From Johor to Selangor with a Song from Spoonie

Plaza Shah Alam shopping centre was within walking distance of Concorde Hotel and it was here that I scouted the lunch venue for my mum. I did not drive to Johor for Raya Aidilfitri this time as the traffic jam I encountered during Chinese New Year holidays was a frightful reminder of the hours wasted on the North-South highway of Plus. Kluang Rail Coffee was the surprise find. Originating from Kluang, Johor this humble coffee shop has expanded to include a branch here in the capital of Selangor. More about Kluang Rail Coffee can be read HERE.  

Blast to the past when I saw their slogan above

My drink arrived first and it was their signature coffee topped with sprinklings of milo dust 

Roti bun Goyang with Roti Kaya with pepper salt - simple yet delicious!

Too hot to sit on this bench that lunchtime 🙁

My mum enjoyed their Char Kuay Teow which was delivered by BellaBot from China:)

The Bellabot for restaurants video below was the model used by Kluang Rail Coffee to serve the final dish that arrived that day. I picked up the hot Char Kuay Teow from the top tier of the Bellabot tray amidst the music that was emitted from it. Quite clever of Bellabot to put a comical face of a cat on the screen with pointy ears, seeing how ingrained the love of cats is amongst Malaysians.   

Kluang Rail Coffee's growth as a homegrown brand that originated from Johor before 1957 has been impressive and their adoption of technology to improve customer service is commendable. I end this blog with the calls of the Spoon-billed sandpiper (Spoonie) breeding grounds in Russia, which can be heard via Xeno-Canto below and a video on Saving the Spoonie by the Paulson Institute:-   

Kapar Power Station - where the Spoonie was

The Kapar Power Station on a hot Friday morning (as pictured above). It was the third day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and I'm so grateful for the public holiday and the availability of Concorde Hotel Shah Alam which I booked via Agoda for a very reasonable price at RM188 per night. We stayed for 1 night, and whilst my mum (and helper) rested in the spacious room, I ventured to explore the small town of Kapar. I've heard so much about the Kapar Power Station and upon checking Google Maps, it was less than 45 minutes from the hotel so off I went to the site where the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper aka Spoonie had been spotted during high tide amongst other species of waders at the ash ponds back in 2008, April 7th to be exact, by Mr David Bakewell. His pictures, checklist, pictures and the comparison made to the Red-necked Stint at eBird portal can be read HERE. A permit is required to enter the Kapar Power Station Ash ponds, the site of which has been the subject of the Kapar Declaration on the Future of the Kapar Ash Ponds, dated 25th June 2016 published by the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) website HERE. It would appear that the Kapar Ash Ponds was removed from the Flyway Network sites leaving only Bako-Buntal Bay in Sarawak as the only site in Malaysia listed out of 16 sites in ASEAN region, as of 2017, according to a powerpoint presentation by the Director of Conservation, Sungai Buloh Wetlands Reserve, National Parks Board of Singapore which can be read HERE. True enough, Spoonie was spotted in Buntal Bay, Sarawak by members of Malaysian Nature Society Ms Batrisya and Mr Daniel Kong during shorebird survey in 2022, which you can read about HERE. Other globally threatened species that can be found at these flyway sites include the Great Knot, Far Eastern Curlew, Chinese Egret and the Nordmann's Greenshank. Seeing the Spoonie feels like winning the birdwatcher's ultimate lottery ticket, and I saw mine way back in 2012 in the salt farms of Pak Thale Petchaburi province of Thailand, during the Asian Bird Fair which can be read HERE. The consistent sightings of Spoonie in this EAAFP site at Thailand can be read HERE.

 

White-breasted Wood-Swallow chased off a House Crow in mid-flight and perched on one of these wires nearby the funnel of power station. However I couldn't get a good picture of the perched Wood-Swallow as it was out of range of my 600mm Panasonic Lumix digital camera. Had a good look through my 8x42 Minox binoculars though.

High tide at this mangrove forest area next to the Kapar Power Station

Night-Heron flying just above the river.

 Black-Crowned Night Heron peering out from within the undergrowth at riverbank 

Two Black-Crowned Night Herons.

A patch of mangrove forest nearby the entrance to the Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd (subsidiary of TNB) as pictured above. The checklist of the birds sighted and heard that morning before it got unbearably hot is available at eBird Malaysia HERE.

Black-crowned Night Heron in flight just above the river with the Great Egret perched together with four Night Heron species. 

A group of Dusky Leaf Monkeys and White-thighed Surili were seen feeding on the same tree as several long-tailed macaques. The former two species were visibly shy and hopped away from the tree as soon as they saw me peering at them through my binoculars. The macaques were notoriously bolder and did not pay any attention to me at all! Macaques behave in a very gangster-like manner when they are in a big group, and I would steer clear of these creatures whenever I come across them in parks and forests. Took my mum and helper for dinner at Klang the night before and managed to find a table on the second day of the public holiday. The ladies at Yew Sifu Bak Kut Teh restaurant were friendly and welcomed us as the famous Four Eyes Bak Kut Teh restaurant under the tree nearby had soldout by 7.30pm! 

