Drains of Chugoku

Part of a collection of the many elaborate manhole covers in Japan. 

Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Okayama

Okayama

Onomichi

Photo Diary: Best of Kuching

Differences in Malaysian Apartments and Hotels

In my stay at several apartments and hotels all over Malaysia, I have noticed some interesting differences when compared with American and Japanese apartments:

1. Every room has a Kiblat sign, which points to the direction of Mecca. Muslims pray five times a day and they must face Mecca when doing so. The signs are very discretely placed, so they are almost not noticeable. Often times they are on the ceiling, and once I found one in a drawer. 

2.  Each room has a water heater for the shower, which must be turned on 5 minutes before taking a shower. I was not used to this so I kept forgetting to turn the water heater on before taking a shower…and I had many cold showers. I'm not sure why the water heater can’t just be left on all day, like in apartments in other countries, but apparently that’s not how it works here.

3. The AC has an on-off switch too. In Japan, the AC was only controlled by a remote but in Malaysia, the on-off switch is built into the wall. Also, notice how the abbreviation for "air-conditioner" is "Air Cond," as opposed to "Air Con" in Japan and "AC" in America.  

4. As in America, the toilet and shower  are in one room However, there is no wall or curtain that divides them, so when you take a shower, the walls, floor, and toilet get horribly wet.

Kuching Cafe Catalog

Kuching is a quaint town in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, somewhere between urban and provincial. The Chinese influence has shaped the cafe scene here  which I found to be reminiscent of Taiwan or Vancouver, BC. 

Piccolo

Piccolo is a Chinese-style café serving very cheap espresso drinks and small bites. When we went, it was packed with college students. It’s not the most atmospheric place, but it served its purpose for a few hours of work.

8, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, Bormill Commercial Centre, 93200 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Bing!

This chain in Kuching is a bit pricier than the competition, but the drink portions are huge and the wifi is reliable. I liked being in a quiet, dark back room.

101, Jalan Tun Jugah, Taman Major, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Earthlings

Probably my favorite work spot in Kuching. Located on the first floor of the CityOne mall, it is probably the only place worth visiting in the whole mall. Excellent coffee, quiet, atmospheric, and laid back. 

CityONE Mall

Dots Cafe

A late-night hotspot that is packed around the clock. Drinks were excellent and I highly recommend their waffles. Opens at 2:00 officially. 

ST3 Shopping Mall, G8 & G9, Ground Floor, Jalan Simpang Tiga

Kuching, Malaysia

KFC Malaysia

I hoped to avoid American fast food temptations on this trip. Asia has such an abundance of delicious cuisines to offer, why would I ever walk into a fast food chain for something I can get back home?

Well, thanks to the lack of option in JB Sentral station in Johor Bahru, I was forced to line up at the KCF in Malaysia for breakfast.

First of all, I didn’t even know that KFC served breakfast, in Malaysia or the U.S.. This was probably very naïve of me. I also didn’t know that there was KFC in Malaysia, which was also naïve because in this country, where most of the inhabitants are either Muslims or Hindus, chicken is the meat of choice.

I also didn’t know that KFC would have unique offerings for Malaysia. I should have known better because I’ve been tracking McDonald’s unique offerings all over the world, and I fell in love with KFC in Seoul the first time I visited in 2007.

Well, KFC Malaysia is in its own class of deliciousness.

For breakfast I ordered the Chicken Porridge, a delicious congee with fried chicken, friend onions, green onion, and spices. It was seriously more delicious and more sanitary than any congee you will find on the streets here.

The next item I sampled was the Chicken Twister, which is like a breakfast burrito. Tortilla, fried chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and spices. It was also one of the best burritos I have ever had.

Guess where I will be eating breakfast from now on? 

Reflections from Kuching

I was at the table of a tea shop on the junction of  Ewe Hai street and Carpenter. One of Chopin’s ballads began to play. I knew it was Chopin because of the free fall from soft to loud. Only Chopin carries the ear from the quiet top to the rumbling bottom of a mountain in mere measures.

Above every building hung the low dark clouds. Every picture I took in Kuching was framed by them, the tips of which seemed to drop on the city like a theater curtain. The sky is the color of murky water. It has an uncertain, desperate appeal. The dark clouds followed me all day, hanging above me like a lantern. I knew now that the hot sun preceded a strong wind that would come in the evening, and that the wind would bring the rain.  The day I arrived I left the house at sundown. The mournful call to prayer echoed in the trees as the strong wind blew the rain sideways on me face.

Around me the hollow carcasses of colonial buildings, washed over with time, were beautiful even in death. Two women mount a motorcycle and put helmet on over their hijabs. Their curious eyes scan my body for geographically traceable features, trying to see how much of my purpose could be read on my form and in my movement. How much of my history do I carry on my back? How much of my past can be read on my body? And how does that past look to these women? And when they speed away, their veils flying behind them in the wind, I wonder if I too have missed some important detail.