yikes!
i'm so far behind. i'll have to abbreviate and not give ALL the details. i know you are all sad about this, sitting by your computers, salivating over the specifics, but i can only sit in here for so long. it's weakly air conditioned and i'm already dripping with sweat. here in malaysia, i feel like that zombie that gets riddled with bullets and then takes a drink and the water comes streaming out the holes. Except fewer bullets and i'm not a zombie. otherwise, i have water coming out of everywhere all the time. i've never been so sweaty in my life. air conditioning is a blessing. may it follow me everywhere i go.
We begin. Context. "Where in the world is amy amy greenwood" (if you're singing the carmen sandiego song, as i was, then you need the extra "amy"). I am currently on Pulau Pinang, also known as Penang Island, just off the northwest coast of peninsular malaysia. The tip of Sumatra - Banda Aceh, the province of Indonesia hardest hit by the tsunami - is straight out across the straits of Melaka - Sumatra blocked most of malaysia from getting hit directly, but the coast north of here did get hit. Since Melaka and my last entry, we took the bus to Kuala Lumpur ("K-L") spent one night there, and then took a longer bus up here to Pinang.
ok. so. people and general impressions of Malaysia first (you want the food details, so naturally i put them at the end. otherwise you will stop reading after the food part. don't think i don't know, people.).
Direct quoting from my journal as i rode on the bus to K-L: "Between cities, the roads are lined with huge full palm trees extending back over shallow hills into the distance. On the ride to Melaka, we saw a cow standing in the shade of one such tree. The cities? so far: a little dingy looking, but not too bad. lots of construction going on. half finished buildings and developments. Matthew [a Brit we met while eating breakfast one day] said the [government-owned] newspaper printed an article calling for more illegal Indonesia immigrants becasue the recent crackdown has left as hortage of builders. Cranes decorate the skylines. Signs occasionally have English translations, but mostly just in Bahasa Malayu [and/or Cantonese if you're near a Chinatown]. Sometimes there is English hidden in the cryptic looking words - c is pronounced "ch," x becomes "ks." coklat. chocolate. [Historically,]there was no written Malay, so it uses the Latin alphabet, luckily for me. The people: women with tudongs [head scarves used for Muslim women - covering the hair and neck] and jeans. Malay faces. Chinese faces. Fewer Indian faces than in Singapore but that may change in K-L [it didn't]. It's officially a Muslim country but Hindu temples, Chinese temples, and the occasional church speak to the tolerance of the government for diversity [and add to the bustling harmony of the place]."
End quote.
Then there are the communities that come out of intermarriages: the Chittys are Indian-Malay mixed, the Baba-Nyonyas are Chinese-Malay mix and have their own style of food, architecture, and even wedding rituals. Melaka (the first city we went to) has the special privelege of having some Portugese too. Over the years, it had a Dutch Era, a Portugese Era, a British Era, a Japanese Era (WWII), and then back to the Brits before gaining independence in 1963. Fascinating. quite a mix of architecture there, you can imagine. People walk around with umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. There are lots of scooters and mopeds.
More specific:
Melaka: set up for some tourist action, it's true - museums, hotels, etc, but still feels pretty down-scale and not "touristy." 4 nights spent there.
K-L: big city, big LRT (intracity train) system, tall buildings, interesting architecture, malls, the whole deal. one night spent there so far, but it'll be where we fly out of next, so we'll be back.
Penang: parts are touristy, but other parts are uninterested in catering. 2 nights so far.
So that's my description of the place. hope you have a sense now.
