Jellbell from Hell: CNY in Malaysia

CNY this year, for me, was a rather hectic affair made up of a road trip back to my mom's hometown in Malacca to visit granny dearest, my favourite uncle, aunts and cousins, en-route to KL where we spent a night before setting off for Dad's hometown, Sungei Pelek, a small town near Sepang.

We originally intended to book a hotel in Malacca but most of the decent hotels were sold out during the festive season. Malacca is getting to be such a popular destination, and understandably so! It's a lovely town with a rich culture and wonderfully good (and cheap) food.

Dad and Mom had a last minute brainwave to stay at my aunt's new condo in KL, which was a 2.5 hour drive from Malacca. My bros and I were all for it!

The nightview from my aunt's balcony was breathtaking.

The Petronas twin towers clearly visible in the day.

Window shopping at Pavilion, a new posh shopping centre in KL. It reminded me of Taka but on a grander scale.

After a hearty lunch in KL, we set off for Sungei Pelek, which is 2.5 hours away from KL. It's been a while since I last visited, to be precise, 15 years ago! I was excited to see how the sleepy, laid-back village I remember has changed. Especially given the recent developments in the vicinity - KLIA and the F1 circuit.

Our first stop was my paternal grandma's old house, which has been sold to a wealthy owner. As you can see, construction is in progress to build a large modern bungalow. Seeing the house brought back patchy memories of my occasional visits back here as a child and teenager.

Gone are the old kampung houses, and in their place, these typical modern houses. I've always had a love-hate relationship with old houses. As a fan of all things retro, old houses are interesting as they are unique and evoke feelings of nostalgia. What I can't understand is why they all have to be dark, gloomy and slightly spooky at night?

I was glad to see some cows on the road. Glad that modernity has not robbed away all endearing aspects of the kampung that I remember :)

The birthday dinner location. The restaurant was big and crowded - possibly the best (and only?) restaurant in town? The food definitely surpassed my expectations - every dish was delish!