An Unexpected Hospital Admission

It’s exactly a month and a day ago that our nine year old daughter complained her ear was hurting, and it’s exactly a month to the day that she underwent a minor operation. No, it wasn’t an emergency, just the way things are done here if you have either money or medical insurance. The GP thought the swelling in our daughter’s ear had not responded to antibiotics and sent her to the hospital at the bottom of our road, with a referral to an ENT specialist. We saw Mr Tey within twenty minutes of arriving and, when he advised us to have the swelling excised, we felt completely confident. Indeed, he offered to do it that afternoon, but we thought we needed to prepare the patient!

Next day at 8am, we registered and paid £400 upfront on a credit card. We were taken to an empty 4 bed ward on the children’s floor, given the requisite gown and cap and then taken to the room where patients are prepped for surgery. Obviously our daughter was really bewildered and somewhat scared by all this, but everything went smoothly and she was soon back on the ward. Things are different, the specialist explained, here in Malaysia. For a start, parents and relatives are not allowed beyond a certain point, so cannot stay with the patient whilst they are anaesthetized, neither are they able to be there when the patient first wakes up. It would have been helpful to have been forewarned of this, but it turned out not t be a big issue.

In order to claim on insurance, the patient must spend at least 6 hours in the hospital. We were able to leave just after 2pm, having coughed up a further £300 and been given antibiotics from the in-house pharmacy. Malaysians tend to take antibiotics as a preventative measure: we decided not to dose our daughter unless she needed it. (She didn’t.) The lunch was a very spicy fish curry, so not at all to a Western child’s taste. I’m afraid we scurried across the road to McDonald’s for chicken burgers to keep the patient happy! 

Apart from the cost and the ongoing palaver with the insurance company who (surprise surprise) do not want to reimburse us, our experience was good. The speed at which our minor problem was tackled was so different to similar situations in the NHS. We felt any potential problems were nipped in the bud, rather than allowed to fester and worsen. On the follow-up visit to remove stitches, Mr Tey was a little late seeing us, but not by much. Our daughter can now boast of having had a general anaesthetic abroad, and of having coped very well.

This modern hospital was immaculately clean and tidy. We were treated with courtesy and people went out of their way to explain procedures and protocol to us. Our ENT specialist was an Oxford graduate with his clinical training etc undertaken in the UK. He had very fond memories of his studies and was delighted to have a chance to ‘catch up’ with expats. All in all, this still developing country did us proud and has provided us with very high standards with which to compare the care our families back in the UK receive.

Kuala Lumpur and Polyclinics

Apologies for the delay in getting this post out there: we have been away plus a poorly child hasn’t helped.

Anyway, over the half-term break we spent 3 nights in KL, at the Sheraton (because we like their buffet breakfasts and they have a pool!). Flying from Senai was an eye opener. Be warned: there are places to eat prior to departures but, no matter what the nice lady at the desk tells you, once you enter the departure lounges you have a choice between a wrap / sandwich bar (closed at lunchtime) or a noodle bar with what is probably the worst airport food you will ever encounter. Use the normal parking and, like us, you will pay RM100 for 4 days.

It is indeed barely worth flying to KL from JB. You waste so much time at the airport, and the transfer from KL airport to the city is about 1 1/2 hours, so you may as well drive the 4 1/2 journey and have a car at the other end. The flight lasts about 45 minutes and you only have about 15 minutes to undo your seatbelt before the descent begins. KL airport has a separate terminal for low-cost carriers: plenty of places to eat when you arrive; nothing much beyond a poorly signed departures lounge.

Frankly I was not that impressed with KL. The Sheraton was, as ever, excellent but I am not a city person and found the slightly tatty high-rises and appalling traffic a headache. The underground and monorail are easy to navigate and cheap, however, and I would recommend a visit to the Central Market. There, in a/c surroundings, you will find a bewildering array of Malaysian arts and crafts, interspersed with pearls from Borneo, good luck figurines from Japan, beautiful Persian (!) works and run-of-the-mill Indian junk. It’s good fun, cheap and you can’t help but come away with plenty of gifts for the folks back home. Definitely recommended. There are toilets, places to eat and that’s just on the ground floor. We never did manage to go upstairs: it seemed to be mostly textiles and clothes. The Chinese quarter is shoulder-to-shoulder fake Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Rolex etc. and an amusing way to pass a half hour, I suppose. If you’ve already done this sort of thing, I would avoid it like the plague.

