Co
ntinuing our tales of derring do in Kuala Lumpur (as the rain pours down on a steamy morning in Kepong district), the next place of interest was the butterfly park. Which it has to be said, a slightly cheesy but still charming fantasy garden built from concrete disguised as wood.
The place, however, did give the opportunity for some close up photography of insects.
The butterflies are bred and released,
but the grasshopper
and dragonfly
are wild and just make their home there.
Click on the images to see how beautiful these creatures are in full size. Thanks to the Canon Ixus macro mode for the ability to get so close.
The following day, our host Jasmine drove us half an hour into the countryside to see her family.
They are Buddhists who were very welcoming and friendly, and the fresh green mangoes from their tree were just divine; slightly tart but cold and sweet.
For lunch, Mrs Kok made us soup of lotus root, Chinese dates, peanuts and pork for lunch.
Aron only ate pork and kept demanding more, which I suspect isn't good manners. Ah, well. They dote on children so it wasn't a problem. And Jasmine made him agree that he could have more pork if he finished his soup.
Apart from lotus root (which is a bit like firm potato to eat, but more pretty to look at), the highlight of the trip was a visit to a local farm where we were shown around concrete pens making homes for thousands of frogs in various stages of development.
They eat the whole frog here apparently, not just the little drumsticks, and can fetch good money. The boys loved appearing over the edge of the pond wall and shouting 'boo!' to cause total commotion in the frog pens - here's a video:
The farm was also a supplier of goat's milk and had hundreds of goats in pens - some of which were quite beautiful but the stud billy was SO ugly. How could they use this hunk as a breeder? (Click to see him in his full glory, buck teeth and all!)
The farmer's daughter immediately took to the boys - especially little Ariel - and whisked them around showing them the highlights, like kid goats and baby frogs.
One of the most important aspects of life in Malaysia, for locals and now us, is the food, and it rightly has a reputation as a fantastic place to eat. Meals are cheap (from less than a pound a person) if you eat in the street-side cafes and restaurants, and it's very good. More western-style restaurants in the malls are quite expensive, but still beat UK prices.
Chinese dim sum, noodle soups, stir fries and curries of various sorts all compete for your attention. Surprisingly they are not all hot - unlike India, where everything is packed with green chillies. Here the chili normally comes as a side dip or sauce, so feeding the sometimes-very-choosy boys is not the struggle I had feared.
Beer and wine are often available too, as long as you aren't a Muslim who will get lashed from a cane if caught drinking.
The street eateries here often take the form of numbered tables from which you order dished from a variety of independent food stalls or cafes. This means you get great variety - each one specialising in their dish of choice: satay, dumplings, soups etc. The downside is, if you are not careful, you might end up having supper next to an open drain.
Walking across town one day we found a street market getting ready to feed the hungry Ramadan abstainees after the seven o'clock call to prayer. The food was so colourful and fresh and tasty.
And I think we found the most beautiful (carefully basted by the master chef) grilled chicken wings in the world:
Even Aron ate little curried pasties without minding the chilli, and he loved the weird, colored drink we got in a plastic bag which had flowers at the bottom.
In this fast modernising country it was also nice to see some really traditional methods of cooking, such as tubes of bamboo used to steam rice wrapped in banana leaf:
ntinuing our tales of derring do in Kuala Lumpur (as the rain pours down on a steamy morning in Kepong district), the next place of interest was the butterfly park. Which it has to be said, a slightly cheesy but still charming fantasy garden built from concrete disguised as wood.The place, however, did give the opportunity for some close up photography of insects.
The butterflies are bred and released,
but the grasshopper
and dragonfly
are wild and just make their home there.
Click on the images to see how beautiful these creatures are in full size. Thanks to the Canon Ixus macro mode for the ability to get so close.
The following day, our host Jasmine drove us half an hour into the countryside to see her family.
They are Buddhists who were very welcoming and friendly, and the fresh green mangoes from their tree were just divine; slightly tart but cold and sweet.
For lunch, Mrs Kok made us soup of lotus root, Chinese dates, peanuts and pork for lunch.
Aron only ate pork and kept demanding more, which I suspect isn't good manners. Ah, well. They dote on children so it wasn't a problem. And Jasmine made him agree that he could have more pork if he finished his soup.
Apart from lotus root (which is a bit like firm potato to eat, but more pretty to look at), the highlight of the trip was a visit to a local farm where we were shown around concrete pens making homes for thousands of frogs in various stages of development.
They eat the whole frog here apparently, not just the little drumsticks, and can fetch good money. The boys loved appearing over the edge of the pond wall and shouting 'boo!' to cause total commotion in the frog pens - here's a video:
The farm was also a supplier of goat's milk and had hundreds of goats in pens - some of which were quite beautiful but the stud billy was SO ugly. How could they use this hunk as a breeder? (Click to see him in his full glory, buck teeth and all!)
The farmer's daughter immediately took to the boys - especially little Ariel - and whisked them around showing them the highlights, like kid goats and baby frogs.
One of the most important aspects of life in Malaysia, for locals and now us, is the food, and it rightly has a reputation as a fantastic place to eat. Meals are cheap (from less than a pound a person) if you eat in the street-side cafes and restaurants, and it's very good. More western-style restaurants in the malls are quite expensive, but still beat UK prices.Chinese dim sum, noodle soups, stir fries and curries of various sorts all compete for your attention. Surprisingly they are not all hot - unlike India, where everything is packed with green chillies. Here the chili normally comes as a side dip or sauce, so feeding the sometimes-very-choosy boys is not the struggle I had feared.
Beer and wine are often available too, as long as you aren't a Muslim who will get lashed from a cane if caught drinking.
The street eateries here often take the form of numbered tables from which you order dished from a variety of independent food stalls or cafes. This means you get great variety - each one specialising in their dish of choice: satay, dumplings, soups etc. The downside is, if you are not careful, you might end up having supper next to an open drain.
Walking across town one day we found a street market getting ready to feed the hungry Ramadan abstainees after the seven o'clock call to prayer. The food was so colourful and fresh and tasty.
And I think we found the most beautiful (carefully basted by the master chef) grilled chicken wings in the world:
Even Aron ate little curried pasties without minding the chilli, and he loved the weird, colored drink we got in a plastic bag which had flowers at the bottom.
In this fast modernising country it was also nice to see some really traditional methods of cooking, such as tubes of bamboo used to steam rice wrapped in banana leaf:
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