves will be to bring le boyfie for the (much dreaded) staircase hike, the Ramayana cave, the Dark Cave tour, the Indian blessings and to simply witness the picturesque sights of KL & the Klang Valley from up above

 

Only a halfway mark? I kid you not.

 

What's also wonderful at Batu Caves is the fact that you will see so many tourists/foreigners/expatriates flock from all over the world; curious to know the ongoings within the walls of our sacred cave. 

 

My Aussieguests Allyce & Lauren attempting the climb!

 

Armed with their cameras of all sorts, maps and escalated enthusiasm, people of different races and religion come to this limestone hill which bears home to arguably the most popular Hindu shrine in South East Asia. 

 

Incidentally, I made few new friends up on the steps too

This is Anamika. She hails from India and is in Malaysia for a holiday & to pay her respects to Hindu Lord Murugan

 

Finally arrived the peak! Batu Caves beckons us

 

Amazing view of nature from waaaaay up here!

 

And part of the Klang Valley from the look out spot

 

inside the main cave of Batu Caves – the Cathedral/Temple cave!

 

Stalactites and stalagmites come in abundance!

 

 

So much more to see inside! Ancient Indian paintings line the walls of this enclosure 

Intricate statues and devotees getting their blessings by the Indian monks as they murmur spiritual incantations and sprinkle by holy water onto them are not to be missed! I watched closely too 

 

Not gonna show you anymore – you have to see for yourself!

So here's a photo of the staircase as we head back down to the foot of the hill again

 

David – my Swede buddy and I having a refreshing coconut drink after the climb

 

Insane amount of pigeons were still around!

 

Cave visitors and devotees often buy food to offer these pigeons

 

 

I shall now award this t-shirt to a specific someone

 

TO THE PIGEON WHISPERER

 

Amongst the flock was a rather aggressive – AND HUNGRY – monkey

 

Who I felt was rather indignant that they get all the food and he doesn't

 

He took some for himself

 

Correction : took ALL the food to himself

 

And the birds soon surrounded him. Hah! You're outnumbered now, lil monkey

It was quite the spectacle, if I do say so myself. A funny sight to see although eventually, more visitors started to bear them more food. That certainly put an end to the food wars LOL!

 

Batu Caves has never failed to be an experience for me.

Neither will it ever be for anyone – both believers or non-believers! 

 

Here's to hoping that the paintworks on the Lord Murugan statue will be finished and the scaffoldings will be taken away by the time I bring le boyfie to visit. He arrives Malaysia in 3 days!! *eggcited*

 

Pretty damn sure you would've known how occupied I was the past week with my lovely guest from Australia.

If you follow me on Twitter or subscribed to my Facebook updates, I've posted up heaps throughout her stay!

 

I hosted my Aussie buddy on her trip to Malaysia and decided that I only yearn to achieve one goal.

To be the best host ever of all things Malaysian. I wanted to share our culture, people, food, nightlife, shopping, hanging out, nature with her and condense everything Malaysian lifestyle was all about

- into a single, one week!

 

Picked her up as she arrived!

 

I documented our (mis)adventures all documented on Twitter with the hashtag #aussieguest :

 

Brought her for a late lunch-tea time sesh at Secret Recipe to try our famous signature cheesecakes.

We shared a Creme Brulee Cheesecake & a Dark White Chocolate Cheesecake. Absolutely loved it!

 

Brought her back to my humble abode 13 stories above the ground in the cosy & busy suburb of Damansara

Rested for a bit and it's out the door for a shisha session!

 

Shisha has been deeply intergrated into the Malaysian lifestyle now – it's everywhere!

 

Another shisha sesh elsewhere!

 

Took her for the famous Satay Kajang! It's grilled/barbequed meat on skewers with yummy peanut sauce!

There were all kinds; we ordered all kinds! Chicken, beef, mutton, fish and duck

 

Rabbit wasn't available today - yes, I said rabbit.

