Penang Holidays - Where I spent Xmas

I have been in Batu Ferringhi up the coast from Georgetown. Batu Ferringhi is a beach town and I am Lazy Boy Lodge (owned by absentee Swedes). Nearby is a National Park (Taman Negara) with a trail system that includes a trail to Monkey Beach and onward to a lighthouse. I have trouble with my photo uploader so had to use a roundabout way of first creating a Picasa WebAlbum and the linking to Blogger.

At the Park Entrance

On the Trail to Monkey Beach

Finding My Roots

Sometimes the trail is not so smooth

Only 1 km to go

Here is Monkey Beach

Seen at Monkey Beach - Not Edible

Another 1.2 km from Monkey Beach up 300 concrete steps 
Remember  - "Open Your Shoes"

Lighthouse at End of Trail

Back in KL

I took the bus from Tana Rata to Ipoh and then took the electric train from there to Kuala Lumpur.  I de-trained at Kuala Lumpur station which is the stop before KL Sentral at the old train station.  The KL stop is close to the Matahari Lodge where I am staying; which, in turn is close to my dentist, Central Market and Chinatown.

I had been under the weather for three days with some kind of bug with flu like symptoms.  I thought maybe I had been a recipient of a spillover virus or bacterium. Or perhaps it was a psychosomatic reaction to the book Spillover by  David Quammen which discusses many infections from the past such as SARS, AIDS virus, Q Fever and so on.  In particular the story of each event details the search for primary hosts and the path that the pathogen took on its way to humans.

Good Run Y'all - soaked from the heat and humidity

Check out those new LunarGlide4's Post Race

David on the left and Azri on the right
I have his medal and official shirt
(on a timer on the trunk of the car)

I was chatting with Azri in the Matahari Lodge when the subject turned to running. Azri 42 years old, had started running a couple of years ago when his doctor told him he could change his life style or go on meds for the rest of his life. He took up running quite seriously and was quite impressed that I, at my age was running marathons and halfs  and at my times. I became his inspiration as I became the oldest runner of his acquaintance.  He told me of an upcoming 12 km run and invited me to join him. It was too late to register, but he was confident I could run wihtout being registered. So he picked me up at 6:00AM Sunday and off we went to the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club where, at the Equestrian park where the race was to begin.

By the time we arrived parking along the thoroughfares already extended far from the entrance and along both sides of the collector lane. Azri decided to go past the entrance and circle back on the other side of the boulevard. In the meantime a bus was trying to come onto the collector lane but couldn't make the turn because runner's vehicles were parked on both sides and one car was blocking the bus path. We were behind the bus. So a group of guys lifted the offending car out of the way and we finally got moving again.

We walked back to the start point and it was evident from the throngs of runners I could remain anonymous. Azri had given me his T shirt so I would 'blend in' and he wore his timing bib on another shirt. Since there were several thousands no one was going to spot me and pull me from the run. I called the run the HHH Run. - Hot, Humid and Hilly. About three km from the end at the last water stop I could feel my brain boiling from increased core temp. I had already taken my shirt off (the only one on the course to do so, I am sure) and took a couple of cups of water and poured over my head. Fortuneately the last three km were on a down slope so I cruised into the finish at 1:08. Azri had come in at 1:07. I was happy at my time especially with the environmental conditions and since I have not been doing much running as I was not intending on another event this year after Moncton.

Afterwards Azri picked up his package and medal – I had to pass on that as I was not a registrant. You can see in the photo my borrowed official shirt and the finisher`s medal. I told Azri that when I did a run with my daughter that we had a ritual of going to Starbucks afterwards. So that`s what we did. We went to one in the office complex where Azri used to have his office. He owns two companies – One manufactures children`s playground equipment and the other manufactures aquaculture tanks.

On the return we passed by the King`s Palace, State Mosque and Sharia Court but no tourist pics! So you have to imagine or go to the web.  And then returned to the Lodge. Azri and his wife who, co-manages Matahari Lodge, are both Muslims – I think quite liberal ones.

