Ipoh

Before arriving in Ipoh, Micky, our driver, stopped at their usual lunch stop on the outskirts of Ipoh.  Unfortunately like so many other places in Asia, it had closed down probably due to Covid and had not reopened.  Praise the Lord we found another where we could access with the wheelchair.  There was an Economy Rice stall here too.  I was told this was the name of the Chinese buffet style dishes where you just pay for what you put on your plate.  I like this as I can have lots of veggies. Next stop was Immigration where Maria was renewing her work visa. It was here I decided to take a Grab so as not to keep Angie waiting.  It was an interesting discussion during my ride as the driver was a JFW. Jehovah’s False Witness I was so relieved to get out at the end of the trip.

It was so lovely seeing Angie again after so many years.  I had first met her through Couchsurfers in 2019.  Both of us being foodies enjoyed seeking out Ipoh’s rich food culture, Malay, Chinese and Indian.  I even introduced her to Appam which is my favourite Indian breakfast.  After dumping my things inside, she drove me to the shops to buy some fresh milk and bananas for my breakfast.  En route home we stopped to check out some shoes stores and noticed one of her tyres had a nail puncture.  Praise the Lord she noticed before it went flat.  It was easily fixed at their regular tyre shop.  Angie asked if I wanted to eat some famous Ipoh fish noodles.  I don’t usually eat after 4pm and it was now close to 5:30pm. Angie on the other hand doesn’t eat till at least 7pm. I said yes, why not as I couldn’t resist trying something new and she didn’t want to cook that evening.  Unfortunately it wasn’t good for either of us as by 8pm Angie was hungry and I couldn’t sleep till after 2am!  We both decided we would stick to our usual eating time.

I slept in to 7am, dragging myself out of bed.  Angie walks most mornings around her compound, so I joined her in doing three rounds, which was 3km.  Walking isn’t so great for my back, I’m not sure why.  We returned for breakfast of fruit and yogurt, which has now become Angie’s ‘Sally’s breakfast’ dish, before going out for Appam at a nearby Indian shop. The first two serves had been sitting for a while and weren’t crispy so I ordered another.  Yum. I just love the coconut milk mixed into the fermented rice pancake.  A real treat.  Then we checked out another shoe store before going a bit out of town to a pomelo farm.  Although it wasn’t the season for the red pomelo, which I prefer, we were able to buy the yellow one, sitting and eating it there before returning to town.  It was now lunchtime so we stopped to have some Malaysian rojak which is slightly different to the Indonesian rojak, and I think nicer. I also had Taufu fah, soy bean curd with ginger syrup and a bowl of noodle soup and fish-paste-taufu.  Coming home we stopped off at a durian stall to indulge with a kampong (local) durian and the next famous after Musung King, D24.  Then home to relax, eat our durian and watch a movie before having an early night.

Wednesday, Angie had invited her twin friends, for a Yum Cha lunch. It was lovely meeting the ladies and sharing a delicious lunch together.  Then out look at a few more shoe stores but there was nothing that inspired me.  That afternoon we heard a vehicle going up and down the streets with a loud speaker announcing something.  The message wasn’t very clear till we heard and smelt the spray.  It was the government fumigation for Dengue mosquitos.  Angie explained that if there has been an outbreak of Dengue, the streets and drains would be fumigated.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open much longer than 8pm so went to bed early. The next morning I was awake at 6am to the sound of the Muslim call to prayer.  I read my daily devotionals and spent some time with the Lord till it was light enough to go jogging.  At 8:30am I ate breakfast on my own as both Angie and Deric were having a sleep in. Then Angie and I went to her appointment at the mental health hospital in the next town about 20mins away. It was a lovely time chatting while we waited, then back to the house were we picked up Deric who drove us to Matang. This town is well known for its seafood rice porridge.  Here we ate at the Lighthouse restaurant before visiting a charcoal production area.  The mangroves are culled of the larger trees and made into charcoal in large clay urns.  Even the water containing the soot is used for all sorts of things.  I must admit I wasn’t really impressed that the mangroves were being cut down but it was interesting to see.  Back along the highway towards Ipoh we were just a bit too late for a serve of rojak so returned to the house empty handed.  I’d eaten more than enough all day but a bit of fresh mango went down well.

Angie and I watched another movie after I had gotten a few things ready for my trip south.  I froze some pineapple and milk to take with me as I didn’t want to have to buy anything once I reached KL. I also preliminarily packed my new suitcase.

I headed upstairs for my usual bedtime around 8pm.  On checking my emails I saw the check-in with Malaysian Airlines had come in so I took the opportunity to check-in online.  I was very disappointed that firstly, I only had the choice of two seats and neither were what I wanted. And secondly I was unable to upload it to my mobile wallet, so I sent myself an email and took a screen shot of the QR code. Then I tossed and turned, thinking of all the other things I needed to do in the morning, finally falling asleep after 10:30pm!