No need to double take

 

 

Brought my lovely Aussie guest to experience another Malaysian way of life – PASAR MALAM!!!

Pasar Malam (night markets) come in abundance here. It boasts heaps of food, trinkets, clothes, gadgets, accessories, shoes – you name it, they've got it!

 

Best part is, everything is so cheap! 

 

Brought her to try a Chinese-Malaysian favorite, known as Lok Lok 

… she never looked back ever since then. Love at first sight!!

 

Told ya it's yummy!

Can't really explain what it is, something like cut-up food (anything!) on a skewer and then you boil it yourself then dip it in a variety of sauces. Pretty healthy too, if you ask me

 

Homehomehome in my cosy room Wheeee

 

Carly somehow loved tormenting me with cotton candy (of which she calls fairy floss)

 

 

We headed to Singapore for a roadtrip with my buddies

Why? Because we were going to attend the biggest beach rave-party of the year – ZOUK OUT 2011

(more of that soon!)

 

Had some nommies at Esplanade, Singapore

 

Brought her to sight-see around Esplanade and its pretty sights, a lightshow and well-lit buildings across the water! When I last went to Singapore before my stint in Australia, Marina Bay Sands hotel wasn't exactly quite open yet.

So this is technically my first time here too!

 

Marina Bay Sands hotel

 

From a friendly local host, I suddenly warped into an over-enthusiastic tourist

 

Yes thank you I know I'm being all touristy

 

Moar photos with my chicas! 

 

The 5 of us headed to a Chinese Dim Sum outlet for late dinner/supper

Geez I look lika typical Asian here; with chopsticks and whatnot

 

Breaktime & breathers at Orchard Road

 

Public transport-ing it back home!

I'm so not used to public transport as I drive all the time!

More public transport-ing the very next morning!

Yeah, don't we look like over-zealous tourists waiting to excavate the city?

 

Writing our lovenotes & well-wishes for 2012

Some little cute tradition where the balloons will be placed into the sea & let it float away

 

Brought this foreigner to something all foreigners hate.

Is it REALLY just a stereotype?

Why on earth do yall hate durians when it's sucha soft, creamy and flavourful fruit? 

 

 

Ya'll say it's the smell. But really… WHAT SMELL? The only way to get rid of the "smell", is to eat it 

 

Ohhhh so delicious and creamy! It's like eating creme brulee or ice-cream

 

 

Apart from bringing her to Singapore, I also brought her along to a Christmas party that my clan and I have been planning for a few weeks! It's a houseparty + Christmas potluck + BYO drinks and MORE

Let the good times roll!

 

Christmas photo credits to housie Edwin!

 

We did some more touristy stuff like taking her to Petaling Street to eat local hawker food!

Some of which, I hardly eat myself. But here they are…

 

KL Hokkien Mee and Beef Tripe Noodles

Yes. Beef tripe. The 1st half of the cow's stomach

 

Teehee! Don't kill me, babe!

All I wanted was to have you remember at least ONE exotic food/animal organ you ate whilst in Asia

 

More outings!

 

Ready to rumble?

 

Heading off to the city again – this time, to Pavillion Kuala Lumpur along Starhill

 

Thanks housie Edwin for all the photos taken tonight at Starhill!

 

Welcome to Bukit Bintang (Starhill)

The city never sleeps

 

One of our largest & most prestigious malls – Pavillion KL

 

Christmas time!

 

Coincidentally, there was this United Buddy Bears campaign going on along the streets of Pavillion.

Every single country and nation acknowledged by the United Nations will have their own version of a bear – fully designed by a national of whatever country they represent – portraying their culture or their identity.

 

There were so many; couldn't take all! Here are a few which I took an instant liking towards

 

The two main Western capitalists & movers of the world, United Kingdom and the United States of America

 

I'm in love with all things Egyptian

My wrist tattoo of the Eye of Horus testifies that!

 

Here's the Greece bear which bears Goddess Athena's name!