KL has plenty of mosques, but beware the need for men to wear long trousers and for women to cover just about every part of the body except the face. In that heat, to be honest, I can live without it. The banyan trees dating back to colonial times line the main square and the former cricket field with ye olde worlde houses are pretty, but read the guidebooks for more details: I’m afraid I just wanted to dive in the pool by that time.

Shopaholics will enjoy the Pavilion shopping mall – every luxury brand under one roof, with Debenhams next door. Seriously, if you are trying to find bikinis and swimming costumes for Western girls aged 8+, you will need Debenhams, as Malaysian women are TINY and the swimming costumes which fit Western girls all have padded ‘bits’ which need to be removed to avoid them looking like mini Lolitas. This is true for one pieces and bikinis. There is also M&S, but we were too tired by that stage. The humidity is manageable but exhausting.

I have to be honest and say that my husband appreciated KL much more than I: he is a city person and I can see that the Petronas Towers, the shops and the buzz would appeal to someone like him. I felt claustrophobic and was glad to be back in the quiet and green surroundings of Seri Alam. (NB At RM80 for one adult to go up the Petronas Towers, bookable in advance, this is an expensive visit.)

Our KL stay was followed by our daughter coming down with an ear infection. We went to the local polyclinic (9am – 10pm) and were seen within 5 minutes, despite me not having realised we needed to take her passport. RM37 (£7.50) paid for the consultation, antibiotics and pain killers. The lady doctor was thorough, spoke excellent English and will refer us to the local hospital if things do not improve. Totally happy with the service provided, the consideration given to a slightly apprehensive child, the help in filling in forms and the kindness.  In the waiting room, I saw an advert for the cost of giving birth: normal delivery RM1,990 (£500); Caesarean RM4,850 (£980). Interesting to compare these costs to the UK!

We are enjoying a four day break for Deepavali now (aka Diwali), and the fireworks every evening are quite something. Sadly the crowded roads and hugely rammed shopping malls do not encourage us to venture much beyond the swimming pool….. SUCH a shame!

 

Life in Malaysia: after two months

So what is the verdict on life in Malaysia, after two months getting to know our locality, some of the people and how things work in everyday life? Here are some of the aspects we particularly appreciate:

First, the weather. As I write, sitting in our 20th floor flat, the ground has disappeared under sheets of heavy rain. Forked lightening is dancing across the Strait of Johor (between us and Singapore) and the thunder is deafening. Yet two hours ago, I was swimming under brilliant blue skies, topping up my tan. I find the unpredictability of the weather exhilarating, probably because the rain is warm and I don’t generally have washing out on the line! A gloomy morning does not mean a gloomy afternoon.

Bills here are a lot less than in the UK. Our water bill last month was approximately £3.50 (metered), and the electricity about £34. Given that we use the a/c and fans particularly at night, have an electric oven and a whole load of gadgets etc, this is pretty good. I paid £40 for a gas bottle for the hob over two months ago, including a deposit and installation. Petrol is one fifth of the price of the UK.

The people here are very friendly and helpful, especially the native Malaysians, as opposed to the more hard-nosed and business-oriented Chinese Malaysians. It’s not that the latter are not friendly, but they are definitely harder to get on with in general. If you try out your Bhasa Malay, you will get lots of encouragement and BIG smiles!

Food is good – healthy, tasty and unlikely to give you any tummy problems. The variety on offer is wide, including MacDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King for those with no discrimination! Our daughter finds school food fine in the main and has developed a liking for sushi and fresh pineapple.

The trip to take my family to school / work every morning takes six or seven minutes, on good roads with almost zero traffic. I can be at a Western -style shopping mall in 20 minutes, or at my nearest Tesco’s (there are three) in about five. Singapore is within easy reach and travel within Malaysia is very good, with Senai airport about 40 minutes away, good trains and toll roads to most places.

On the other hand, there are some aspects which we find irritating. Tesco’s, for example, opens at 8am but you will not find much on the shelves before 10am. The non-halal and wine / spirit sections do not open until 9am, although Guinness and lager etc are freely available. Other shops do not generally open until as late as 11am. To compensate, they are open until late at night, but we are usually too tired to contemplate evening shopping in the heat. 

