where are these 2 blocks of flats?

the two blocks of flats (shown below) look like hdb flats. in fact, they were built by the hdb but the land belongs to the malaysian authorities (ktm). most of the cars in the parking lots have malaysian, mostly johor, registration plates but there are also a few singapore cars. i think the hdb has no jurisdiction here, so there is no need to display the hdb or ura coupons.

from afar, they may be mistaken for hdb flats but once you get closer, you can see that the flats have not been well taken care of. in fact, you get the feeling that the place is going to be abandoned soon. the two blocks are accessible to all and sundry. however, the area beyond the fence is out of bounds because that is where the malaysian trains are shunted.



i remember visiting this area in the 60s. i had a schoolmate whose father worked for the malayan railway. they lived in the quarters provided by the malayan railway authorities. the grey blocks of flats were given names like kedah, perlis and perak. these state name blocks have since been replaced by melati and kemuning.


how are these two blocks of flats?

the filipino market in kota kinabalu

this building houses the filipino market. it used to be known as the kota kinabalu handicraft centre. most of the stalls are managed by filipino immigrants. also called the pasar filipino, it is located along tun fuad stephen road. besides local souvenirs and handicrafts, you can also find handicrafts from other south-east asian countries.





just behind the complex, facing the waterfront, is the open-air market. it reminds me of the santok weekend market in kuching. it may seem like a maze but there is actually some organisation in this mess. the bbq seafood and chicken wings stalls are not dificult to locate. just look for the smoke and let your nose lead you to where the tantalising smell is coming from.



away from the seafront, you find stalls selling fresh produce as well as dried food. you can get 5 large buah kedongdong for rm$1.00. mangoes are in season and every fruit stall has lots for sale. there are also durians but they are not plentiful and the fruit that i tried tasted rather bland.

most visitors seemed to go for the bbq seafood and chicken wings. the seafood included whole fish, prawns, king-sized tiger prawns, squids, flower crabs and even lobsters. the well-marinated chicken wings cost rm$1.20 a piece. a medium-sized yellow tail cost around rm$13.

bidayuh longhouse in the borneo highlands

i had wanted to visit the annah rais longhouse when i went to kuching in april this year but it did not fit in with my schedule. so, this time around, william offered to take me there. ian's grandma and lucy came along.

we drove along the road leading to the borneo highlands resort to get to the annah rais village, a distance of some 48km. the road was built specially to facilitate a safe and pleasant travel for former prime minister mahathir when he went to kuching to officiate at the official opening of the resort. i was told he owns a house at this exclusive resort.

initially, we drove past some buildings housing living quarters, army and police camps, a hospital and a prison but after that we did not see any more concrete buildings.

when we arrived at the annah rais village, we were greeted by two bidayuh women in their traditional costumes. we were each offered a small glass of home-brewed rice wine. the bidayuh longhouse is different from the iban longhouse. it is actually a series of houses built attached or very close to one another. the open area between the two rows of houses was covered with bamboo slabs. building materials consist mainly of bamboo, timber and the leaves of the nipah palm (attap).

among the things we saw which reminded me of the past were the rubber sheets hung up to dry and the machine that was used for pressing these rubber sheets. we also stopped to watch this elderly woman weave a basket using material found around the village.


although they still use firewood to so some of their cooking and they retain some traditional art forms, there is clear evidence that they are very much in touch with the globalised world in the form of satellite dishes. most of the able-bodied young people have moved to the urban areas, leaving the very young and old in the village.



some relics of the past are still lying around in one of the houses. the skulls of some victims of the headhunters are still being exhibited, kept in a metal cage.

another touted attraction within the village is the hotspring. we had to travel about 800m to get to see the hotspring, which is located by the side of the river. although we could see bubbles coming to the surface, the water was not as warm as we had expected.

proboscis monkeys and fireflies

on the day before our departure from kota kinabalu, we opted to visit the klias wetlands to catch a sight of the proboscis monkeys and the fireflies. the alternative was to go river rafting along the padas river.

the tour operator, a contact of one of our group members, had offered us a special rate for the monkey and firefly tour.

the place set in a rustic environment had things not expected to be found in such a place - solar panels and a fish spa.

we travelled more than 100km from our hotel to reach the wetlands. we started from our hotel at 2.00 p.m. and reached the sanctuary at around 3.30 p.m. gongs were sounded to herald our arrival (or maybe it was a signal for the hired ones to dress up as monkeys). we were also welcomed with some light refreshment - finger food and beverages.

at around 4.30 p.m. we boarded the 10-seater boat for a cruise down the river. the water of the river that flows through a mangrove area was murky and you could not see the bottom at all. our smaller boat allowed us to get closer to the river banks for a better view of the monkeys on the trees.

proboscis monkeys are found exclusively on the island of borneo. the have the longest noses of all primates. in elderly animals, it can reach 17.5cm. proboscis monkeys live in mangrove, lowland, riverine and swamp forest. they are excellent swimmers.

the boatman was an excellent spotter of monkeys and other creatures. 50 metres after setting off, we saw the first troop of proboscis monkeys. they were on a tree very close to the bank of the river.

moving to the other bank, our attention was directed to some movement in the water. it turned out to be a smooth otter swimming underwater, surfacing now and then.

after a few more sightings of the proboscis and 'beckham' monkeys, we were back to where we had launched off. dinner was buffet-style.

after dinner, we boarded the boat again. as was the case with the sighting of the monkeys, we did not have to travel far to come upon the first cluster of lights on the trees. however, as there was a full moon in the night sky, the illumination was not as brilliant or spectacular as it would have been.

air travel in the 70s and today

how air travel has changed over the years! but this picture of passengers on the tarmac boarding a plane brought me back to paya lebar days. i do not remember walking directly into the plane via the aerobridge when i first boarded a plane in the 70s. i remember walking, unprotected from the elements, from the airport building to the waiting boeing 737.

i first flew in a passenger plane when i was in my 20s. the other day, when i was flying budget from kota kinabalu to kuching, young school children in uniform were taking the plane as though they were on a bus. it was quite evident that that not their maiden flight as there was no photo taking, excited chatter and unfamiliarity with the procedure.

these days, hardly anyone take snapshots of their friends or family members when they are in the cabin of a plane. in those days, when travelling by air was more like a kind of a privilege, you would see holiday makers taking pictures.

even before the advent of budget airlines, by the late 70s, plane travel had become less exclusive and glamorous. before that, the rich and famous who flew across continents, especially across the ocean from america to europe or vice versa were referred to as the 'jet-setters'.

planes have grown bigger. first came the 747 jumbo jet. for a while, there was the concorde. these days, we have the a380. however, bigger planes have not resulted in more space for the economy class passengers. in fact, i feel more squeezed than before. that is the reason i always opt for an aisle seat; otherwise, if i am seated next to the window, two persons will be inconvenienced each time i need to answer nature's call.

in the past, nobody really bothered about what you hand-carried into the plane, as long as it was not some explosive stuff or some dangerous weapon. after the september 11 incident, metal and sharp objects are forbidden. subsequently, liquid and gels are limited to certain amount and they have to be packed in a regulated way.

one other change is the way we booked our tickets. in the 70s, we would get our air tickets through some tour agencies or we would go to the airline office to buy the tickets. today, most of the time, i book my ticket online. i also choose my seats online and check-in using the internet.

however, because of goverment regulations and competition, the price of an air-ticket has not gone up that much over the years. in fact, in some cases, the air-fare has become 'cheaper'. air-port taxes, however, have increased many folds in most countries.

pilgrims bound for mecca boarding a plane at paya lebar international airport

(picture from national archives of singapore)