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Wednesday, May 29, 2024
The Man Who Tried To Explain Music
Friday, May 24, 2024
From KL To Ipoh
My friend Eday started a 6-week trip earlier year, covering Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. It was unprecedented, something we hadn't seen before. Clearly rocking the status quo, I'd say, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, it must be a fulfilling experience that volume II was planned and executed in April. The first leg of the trip coincided with Hendra's visit to Singapore.
Then, as part of the tour, came the trip to Ipoh after Eday's visit to Indonesia. The destination wasn't always Ipoh, though. Vientiane and Siem Reap, cities with Hard Rock Cafe, were considered. However, both had their own set of problems that left us mulling them over. It was then decided that we'd revisit the destination again after the China trip. The route was eventually confirmed. We'd go to Ipoh via KL.
The art of looking at the sky and avoiding the bill. |
Our flights landed at 9:15 PM. I was flying from Singapore, Eday was coming from Jakarta. We had our dinner at KLIA, then made our way to Hotel 99 in Kota Kemuning. I was amused that the receptionist actually found my data from seven years ago, when I was still holding an Indonesian passport. Five minutes after check-in, our host Wiwi came to pick us up for supper. That night, for the first time ever in my life, I ate lok-lok, haha.
The next morning, Wiwi brought us to see the Saturday market. Funny how she suddenly felt reluctant to leave the car, citing the reason that she was overdressed for the occasion, haha. After getting pancakes and tea c, we went to her house that was guarded by a jumpy, barking dog. The conversation with her husband led to a quick recap of Eday's story about Syria.
In Klang, having bak kut teh. |
For brunch, we went to Klang to eat the famous bak kut teh. It was good indeed. As her husband needed to go back to work, Wiwi decided that she would join us to KL. It turned out to be a historical moment: Wiwi took LRT with us from Alam Megah to Pasar Seni! It was a miracle to see her walking under the sun like any of us, haha.
More often not, I only go to KL for either transit or business trip. Having said that, it was my first time visiting Pasar Seni. It somehow reminded me of Pasar Baru in Jakarta. We had cendol, then headed towards Petaling Street for a glimpse of Chinatown. The one in Singapore is better, though.
Petaling Street. |
When it was time for coffee break, we went to Suria KLCC. There we sat at San Francisco Coffee and talked about anything the three old friends could think of. At 6 PM, we made our move and parted ways with Wiwi as we alighted at KL Sentral. Wiwi returned to Kota Kemuning and we continued our journey to Ipoh.
The train was freezing cold, but it got better when it started moving. The sky went dark and we had our decent meal in the train. It was almost 10 PM when we reached Ipoh Station. From there, we walked about 25 minutes to M Boutique Hotel. The hotel had a classic British Colonial design. Hot water and aircon were working fine, but it was the pillows that I found very comfortable!
Eday, taking picture of M Boutique Hotel. |
Just like our trip to Phuket, we weren't rushing and we didn't exactly have places we'd like to visit, so we woke up late for coffee and tea, then walked towards Concubine Lane. Along the way, whenever we saw a fancy looking cafe, we'd go in for a short break. For lunch, we we had roasted chicken and bean sprouts. The tubby shaped bean sprouts was crunchy and tasty!
From Restoran Wong Koh Kee, we went to Ipoh Parade. Eday needed a place for work, so we spent some time at Starbucks. Come to think of it, we missed the chance of trying Ipoh white coffee! And, instead of any places of interest, we entered grave yard that we passed by after we left Ipoh Parade, hehe.
Checking out the grave yard. |
Eday went for a haircut at Eroll Barbershop and off we went to Vantage Wine & Cigar Lounge once the barber had finished his job. We stayed here, slowly drinking two big bottles of wine and talking about friends, life and philosophy. In order to understand how slow we were, the Swarm app showed that I checked in at 5:17 PM and the next entry at Tuck Kee for yu kong hor and a plate of bean sprouts was around 10:52 PM. We spent close to six hours drinking wine and from time to time, the movie title Monty Python's The Meaning of Life came to mind. Alcohol and philosophy surely mixed well!