What else can i tell you before the delicious details? Our first impressions of K-L after the smallness and relaxed feel of melaka was overwhelming, and the heat combined with our inability to find any place decent to stay made our first few hours a sweaty exhausting endeavor (imagine walking up and down many flights of stairs with a huge pack on your back and a smaller backpack on your front. sweat much? i think so.). The first place we went to (where we had reserved a room) would have been fine except that i noticed a little note on the light switch written by another traveller: "beware of ticks here jan '05." Other places were either too expensive or no windows or just felt dirty. I guess we're a bit spoiled, to be honest. We've been travelling for so long now (4 1/2 months already!) that it feels like we need nicer accomodations in order to keep up our stamina. also, things are so much cheaper, it feels like it's worth the extra 5 bucks to stay somewhere better. we miss the communalness of hostels though. they don't seem to exist the same way here. it's more hotel-y. in any case, it's still cheap. We've abandoned our Let's Go guidebook though, because it highly recommended several places in K-L that we would NOT have highly recommmended. so we're back to rough guides, although they put a nice little dent in our wallets and lots of weight on our backs. Much more entertaining to read though, and i trust their opinions more.
Feelings: we've taken to finding a starbucks and sitting in comfy chairs when we're feeling lost or overwhelmed or tired. and/or we go to the movies. we saw robots that first night we got to K-L. actually, we tried to go in the afternoon, after a nice man in chinatown told us that there was a movie theater in such-and-such mall. we found our way there on the LRT, but then there was no theater. we asked and the lady said we had to go to a different mall alllllll the way across town. and i mean ALL the way. so we took a taxi to the MegaMall. that's not my name for it - that's what it's actually called. the malls here are floor after floor of stores. it's crazy. i don't think i've ever seen anything like it. we've been spending quite a lot of time in malls, though. they're air-conditioned, they are where the movie theaters and the starbucks are, and they provide premium cute baby-watching opportunities. We're off to see hitch tonight, actually. 9 ringitt. that's less than $3. how can you say no?
Embassies: went to my very first one: indonesia. dressed appropriately, covered the arms and everything (no tank tops). got my security tag. waited in line only to find out, after filling the form out in duplicate, that americans can just apply and pay on arrival. who knew?
mmm... anything else for the moment? i don't think so. not sure when the next blogging opportunity will be. we're here for another day or two on penang and then getting to the national park (taman negara) one way or another. i doubt there are many internet cafes there, so the next entry may be from K-L on the other end of that journey where we hope to see some flora and fauna and not very many leeches.
Speaking of leeches: HEALTH! we're practicing with the not-drinking-the-water thing. luckily, the water in malaysia is mostly just fine, and so when we make a mistake because we're new to trying to avoid the tap water, we don't get sick. very convenient. so if we accidently brush our teeth with the tap water, or if we have the fresh papaya that's been kept cold with ice, or just HAVE to HAVE the cendol (see below), there are no harsh consequences yet. it's like training wheels. but we're buying bottled water and using it for teeth-brushing and all that. it's going pretty well. and (knock on wood) no scary dreams or badness from the malaria pills just yet.
And now, what you've all been waiting for: FOOD!
Some of the better entree dishes we have sampled include (in order of sampling, not of preference and desserts all follow):
At our included lunch at the fancy Hotel Equatorial:
angled loofah - it was in a soup, i couldn't really tell which part it was. but the soup was tasty...
suana goreng (baba nyonya style) - stir-fried leeks with hard beancurd (that's tofu) - goreng means fried. good to know. you'll see it pop up elsewhere below.
fried banana (piseng goreng - baba-nyonya style) - given to us by some older malay men who were sitting around at the market we were strolling by. They used the food to get us to sit with them and a great conversation followed about history and travelling and politics and that type of thing. We then got caught in a sudden downpour and returned to the hotel soaking wet with warm rain and very happy about it.