Malaysian drivers usually obey the signs and do not speed. The exception is when turning right at a junction: there, no matter which lane they are in, if they want to go right they will, cutting across anything in their path. No matter what the guide books tell you, road signs are in Bhasa Malay and there are not many reminders of speed limits.  You soon learn Awas means caution, and Berhenti means stop!

We are slowly adapting to the heat and humidity. I had heard all sorts of scare stories, but these days offices and schools have a/c, as do all the cars and flats, so you are never far from a cool blast of air. We find that drinking plenty of water and taking life at a slightly slower pace works well for us and have not had any problems. Actually, maybe the day we spent in Singapore, at the zoo, was quite hard work.

There is a dearth of restaurants in our suburb. Apparently Chez Papa, near the centre of JB, is brilliant but it is also pricey and we would consider it for a birthday maybe, but not as a regular haunt. The outdoor food hall behind Today’s Market sells individual portions of very tasty food, cooked to order and cheap (£3 for 20 beef and chicken skewers with satay sauce + a rice and noodle dish last night). I can see this becoming a regular feature of life here for the ex-pats. However, there is nowhere to go en famille, sit down and have a ‘proper’ meal , unless you want to travel to the shopping mall, third floor food court. There you have the choice between Thai, Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese, Western, Cambodian, Vietnamese etc etc meals, but in a setting with an ambiance factor of about 1/10.

Ah well, there’s lots still to explore. We are heading to Kuala Lumpur for a few days soon, and maybe to Sentosa Island in November, followed by Penang for after Christmas. Can’t wait!

 

A Radio Advert, Generalisations and Pride in Malaysia

Driving back from the school run this morning, circa 7.45am, I tuned into what  is either a Malaysian or Singaporean radio station. As one pop song ended, a series of adverts began in English. This one caught my attention:

Voice: So your kid has a drugs problem? What do you do? Administer punishment? (SOUND OF SOMEONE BEING SEVERELY BEATEN UP)

Voice: Or maybe you try to educate them, reason with them? (FEMALE VOICE EXPLAINING WHAT IS IN THE RECREATIONAL DRUG)

Voice: Or maybe you can show true love by sending your child to a (FIRM’S NAME) drug treatment centre. Run by professionals, totally discreet, we can help you and your child …. etc.

I wish I knew if this had been a Singapore advert – there, it is the death penalty for anyone caught bringing in drugs. Given that fact, I am guessing this is a Malaysian company. However, I thought it very sad that this should need to be be aired in the middle of a light music show, just at the time of day when youngsters are being ferried to school. Looking around JB, you do not get the impression at all that there is a drugs issue (although I’m sure they are ubiquitous), certainly not like in some cities in parts of the UK. I also wondered if ‘totally discreet’ meant no police involvement at all.

Having a chat with an ex-India colleague, we concluded that, overall, the impression we get of Malaysians is very positive. Here follows a number of generalisations, just a summing up of our musings.

We get the impression the Chinese Malaysians provide the financial powerhouse of the economy. If you go to the supermarket, usually the floor manager is Chinese and the cashiers / shelf stockers are native Malaysians. The guy who supplies your bottled gas, the Internet provider, the apartment manager, the car leasehold manager: they are all Chinese. These people are very acute business-wise and do not miss a chance to make more money. Please don’t think I am being critical: these are just our observations.

Malaysians seem to be a very friendly people. They smile at you a lot, whether it is a chance encounter at the supermarket, helping you, acknowledging your thanks and attempts to speak their language. They drive more sedately than Europeans, are pretty laid back about which lane to stay in and are forgiving of each other’s meanderings. They seem to take life at a more leisurely pace all round. As a European, you will be stared at – hey, you’re a different colour! – but it will be in a friendly and inquisitive manner: you will never feel uncomfortable. Our daughter is blonde, so you can imagine how often people stop to look!

I haven’t come across many Indian Malaysians to date. The security guards at our flats are Tamils and they are pretty dour most of the time. But then I think I would be too if I had to do their job! There are one or two ladies wearing saris drifting around occasionally, but I am not sure if they are visitors or residents.