Now Monday morning I am on the Express Sinaran Utara in first class (Train) headed to Butterworth from where I will cross to Georgetown (UESCO Heritage) on Penang Island. Maybe I will get a place there to hunker down over the Xmas – New Year period.

Gettin High and Chillin

Cameron Highlands

I moved on from Ipoh to Tana Rata  which is the bus termination point in Cameron Highlands.  All the time I was writing "Ipoh"  I had a feeling I had encountered that name before.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that it was an anagram of IHOP ( International House of Pancakes) .
The ride from Ipoh to Tana Rata is 2 1/2 hours by bus up over winding rain forest roads.  I took a dramamine ahead of time as I recalled from my last visit that the trip could be a nauseating experience.

 From Wikitravel:  'At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is also the highest point in Malaysia accessible by road. During the day, the temperature seldom rises above 25 °C; at night, it can drop to as low as 12 °C'.  

So as you can see there is quite a change in climate from the lowlands.

  Even though I had been here some 11 years ago it somehow seemed all unfamiliar.  It seems now to be much more congested and to have many more strawberry plantations than I recall.  Last night I had dinner in an Indian restaurant and at the time I was the only customer. So I asked the proprietor (I assumed)  if it had changed as much as it seemed to me.  When I said it seemed more congested he said this was a school holiday week so more families than usual were holidaying here but, he said, European visitor counts are way down from last year.  When I asked about the strawberry farms he confirmed that there had been tremendous growth.  There were only two operations in the beginning started by Indians and the Malays 'saw the money' and set up many more operations. Now there is 'strawberry tourism' with tours of strawberry farms, strawberry souvenirs and strawberry resorts  He told me there are only two tea plantations (that used to be the primary crop here and that's what I recalled).

In addition to strawberries there are many diversified vegetable producers and many roadside stands.

Below is typical architecture in the Highlands.

I walked the 5.5 km switch backed up and down road between Tana Rata and Brinchang.  Brinchang is much like Tana Rata, maybe a bit bigger but no Starbucks and no bus station.  I did have a good veggie meal at a Chinese restaurant.  

Golf Club between Tana Rata and Brinchang

Centre of Brinchang

I  returned to Tana Rata on the low road (which I didn't know existed until I was at Brinchang) that basically went around the golf course and up a Valley.On the return I came upon Picnic Park at Parit Falls

Parit Falls (just  LOL)

Picnic Park at Parit Falls

Market Garden Plot at Brinchang

Ipoh New Town

Clock tower at City Hall Park which is
basically the demarcation zone between 'old' and 'new' Ipoh

I walked over to "New Town" today and it is, well, new.  This part of Ipoh is where most of the shopping malls, large new hotels and the municipal offices are located.  It was on my way that I discovered my first vegetarian restaurant .  On my return I stopped for a meal (Nasi Lemak) and was somewhat disappointed.
Nasi Lemak is a rice dish cooked in coconut oil, the Malaysian national dish.  Mine looked a bit like this but didn't really have much taste.

Copied image from Wikipedia

  On Monday I had eaten at an Indian place and was able to make up a veggie plate but I don't recall where that was.  With my meal there I had a can of Tamarind Drink (Indian Date).  Very tasty.  I tried to find it in the shops around where |I am staying but I couldn't find any.

Ipoh claims to be where white coffee originated - it is coffee that is roasted in palm oil margarine to remove some of the bitterness.  Apparently it come from an ancient Chinese method.  A Malaysian coffee chain Old Town Coffee claims they originated white coffee and they say it is a 'slow roasting of Arabica and Robusta beans.  Personally I don't care too much for it and would rather have the robust Starbucks - which incidentally I also found today in Ipoh Parade which is the first mega mall as you go into the new section of the city. I had been getting my coffee at McD's as you know.  It was not so good and the old town McD's does not have a McCafe.

I did my running in D.R.Seenivasagam park which in its environs includes a Japanese Garden.

m

Around "Old Town" Ipoh, Malaysia

Bridge

Kinta River

Colonial Bridge across Kinta River. It is reminiscent of the bridge in Lampang, Thailand. And below is the Kinta River and a couple of dwellings espied while walking along the river.

