40 CH40: Another FooDEE trip 2

"I am not a great cook, I am not a great artist, but I love art, and I love food, so I am the perfect traveller."

- Michael Palin

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It was day three of their trip to the Penang state. The two women had woken up early that day to go to Penang Hill. Earlier before the trip, they had looked up on articles about the Penang Hill and some have said that the morning was one of the best time to go there.

However, before they would go to Penang Hill, they decided to get some breakfast. Ai Meili was craving for a cup of coffee. She wanted the simple cup of coffee, not the type in a cafe. So, the two of them went to search online to look for any restaurant that opens up early in the morning. After a few scrolls, they finally found one nearby.

It was a 15-20 minutes walk from their hotel so they decided to just walk, rather to call for a taxi. And besides, that morning, it has such a nice weather so they do not want to miss the chance to enjoy the weather. Along the way, the two of them chatted as they walked, heading towards the restaurant. Delilah also took the opportunity to take some pictures, especially the street arts. The Penang state was also known for their beautiful street arts. On the building, there were many drawings and even a comic strip, which the two of them appreciate. Delilah was not an art-lover but like anyone else, she does enjoy looking at beautiful drawings. It was simply IG-worthy [1].

After a few minutes, the two finally arrived at the restaurant. It was located at the alley. It's not one of those 5-star or Michelin types of restaurants but it was one of the most popular ones. Why? because , just in front of them, there were already people queueing for a table. It was only a simple restaurant, which doesn't have a proper roof. In fact, the restaurant itself was outside at the alley, with the kitchen made up of one open room with no stove. In fact, the kitchen inside only has a huge hot water dispenser, several toasters, two kitchen sinks and so forth. The tables and chairs itself were plastic.

Shortly after, one of the waitresses called for Delilah and Ai Meili. Since they were only two of them, they were told to just share a table with a couple. Both parties didn't mind as both wanted to eat, anyway. Delilah and Ai Meili ordered the same meal; kaya toast [2] and a cup of coffee. The couple, however, ordered two boiled eggs, a nasi lemak, a cup of coffee and a cup of tea with milk.

It took them another several minutes for their food to arrive. The couple shared the nasi lemak and had one boiled egg each. Delilah and Ai Meili had theirs, as well.

The kaya toast was toasted perfectly, giving out a brown colour. When Delilah bite onto the toast, the toast tasted crunchy yet soft. Other than kaya, they also added a slab of butter on the toast, which made the taste having a more buttery texture. The kaya itself was sweet and when eaten with toast, it melts superbly in her mouth. It was a perfect combination with the bitter coffee she was drinking.

After they were done with their breakfast, they paid for their meal and went out of the alley. They decided not to waste time and also to give their table to other waiting customers. The couple who had sat with them had already left once they have eaten, as well.

Waiting at a nearby building, underneath the shade, the two women decided to call for a taxi to take them to Penang Hill. Moments later, their taxi had arrived and they were surprised to find a young female taxi driver. It was not that the women were being stereotyped but because most of the taxi that they ride on were mostly male drivers. Looking at her face, it seems like the driver was quite young, probably earning extra money. And unlike the other male drivers, the female driver was quiet. She did not start any conversation with Delilah and Ai Meili, which they did not mind at all. And apparently, she loves to listen to K-Pop as most of the songs in her playlists were K-Pop.

Arriving at the Penang Hill, they paid the taxi driver with a thank you. Before going in to buy the tickets, Delilah looked around her. The entrance was huge with a large open dome as its roof. On the right side of the building, there were several shops and restaurants and on the left side were the ticket booths. The two walked over to the booth and decided to buy the express ticket, instead of the normal ticket. They felt like they had enough money to splurge on the express ticket. And at least, they do not have to wait in the long queue, which may take hours.

They took a cable car going up the Penang Hill. It was steep and the feeling of riding the car was exhilarating. It only took them a couple of minutes to arrive at the top. Once they were at the top, the two women got out of the cable car and began to follow the crowds outside. They stopped by several areas to take a selfie and picture. It was a sunny morning, so some of the pictures taken weren't as good due to the lighting.

One of the areas that they went to was the Monkey Cups. As an environmentalist officer, Ai Meili was interested on how the monkey cups work. The guide told them about how the monkey uses the plant as a cup to drink and hence, the name monkey cups. The guide offered them a tour to view the monkey cups in its habitat for a price. The two of them agreed and they followed the guide to the monkey cups area with a golf cart.