My other tattoo along my ribcage, are ancient Greek quotes in scriptures

 

Israel bear!

 

But of course, the country which I was born and bred in – MALAYSIA!!!!! 

 

Carly found her Australian bear too!

See the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge motif in yellow?

 

 

Shisha and mamak sesh at NZ Cafe right beneath the Petronas Twin Towers

 

Malaysian food omnomnom

 

Wondering what this is?

One of my mamak faves – Roti Tisu 

 

 

 

Malaysia loves you Carly!  

You assimilate so well with us… and your Malaysian slang is pretty good hahaha!

 

So technically that sorta sums up what we were up to within the week – albeit a very summarized version!

If given more time, I could've shown her so much more

 

 

It's time to play host again. My 2 new Aussieguests

Allyce & Lauren has just arrived Malaysia yesterday

Three cheers for Round 2!

 

Thanks for coming to Malaysia, Carly. T'was a pleasure hosting & showing you the very best of Malaysian lifestyle!

It's my 1st time playing host; here's to hoping I did a good job teehee! 

 

Oh and….. your best friend says goodbye

 

Express blogpost with my iTouch!

Just got home from dad's Malay aristocrat friends' houses after our rounds of visiting & sharing the festive joy

 

 

To be honest, I had no idea we were going to visit our Muslim mates so I totally did not bring anything decent back to Penang. Yikes.

We ought to be respectful towards the Islam religion anyhow, so I sorta panicked when I had nothing "proper" nor formal to wear.

 

And so I thought to myself – the Malays are going to wear their traditional Baju Kurung, Baju Kebaya and Baju Melayu; the Indians are going to wear their traditional Sari and Kurta.

 

What about the Chinese? Why don't I wear a Cheongsam instead? ^___^

It is our traditional attire after all.

 

And so I did.

 

I know it's not common for the Chinese here in Malaysia to wear Cheongsams or Samfoos just because we're assumably "modernized" enough not to wear our traditional outfits, I take that as plain garbage.

 

Cheongsams and Samfoos are hot!

Especially if whoever wearing it is able to pull it off (not making any reference to myself whatsoever just to clarify)

Although Hari Raya Aidilfitri is celebrated my Muslims everywhere,

this festivity has been essentially part of my family as our housekeeper (for 19 years) is Muslim.

 

ANYWAY

We had all sorts of local delicacies like Roti Jala, Ais Batu Campur, Cendol, Satay, Laksa, Mee Rebus, Nasi Tomato, Popiah, Char Koay Teow, Mee Hoon, Beef Rendang, Lemang, Nasi Goreng, Kari Ayam Masak Merah, Kuih Raya, Teh Tarik… and the list goes on.

It's just insane how much we ate. Hari Raya only comes once a year; what's there not to indulge?

 

The VVIPs soon arrived. Guess who?

 

Daddy, Mom and I with Former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Helmi Yahaya

 

….and that's our Governor!

Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas

 

Sad! Didn't take photos while we were at Yang Berbahagia Dato' Syed Mohamad Aidid Syed Murtaza's house.

He was such a down-to-earth and friendly man, despite being a multi-millionaire. And coincidentally, his daughter Sharina and I were from the same high school together. T'was funny when we saw each other, we were like, "OMG! Heyyyy!!!!"

She was 2 years my senior so we hardly hang out; I had no idea that Datuk Aidid was her daddy!

 

At the final house we visited, I just couldn't take it any longer. I simply *had* to find out how to recreate these awesome Malay food.

So I seized the chance to ask the chef – personally – how she made everything from scratch.

 

It will be my turn to cook these Ramadhan delicacies soon!

Uber spicy beef & chicken curries with Tomato flavoured rice. Delish 

 

After visiting so many Raya houses in a span of 6 hours, all our stomachs have hoisted the white flag.

ENOUGH!!! We were bursting at the seams anytime now.

 

Daddy : my point illustrated

I love how I always enjoy myself during Raya every year. That being said,

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI TO ALL MY MUSLIM READERS & FRIENDS OUT THERE!