 

Some street spottings in Old Town

KL to IPOH

I forgot to mention yesterday about prices being slightly higher in KL. I bought a pair of  Nike LunarGlide 4's in Hong Kong and paid $115CAD. Out of curiosity I checked out the price at the Syria centre in KL and they were $140CAD tax included. (about what they are in Canada) Both places were official NIKE stores. I don't know whether other brand goods have a similar price differential or not but it surprised me.

This morning after a one hour run in Lake Gardens, Seeing as it is Sunday there were lots of people out. I am on the electric commuter train headed to Ipoh. It's only a two and one half hour ride. I will have to return to KL on the 13th for my bridge.

When I arrived at the train station I started walking, thinking I would come to a restaurant with wi fi so I could load up a map to get my bearings. Well I found no such place and practically all shops were closed because of it being Sunday. I followed my nose figuring I was headed to the centre of the city. Eventually I asked several different people if they knew where the Hotel Shanghai was or alternatively if they knew where the street upon which the hotel was located. One woman said to cross the bridge and  it is quite a ways. So I crossed the bridge and kept walking and asking but no one knew the hotel or the street.

Finally there were three gas stations – they didn't know nor did an attendant at a hotel nearby. Finally I saw a cab and flagged it down. Explained with my piece of paper where I wanted to go. He didn't know where it was. He called the hotel # and no answer. He said get in and I will take you to the taxi stand - “no money” he says; so we get to the taxi stand and the lead taxi driver doesn't know; but a wizened old driver does know. He takes me, all the time telling me how much he' likes to fuck women', and it turns out I had been literally right around the proverbial corner from the hotel when I was at the gas stations!

Ipoh is the fourth largest city in Malaysia at some 700,000 pop . It is quite a contrast to KL. Of course I am mostly in 'old town', where today (Monday) I wondered around finding most spots of interest. First a McDonalds for coffee and WiFi so I could make reservations for my return to KL on the 13th. It is, I think, the only Micky D's in the old town and it is correspondingly an old style McDonalds. and the only place close by with WiFi that I have found. 

I was expecting to find lots of colonial buildings – there are a few but not so well maintained and I wouldn't call it a 'colonial town' as one might find in say Mexico.

Tuesday and here I am back at Micky D's, in out of the rain, having coffee and because there is nothing else to do, studying the nutritional information on the 'place mat' simply because it's McDonald's “commitment in promoting Balanced Lifestyles”

So based on recommended nutrient intake by Malaysia and WHO here are daily allowances for adults 19 to 65. Anyone over 65 presumably can eat whatever.

Calories 2130

Carbs 293 gms

Protein 57 gms

Fat 59 gms

Salt <6000mg [!!]

Sugar <320 gms [!!] So you can get all your daily carb allowance from sugar; in fact you are allowed more sugar than total carbs.

So I have prepared a McDonalds plan for getting your nutrition in just two meals a day:

                                  Cal         Carbs          Protein             Fat      Salt                Sugar

Recommended Daily 2130      293gm           57gm            59gm   <6000mg       <320gm

Big Breakfast              522      42.8               25.4              26.8       2700               ?

2nd Meal

Spicy Chicken Delux    615      46.7              17.2              27.7        2900              ?

Side Lg Fries                413      55.0                5.8              18.8        1300             ?

Dessert: Choc

Cornetto McFlurry       457       77.8                7.9              13.0          ?                 51.8

                                  1485      179.5             30.9             59.5         4200            51.8

Total two meals          2007      222.3             56.3             86.3         6900            51.8

oops a little shy on carbs and sugar so I recommend coffee with a few packs of sugar or a couple of cokes to balance- and don't worry about being a little over on the fat and the salt

I will upload pics on another post.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The' iconic' Petronas Towers from a distance - perhaps the twin phallic symbols
is cause for Harper & Co being nervous about a Progress take over!