The monkey cups area was deep in the forest at the Penang Hill. The two women took more photos while listening to the guide talk about the monkey cups and the different types. It was fascinating to Ai Meili but to Delilah, she was only interested in drinking the hot chocolate that she saw someone drank on the way in.

Once the short tour was over, they were guided in a small cafe where they ordered hot chocolate and tea. Apparently, the refreshments were free as it was included in the price. And after they were done, they told their guide that they were ready to leave. So, they had to wait several more minutes for another golf cart to pick them up.

Fifteen minutes later, the two women found themselves at the entrance to the Penang Hill. They decided to immediately go back after leaving the monkey cups. As a holder of an express ticket, they, again, do not have to queue in line and went straight to the cable car which brought them back down to the lower station. Before completely leaving the area, Delilah decided to buy some souvenirs for her nephews [3] and colleagues.

Just as she was choosing and contemplating what to buy, there was a message notification on her phone. She took out her phone from her pocket and coincidentally, it was a message from Aubree.

'Hey D, sorry to disturb you during your holiday but I need to ask you urgently. Where did you put the documents for Matt?' came the message.

Delilah quickly sent a message. 'I forgot to tell you that I have kept the documents in my drawer, which is the second from the bottom. But it's locked. You can ask for the key at Firah since she's holding on to my office keys, just in case.'

'Thanks! Now, go shoo! Enjoy your holiday!' came in the swift reply.

Delilah let out a soft chuckle before placing her phone back inside her pocket. She continued her shopping and went out of the store, after paying for her items.

She met up with Ai Meili, who was waiting for her at the waiting area and they quickly called for a taxi to bring them to a shopping mall.

They spent a couple of hours inside the shopping mall, buying clothes and shoes before they headed to the hawkers' stalls.

The hawkers' stalls will only open after 5PM so when they arrived at the area, the vendors were still opening up their stalls. The place was one of the most popular areas to get cheap but delicious food. There are more than 30 stalls in the area, with chairs and tables being placed in the middle for eating.

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The two women got out of the taxi and paid for their fare. They then went to look around the stalls. In the end, they settled on a stall that sells kway teaw noodles [1] and fruit rojak [2].

After they placed their order, they sat at one of the tables and waited. They chatted with each other while waiting. When their order number was called out, they went to grab their food and sat back down again.

The fruit rojak looked like a heap of cut fruits that had been poured with some sticky black sauce, which was actually the rojak sweet sauce.

Delilah took one of the toothpicks, which was used to eat the rojak and stabbed one of the fruits. The fruits being used in rojak were mostly pineapple, green apple and cucumber. She wiped the fruit with the sauce and the crushed peanuts and ate it. She slowly chewed as the juices of the fruit flows inside her mouth, mixed with the sweetness of the rojak sauce. The crushed peanuts added the saltiness and the crunchy taste of the rojak making Delilah quiver with relish. She loved how the sweet and sour mixed together in the rojak. The sauce itself was sweet yet sticky and thick. It was dark in colour but when it mixed with the juices of the fruits, it began to lighten, which shows how the flavour of both had mixed well.

Delilah decided to eat the rojak before 'attacking' the kuey teaw noodles. The rojak seems like a perfect appetiser before the main meal.

Ai Meili watched Delilah as she enjoyed the rojak. She wasn't a fan of rojak but looking at Delilah at that moment, she felt that it probably was good. She took another toothpick and stabbed one cucumber. She took a bite and found the sauce to be quite delicious. It was sweet yet tangy and sour. With cucumber, which was watery and cool, it felt really nice. She liked how the sauce sticks on the cucumber, covering the green fruit in its sweetness.

"Two off your list?" she asked.

Delilah nodded. "Yup! So glad that we went here!"

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[1] Kway teaw, literally "stir-fried rice cake strips", is a popular noodle dish from Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. The dish is considered a national favourite in Malaysia and Singapore. (Taken from Wikipedia)

[2] A popular mixed fruit salad in a sweet sauce, it is a traditional Malay family favourite and one of Singapore and Malaysia's most famous hawker dishes. (Taken from women weekly)

[3] Nephews include not just Kael but also Delilah's cousins' children