Much love, Jess 

 

On one of my voyages to Melbourne city during my first week in Australia, I hit up the ever-popular Southbank aka Crown Entertainment Complex.

Heard so much about it prior to my arrival, and now, I'm right in the heart of its vicinity.

The sights are even prettier at night all lit up!

 

I could still remember being like a little kid lost in the big city on my first day in Melbs.

But thankfully, a few awesome people showed me around…

 

Aunt Ket included! She brought me ALL around Melb city 

 

At Melbourne Central.

 

It had a Metro Train beneath the mall! Wait a sec — I shouldn't be surprised. There's an LRT Train underneath our famed KLCC Twin Towers too.

 

.

Shopping at FCUK. Gawd I love this brand. Nice play of the acronym too

 

Always works for me! (Besides the gym, of course)

 

We kept walking and Aunt Ket wanted to bring me to a picturesque spot on top of Burke Street Mall (or was it still Melbourne Central? I don't recall) to take pretty photos of the city from an aerial view.

And so we went to this rooftop garden!

 

So pretty!

 

I also reckon it's a place where heat is conserved at an optimum temperature for the plants.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt so warm! Almost like in Malaysia hehe.

 

Part of the city on a Saturday afternoon

 

We just kept exploring the city until evening. 

Oh and, funny how the sun begins to set around 5.30pm in Australia!

 

And by the time it hits 6.30pm, it'll be dark already

 

Nawwww horses along the streets of Melbourne!

 

There were horse carriages around. Just like the olden days.

I didn't ride it for some reason; reckon it probably costs a bomb 

 

Liquor shop!

 

Oh sorry, I forgot to warn you about this PG-13 photo,

Too bad you've already seen it!

 

Shotbuckets on sale! Perfect for parties.

 

Tried on a coat with busy motifs. Liked it. Didn't like it

Liked it again. Changed my mind. Liked it again. But didn't buy it

 

Stopped to grab a lunch break!

 

Continued walking till we reached Southbank.

So pretty, right? T'was a great idea to go just before sunset.

 

Breathtaking

 

 

 

 

By the time we crossed the bridge to the other side, we were greeted by lots of buskers!

Some were singing, dancing, painting, juggling and all sorts of different things

 

Impressive street art!

 

Sat down inside Crown Entertainment Complex to have dinner

 

Yes, if you're wondering, that's all I'm having for dinner

 

Can't help that the Australian currency is triple times that of mine. 

How sad! It sucks always feeling like a pauper overseas. I finally how it feels like to be poor. 

 

Artsy shot

 

 

 

And before we realized it, it was nightfall

 

We were just in time for the fire flamethrower show!

 

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Southbank boasts a display of flames every weekend at a specific time. I think I was there at 8pm? It lasts for about 10 minutes, tops.

Yeah, if you're ever in town, try to catch it with your very own eyes!

 

Here's a short snippet of it.

 

The heat was so intense at some points that you can feel a very mild burning sensation!

Everybody (especially tourists) stopped and watched it in awe

 

Just a nice silhouette

 

Southbank was buzzing with people even late at night!

Now that's what I'm talking about

 

Lovely sights!

 

Stopped by the bridge to take picture but was constantly photobombed by drunk boys 

OMG leave me alone! They insisted a picture anyhow. Reminds me of what one of my readers once commented, "You always seem to attract weird men huh" LOL. That made me laugh!!! 

 

ZOMG! Trying not to ruin my smile.

Ok photo over. You can go now kthxbai

 

Gave up trying to take a solo picture as they wouldn't leave me alone unless I joined their nightly drunken crusades or left the spot.

Obviously, I politely declined their offer with an awkward smile and chose the latter. We adjourned home soon after. Phew.

 

Back at Flinders Street Station

 

So that was my 12 hour day out at the city.

Didn't feel so lost anymore when I went downtown again the following weekend!

 

Can't wait to go back. Countdown: 55 days!