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur (KL) at the Low cost terminal (LCCT) opposite the International Airport (KLIA) Monday afternoon. When I was last here KLIA had just opened and I took a bus from the city to the airport which seemed so far out in the country. At that time I wondered  if the huge structure would ever be fully utilized. Now not only is it busy, busy LCCT has been added and a new KLIA2 is scheduled to open next spring. There are now two rail lines plus many bus services serving the airports and connecting to the city. One train is KLExpres which is non stop to KL Sentral and takes 28 minutes! KL Sentral is a transport hub for trains, planes buses, and monorail close by.

It is only a couple of blocks from where I am staying at Central Lodge in an area of KL known as Brickfields which is near Little India and Chinatown. Brickfields gets its name from the old railway marshalling yards that used to be located here and upon which KLSentral was built and is currently being expanded. Also nearby is KL Lake Gardens which has jogging trails. I was out two mornings ago and it was very humid with temperatures rapidly rising. I planned to go out this morning (Saturday) but overslept.

Every afternoon there is heavy rain and typically electrical storm activity.  

And what would my travels be without a dentist story.  Since it is impossible to get the kind of cosmetic dentistry that I need in the Miramichi and since I had to cut treatment short last year in Thailand I thought I would check here.  Briefly I have three gaps that were candidates for bridges or implants.  I sorely needed to get something done as the status quo was difficult to properly chew my food.  I first went to a cosmetic dentist for a consult and he used some kind of high tech imaging equipment to create a complete image in one shot of my teeth and gums and related bones.  Of course he had a reason why bridges could not be used in any of my three candidate positions - but implants ; no problems ( even on an old two tooth gap where others said dismissively that that was beyond being implantable)  His prices were beyond my reach and I paid for my consult which I think I had never done before. 

In the meantime one of the managers here at the Lodge suggested a 'local dentist' that he used.  So I went for a consult there.  Now here was just the opposite of high tech - old chair and equipment in a not so pleasing atmosphere.  However the dentist explained a bridge possibility that would span my "two tooth gap".  He was 63 years old and his technical assistant is 80 years old and not a wrinkle on his face.  I was a bit hesitant and even skeptical at first but I told them of my anxiety and agreed to the procedure. So yesterday was the first stage of prep and everything went fine, no pain and I would say expertly done.  I return for the permanent bridge on the 14th.

Other than that I have mostly walked around different areas.  Food here (vegetarian) is extremely inexpensive and good.  I usually eat at a place where it's kind of 'smorgasbord" whether in an alley or under shelter.

Malaysia and especially Kuala Lumpur is for shoppers.  They take great pride in having world's fourth largest mall and being fourth in the world for destination shopping.  With nothing better to do this morning, I took the LRT to the Central District.  That is the area around the Petronas twin towers of which I am sure you all have seen images. Walking around that area is like walking the Champs-Elysees in Paris with all the high end brand stores.

Petronas Towers and Suria Mall

Water Playground in the Park behind Twin Towers and Mall
Leave the kids and go shopping

Running Trail in Park at Twin Towers Park 

Wandering KL

At the entrance to Kasturi Walk
which is a ped walkway of shops adjacent to Central market

Setting up shop first thing in the morning

Welcome to Central Market

Inside the market

This is a very nice market - air conditioned, good quality merchandise, low key sales

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

A BBQ Park

This morning I am at Hong Kong airport awaiting departure on Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur.

I stayed in Hong Kong six nights, three at Yesinn, Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island and three at the Jockey Club Hostel in Mai Tei Tuk in the New Territories. It rained some time during each of the days I was there so hiking didn't make a lot of sense as in addition to the rain the mountains were fog shrouded so there was not much to be viewed.

Mei Tai Tuk is a residential village with no services or retail establishments other than some over priced restaurants offering Italian, Thai and Chinese. It is a destination for recreation: water sports centre, hiking and barbecueing. This is the first place I have seen BBQ Parks. These parks are solely for the purpose of BBQ's and very popular. On Sunday even as the rains poured down the parks were full of skewers over pits.