Seri Alam (our suburb) is kept spotlessly clean and tidy. The roads are lined with palm trees and gangs of men are out and about every day removing fallen branches, cutting the verges and sweeping roads. There is virtually no litter and houses are well maintained in the main. You are left with the feeling that there is a real sense of pride in the community. The contrast with India is irrefutably stark. One’s over-riding impression of Malaysia, despite its political ups and downs, ( of which more anon), is of a country on the move, intent on improving its infrastructure, welcoming foreigners and unafraid to embrace new ideas. This is not a country that is going to be left behind in its pursuit of healthcare, education and business.

Some developing countries want to be classed as world players, but never will be because they openly despise what the rest of the world has to offer and are riddled with endemic corruption, not just at the level of governments and companies, but in virtually every aspect of life, the potential is openly there and tolerated in every transaction. Trouble is, the rest of us know perfectly well we are despised and finish by taking a pragmatic decision not to care. You start off trying so hard to  understand, to learn and to help, but you end up throwing in the towel because you realise no-one is interested in improving – they are all too busy making a quick buck. I have seen dedicated people make real, life-enhancing changes to communities: the minute they leave (for whatever reason) the momentum is irredeemably lost and, within a week or tow, all the old ways are back.

Malaysia is going places, however. It is something tangible you can see and feel everywhere.

Singapore Zoo and Apocalyptic Weather

Many apologies for the delay in posting this blog. Firstly, an important visitor took precedence, then an Internet problem scuppered my best efforts to post.

Anyway, just over a week ago, we took the aforementioned visitor on a day trip to Singapore Zoo. We had heard good reports of it and, although we were unable to stay late enough to experience the Night Safari, were not disappointed. Getting there was easy – it is well signposted from JB and it took us less than an hour door-to-door. Gaining access, however, was more problematic. Despite the automatic barriers telling you to use your Autopass card to get in, they don’t work. The alternative (your Cashcard)  must be something for Singaporeans only – I am still investigating this – as we had never heard of it. Eventually we pressed the ‘help’ button and the barrier was raised. We had then to go to Membership Services  (next to the entrance) and buy a coupon which would let us exit at the end of our visit.

We had not been organised enough to buy our tickets online, but the queue moved quickly and it was a painless process. Tickets cost SD22 for adults, SD14 for children 4-12 years old,under 3s are not charged. Opening hours are 8.30 – 6pm, with the last ticket being sold at 5.30pm. Hungry? I’d recommend you take your own picnic. The KFC, Ah Meng and Wild Deli franchises are, as one would expect, hugely overpriced by anyone’s standards and the food is adequate at best. The toilets here are fine, btw.

Having grabbed a bite to eat, we headed into the zoo itself. We tend to avoid organised feeding times and shows, finding they are usually over-subscribed, so we used the map provided and wandered from area to area, viewing whatever took our fancy. I would recommend you buy a SD5 (adult), SD3 (child) unlimited tram ride ticket, which allows you to hop on and off the little trams at any of their 8 stops, with a commentary explaining what there is to see in each section. The zoo is divided into areas: Australian Outback, Primate Kingdom, Ethiopian Great Rift Valley, Bornean Marsh, Orchid Garden, Frozen Tundra (honest!), Rainforest, Elephants of Asia, Wild Africa, Treetops Trail, Reptile Garden, Critters, Cat Country, Tropical Crops, Reptile Garden, Free range Oran Utang Boardwalk … plenty for all tastes. It is very humid there, so take plenty of drinking water and rest along the way.

Highlights for us: well, the white tigers were truly spectacular. You are able to get quite close to them, across a man-made chasm. The zoo has only two or three cages, and the tigers are not in one of them, so very exciting. Orang Utans swinging freely in the tree canopy, romping around in their own playground, hanging from lamposts: fabulous. The Hamadryas Baboons got up to antics Singaporeans would be arrested for, (most of which involved their VERY large red bottoms), and we particularly enjoyed the white rhinos. A somewhat disheartening note was struck when we read that the lone polar bear is the only one to have been born in Asia – and he really did look out of place, stretched flat out on the ‘ice’ in his temperature-controlled realm, coat a mucky yellow. We would have happily forgone seeing this animal. Just wrong.

