Putrajaya

We had a Monday when we felt energetic enough to get out and about to explore places that we haven't managed to get to yet.So we decided to take a drive to Putrajaya. Putrajaya is a town developed especially  for government departments. It can take about an hour to drive to Putrajaya from where we live in PJ, depending on the traffic. It is a well designed town that  has a lake with a number of bridges that make it an interesting place for evening photos.

Ruth, with the Pink Mosque in the background.
They tell me this mosque is the style of a Persian mosque.

When we arrived out at Putrajaya our first port of call was the Botanical gardens. We had our attention caught by the the Morrocan Gate.

The Morroccan Gate in the Botanical Gardens, at Putrajaya.

Our next stop was the Pink Mosque. This is an interesting building, if you time it right you can  enter and take photos. There were a number of people  who were keen to tell us about the Mosque making it a very interesting place to visit.

The imposing minaret at the Pink Mosque

The main dome of this mosque is impressive.

As night fell the mosque took on a new image.

The highlight was watching the sun go down over the lake and the lights come on particularly on the bridge nearby.

This is probably my best shot of the day.
Sadly I wasn't happy with my shots after dark,
the bridge in the background of this shot would make a great subject at night time.

The mosque just kept on  glowing and making its presence felt. 

Putrajaya is an interesting place to visit with a range of good photo opportunities centred around the lake.

I am sure that we will go back to play with our cameras some time soon.

Penang. Weekend Escape.

In the heart of Georgetown, there are so many interesting lanes to explore.
With loads of interesting things to see.

It has been a very busy year to date and as a result of unavoidable pressure from work Ruth and I were not able to get away during our March, MAE holiday. So it looks like we are not going to get a proper holiday until the end of May. In the meantime we had the opportunity to escape for a weekend and meet up with Peter and Leonie Evendon, in Penang. It was a great Weekend Escape!

The Ice man making another delivery.
A timeless photo that I was fortunate to snap.

Penang is a reasonable sized Island that is attached to Mainland Malaysia by a causeway. It has quite a large population and great mix of cultures. For tourists there is loads to see and do, for the locals there is some of best cheapest street food in Malaysia. As one taxi driver told us while we were there, "It is easy to get fat in Penang!"

Ruth loving 23 Lovelane's courtyard. We actually ate breakfast here each morning.

We left home on Monday morning, we were flying with Firefly from Subang Airport. This is an advantage because instead of an hour it takes about 20 minutes. The flight itself was only 45 minutes. So we landed in Penang in time for lunch.

The library at 23 Lovelane. A fantastic relaxing room.
It also had some top interesting books, making it difficult to leave.

Now you can really see just how inviting this room is.

Our first great surprise for the weekend was discovering 23 Lovelane. This is an old villa, in the UNESCO Heritage City of Georgetown, that has only recently completed renovations. It was definitely a great choice of accommodation, right in the heart of Georgetown, very nice decor and a fantastic crew looking after us. The whole hotel is decorated with with a range of interesting antiques and paintings. We were fortunate to be able to stay in what would have been the Master bedroom and just outside our door was their library. We had just made ourselves a coffee in the library when Leonie and Peter found their way up.   It was great to see them and catch up, we spent a pleasant hour or so relaxing and chatting undisturbed in the comfort of the library. They were both looking good, although Leonie was suffering from a touch of a cold, the poor thing. Before long we found ourselves drifting into the afternoon and not having eaten lunch became a priority. We continued our catching up a few doors down Lovelane. Once again great food, made even better with delightful company.

The lobby and courtyard where breakfast is served each morning.
A special little haven on the Pearl of the Orient.

Our escape to Penang for two days and two nights, had the scene set with this great beginning and it rolled on in this manner for the whole weekend. Of course Ruth and I carry our cameras along just about everywhere we go, and our companions were very patient with us as we kept on ducking off to get a particular photo.

Thanks Peter and Leonie, what a great idea to get together.
We really did enjoy our weekend with you two special people.

We did find a couple of great places that really should be included into any visit to Penang. First is the Blue House or Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. It is possible to stay in this house and we have been told that this is worth doing for at least 2 nights. We took the tour and the lady who acted as a guide was a great actress/ story teller. We were not permitted to take photos on the inside of the house, but it is quite something. In the restoration of this particular house they were required to use china bowls to fix the decorative pictures on the building itself. These were broken to recreate the mosaics, more than 10,000 china bowls were imported from China for this purpose. Amazing to think that the man who built this mansion arrived in Malaysia at the age of 16 with just the clothes he stood up in.

Blue House Shutters. An Icon of Penang.

These Rickshaws could probably tell a few tales.
I love this shot along the front verandah.

The ornate mosaics on the front and gable of the Mansion,
were the reason why 10,000 China bowls were imported and broken .
How Bizarre!

Hard to fit  it all in, even with the wide angle lens.
Unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside.
The centre courtyard is amazing.

We all took turns at posing for this classic shot. 

We also spent a quiet afternoon up on Penang Hill. We took a taxi out to the cable car -train that takes passengers up to the top of the hill. This driver was very good and kept us entertained throughout the 15 minute taxi ride. The cable car ride up the hill is quite spectacular as it rises rather quickly. This was updated last year and now it takes only 6 minutes from the bottom to the top. Once at the top we were treated to an impressive but somewhat hazy view out over Butterworth, and on the other side the Straights of Malacca.
We found our way to a delightful cafe, which is attached to a hotel, that has a splendid view over the Port of Penang and Georgetown from the garden terrace. Thanks to Leonie, who showed us the way. The hotel was down a drive, it has Spice gardens, that you can pay to walk through. But you must walk past this into the hotel, which looks like a guest house, and  on through to the restaurant. Once you reach the restaurant, you will be treated to fantastic views. Make sure that you haven't eaten because you do need to eat here, otherwise they will not let you walk through. The food is OK, the view is better. We just had sandwiches, spring rolls and samosas.

Our team admiring the view from the garden terrace.
It is well worth  finding this hotel, sorry I have yet to discover its name.

Once we had made our way back down the hill we returned to Georgetown on the local bus. This journey seems to take a few different roads and meandered picking up and dropping off a range of interesting passengers. We passed some interesting local markets which were beginning to get busy, as it was now late afternoon. Once back in Georgetown we made our way back along the streets of shophouses to our hotel.
Ruth and I wanted to pick up something for Peter and Leonie, because they were in Penang to celebrate their birthdays. So we wandered along Lovelane and found an interesting young couple who were doing some fantastic things with children and art. They have a gallery (Unique Penang Art Gallery) of children's art and postcards. They sell the postcards and you can buy the stamp from them, leave the card in a box and they will post on any given day of the year. Great idea!  Two very talented young people. The young man was clever with his photography and chatted for quite some time, this gallery is worth seeking out. Before we knew it it was time meet up with P & L for a pre-dinner drink. Once again another great surprise from 23 Lovelane, a birthday cake for young Mr Peter. A very special evening and a very special gesture from the team at 23 Lovelane.

The stopping place outside a Kopitiam.
I kind of like the old meets new in this photo.

Before we knew it we were in the taxi on Wednesday morning heading back to the airport to fly to KL for work on Wednesday afternoon. What a great escape for us, made even better by the opportunity to catch up with very dear friends from our early days with MAE.

Tok tok! was the sound the hawkers would make as they banged on tin lids to let people
know they were pedalling their food. The youngsters called them the tok tok hawker.
I love these interesting street art stories that tell  a little about the history. 

Penang: The Pearl of the Orient. 

There are so many other interesting places to visit and things to do, 

We will drift back again for another weekend escape in Penang.