It was raining the whole night, but not heavy enough that we could still walk to Restoran Tuck Kee. After dinner, we rushed to Hard Rock Cafe before it was closed. The night ended at Warehouse, a Chinese drinking joint with a 3-piece Cantonese band. I had a sip of Guinness and Eday finished 4.5 glasses of ½ pint, haha.
At Hard Rock Cafe Ipoh. |
The next day began at around 11 AM. We went back to Restoran Sun Fei Kee for brunch, then headed to the city to do laundry. While waiting, we tried the soy bean curd at Funny Mountain. Since our event happened only after dark, we booked a 3-hour karaoke session at Aeon, alternating between singing and attending involuntary work that came our way.
We still made calls when he headed for dinner. I misunderstood Wiwi's suggestion about salted chicken. I thought it was a cuisine you could enjoy on the spot, but it was actually a delicacy for one to bring home from Ipoh. As a result, we went to the nearest restaurant for bean sprouts. We ate another plate, our third and last, at Restoran Tauge Ayam Ong Kee.
In front of Atap Speakeasy, figuring out how to get in. |
Atas Speakeasy was just a walking distance, so we went there after dinner, but the hidden bar's door was locked. Wiwi helped to call, but nobody picked up, so I dropped an email and we went to a bar that is literally called Speakeasy. Thus began the bar hopping adventure, one glass for each bar namely Aftr Work, St. Patrick's (where we got acquainted with a Bee Gees fan) and St. James.
But still we were drawn to Atas Speakeasy. I got a reply that there'd be a slot after 9 PM. I reserved seats at 10 PM and even though I received no reply, we tried our luck. The door wasn't locked this time, so we finally managed to enter the hidden bar. The bartender/owner Alicia Mak greeted us and we ordered our drinks: Bees Knees for me, Helan Gar for Eday.
The ambience was nice. Atas Speakeasy felt like the hangout of Al Capone or an art deco from Shanghai Grand. When Alicia joined our table, she shared with us her dream of being a street performer one day. The dimly lit room, cocktails and passions blended in perfectly as the closure of our time in Ipoh. As Eday and I stood outside the hotel, we talked about the surreal experience we just had. We could have been bar owners that night...
Eday, moments before he headed to Penang. |
Dari KL Menuju Ipoh
Teman saya Eday memulai liburan berdurasi enam minggu di awal tahun ini dan petualangannya mencakup Malaysia, Singapura, Thailand dan Indonesia. Sebelum ini, tidak pernah ada yang berlibur selama satu setengah bulan lamanya. Kestabilan dan pemahaman para ibu rumah tangga pun terguncang, tapi ini lebih pantas diceritakan di lain kali. Yang jelas liburan enam minggu ini nampaknya memuaskan sehingga jilid dua pun direncanakan dan dilaksanakan di bulan April. Persinggahan pertama ke Singapura bertepatan dengan kunjungan Hendra.
Kemudian, setelah menyelesaikan kunjungan ke Indonesia, tibalah liburan ke Ipoh yang merupakan rangkaian dari tur Eday. Menarik untuk dicatat bahwa Ipoh bukanlah destinasi awal. Sebelumnya kita sempat berdiskusi tentang Vientiane dan Siem Reap, dua kota yang juga memiliki Hard Rock Cafe. Akan tetapi kota-kota ini ada problem tersendiri. Keputusan pun ditunda sampai liburan ke Cina usai. Akhirnya kita memutuskan untuk ke Ipoh lewat KL karena lebih praktis.
Seni melihat ke langit dan menghindari pembayaran tagihan. |
Penerbangan kita sama-sama tiba pada pukul 9:15 malam. Saya datang dari Singapura, sedangkan Eday terbang dari Jakarta. Setelah bersantap malam di KLIA, kita lanjut ke Hotel 99 di Kota Kemuning. Saya tertegun saat mengetahui bahwa resepsionis yang bertugas ternyata berhasil menemukan data saya yang sudah tujuh tahun lamanya, saat saya masih memegang paspor Indonesia. Lima menit setelah menaruh barang, tuan rumah Wiwi datang menjemput. Di malam itu saya pertama kalinya mencoba lok-lok di Malaysia, haha.