There is a ‘Kidzworld Zone’ we hurried past, where younger visitors can have KFC and Ben & Jerry’, stroke a few animals and lark around on various rides. It looked to be quite popular, but crowded and very noisy. If you want to ride elephants, take a boat trip etc., buy your tickets asap as they stop selling them once the quota has been reached. The souvenir shop is rammed with soft toys, glow-in-the-dark T shirts and knick-knacks, with one or two more expensive items scattered around.  It’s as you would expect.

Would we go again? For sure: we missed out on the chimpanzees! I would recommend this zoo to anyone – spacious, well maintained, no stressed-out animals (well, maybe the polar bear), educational without preaching at you and friendly staff. We hope to manage the Night Safari very soon, so I will report back on that at some point.

On an entirely different note now. After three or four days of super weather, by 8.10am today clouds were rolling in across Singapore like something out of a sci-fi film. Almost black, resembling horizontal rolled-up carpets, fast moving and rather ominous. Apocalyptic? Certainly give you pause for thought! Now a light rain is falling and mist hides the Singapore high-rises that I can usually see from our balcony. The birds are hunkering down, our resident gekko has sought shelter, the ambient temperature has plummeted, first crack of thunder vibrates through the apartment … OK, so a/c and lights off … free entertainment on an epic scale begins ….

 

 

Driving into Singapore from JB

Collect the following:

1. A Touch ‘n’ Go card – available from garages. Load it with RM100 -500. This is needed when you re-enter Malaysia. You swipe it at Immigration. It is also used for toll roads generally.

2. Your passports.

3. Your car insurance. Ensure you have insurance to drive in Singapore. Many leasing firms will not include it.

4. Up-to-date tax disc.

5. If at all possible prior to leaving JB, get hold of and fill in the white forms the Singapore immigration will need to allow you entry; one per traveller. We were given a handful of extra forms by the immigration officer, to save us (and him) time when we next visit. Don’t forget to put something in the box which asks where you are heading in Singapore, even if it is just “Orchard Road”.

For your first visit across, you show your passport exiting Malaysia. At the Singapore immigration, (aka Woodlands), fill/hand in the white form. The Customs guy will ask you to lower your car windows so he can see everyone. Driving along a little further, you will have to stop your car, get out and open the boot for inspection by Customs officers. Proceed to the Autopass Office, which is accessed by staying in the Red (Goods to Declare) lane on the right and parking in front of the office. A lady will verify your tax disc. You need to take all your paperwork around the side of the office and join a queue, where you can buy an Autopass card and put a few Singaporean dollars on. They will warn you to top it up at the nearest 7-ll store. Allow a good half-hour. The next time you enter Singapore, you will use the Autopass at Singapore Immigration: a machine on the side of the booth will prompt you. You will not need to visit the Autopass Office.

Weekends and public holidays, the Autopass is not debited, but I am not sure if you would still need to enter swipe it.

Exiting Singapore is more straightforward: Malaysian Customs officers leave their booth to ascertain who is in every car. You swipe your Touch’n’Go, and then drive on as normal. Beware crossing into Singapore on Monday mornings and leaving Singapore Sunday evenings: the traffic is horrendous over the causeway.

Good luck!

Big Time Shopping in Malaysia and Singapore + respite in the Botanical Gardens.

Saturday, the skies clouded over somewhat dramatically, so plans for Desaru were abandoned and the delights of the JB Retail Outlet Park beckoned. From Seri Alam we took our old friend the Pasir Gudang, joining the E2 Utara – Selatan Highway and on up to the shops. They are well signposted once you get near. You also see signs for JB’s own airport – Senai. Apparently many of the big hotels offer excursion tours to the retail outlet and Singaporeans visit in droves to stock up on the much cheaper clothes etc.

The journey took about 45 minutes and was hassle-free. Parking at the park was RM3 for the day, and our arrival at 10am coincided with the start of the working day there. At first we thought everything was closed, so few people did we see. However, by the time we left (circa 2pm) the car park was almost full.

Most of the big names were represented there: Armani, Hugo Boss, Gap, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Clarks, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Mont Blanc, Tissot etc and 40 more units are advertised as coming soon. Thai, Japanese and Western food is available, reasonably priced and of average quality. Rather like Bicester Village in the UK, this is an open air retail park with fountains and play areas for the children, shaded walkways and benches. Let’s be honest: we had fun drooling over hugely expensive clothes we wouldn’t be seen dead in, enjoyed lunch and were tempted enough to buy sandals for our daughter, a watch for an older daughter and a handbag for me. The only irritation was Coach’s inexplicable policy of channeling customers to a particular door, only letting a few customers in at a time, especially at the start of the day when we weren’t exactly numerous. You rattled around in there with three assistants for every prospective customer.