Simmered Yam (japanese)- at the Japanese restaurant in the fancy hotel - more like simmered yum.
masala dosai (potato curry in big paper thin pancake - indian). food is better when eaten with the hands. we're getting lots of practice with this :)
soursop juice - it's juice from a soursop. closely related to the custard apple. mmm.
roti canai (malay) - a round flaky bread, sometimes with an egg cracked into the dough as it's made and cooked. the dough is stretched and flipped until very thin, then folded over to finish baking. eaten with sambal (oniony curry sauce) in the morning for breakfast.
cap cai (don't forget the pronunciation rules i taught you - baba-nyonya)- mixed veggies - this one was cabbage and tofu skins and mushrooms.
plum-lime juice. tasteeeeeee and refreshing.
roti canai with banana - mmmmmm. it's folded into the middle. don't have sambal with this one.
jackfruit - it's a fruit - i tasted it. it's interesting and kind of good. but don't have too much of it. it gets old pretty quick.
Tandoori chicken and garlic naan (indian) - eaten at a roadside cart in penang the other night - did you know that naan (the bread) cooks by sticking to the sides of the tandoori oven? i didn't. but i do know. served with slices of lime on top and sambal and mint chutney on the side. hooey! delish.
ayam goreng and various curries (fried chicken, rice, spinach, potatoes, other stuff...) - eaten in the company of Fatima and Zainal, friends of a cousin of Nabia's from her father's side - they took us around for a day and last night here on Penang where they live with their son, his wife, and their 5 grandchildren. We had a finger-lickin meal (and i mean it - no forks and spoons to be found - the way indian food is supposed to be eaten. and only with the right hand - left one is considered unclean. a challenge, to be sure.) in the 2 blocks of Little India yesterday and it felt familial and joyful for some reason. Except that they kept making me eat more. i thought that was just a JEWISH grandmother thing. apparently it's muslim too. good times.
Rojak (fruits with a spicy sauce - baba nyonya i think) - tried it yesterday with Fatima from a roadside vendor. Cucumber, baby mango, pineapple, some other fruit, a thick brown spicyish chinese sauce, and crushed peanuts on top. suprisingly delicious.
satay ayam (malay, indonesian...) - good ole satay. chicken on a stick dipped in peanut sauce. can't go wrong. finally had this so-called "national dish" last night with Fatima and Zainal (auntie and uncle - how to refer to anyone older than you that's not your parents. makes for many nieces and nephews too.)
popiah - like a spring roll w/bean sprouts, fried spring onions, egg and chilli paste, all wrapped up in a thin crepe-like pancake. eaten at a crowded noisy place on a street corner in downtown penang, along with...
assam laksa (malay) - fish broth with veggies and udon noodles. a little spicy, but not too. delicious, but you have to accept the fishiness. then it's good. there's cucumber and onions and mushrooms and green veggies of some kind and pineapple...
Now, on to dessert. how can there be more, you ask? there just is.
indian sweets i can't remember the name of - all tooth-achingly sweet, but good after a spicy meal. so many different varieties - i've only sampled a couple - in little india, back in singapore.
cendol - ohmigosh. the most refreshing deliciousness. it's shaved ice, coconut milk, red beans, and pandan paste (looks like little green jelly sausages - much tastier than they sound or look). We had it at that first lunch at the fancy hotel, then again at a baba-nyonya restaurant in chinatown, melaka, then again today on the street in penang - people were crowded around to get at the stall.
dodol - gooey candylike thing. comes in a pyramid shape wrapped in plastic - it's coconut milk and a special kind of sugar called "gula." tricky and messy to eat without getting it stuck all over your face, but yum.
wijak silat - another gooey thing, though not as elastic as dodol. it's got a nutty taste and a coarser texture and you can ooze it in pieces out of the bag. we got some in melaka, ate it all, and now cannot seem to find it again. sad.
th-th-th-that's all folks! (for now)
MUCH love.
amy
email me
We begin. Context. "Where in the world is amy amy greenwood" (if you're singing the carmen sandiego song, as i was, then you need the extra "amy"). I am currently on Pulau Pinang, also known as Penang Island, just off the northwest coast of peninsular malaysia. The tip of Sumatra - Banda Aceh, the province of Indonesia hardest hit by the tsunami - is straight out across the straits of Melaka - Sumatra blocked most of malaysia from getting hit directly, but the coast north of here did get hit. Since Melaka and my last entry, we took the bus to Kuala Lumpur ("K-L") spent one night there, and then took a longer bus up here to Pinang.
ok. so. people and general impressions of Malaysia first (you want the food details, so naturally i put them at the end. otherwise you will stop reading after the food part. don't think i don't know, people.).
