I was jolted from deep slumber by the sound of hastily made footsteps. I stared at the ceiling and realized that I was not in my room. After a quick recount of the events that happened the previous day, I gathered that I was in another country, in my uncle’s house, in my cousin’s room, on a queen size mattress which I got from my uncle after getting a slightly used one from one of his Filipino friends who wanted to get rid it.
I went downstairs and saw my uncle and my aunt having breakfast, while my cousin Miko zoomed around the place getting ready for school and Jaf was playing the piano. After having a quick cup of coffee (I didn’t even comb my hair, not that it needed it anyway xD), my uncle asked me to go with him to drive Miko to school. He was already opening the gate when I came back from washing (short of splashing water on) my face.
It was only until I sat on the passenger seat that I came to realize how beautiful the sky was that morning.
After dropping Miko off, and my uncle and I making fun of how the other students there seem like a secret German police (both in cadence and strictness), checking out if uniform policies were upheld and what-not, we drove to a nearby market. I pictured wet, grimy, slippery with a smell that would make you swear like a kid high on emo rock, but instead I got this:
Inside, we got what was about to be my breakfast a few minutes later. The kueh (local term for “kakanin” or rice cakes) selection was a feast for the senses. Everything seemed new to me, aside from the ones that looked like maja blancas which my uncle bought along with something that looked like dumplings.
Among the kueh that I had for breakfast back home, I was caught off-guard the most by the one that looked like a maja blanca. It was salty, and not at all sweet like a maja blanca should taste like. It had small shrimps and spring onions on top of it and yam inside. I’ve readied myself better for a few more acquired tastes after this one.
After a formal, thorough shower, we went to my uncle’s office somewhere in Jalan Rubber (Jalan = “road”). And gawd, do I envy their office!
My uncle had to take some photos of the local scene to be used on an exhibit he was working on that day so he dragged me along. Before going to India Street, we stopped by a shop which served Roti Canai which taste (and process of making) I loved soon after. I also had Teh Tarek, which my uncle insisted was made by having 4 kids with straws blow into the mug it was served with, thus having the bubbles. What I saw on the Discovery channel was different.
We got to India street sometime around 9am with the weather quite cooperative that day. I found myself taking photos of everything in sight, and I managed to nab a few good ones. We even went to an area where old Chinese shops were offering food, medicinal herbs, ironworks, etc.
Come lunchtime, I had my second acquired taste, the sourplum juice. Cold and salty. Like the red, dried variety we have here only, well… not dried, and red.
My camera’s battery went out soon after. I should get myself a battery grip.
For more photos, go here.
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