Jennie's in town!: Putrajaya and Kuala Selangor

We were supposed to visit Putrajaya on Saturday but since Belinda wanted to meet up for brekkie on Saturday, we changed our itinerary. We had to do Putrajaya today and for once, I was happy that it isn't that far away from home.

What can one say about Putrajaya? Well, it's like Canberra, just much newer and exaggerated. Oh, we have many bridges that connect the 'island' floating in the middle of the man-made lake. Many buildings are still under construction. Some plots of land are still vacant.

As usual, we had to stop and take photos of the mosque. It has to be THE most photographed mosque in Malaysia.

Also, we took notice of some of the many bridges in the administrative city.

There was the convention centre, which looked like a manta ray. I think passers-by must have thought we were crazy to be taking photos under the hot sun.

We drove around the place and being the blur person I am, we were unsure of where we were supposed to head to. Oh well, we thought we'd follow passing cars and we stopped by a pier when we saw this:

Yup, we decided to be busybodies! Our tummies started to rumble and so we took that as a sign to head home. After having pan mee for lunch, I took Jennie to Wangsa Maju. "Wangsa Maju, what's there?" you may ask. Ah, well, this:

Yes, Royal Selangor. You won't get this anywhere else in the world, trust me. Inside, we were taken on a personal tour of the company's history. There were many things on display, showing how pewter was mined and used.

They had a wall covered with the prints of all staff members, which I thought was a good idea to promote a sense of belonging in the company:

I was impressed with the designs of the following trophies:

Both of us came out with a bag of something. I bought something that was on sale and Jennie bought a pair of really suave cuff links for a someone back in HK...

We rushed back home to shower and headed straight over to Hartamas. We were meeting up with Max and Catherine. Max drove my car and we headed to Kuala Selangor for some seafood! So happy! And when you're there, you wouldn't miss the chance to sight fireflies. Although Jennie was afraid of the sampan sinking, she was still amazed at the small flickering lights. However, it is sad to note that this time around is the least bright of the three times I've been there.

By the time we got back to Hartamas, it was past midnight. Drove over to KPMG so that we could meet up with someone we have not seen since he left Sydney three years ago - Ta Seng!

Thank you for driving all the way up from JB!

Of fireflies and prawn crackers

I think the title is obvious enough. Yes, we went to Kuala Selangor to catch a glimpse colony of fireflies. As Hannah has never seen fireflies before, I thought it would be a memorable experience for her. Thus, Saturday evening was drafted as 'Firefly Night'.

Interestingly, Mum and Dad have never seen fireflies either! I'm the only one in the family who has. I felt so proud. Haha.. I still remember the time Dor, Weng, Lee Sih and I went on the same sampan to see the fireflies. Weng even had the guts to illegally capture one or two of those poor creatures to marvel at them. Needless to say, they didn't survive the bus trip back to our chalets, as they can only live on a specific type of mangrove tree. Unforgettable sight, I tell you! It was as if the riverbank had an endless supply of Christmas lights! We later found out from our boat rower that the fireflies live on those trees on a 20km stretch! Amazing!

And everyone must buy the prawn crakers sold in Kuala Selangor. Buy lots of them, keep them and fry them for Chinese New Year. You will absolutely get addicted to them. The crunchiness, the crispness, the aroma..... ah..... I will so miss all of that when I return to Sydney. I will leave Melaka to the next entry. And my not-so-fun outing with a few friends. =/ Oyasuminasai.