Direct quoting from my journal as i rode on the bus to K-L: "Between cities, the roads are lined with huge full palm trees extending back over shallow hills into the distance. On the ride to Melaka, we saw a cow standing in the shade of one such tree. The cities? so far: a little dingy looking, but not too bad. lots of construction going on. half finished buildings and developments. Matthew [a Brit we met while eating breakfast one day] said the [government-owned] newspaper printed an article calling for more illegal Indonesia immigrants becasue the recent crackdown has left as hortage of builders. Cranes decorate the skylines. Signs occasionally have English translations, but mostly just in Bahasa Malayu [and/or Cantonese if you're near a Chinatown]. Sometimes there is English hidden in the cryptic looking words - c is pronounced "ch," x becomes "ks." coklat. chocolate. [Historically,]there was no written Malay, so it uses the Latin alphabet, luckily for me. The people: women with tudongs [head scarves used for Muslim women - covering the hair and neck] and jeans. Malay faces. Chinese faces. Fewer Indian faces than in Singapore but that may change in K-L [it didn't]. It's officially a Muslim country but Hindu temples, Chinese temples, and the occasional church speak to the tolerance of the government for diversity [and add to the bustling harmony of the place]."
End quote.
Then there are the communities that come out of intermarriages: the Chittys are Indian-Malay mixed, the Baba-Nyonyas are Chinese-Malay mix and have their own style of food, architecture, and even wedding rituals. Melaka (the first city we went to) has the special privelege of having some Portugese too. Over the years, it had a Dutch Era, a Portugese Era, a British Era, a Japanese Era (WWII), and then back to the Brits before gaining independence in 1963. Fascinating. quite a mix of architecture there, you can imagine. People walk around with umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. There are lots of scooters and mopeds.
More specific:
Melaka: set up for some tourist action, it's true - museums, hotels, etc, but still feels pretty down-scale and not "touristy." 4 nights spent there.
K-L: big city, big LRT (intracity train) system, tall buildings, interesting architecture, malls, the whole deal. one night spent there so far, but it'll be where we fly out of next, so we'll be back.
Penang: parts are touristy, but other parts are uninterested in catering. 2 nights so far.
So that's my description of the place. hope you have a sense now.
What else can i tell you before the delicious details? Our first impressions of K-L after the smallness and relaxed feel of melaka was overwhelming, and the heat combined with our inability to find any place decent to stay made our first few hours a sweaty exhausting endeavor (imagine walking up and down many flights of stairs with a huge pack on your back and a smaller backpack on your front. sweat much? i think so.). The first place we went to (where we had reserved a room) would have been fine except that i noticed a little note on the light switch written by another traveller: "beware of ticks here jan '05." Other places were either too expensive or no windows or just felt dirty. I guess we're a bit spoiled, to be honest. We've been travelling for so long now (4 1/2 months already!) that it feels like we need nicer accomodations in order to keep up our stamina. also, things are so much cheaper, it feels like it's worth the extra 5 bucks to stay somewhere better. we miss the communalness of hostels though. they don't seem to exist the same way here. it's more hotel-y. in any case, it's still cheap. We've abandoned our Let's Go guidebook though, because it highly recommended several places in K-L that we would NOT have highly recommmended. so we're back to rough guides, although they put a nice little dent in our wallets and lots of weight on our backs. Much more entertaining to read though, and i trust their opinions more.
