RIDE TO KUALA KUBU BARU (KKB)

Heard a lot of Kuala Kubu Baru, yet to visit the place. When my former college mate Ryan invited my hubby and I to join his riding buddies sometime late March 2011, we quickly jumped onto the bandwagon.
Journey started at 6.30am! We gathered at the Shell petrol station opposite Giant Hypermarket in Kelana Jaya. Six bikes - Ryan rode the Virago, Rocker57 & Fred : Kawasaki 650 & 750cc; Philip, Ho and Chan (err...I think that's his name...) 2 Honda models 1,000cc {forgotten the model...sigh, signs of ageing, can't escape that!! Ahhh...) and a red Ducati Monster 850cc. 
And moi - the 'beautiful' rose amongst the thorns - Ahem! My first ride with a 'gang' obviously I had to wake up earlier to 'don my mask' to look presentable. Rocker57 is still questioning me (yup, till today) why I need to make up whenever we go riding. He says we should look rugged not all dolled up. Well, Rocker57, I wanna looked like a dolled up rugged rider, can??!! (psst...frankly, he doesnt give two hoots what I do as long as I'm happy). Our pact? Easy pissy...he tells me what time we leave and I'll work backwards to get ready! Frankly, sometimes when the weather is too hot and humid or when my hormones go haywire or when the mood goes nutty, I go 'naked face' with just moisturizer and sun block.
The morning was cool and breezy, I truly enjoyed the ride and watching the dawn of a new day as we rode towards KKB from Kelana Jaya. We arrived KKB for breakfast just before 8.30am. KKB is a quaint colonial days small town, to me that is. I love the fresh air and simplicity. The folks are friendly and I believe they can easily spot newbies like us visiting their town. With the loud exhaust pipes bursting from the bikes, we certainly created a 'roar' when the entourage arrived!
After breakfast, I hopped onto Ryan's Virago for a 'test ride'. I felt uncomfortable maybe because the bike was too low, there's no place for me to hold when we went through some bumpy ride and I couldnt cuddle Ryan like how I would cuddle Rocker57....hehehee. Our primarily visit to KKB was to see the KKB reservoir. And so here it is:

Kuala Kubu Baru Reservoir...beautiful

We took our time to take in a breath of fresh air and to soak in the beauty of a place a short ride from city centre. I also 'stole' the opportunity to snap a couple of pictures of the bikes parked along the long stretch of asphalt road.

Soaking in the scene and resting

Rocker 57 amongst the bikes

The trip was short, but nothing short of making me happy and the fact that we've started to look forward to joining groups for short or long outings. Psssstt..come closer, here's the thing. After the trip, Rocker57 actually took the initiative to register in a biker 'club' and now, we are scheduled to ride to Penang late June for an overnight outing. I'm so looking forward to meeting new friends and the ride with Rocker57 and kawa-babe.
Till the next blog...hasta la vista!!

What I find unique in Yangon.

There are just too many temples and pagodas to visit in Yangon alone. After visiting 3 temples (main attractions), even a devout Buddhist will scream for help!! However, the temple that attracted me most was the Shwedagon Pagoda. It stands at 366feet high with a perimeter of 1,420ft all encased in GOLD!! The main attraction isn't the gold but the 76 carat diamond that sits at the top of the pagoda! (Yeah..start calculating the cost...I knew it!!)

Simply magnificent. Felt so peaceful & blessed just being there.

Uniquely, standing at different places (specific points) in the temple, one can actually see the different shades of the diamond with the naked eye after dark! Standing at one point I saw only red, move a few inches away and the color changes hues...amazingly awesome!! Shwedagon Pagoda is said to contain relics from 3 earlier buddhas and 8 strands of Gautama Buddha's hair!! The Pagoda is believed to be over 2,500 years old (refurbished over the centuries - obviously...DUH!!).
Unique eating concepts that I and my tour group find hard to digest (both literally and realistically) The picture on the left was taken just outside a postal/IDD shop. While the one on the right was taken just outside the Myanmar embassy. Mind you, these are regular sights when you go around Yangon.