Naturally enough, this is a retail park for primarily Asian customers. Most Asians have a much smaller build than Westerners – some of the women must wear clothes similar to the sizes my 9 year old wears. It is not surprising, therefore, that most of the clothes we saw were sizes 6 – 12 for women, and not made for anyone with a bust. Don’t expect to find men’s shoes in larger sizes either. Handbags, however, are well represented, as are top-end watches. The make-up shop sold mostly Clinique products and the Body Shop did not sell eye make-up remover or anything you would class as an essential.

Would I visit again? Yes, once I’ve lost some weight and saved up!

Sunday, it was off to Singapore. We wanted to avoid the Sunday evening traffic heading back across the Causeway into Malaysia as we had been warned it is truly horrendous, so planned to stroll along Orchard Road (the premier shopping district) and grab a bite for lunch. I will detail in my next blog the paperwork etc needed to enter Singapore from Malaysia – suffice to say it is confusing.

Seri Alam into the centre of Singapore was a journey of about an hour. The Satnav proved its worth and we found parking relatively easily in one of the less upmarket malls along Orchard Road. (You need an Autopass card to access and pay for parking.) Hitting the street was a hot, humid and disconcerting experience after the relative calm of Malaysia. Humanity en masse, even when well-regulated by Western standards, is more oppressive when surging in and out of malls in great waves that leave you disoriented. Designer bands can be found in sumptuous settings at the Paragon Mall. We loved the Takashimaya Department store at 391 Orchard Road, making a bee-line for the truly spectacular bookstore inside. Cool, relatively spacious, with cushions provided to encourage children to stay and read but above all HUGE, this must be the most wonderful bookstore I have ever visited. We tracked down some fairly esoteric books my husband wanted in no time at all and only left because we knew we would end up spending all our money there.

Many of the shopping malls have food courts on the top floor. We grabbed a quick noodle meal (Singapore prices though!) and then continued our exploration. Gradually the pavements beyond Paragon filled up with Filipina maids making the most of their day off, but sadly we felt less comfortable amongst some of the less desirable characters. In the end, Orchard Road began to feel a little claustrophobic and we elected to retrace our steps out of the centre and head to the Botanical Garden, at 1 Cluny Road, the end of Nassim Road.

Here, indeed, was space, beauty and fresh air. The Botanical Gardens charge a little for parking but are free to enter. Time constraints meant we had to miss the Orchid section, which is by all accounts the best in the world. Children under 12 can go in free, as can students of any age and nationality if they have current Student ID with them, as well as anyone accompanying them. However, we aim to return as soon as possible! The gardens are open 5am – midnight all through the year, although I would suggest checking this before turning up. (The orchid garden operates on a more restricted timetable, usually around 8.30am – 7pm.) Away from the bustle of downtown Singapore, the sense of peace and tranquility is very refreshing. There is a restaurant where many families were having a late lunch, and a gift shop for your souvenirs. You are free to wander through the ‘rain forest’ section, across immaculate lawns, visit the Ginger section, listen to the live music from the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage set in a beautiful natural dip in the grounds. Exotic trees, lianes, flowers, birds are everywhere. Had it not been for the Sunday evening traffic, we would have stayed to explore a lot longer.

Trends in weather and schoolwear!

Two days of extremely changeable weather and now, at 6pm, finally the sun breaks through. You can tell it has been slightly less hot than usual when you notice the cars parked around the complex no longer have their windscreen wipers sticking up in the air. Normally drivers will lever them up so they do not stick to the windscreens!

Two nights ago a corker of a storm had everyone battening down the hatches and scurrying for cover. Last night the rain was so heavy, not only did Singapore disappear, it was also impossible to make out Country Towers, the twin ‘posh’ high rises across the golf course from us. We heard a siren start up about 6.30 pm and wondered if it was a flood alert, but have been unable to find out for sure.