Keesokan paginya, Wiwi membawa kita ke Pasar Sabtu. Saat kita hendak turun dari mobil, tiba-tiba saja dia merasa dandanannya terlalu heboh untuk ke pasar, hehe. Setelah membeli kue apam dan teh c, kita pun mampir ke rumahnya yang dijaga oleh anjing yang menggonggong keras dan siap menerkam tamu. Percakapan dengan suaminya pun berlanjut dengan cerita Eday ke Suriah.
Di Klang, menyantap bak kut teh. |
Untuk makan siang, kita menuju ke Klang yang terkenal dengan bak kut teh. Enak nian. Karena suaminya harus kembali bekerja, Wiwi lantas memutuskan untuk turut serta ke KL. Peristiwa bersejarah pun terjadi: Wiwi naik LRT bersama kita dari Alam Megah ke Pasar Seni! Mukjizat itu nyata saat melihat Wiwi berjalan bersama kita di bawah teriknya matahari, haha.
Biasanya saya ke KL hanya untuk transit atau trip bisnis. Oleh karena itu, ini adalah kunjungan pertama saya ke Pasar Seni. Tempatnya mirip seperti Pasar Baru di Jakarta. Kita makan cendol, lalu lanjut ke Petaling Street untuk melihat Pecinan. Menurut saya, yang di Singapura tampak lebih bagus.
Di Petaling Street. |
Tatkala tiba waktunya untuk meminum kopi, kita pergi ke Suria KLCC. Kita duduk di San Francisco Coffee dan berbincang tentang apa saja yang bisa terpikirkan oleh tiga teman lama. Pas pukul enam malam, kita melanjutkan perjalanan ke KL Sentral dan lanjut ke Ipoh, berpisah dengan Wiwi yang kembali ke Kota Kemuning.
Kereta KTM sangat dingin, namun temperaturnya menjadi lebih manusiawi saat kereta mulai bergerak meninggalkan stasiun. Langit telah gelap ketika kita menyantap makanan seadanya di kereta. Kita akhirnya tiba di Stasiun Ipoh menjelang pukul 10 malam. Dari sana, kira berjalan sekitar 25 menit untuk mencapai M Boutique Hotel. Desainnya condong ke zaman Kolonial Inggris. Air panas dan AC berfungsi dengan baik, tapi yang paling nyaman itu bantalnya.
Eday mengambil foto di M Boutique Hotel. |
Seperti halnya liburan kita ke Phuket, kita tidak kejar setoran dan juga tidak memiliki tempat spesifik yang ingin dikunjungi. Karena itu, kita tidur sampai siang dan baru berjalan ke Concubine Lane sesudah menyeruput kopi dan teh di Restoran Sun Fei Kee. Sepanjang jalan, bila ada kafe yang unik, kita pun mampir sejenak. Untuk makan siang, kita memesan ayam dan kecambah. Toge Ipoh yang pendek dan gemuk ini lezat dan sedap untuk dikunyah.
Dari Restoran Wong Koh Kee, kita pergi ke Ipoh Parade. Eday butuh tempat untuk bekerja, jadi kita duduk sejenak di Starbucks. Kalau dipikirkan lagi sekarang, kita ternyata tidak sempat mencoba kopi putih Ipoh! Bukannya ke tempat yang sering dikunjungi turis, kita malah ke kuburan yang terletak di seberang Ipoh Parade, hehe.
Berjalan-jalan ke kuburan. |
Eday potong rambut di Eroll Barbershop dan segera setelah itu, kita naik Grab ke Vantage Wine & Cigar Lounge. Di sana kita minum dua botol anggur dengan perlahan sambil berbincang tentang persahabatan, kehidupan dan filosofi. Sebagai ilustrasi dari deskripsi kata perlahan, aplikasi Swarm menunjukkan bahwa saya masuk sekitar jam 5:17 PM dan selanjutnya kita menyantap yu kong hor dan sepiring kecambah di Tuck Kee pada pukul 10:52 PM. Hampir enam jam lamanya kita menikmati anggur dan tidak cuma sekali judul film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life melintas di benak saya. Alkohol dan filosofi memang cocok!