I didn’t feel like going jogging that morning plus I’d have smelly clothes to take with me so decided against it.  I had my bags packed with my pillow inside before breakfast, which I ate with Angie, then at 9:30am packed my little backpack with some snacks and drinks.  Angie had asked the twins if they wanted to join us for Appam and as they too had never tried them, came along for the experience and ended up paying for all of us including nasi lamat wrapped up in banana leaf for my lunch.  Before dropping me at the train station we had one more stop, rujak, another snack for the train.

I had a short wait for the train, then a kind young man helped me with my luggage. I was in the first carriage in the first seat by the window.  Two stations further on, a young Muslim girl sat in the seat beside me, with whom I shared my rujak. I had been warned not to witness to Muslims but it was she who asked me questions. She wanted to practice her English and I was eager to oblige, telling her who I’d been staying with, saying that as a Christian we had church family all over the world.  She wanted to know more about Christianity and our beliefs, including the trinity.  I explained that there are many names for God and we are made in His image as tripartite beings: spirit, soul and body.  I shared the Gospel with her and how God wants a relationship with us as a Father.  He wants us to know Him and will lead and guide us through life as we look to Him through Jesus.  I felt the Holy Spirit opening her heart and prayed that she would hunger to seek more about the Lord and come to find Him.  I have read many books and testimonies of how Muslims have come to know Jesus and pray she does also.

Reaching KL Central, I inquired about the train to PJ and was directed to the right platform where I bought a ticket and boarded the train.  It didn’t take long.  Then a Grab to the house where I was let in. The next few hours I spent sorting the clothes to wear on the plane, unpacking and repacking my suitcase, pulling out things I wanted to leave behind or give away.  I checked out the cost of a Grab from the door to the airport and decided it was a lot less hassle to go by a Grab than having to lug my baggage onto two trains.

I had another long chat to Jen who had just returned to the UK and had come down with her fourth bout of Covid!  I had another chat with friends before my hosts arrived home.  I worked on the Coastal Community Garden newsletter which I hoped to send out on the 1^st of August, sending it off to Natalie for checking and Elaine for proofreading.  Then another early night, well that’s what I thought it would be, but again I couldn’t sleep till after 10pm.  I hope this is not going to become a habit! LOL

I received back notes from Natalie to change some of the newsletter and Elaine’s correction which unfortunately I had to resend with the new transcript. Then packed and repacked my suitcase a few more times to get everything right before I was happy with it. Then the wait. It seemed such a long wait. I even tried sleeping a bit but I had too much on my mind.  I started to get hungry and couldn’t be bothered going down the road in the heat, so cooked up the last of my porridge oats with a banana to stave off the hunger pains.  Finally a shower, oops forgot I was wearing my dress which now needed packing, then changed into my travel clothes.  I put a T-shirt and jacket into my pillow case to change into on the plane in preparation for the colder weather.

Finally with suitcase packed and everything nicely fitting in, my computer bag bulging with water and snacks,   I called for a Grab at 2:40pm.  The roads were quite busy so I’m glad I left early. I was dropped at KLIA 1 where I headed straight to the toilets.  Seems its a common thing these days!  I then looked and asked for where I could check in my suitcase.  I saw International Departures and headed over, showing my QR code online checking pass.  Passing through I noticed the next section was screening our bags.  Hmmm,   I thought this was after we had checked in our luggage.  Then again I remember it had been before check in at Denpasar.  Ok then through immigration.   I was now getting concerned and asked where I needed to check my suitcase in.  I was told to see the Malaysian counter where one woman was seated.  This didn’t seem right either.  She asked when had I arrived, I said on the 17^th. Oh so you are not in transit? No, I’m hoping to leave this afternoon, I said.  She explained I needed to go back out then up to the fifth floor.  What?  I can’t do that I’ve had my passport stamped by immigration, they won’t let me back out now!  She said I needed to talk to an immigration officer. I tried but was told I needed to get on the end of the line.  No I said I need to go out to check my bags in and come back in again.  “You can’t do that” I was told. Once you have had your passport stamped to depart you can’t go back out as it was a risk to the airline.  I didn’t understand why and by this time I was nearly in tears.  Finally after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, an immigration assistant told me I need to speak to a senior officer and directed me towards their offices.  Once again I had to explain my situation, which was rather difficult in my upset state.  The officer kindly suggested I calm down while he listened then spoke on the phone to see what he could do. Meanwhile I messaged my prayer warriors for help. I also suggested to the officer, if it might be possible for someone to escort me to the check-in counter and back again.  In the end this is exactly what he did.  With all the pips and stripes on his uniform, it looked like he was escorting a drug-mule back out through all the official checkpoints. I didn’t care as I was just so grateful to be able to get my bag checked in, as it was well over the 7kg allowed for cabin luggage. Mind you I never did see anyone weighing or measuring cabin luggage before we boarded our flight.