Now the air is cleaner and temperatures more comfortable for we Westerners. A slight smog hangs over Singapore and downtown JB, but not what one could call serious pollution. Here in Seri Alam the increase in traffic heralds the evening tide of workers returning home; you cannot compare it to a British rush hour, however, as it is much too sedate!

The rain has had positive results: all the vegetation is thriving and I have spotted egrets, many different varieties of small birds (I don’t have an ornithology guide yet), and what may have been storks, plus a lone heron. Whereas in India our flat was level with the tree canopy, here we are way above and it is much more difficult to identify birds. Those that do swoop past are much appreciated, but not as dramatic as the kites we used to see in Bangalore.

The return to school for our daughter has gone relatively smoothly. She attends a brand new school and, apart from initial teething problems, it is all falling into place. I drop her and her father off by 7.50am and collection is at 3.30pm. I’m not sure why, but teachers are obliged to stay on until 4.30pm, so my husband gets a lift from a colleague later. So far so good too on the school meals front: at RM7 a time + RM3 for a snack, it’s not particularly cheap for an Asian country, but she has enjoyed the choices thus far.

There are 8 girls and 4 boys in her class, led by a young British lady. Our daughter is, of course, British, there is an American girl and the rest are, I believe, Chinese Malaysians. The uniform is a white blouse, maroon skort, white socks and black shoes, although the idea is that the school will become a shoe-free zone once the non-slip white socks come into stock. This is apparently a Japanese trend which the school’s founder has latched on to … but pity the poor mums asked to keep white socks white!

 

GPS problems and haircuts.

We have a Garman GPS, brand new and supposedly very reliable. Two days ago we decided to find our nearest Cold Storage shop and entered in the co-ordinates. After driving for about 30 minutes we suddenly found ourselves on a road with signage only for “Woodlands”, and then lanes for cars, buses, motorbikes etc.  Turns out “Woodlands” is in Singapore and that we had been directed to the Customs post for those leaving Malaysia. I should warn you that at no point is there anything to indicate “Woodlands” is in Singapore, nor that you have passed your last chance to turn around and head back to JB. Since we don’t normally travel with passports, we had to go through to the Immigration Office, park up, explain what had happened and get an official chit which explained we had taken a wrong turn and that we should be allowed through a special tunnel, which would allow us back into Malaysia. Entering the tunnel (which has a barrier) involves attracting the attention of the ‘official’, crossing up to four lanes of cars and then waiting whilst he raises the barrier, the back end of your car poking out into the traffic. Not very pleasant. We still don’t understand what happened with the satnav, especially as it suddenly started announcing it was ‘recalculating, recalculating’ when we had followed its directions to the letter. Ah well …

A similar thing happened yesterday, driving to Desaru to scope out the beaches and, in particular, a resort named Pulai, of which we had heard mixed reviews but which we thought might be suitable for a weekend beach holiday. Desaru is about an hour’s drive from our flat, through thousands of acres of palm trees, planted to provide the ubiquitous palm oil, at the loss of native jungle and destruction of the eco-system. We took the E22, the toll express and found our way no problem, but the return journey involved several detours and brought us into Seri Alam a completely different route.

Either way, the public beach at Desaru is fine. Small huts sell beach toys, food and souvenirs and the parking is RM4 for a car. The sea is quite rough, the sand clean and ladies should be aware you will feel most uncomfortable  in a swimming  costume unless covered with a T shirt and make the costume a one-piece: most people on the beach were Moslems, none of the women swam and those of Chinese origin had the T shirts on. At the resort, on the other hand, bikinis were in evidence around the free-form pool and I believe it has a private beach. I’ll let you know after our trip there!

A standard double room at Pulai is RM300 (about £60) per night, including breakfast for two. The guy at Reception spoke passable English, but it really would be so much easier if I could speak Bahasa Malay too: motivation to get going with that! In addition, all the road signs are in Bahasa only. The restaurant is open-air and looks comfortable but, as I said, I shall report back at a later date.

Finally, Jantzen Hairdressers, first floor of Tebrau City, managed to chop my locks for RM45 (£9) without reducing me to tears, which was always the case in India. They clearly have much more experience of ladies with short hair and did a reasonable job. A friend used a hairdressers at Today’s Market and she seemed pleased enough too. I had the campest hairdresser ever, with the longest (clean) fingernails. They do things a little differently: dry cut followed by copious amounts of shampoo squeezed from a bottle, rubbed in, foaming, and then rinsed off at the end. I was left bemused but relieved!