Feelings: we've taken to finding a starbucks and sitting in comfy chairs when we're feeling lost or overwhelmed or tired. and/or we go to the movies. we saw robots that first night we got to K-L. actually, we tried to go in the afternoon, after a nice man in chinatown told us that there was a movie theater in such-and-such mall. we found our way there on the LRT, but then there was no theater. we asked and the lady said we had to go to a different mall alllllll the way across town. and i mean ALL the way. so we took a taxi to the MegaMall. that's not my name for it - that's what it's actually called. the malls here are floor after floor of stores. it's crazy. i don't think i've ever seen anything like it. we've been spending quite a lot of time in malls, though. they're air-conditioned, they are where the movie theaters and the starbucks are, and they provide premium cute baby-watching opportunities. We're off to see hitch tonight, actually. 9 ringitt. that's less than $3. how can you say no?
Embassies: went to my very first one: indonesia. dressed appropriately, covered the arms and everything (no tank tops). got my security tag. waited in line only to find out, after filling the form out in duplicate, that americans can just apply and pay on arrival. who knew?
mmm... anything else for the moment? i don't think so. not sure when the next blogging opportunity will be. we're here for another day or two on penang and then getting to the national park (taman negara) one way or another. i doubt there are many internet cafes there, so the next entry may be from K-L on the other end of that journey where we hope to see some flora and fauna and not very many leeches.
Speaking of leeches: HEALTH! we're practicing with the not-drinking-the-water thing. luckily, the water in malaysia is mostly just fine, and so when we make a mistake because we're new to trying to avoid the tap water, we don't get sick. very convenient. so if we accidently brush our teeth with the tap water, or if we have the fresh papaya that's been kept cold with ice, or just HAVE to HAVE the cendol (see below), there are no harsh consequences yet. it's like training wheels. but we're buying bottled water and using it for teeth-brushing and all that. it's going pretty well. and (knock on wood) no scary dreams or badness from the malaria pills just yet.
And now, what you've all been waiting for: FOOD!
Some of the better entree dishes we have sampled include (in order of sampling, not of preference and desserts all follow):
At our included lunch at the fancy Hotel Equatorial:
angled loofah - it was in a soup, i couldn't really tell which part it was. but the soup was tasty...
suana goreng (baba nyonya style) - stir-fried leeks with hard beancurd (that's tofu) - goreng means fried. good to know. you'll see it pop up elsewhere below.
fried banana (piseng goreng - baba-nyonya style) - given to us by some older malay men who were sitting around at the market we were strolling by. They used the food to get us to sit with them and a great conversation followed about history and travelling and politics and that type of thing. We then got caught in a sudden downpour and returned to the hotel soaking wet with warm rain and very happy about it.
Simmered Yam (japanese)- at the Japanese restaurant in the fancy hotel - more like simmered yum.
masala dosai (potato curry in big paper thin pancake - indian). food is better when eaten with the hands. we're getting lots of practice with this :)
soursop juice - it's juice from a soursop. closely related to the custard apple. mmm.
roti canai (malay) - a round flaky bread, sometimes with an egg cracked into the dough as it's made and cooked. the dough is stretched and flipped until very thin, then folded over to finish baking. eaten with sambal (oniony curry sauce) in the morning for breakfast.
cap cai (don't forget the pronunciation rules i taught you - baba-nyonya)- mixed veggies - this one was cabbage and tofu skins and mushrooms.
plum-lime juice. tasteeeeeee and refreshing.
roti canai with banana - mmmmmm. it's folded into the middle. don't have sambal with this one.
jackfruit - it's a fruit - i tasted it. it's interesting and kind of good. but don't have too much of it. it gets old pretty quick.