Hujan turun di malam itu, namun tidak terlalu deras sehingga kita masih bisa berjalan ke Restoran Tuck Kee. Setelah makan malam, kita bergegas ke Hard Rock Cafe yang sudah hampir tutup. Malam itu berakhir di Warehouse, tempat minum orang Tionghoa yang menampilkan grup musik Kanton beranggotakan tiga orang. Saya hanya meminum satu teguk Guinness sementara Eday menenggak 4,5 gelas, haha.
Di Hard Rock Cafe Ipoh. |
Hari berikutnya bermula jam 11 pagi. Kita kembali ke Restoran Sun Fei Kee untuk santap siang, lalu ke kedai dobi swalayan di tengah kota. Sambil menunggu cucian, kita pergi mencicipi kembang tahu di Funny Mountain. Karena acara kita baru mulai setelah malam tiba, kita karaoke selama tiga jam di Aeon, silih berganti menyanyi dan mengerjakan pekerjaan dadakan.
Kita masih sempat rapat via telepon saat makan malam. Saya salah kaprah tentang ayam garam yang direkomendasikan Wiwi. Saya sangka ini menu yang bisa disantap di tempat, tapi ayam garam ini ternyata oleh-oleh untuk dibawa pulang. Alhasil kita mampir ke restoran terdekat untuk kecambah lagi. Piring ketiga dan terakhir pun dipesan di Restoran Tauge Ayam Ong Kee.
Di depan Atas Speakeasy, mencari tahu cara masuk. |
Atas Speakeasy berada tak jauh dari tempat kita makan, jadi kita pun berjalan ke sana. Di luar dugaan, pintu bar tersembunyi itu dikunci. Wiwi bantu menelepon, tapi tidak ada yang mengangkat, jadi saya pun mengirim email dan perjalanan dilanjutkan ke bar yang secara harafiah bernama Speakeasy. Dari situ petualangan dari bar ke bar pun dimulai. Seusai satu gelas, kita berpindah, mulai dari Aftr Work, St. Patrick's (di mana kita bertemu dengan sesama penggemar Bee Gees) dan St. James.
Kendati begitu, kita tetap ingin mengunjungi Atas Speakeasy. Saya mendapatkan jawaban bahwa akan ada jadwal kosong setelah jam sembilan malam, jadi saya pun pesan slot jam 10. Meski saya tidak menerima konfirmasi, kita tetap lanjut dan mencoba peruntungan kita. Kali ini pintunya tidak dikunci, jadi kita akhirnya berhasil memasuk bar tersembunyi. Pemilik sekaligus bartender bernama Alicia Mak menyapa kita dan minuman pun segera dipesan: Bees Knees untuk saya, Helan Gar untuk Eday.
Suasana terasa nyaman. Atas Speakeasy terkesan seperti tempat nongkrong Al Capone atau tata ruang bergaya Shanghai Grand. Ketika Alicia duduk dan bercakap-cakap dengan kita, dia bercerita tentang impiannya untuk menjadi seorang seniman jalanan di Inggris. Ruangan yang remang-remang, minuman beralkohol dan impian pun berpadu menjadi sebuah penutup yang penuh kenangan dari kunjungan kita ke Ipoh. Sewaktu saya dan Eday berdiri di depan hotel, kita membahas lagi pengalaman yang terasa seperti mimpi ini. Di malam itu, kita bisa saja menjadi pemilik bar...
Eday, berfoto sejenak sebelum berangkat ke Penang. |
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Plan In Motion
The Hard Rock moment. |
Thursday, May 2, 2024
The First Time Traveler
The night with Snow Drop. |
At the Universal Studios Singapore. |
Trying Indian food. |
Eday, Mei Ing, Surianto, Hendra and Taty at Marche. |
Taking the cable car. |
When ICB closed. |