Pork in a Moslem country; traffic accident; rainy season,sushi and Visas.

Islam is the official religion in Malaysia and one expects not to be able to buy pork and alcohol as freely as in the West. Supermarkets such as Tesco’s try to avoid potential clashes between religion and profit in a variety of ways. You have to give them credit for trying, but their efforts are spasmodic and sometimes seem illogical.

To buy pork you have to go through sliding doors into a separate part of Tesco’s. The selection is pretty good – everything from pâté to bratwurst to salami. Usually there is a sign asking customers to pay for the products in the adjacent wine section, which is also a separate part but minus the sliding doors. Here, only cash is accepted.

Two days ago I’d chosen ham and salami, but there was no-one in either section to pay and the wine till had a message telling customers to find another lane. I must admit, I was a little surprised but tootled off to queue up as normal. All of the three cashiers on duty were Moslems, so I expected they would call over a non Moslem to handle the pork, as has happened in the past. However, my cashier that day gave a horrified look at  my poor pork, squawked and made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with it. I explained there was no-one on duty anywhere else to pay and that customers were being directed to the tills. She called a supervisor over, who also refused to handle it, so I asked if they would be happy for me to hold it up so they could scan it. No, this was not on. I put the pork products amongst the last of my shopping items, so they would have more time to sort out the situation whilst we got on with scanning the rest. I noticed that the poor cashier would not touch anything that had been around the pork products either: she put a plastic bag on one hand to pick up the carrots, tinned tomatoes and spring onions too. Eventually they allowed me to handle the ‘unclean’ items, they were scanned and I paid.

During the whole transaction, both the cashier and I remained polite, friendly and considerate of each other’s feelings and beliefs. I thanked her profusely for her help at the end and said I was sorry if she had been upset; she gave me a beaming smile and we parted amicably. If i hadn’t been in such a hurry to pick up my husband from work, I would have spoken to the Customer’s Services guys and asked them to ensure they have all parts of their store properly staffed. It’s patently unfair on cashiers and customers to be put in these situations, and I can easily imagine difficulties arising. Tesco – please take note!

In addition, why is there a separate section for spirits and wine, whereas Guinness, lager and beer are available in the aisles? I have tried to find out – any suggestions welcome!

Massive, horrendous crash witnessed yesterday on the east bound section of the Pasir Gudang (Highway 17) between the Tebrau City interchange and that for Bandar Seri Alam. The Pasir Gudang is a dual carriageway with speed limits ranging from 60 -80 km/hr. Its surface is generally fine, the road signs are good and, as many Malaysians seem to be perfectly reasonable drivers, you rarely see accidents. Yesterday, however, it seemed as if a large lorry had rolled onto its side, taking with it several cars and blocking all one side of the carriageway. The first we knew was the beige ambulance hurtling from Seri Alam; then the lorry, surrounded by emergency services; and finally the stationary traffic, stretching away into the distance, as far as the eye could see. My daughter commented that at least there are plenty of hospitals locally …

The rainy season continues to bemuse us: one minute the sun is hot enough to send us all scurrying for cover and the a/c; twenty minutes later we watch a torrential downpour … and then the sun is out again. The benefits are obvious: we enjoy lush, green vegetation all around us, fresher air and a feeling of clean living. 

I was blown away by the choice of products in the Aeon supermarket at Tebrau City. I managed to get some Thai Prawn paste, which has eluded me since I arrived, tamarind paste and thick natural yoghurt. The fruit and veg were amazing, both in terms of variety and freshness and the sushi …. well, about a quarter of the price in UK shops and scrumptious. My daughter was particularly keen on the California roll;  the octopus one was my favourite to date. The wasabi seemed stronger too.

My dependent’s Malaysian Visa came through yesterday. It strictly prohibits me from working, but is valid for the full two years of my husband’s contract here and has been organised by his school. I have not had to spend days queueing in a hot, smelly office, full of irate people, with disgusting toilets and no access to drinking water. I have not had to be interviewed by someone whose default position is that I must be there to cheat, lie, scheme or in some way involve myself in dodgy activities. No-one here has had to bribe officials to get the paperwork done …. no, I’m not in India any more!