15 days and 5kg heavier

It was rather strange going back to Malaysia as a foreigner like we did.



After a gruesome 10 hour flight on Malaysia Airlines, I swore never to ever fly MAS again. The service on this particular flight was terrible to say the least. To begin with the food was horrible. We were served Malaysian food on a Malaysian airline but was nothing like what it was supposed to taste like. Next, two toilets on a 777 were closed off because the crew decided to use two of the toilets as rubbish bins. Lastly, the crew could not even speak decent English, given that a majority of Malaysians spoke decent English, albeit with a Malaysian accent. What an image that would portray to foreigners!

Despite the gruelling 10 hours, Ashwini was still all hyped up as the games and movies on board were excellent.



First and foremost, food! We were spoilt for choice. Two weeks was definitely not enough as there were more variety than we had room for in our stomach.









All this only goes well with a tall glass of teh tarik.



... or a cup of kopi tarik kau kau kurang manis.



One for the road... we just had to have banana leaf rice with all the frills and eaten with fingers...



Although Anil's version of eating with fingers was not quite what I had in mind.



Ashwini decided to use a fork and a spoon, so that she can enjoy her meal.



My all time favourite drink which I have yet to find in New Zealand.



Malaysian roads were fantastic but the problem with Malaysia was the drivers. No one seems to follow road signs, that is when you were able to find signs. A 2 lane street immediately became 4 lanes when speed fell to 40kmph. And when it fell to below 10kmph, you could not recognise a lane, as it was free for all.

I was wondering which part of "No parking" that this particular driver did not understand.



We were trying to find our way to KLCC, a major landmark in KL where the Petronas Twin Towers were located. Signs were visible from quite a distance from the city. However, as we approached the towers closer to the city, the signs were contradicting. One said take a right turn so I kept right but 50m before the actual turn, it said take a left. Then all signs for KLCC suddenly vanished only to reappear after we missed the towers. There were sign boards erected but a nice looking lamp post planted right in front of it. Then some smart Alec planted a tree right in front of the lamp post, making the sign way up front totally not visible.



We were Malaysians and had trouble finding our way around. Imagine what a foreigner would feel like driving in KL. At one point, I thought finding my way in Bangkok was a lot easier!

When we approached the towers, it was totally worth the trip, despite getting lost a few times. The imposing towers were fantastic, especially at night. Despite living in Malaysia in the past, we never made it this close to the towers nor have I taken photos of the towers. Father and son had to lie down on the road to get a good shot.









I soon realised that it was not only the signboards on the streets that were confusing. On our way back to New Zealand, I spotted this odd sign inside KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) where passengers were directed to the MAS Golden Lounge. Guess where it was placed and where it was pointing to? The men's toilet!



After 15 days in KL and 5 extra kilogram on me, not to mention the bags that was on the brink of being charged for excess baggage, we said farewell to KL.

The Magical Christmas Tree

It is difficult to experience Christmas lights in a place like New Zealand where the sun sets at 9pm in December and doesn't get dark till perhaps 10pm. But that didn't stop the many people who came to see the beautiful lights at Frank Kitts Park here in Wellington where Telecom put up this huge tree filled with a myriad of lights of various colours. At the base of the tree were 4 phone booths where you can call Santa direct and place your wish list with his Sleigh Bells Answering Service.

You can see more of this at www.telecomtree.co.nz

Great Barrier Island

Great Barrier Island is less than an hour from New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland. But when you get there it is a different world altogether. I went there for work last week and the journey there just blew me away and when I got there, I just couldn't believe that this was so near to civilisation.

The island had a population of about 700 people and has no reticulated electricity. So you need to have your own generator for your power. The island is sparsely populated and DOC manages close to 70% of the island.

Getting there was half the fun. The plane I took from Auckland was an 8 seater which I shared with a dog, several crates of food and chilly bins filled with frozen meat. Reminds me of the small aircraft I took flying to the interiors of Sarawak in Malaysia. There was nothing between Auckland and the Island but the aircraft had no life jackets and nothing on the safety booklets that talked about water landing. On the way there we saw several pods of dolphins on the water and even a whale. That was how low we were flying.

I stayed at one of DOC's lodges and just outside my balcony, there were heaps of native birds that one would have to search for elsewhere. They were every where to extent after the 2nd day I stopped taking photos of them. There were Tui, Kereru, Banded Rail, Kingfishers, Oyster Catchers, Brown Teals and many more I could not identify.

Here is the plane that took us there and brought us back in one piece.



Inflight magazine. Which other airlines will give you this???



DOC Ranger showing some of the work we do with the Brown Teal.



Banded Rail right outside my back door.



A pair of Oyster Catchers and their chicks.



Kereru or the New Zealand Wood Pigeon.





Kingfisher with a worm in his mouth.



A Brown Teal crossing my path to the river.



If you get a chance get to the Great Barrier Island. It is absolutely beautiful and well worth the visit. Perfect get away to just get away from it all!

Auckland and its outer islands

One of the two last trips for the year took me to Auckland and its outer islands. Aucklanders are one lucky lot with so many beautiful islands just an hour or two away from the main land. Main land? Actually Auckland is on the North Island.

The week I was there, the weather was not too far from Wellington - windy. I tried taking this shot from North Head but the wind was so strong I could not take a night shot as the camera even on a sturdy tripod was vibrating violently.



As the sun started to set, the sky became a painter's canvas.





This was from the other side of North Head.



The next day, I went out to Rangitoto Island, a volcano just a short distance from populated Auckland.



The island is made up of volcanic rocks and main vegetation are Pohutukawa trees. Pohutukawas are also known as the New Zealand Christmas Tree, as it blooms around Christmas time. The view from the top of Rangitoto is absolutely fantastic.







Then we crossed over to Motutapu Island where DOC is doing a lot of work getting rid of pests, one of which was the hedgehog. Getting from Rangitoto to Motutapu, I crossed the world's shortest bridge over the Pacific Ocean!





This is the view of Rangitoto from Motutapu.



The dog trained to sniff out the most elusive hedgehog on the island.



The Pohutukawa flowers just starting to bloom. It will quite a sight when the whole island is red!





One of the island's many inhabitants.



Next week I am heading to The Great Barrier Island. And am looking forward to arriving on a grass stripped air field.