Tandoori chicken and garlic naan (indian) - eaten at a roadside cart in penang the other night - did you know that naan (the bread) cooks by sticking to the sides of the tandoori oven? i didn't. but i do know. served with slices of lime on top and sambal and mint chutney on the side. hooey! delish.
ayam goreng and various curries (fried chicken, rice, spinach, potatoes, other stuff...) - eaten in the company of Fatima and Zainal, friends of a cousin of Nabia's from her father's side - they took us around for a day and last night here on Penang where they live with their son, his wife, and their 5 grandchildren. We had a finger-lickin meal (and i mean it - no forks and spoons to be found - the way indian food is supposed to be eaten. and only with the right hand - left one is considered unclean. a challenge, to be sure.) in the 2 blocks of Little India yesterday and it felt familial and joyful for some reason. Except that they kept making me eat more. i thought that was just a JEWISH grandmother thing. apparently it's muslim too. good times.
Rojak (fruits with a spicy sauce - baba nyonya i think) - tried it yesterday with Fatima from a roadside vendor. Cucumber, baby mango, pineapple, some other fruit, a thick brown spicyish chinese sauce, and crushed peanuts on top. suprisingly delicious.
satay ayam (malay, indonesian...) - good ole satay. chicken on a stick dipped in peanut sauce. can't go wrong. finally had this so-called "national dish" last night with Fatima and Zainal (auntie and uncle - how to refer to anyone older than you that's not your parents. makes for many nieces and nephews too.)
popiah - like a spring roll w/bean sprouts, fried spring onions, egg and chilli paste, all wrapped up in a thin crepe-like pancake. eaten at a crowded noisy place on a street corner in downtown penang, along with...
assam laksa (malay) - fish broth with veggies and udon noodles. a little spicy, but not too. delicious, but you have to accept the fishiness. then it's good. there's cucumber and onions and mushrooms and green veggies of some kind and pineapple...
Now, on to dessert. how can there be more, you ask? there just is.
indian sweets i can't remember the name of - all tooth-achingly sweet, but good after a spicy meal. so many different varieties - i've only sampled a couple - in little india, back in singapore.
cendol - ohmigosh. the most refreshing deliciousness. it's shaved ice, coconut milk, red beans, and pandan paste (looks like little green jelly sausages - much tastier than they sound or look). We had it at that first lunch at the fancy hotel, then again at a baba-nyonya restaurant in chinatown, melaka, then again today on the street in penang - people were crowded around to get at the stall.
dodol - gooey candylike thing. comes in a pyramid shape wrapped in plastic - it's coconut milk and a special kind of sugar called "gula." tricky and messy to eat without getting it stuck all over your face, but yum.
wijak silat - another gooey thing, though not as elastic as dodol. it's got a nutty taste and a coarser texture and you can ooze it in pieces out of the bag. we got some in melaka, ate it all, and now cannot seem to find it again. sad.
th-th-th-that's all folks! (for now)
MUCH love.
amy
email me
posted by theonetheycallamy at 3/20/2005 07:56:00 AM
3 Comments:
well, I WAS going to say that "ladies don't sweat, they perspire", but after reading your hysterical description of yourself, I have to say it sounds like you DO sweat!! Think of it as a constant cleansing of your body, and just drink lots of SAFE water to replace the loss.
Your visuals are wonderful again. I have hard time picturing you going to see Robots and Hitch over there in Malaysia. How funny is that?
Are they in English? Do you find an issue with the language, by the way? It didn't seem like it from your blog.
Glad you've used your good judgement on your lodgings....that extra five dollars can go a long way....and your food section was amazing, as usual. What incredible combinations you're eating. So glad your digestive system is holding up!
Keep in touce whenever and wherever you may go...have fun,fun,fun
Love, mom
I think it's so terrific that you are enjoying such a great variety of experiences and foods and folk. Your descriptions always have me chuckling. Glad ou're getting to relax with comfy hotels and aunties who organize your time for a bit. Rest up for your next big adventures. Hugs, Barbara
amy at last i have a good home for your mail!!!!!! ask na about my note to her a few minutes ago please tell me your next real mail address salud abernd@nyc.rr.com
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