I KNEW I was stressed when my gastric started to act up. The past six months had been an extremely busy period for me. Although I tried to relax, the work just kept coming. I am not complaining though. Work means more opportunities to polish my skills and keep my mind from being idle. And we all know what they say about an idle mind. I was also harried by the impending surgery despite my best efforts to keep a positive outlook.
Thank goodness my wife had scheduled a short escapade to Penang for us to unwind. This is an annual tradition since I moved to Kuala Lumpur 11 years ago. On our trips there, we usually spend time catching up with friends, savouring the food and visiting the places I used to scamper around when I was a restless teenager.
The first order of this trip was to meet my former physiotherapist Jenny for dinner. She knew my penchant for Nyonya and Hainanese cuisine. Being a foodie herself, she was familiar with many of the restaurants serving this type of food. In previous years, she had treated us to various eateries around the island. This time she had booked a table at a restaurant by the beach.
“I want you to watch the sunset from there,” she told me. “It’s beautiful.”
I had never experienced dinner in such a romantic setting. What could be better than relishing my favourite food while watching the sunset? This was one dinner date I was looking forward to. However, it was unfortunate that my wife and I had left Kuala Lumpur late and arrived late. Light was fast setting when Jenny came to pick us up from the hotel.
It was rush hour. People going home after work choked up the main roads. When the traffic cleared halfway to our destination, we were slowed down by the narrow windy road to Batu Ferringhi where the restaurant was located. This road was carved out from the hills with a steep drop to the sea on one side. One has to be very careful when manoeuvring the many tight turns and corners.
We had almost lost hope of watching the sun go down when we finally arrived at the restaurant. The red glowing ball was just touching the horizon. The sky was splashed with hues of orange and purple and many shades in between while the sea appeared to be shimmering in gold. Silhouettes of people mingling on the sandy beach and a man on horseback added a dramatic touch to the spectacle.
Jenny was right. The sunset was beautiful. In the four decades when I was living in Penang, I never took the time to appreciate the sunset from the beach. It was then I realised how much I had missed all these years. As I sat there watching the colours slowly consumed by nightfall, all my anxieties melted away. I wished that moment would last a little longer because I had not felt such bliss for a while.
Having satiated our eyes and minds, it was time to whet our appetites. The dishes Jenny ordered were scrumptious. They were as Hainanese as they come. I especially liked the fried bihun and choon peah. The latter is spring roll with a generous portion of crab meat. They tasted exactly like I remembered. Not many restaurants can whip up dishes with such authentic tastes. Needless to say, I was a happy camper that evening.
Over the next two days I spent time rekindling friendships over some of my favourite hawker food.
I first met with Teresa, a friend whom I had lost contact with for more than 30 years, over economy rice, popiah and ice kacang in a food court. We knew each other from our Girl Guide and Boy Scout days, and recently got reconnected again on Facebook.
On the following evening, I caught up with Ee Yean and Bryan. We got acquainted through blogging. After dinner, Bryan took us to a café tucked in a nondescript motel right by the seaside. The place was dark and dingy. The roaring sound of the waves rhythmically crashing into the beach was surprising mesmerising. If not for the buzzing mosquitoes feeding on us, we could have stayed there all night long chatting and enjoying the salty sea breeze.
This holiday turned out to be one of the more interesting ones I have had in a while. I had fun. I am glad for the breather. It has rejuvenated my body and reenergised my mind for another round of heavy workload ahead. The gastric discomfort has disappeared. I am also happy to have caught up with friends who so generously made time for me and partaken in some of my favourite food together. I hope to be able to carry on with this tradition for many more years to come.