My escort checked with all the officers as we passed back through customs, immigration and the departure scanning checkpoints. The officer was very understanding, saying that the airport was very big and he even found it difficult to find his way around when he first started working here. Finally we found the MAS counter right at the front of the airport, which I’d missed as I’d come through the domestic section to go to the loo.  The office made sure it was the correct flight I was booking the bag onto. I asked if I could jump the queue so as not to hold him up, we were then directed to the business class counter.  I had previously thought to change my seat but in these circumstances I wasn’t game to push my chances.  Once my bag was tagged and a boarding pass given to me (yes, thank you, I’d been asking where to get this ever since I’d arrived) I felt much calmer and relieved it was all done properly. We passed back through all the checkpoints again without stopping.  I said I’d love to buy him a coffee but I’d be concerned it might be seen as a bribe.  Mind you it was after the fact so maybe not. He laughed and accepted my thanks instead.

Now safely on the right side of everything I set off in the right direction looking for gate C12.  Wow! I was so pleased I had arrived early.  What an adventure.  I kept thinking, please Lord I don’t need any more adventures for my blog! It’s a little joke I have with the Lord.  I followed a crowd of people, and asked uniformed airport attendants who had “ASK ME” on their uniforms, if I was going in the right direction. Better to be sure than sorry.  We were directed along passageways, down stairs to waiting buses which took us to another part of the airport where we went upstairs and along more passageways to gate C12.  I was one of the first from our flight with ample time to spare. I filled up my now empty water bottle.  I had frozen some water over night and drank off the melted portion so it wouldn’t be detected through the baggage scanners as more than 100mls of liquid is not permitted through.  Finally our flight was called to go into the departure lounge.  I was very surprised our bags were being scanned AGAIN!  This time I couldn’t drink all my water as I’d filled it up for the flight.  I tipped most of it into a nearby rubbish bin. Oh dear, this was not permitted but too late it was done!  I heard everyone after me was told to drink their water not to tip it out!  Sorry folks! Praise God I still had a little frozen which I soon needed for the headache tablets I needed to take.  By the time we were boarding I needed to access the toilets again, praise God I was able to access the on-board toilets before getting settled.  There was a nice Aussie guy in the seat beside me who chatted off and on during the flight.  He had just returned from Europe where he had smashed his hand during a bike accident.  The safety video was repeated at least five times, interrupting the movies we had started to watch.  I eventually watched two whole movies, ate snacks, dinner and a wine then about an hour’s snooze before landing at 1:10am.

Perth immigration is so easy for a local.  You scan your passport which checks your facial ID, receive a ticket which is then fed into the next turnstile, from there to the luggage collection point to pick up my suitcase. It didn’t take long before they started coming through. It was easy to spot my new bright red suitcase with its black and green strap which I put on for easy identification, then headed for customs.  During the flight I had filled in the customs card declaring I had both milk and plant matter.  The queue was quite long but it moved quickly till it was my turn.  A young woman asked what I had to declare then ushered me through.  Praise the Lord no delays.

I headed out to the road where I looked for an Uber.  I couldn’t believe the price!  Over $120 where it is usually around $50!  I asked if there was anyone going to North Beach who would like to share a ride but they were all going in different directions.  Then one young couple came rushing over to me saying I should refresh the Uber app as they had suddenly dropped the prices.  Sure enough I could now book for $55.00.  En route home I asked the young driver, a Pakistani university student why the difference in price and was told it was because all the other cars were in the CBD, not in the airport parking.  He had just dropped off a passenger so was nearby.  God is so gracious.

I arrived home around 2pm, made up my kafir, filled up a jug of rainwater and unpacked a few necessary things for the night. Then I remembered I had forgotten to remind my neighbour Kath to turn on my hot water system, which I’d turned off before leaving over two months ago!  Oh dear!  I thought if I gave it 15mins it might be warm enough for a shower but I was wrong.  It was freezing!  Still I felt refreshed after my long journey and my electric blanket was warming up my bed.  Then during the night after switching off my electric blanket, every time I turned over I was shocked by the freezing sheets.  I eventually turned the electric blanket back on very low and slept well till 9:30am.

A new day dawns.

Photos:  1. Glorytree – Glerodendrum thomsoniae    2. Fish noodles and Rujak     3. Angie choosing a durian    4. Twins, Angie and me, Yum Cha     5. Lighthouse restaurant Matang    6. Pomelo farm    7. Streets of KL from train    8 + 9. Sights of Ipoh    10. A choice of Durian

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for watching over me through my Malaysian journeys. For His provision and abundant blessings.

Praise Him for my safe return home and for keeping me safe from sickness and disease the whole time I was away.

Please pray that I adjust quickly to being back in Perth and opportunities for me to share His love to those around me.

Pray with me for all those I have had the opportunity to witness to and serve during my time away. Especially the three people I witnessed to during my train journeys.

Please continue to pray for Joshua’s Indonesian citizenship application.

Please pray for Jen’s speedy recovery from Covid and safe travels as she continue her travels in the UK. Pray also for our auntie who has had a fall and whom Jen is going to care for in Scotland.

Continue to pray for world peace and for the refugees who are caught up in the suffering this war has caused, both in Ukraine and Russia.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.