Commonly found along the streets

Miniature chairs are common sights!!

The 3rd unique thing is the flower I purchased outside the entrance to see & pay respect to the largest reclining Buddha structure in the world. I've never in my life seen a flower like this one, have you? (right) It looks to me like a small burger with anemone sitting atop the burger and protected by petals! 
Fourth is the manner medication/supplements are dispensed in pharmacies...they are sold in loose forms(blister packs!!!) Sold as if you are buying sweets!! Also, a pharmacy 'pops' up within a shopping mall just like any other cosmetic counter!! So so peculiar!

pharmacy within a shopping mall

The final uniqueness I found was the very place that Freedom Fighter Ang Sang Suu Kyi was house arrested for 15 years! Deprived of so many amenities and access (internet particularly) I would have DIED of boredom had I been house arrested (in similar conditions). Below, Ang Sang Suu Kyi's father's house where she stayed for 15 long lonely years minus her nucleus family. We weren't allowed to stay long, so I took what I could. I deeply appreciate and respect her more after what I've learned she has gone through. She's has fought for her people relentless yet in a subtle manner that is so humane. Terrorists should take some lessons from her, perhaps then we'll all have a more peaceful place to live in!!

Ang Sang Suu Kyi humble abode

Main entrance - fences made fr bamboo!!

 

YANGON, Myanmar

Street fruit seller. Would u eat this??

Prior to my trip to Yangon in late Feb 2011, I'd expected it to be similar to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. What a shocker it was. It was far worse than HCMC. On hindsight, it was Malaysia's situation some 4 decades or more back. I thanked the one up there and the Malaysian government for their foresight to bring Malaysia to where it is today. Having said that, the cost of living in Yangon is too far fetched! 4 decades ago, we could get a decent meal for about RM 50sen but the same meal in Yangon costs USD3.50 (equivalent to RM11+ at that time of FOREX)!! To be fair, locals eat from stalls (picture below) for a steal.
Apart from the cost of living, I do like the people in Myanmar. Majority are Buddhists. They are honest, hard working people and very humble. Their honesty is contagious. A close friend of mine told me that her boyfriend of many years confessed that he has been a smoker for 8 years and not just a social smoker after his trip from Myanmar!! I take my hats off for the guy to be candid about it, it took loads of guts since this close friend is very against smokers!! In any case, the relationship is still intact :)

Roadside food stall

Cigarette Seller - common sights

Here are some pictures depicting normal lifestyles in Yangon. They do have shopping malls but selection of goods are limited. Despite the lack of modern technology and amenities, people here are contended and happy. 
Our mobiles are rendered useless as access is ZERO!! Our guide says they can only talk on the mobiles and nothing else,what 3 or 4G!! No SMS, MMS or surfing on the go - they're still on analog!! When he saw the iPhone 4, he was so awed he somewhat treated the phone as if it is a diamond studded Rolex and promptly return it to the owner lest he damages it!! To get a SIM card to activate your mobilephone costs USD300!! Our guide's phone was the 2nd analog generation I've ever had - phone and SIM card total cost? USD600!! I could easily get his type of phone in Malaysia for RM150 or so. We should all be blessed with what we have for we know not how / what others are deprived of, I do now more so after the trip.
Also, if or when you do go to Myanmar, key thing to remember is they only accept clean USD. Tattered, torn or marked notes are politely returned as their national banks will reject them. Be prepared to have a big wallet to hold their currency Kyat...millionaire in no time. Our exchange rate then was 84,000 kyat for 100USD!!
In this trip, I've learned humility and to appreciate more in life. Will I go back to Myanmar again? Maybe when they are more developed because we dare not eat anything other than those served in hotels' restaurants or larger restaurants hence limiting us to explore our taste buds. Overall, an eye opener trip for me.