Thursday, 16 July 2015

7 July 2015 Drive Trip to Klang

Setting off from the Far East of Singapore before Sunrise

This is probably our 8th drive trip to Klang on our own (together with Sue) in the last two and a half years, without any help from Tim. It is a 5-hour slow leisurely drive from our home in the far east of Singapore to Klang. Usually, we set off from home at about 6 am, cleared Singapore Custom at Tuas before 7 am and stopped at Petronas in Jalan Langat to top up our fuel tank before driving to our hotel at about 11+ am. By about 12 noon, we would be on our way to Mother's place to pick Mother and Susan out for lunch at Imperial Restuarant at Jalan Langat. As Mother is not very mobile, bringing her out for lunch, is probably the rare occasion she will leave the house.

A Landmark Near Mother's Place (and a huge new pond beside it!!!)

In a way, we are beginning to feel very familiar with the roads around Taman Sentosa, where Mother's house is located. In fact, we are quite familiar with the lower Klang area now - i.e. from Bukit Tinggi to the part of Klang just below the Klang River. More or less, we know where to shop (Aeon Bukit Tinggi, GM Klang, Tesco, Little India in Klang) and where to eat (Eateries at Bukit Tinggi, Bandar Botanic, Jalan Langat, etc.,). Klang is a lovely place if you are familiar with the 'going on' there.

GM Klang

Security wise, we are also beginning to feel more confident about Klang. The car park at Premiere hotel, where we have always been staying is very safe. In fact, we move around Klang in our car, and park our car at our destinations - Aeon open car park, GM Klang car park, Tesco car park, NSK car park, etc., But, we always lock our car with a steering lock for added security.

A View of the Sun Setting from our Hotel

In terms of value for money, or cost of living, Klang is definitely many times better than Singapore. For example, upon arrival in Klang, I topped up my almost empty petrol tank to full tank for MYR 53 (S$19). In Singapore, I topped up my tank at about S$70 every 5-6 days. And, not to mention, parking is free almost everywhere! except for Aeon Klang. The shocking truth is that - I had a decent haircut at a good salon for MYR 11 (less than S$4)!!! My hair cut in Singapore is S$10.

Sue, Mother, Susan and Handsome

On our first day in Klang, we brought Mother and Susan for lunch at Imperial Restaurant - Mother's favourite. The restaurant no longer serves Dim Sum. So we ordered a 6-course meal for 4-6 persons. The 6-course lunch includes a whole large steamed fish, stewed pork, chicken, etc., and plenty to eat. It cost us MYR 94 (less than S$34), inclusive of GST, service tax, an unlimited serving of Chinese tea, pickles and appetiser, hand wipes, etc., for 5 adults. The amount of food was huge, and obviously, we cannot finish the food, and we have to 'Ta Pau' the remaining of the food back!

Marketing at NSK with Susan
The next day, Susan brought us to NSK - a Mega Mart. The fresh vegetables, fishes, seafood and everything are super cheap there! The quantity for everything is super large. We bought some food and Sue cooked a decent lunch at Mother's place after that, specially for Mother and Susan - Deboned Chicken Wings, Steamed Seabass, Fried Long Beans in Garlic Chilli and a whole pot of Fish Maw Soup. Susan completes the lunch with 2 of her delicious dishes - Crispy Prawn with Mayonnaise and a Thai Durian Glutinous Rice dessert. This is the first time we have a full home-cooked meal at Mother's place.

Handsome Posing for my Camera