A Drive in the "Country"

On Sunday Lina and I headed out for a drive around the island - there were highly congested areas, kampungs, and forested areas. Batu Feringgi, where Doug and I had stayed 20 years ago. In the midst of the stalls and the daytime evidence of the night market were the normal assortment of over-sized hotels.

We stopped at the Mosque on the Sea where Lina prayed - unfortunately I was too close to get any good shots (lesson - skip trying to fit the minaret into the picture). This picture was taken from the mosque and gives a feeling what the high rise apartment buildings look like. The second picture is the housing built for people who lost their home during the tsunami. Lena said there was a lot of controversy about affordability (some issues are universal). Later we passed the shelters that were built immediately after the tsunami. They were in complete ruins - perhaps too temporary.

We saw rambutan trees, durian trees, and betel nut trees. Apologies to all - I figured I could take a camera tour another day. Along the same line I skipped the Butterfly Garden, the herb garden, and the like figuring more focused trips would be better. I did see tons of stalls all of which looked tempting. We ended the afternoon having tea in an Indian shop - everything looked very tempting - so I now have a destination alternate to Georgetown.