Mei Tai Tuk is 50 km from the airport and a 30 minute bus ride from Tai Po which is a sizable city and the end of the MTR line. Because Mei Tai Tuk had no coffee shops or fresh fruit stands I went into Tai Po a couple of times for my fix.

People BBQing

Another BBQ Park

I find it difficult finding vegan or vegetarian dishes in Hong Kong – it would probably be easier to 'make up a plate' if I spoke Chinese. I did find at a hole in the wall traditional Chinese restaurant behind Yesinn that had (hidden away in a drawer) a bilingual English-Chinese menu. It was one of those places where you select what you want by circling the respective item on an order slip of paper and then hand it in to a server. With the help of one of the staff through my finger pointing to the item on the menus and she circleing the matching item in Chinese on the order slip we managed ok. The first try I got 2 out of three items vegetarian. On my next visit I got three out of three. The standard

'set' is to order three items.

The easier, but more costly way is to get a hummus wrap from Starbucks.

On a walk to the Wellcome food store (on the Island) I was accompanied by a 63 year old Chicagoan living in Africa who had recently lost his job there and who was staying at Yesinn. I am going to buy some fruit and Tofu and we are talking about eating. He tells me he only eats at McDonalds and KFC because “at least you  know they are clean”. That said a lot and it also reminded me of the disease causing SAD (Standard American Diet) about which I had been reading a fair amount before leaving Canada. It all started with reading The China Study by T Colin Campbell which basically, from scientific research of nutrition and disease in population groups found that the major contributing causes of heart disease, cancer and most other so called degenerative diseases are animal food products – expecially animal protein and dairy products - but not plant protein.

Also I re-read Seniors Fitness by Ruth Heidrich which recommends a vegan diet and high level of physical activity. In this book she chronicles her passage from cancer diagnosis and treatment and her cessation of radiation and chemo, adaptation of vegan diet and recovery to become a world class senior triathlete. From Amazon:' Ruth Heidrich received her Ph.D. in Health Management in 1993 and is the author of A Race For Life and The Race For Life Cookbook. She is a certified fitness trainer and holds three world records for fitness for her age group at the renowned Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. She still actively competes in marathons and triathlons, having won more than 800 trophies and medals since her diagnosis of breast cancer in 1982 at the age of 47...'

She went totally vegan after having consulted with Dr John McDougall, MD who's bio on Amazon says in part: ' is a medical maverick who challenges medical and pharmaceutical businesses when they prioritize profits over patients. For the past 30 years he has countered mainstream misinformation with the fad-free truth and nutrition and your health'.

These works lead me to Dr Caldwell Esseseltyn : Amazon on Reversing Heart Disease: Based on the groundbreaking results of his twenty-year nutritional study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn  illustrates that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects.  Dr. Esselstyn is an internationally known surgeon, researcher and former clinician at the Cleveland Clinic and a featured expert in the acclaimed documentary Forks Over Knives. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease has helped thousands across the country, and is the book behind Bill Clinton’s life-changing vegan diet. (There are many You Tubes with Esselstyn if you are interested.)

Anyway being somewhat of a curious person all this led to having a look at some “official” food guides It is safe to say that all guides to healthy eating actually contribute to degenerative or fatal disease. Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, American Medical Association, US Food and Drug Assoc., American Cancer Society and yes, even the Heart and Stroke Foundation continue to recommend animal based protein and dairy products Most give lip service and recognize vegetarian diets but clearly they are not emphasized. So for example the recommended diet by the Cancer Society for people having cancer treatment actually promotes the growth of cancer cells. Research has shown a strong relationship between dairy and breast cancer and prostate cancer and has also shown that meat protein acts as a promoter of cancer cell growth, but not plant protein.

So people go vegan, not just vegetarian, and increase your odds of dying healthy rather than having a final exit proceeded by years of drug treated heart disease, cancer or other 'age related' diseases.

Boats at Tai Mei Tuk

Village of Tai Mei Tuk

Water Sports Tai  Mei  Tuk