The Secret Handshake

The Secret Handshake.

I saw a beautiful Sikh temple in Tampin town. Decided to photograph it up close and was confronted by one of the toughest strangers to engage with. Mr Gurdev Singh, the 85-year-old temple caretaker was wary and distrustful initially. He was, after all, a retired Special Branch police officer.

His dog Rajoo was menacing and I had to first win his faithful companion’s trust. When the dog started licking my face, Mr Singh said I passed the first test. There was to be another secret handshake. He scribbled on a piece of paper “godisnowhere” and asked me to put in the spaces. I put it is as “god is now here” (instead of “god is nowhere”).

The man finally let his guard down and we chatted like old friends. He told me the history of the temple, about the handful of Sikhs living in Tampin and even invited me to his nearby house for wild boar curry.

Tampin is such a quaint, idyllic and serene town. Stay behind to explore and meet other warm town folk. Find a hotel in or near Tampin here:
http://www.mycen.my/tampin-hotel-deals-finder/

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f6.3, 1/200 sec.

PS: Updates: reports are coming in, stating Gurdev is hale and hearty.

#sikh #punjabi #sikhtemple #dog #tampin #sepia #malaysia

The Birthplace Of Roti John

Singapore is where Roti John was concocted, invented or born as a street food. I sat down for a drink at a stall in Haig Road Cooked Food Centre, unaware.

When I looked up later, I was astonished to see a very long queue forming in front of the neighbouring stall. It was Ramadan and local Muslims were packing and taking away food to break fast later.

The stall named Rosy & Nora is 35 years old and as old as the the Roti John snack it is famous for serving. Roti John is a baguette loaf with scrambled eggs, onions and chilli gravy.

Roti John’s name or origin is humdrum as far as local legends go. It started as a a hawker’s sales pitch in asking a Matsalleh, Caucasian or white man, most likely a British soldier: “Roti, John?”

A Malay auntie in the line noticed my curiosity and she told me many of the customers, like herself, are also queuing for popiah basah (a wet spring roll). What an awesome but accidental discovery of a famous and iconic Singapore food stall.

The Geylang Serai bazaar has over 1000 stalls, excluding those in the food court. Find a hotel here, when you visit:
http://www.mycen.my/singapore-hotel-deals-finder/

#rotijohn #geylangserai #ramadan #bazaar #singapore #snacks #joochiat #fasting #iftar #food #rotijohn #popiah #geylang #hawkerfood #rosyandnora #mycenhotels #singapura

Watermelon Volcano

Watermelon Volcano.

It was the most successful fadish food at Singapore’s Geylang Serai Ramadan bazaar last year. Alongside, rainbow bagels and Ramly burgers.

Long queues of mostly young people and hipsterlets can be seen lining up in front of the kiosk. Wonder if it is still a big hit this year?

Originally, a school science project with vinegar and baking soda, the messy eruptions became a a slushie mixture of ice, watermelon cubes and evaporated milk. Because it is shared dish with straws, it is popular with couples and young people.

The bazaar has over 1000 stalls. Find a hotel here:
http://www.mycen.my/singapore-hotel-deals-finder/

#watermelonvolcano #geylangserai #ramadan #bazaar #singapore #snacks #joochiat #fasting #iftar #slushie

Exploring Kuala Terengganu

Exploring Kuala Terengganu.

Nor Huda Mohd Izam was talking about hotels in Kuala Terengganu. I told her I’ll put together a page on KT as I have not done a dedicated page as yet. Creating the page was wonderful as the images brought back so many fond memories.

Kuala Terengganu was a quirky and bizarre place, for me, especially the Chinatown area. Loved it very much. No doubt the beaches and rustic fishing villages were awesome but the food and many curious artifacts around Chinatown were worth exploring. Do visit when you get the chance. Chinatown dates back to the time of Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) from the 14th century. Only odd thing was, me and friend could find no teh tarik or mamak stall near the hotel.

Find a hotel in KT here:
http://www.mycen.my/kuala-terengganu-hotel-deals-finder/