A Dusky Leaf Monkey with the much bolder long-tailed Macaque in the foreground

White-thighed Surili partially hidden by the leaves.

Pengkalan Sungai Kapar - view of the fishing boats from one of the inner village roads

Bak Kut Teh dinner with my mum and helper at Klang 

Chicken feet, Pork intestines & Stir-fried Yau Mak dishes

Yew Sifu Bak Kut Teh where we had our dinner. 

Kluang Rail Coffee has a branch at Shah Alam (capital city of Selangor) and that will be covered in the next blog.

Home is where the Heart is with a Root Beer nearby

 

My sister from Down Under visited Kuala Lumpur with her kids before Chinese New Year 2024 week. This was in early January 2024. Tyler, Lya are my niece and nephew who are living in Melbourne, Australia and how both of them have grown up over the years amazed me. Their last trip to Malaysia was before lockdown began and that visit was made during Chinese New Year 2019, which they celebrated with my late father in Johor. This time around they were in Kuala Lumpur to pay respects to my late father at Nirvana Columbarium which is adjacent to Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka. We continued the age-old family tradition of taking my nieces and nephews out for coney dogs, root beer and waffles at A&W Petaling Jaya. This was after all THE place where my late father would treat us to when he was in KL to mark SPM exam papers back in the 80s. It was a blast to the past for my family when we stood in front of the iconic A&W in PJ (as pictured above).  

      Lyanne, Tyler with Kayden and Karyn - waiting for their Coney Dogs & Waffles!

Myself, Lya & Tyler at dragon-inspired decorations outside B.I.G, Publika

Hong Kong was where my brother-in-law lived and worked before he moved with my sister and his kids to Australia. Super glad I was able to visit her when she was in Hong Kong. We explored the streets of Mong Kok in Hong Kong, had milk tea and french toast at Stanley beach and she bought cupcakes for my birthday. We also visited a Charlie Brown cafe in Hong Kong which had cakes and beverages with customized Snoopy, Woodstock and Peanuts-themed motif. The Peanuts-themed glittery lights for their sign-board would have added to the anticipation of eager Snoopy fans as they looked forward to immerse themselves in all things Snoopy when they stepped into the cafe. I would have loved to explore Mai Po wetlands or Hong Kong parks again with Lya and Tyler. Birdwatching memories can be read HERE and HERE. A montage of memories through pictures with my sister below:-  

 

Seems the Charlie Brown themed cafe in Hong Kong has permanently closed. Similarly themed cafe opened in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur but these establishments did not last long either. Only a website named "charliebrowncafesg.com" selling Snoopy merchandise (in Singapore dollars) remains as a result when I typed Charlie Brown Cafe through the Google search bar on 24th March. However, a different Peanuts concept took off in South Korea in the likes of a nature park aptly named the Snoopy Garden in Jeju Island, South Korea. Click through the image of their website below, to know more about this Snoopy Garden (and translate the contents to English from Korean Hangul script if viewing from Chrome web browser).

My nephew Zhe King with my mum, Kayden & Karyn as we celebrated their grandma's birthday (as pictured above). Yi Hui could not make it to this lunch gathering as she was out with a friend that Saturday. Johor is the state where my sisters and I were born in, home is where the heart is, as we write new chapters of our lives whilst residing in Klang Valley with the occasional Root Beer in our hands.

Finding the Japanese Robin

My Neighbours The Yamadas was a very light-hearted animated series which had comical characters that were endearing, relatable and gave me a glimpse into the middle-class family life of Japan. The grandmother (祖母) in that cartoon series reminded me of my late maternal grandmother from Kedah who according to my mother would use a wooden bat to whack her children should they misbehave, just like how this Japanese grandma would continue to discipline Mrs Yamada when the latter forgot to run some errands for the family.    

There was a call of a songbird in one of the scenes (screenshot as above) in which I could identify the call as that of the Japanese Robin. This was cross-checked against the audio of this Japanese Robin species which I came across in a checklist submitted to eBird Japan, the checklist of which is as below:- 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S140736868

To find, record and observe my first Japanese Robin remains a lifelong quest of mine which I really hope to embark on when I get the opportunity to travel beyond Malaysia. eBird Japan website highlighted a campaign on Waterbirds and a screenshot of their website (translated from Japanese to English) is provided HERE. Wild Bird Society of Japan has an English website which can be viewed HERE. One of eBird Japan sponsors listed was Suntory Group which is a global leader in consumer products such as beverages, beer and wines, wellness products. Suntory's sponsorship could be seen as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to protect wild birds and their environment. Clicking through their logo at the homepage of eBird Japan leads me to a website which appears to be dedicated to migratory birds highlighting five in particular which are illustrated in mid-flight, with their sounds made available by clicking on their respective pictures. An example is shown below and you can visit their interactive website by clicking on image below:-

Welcoming the Wood Dragon in Johor

The Dragon display was resplendent and shinning brightly in Abdullah New Village as the association goes all out to welcome the Wood Dragon in 2024. 

All 12 Zodiac Animals (including the Tiger above and the Dragon below) were represented in life-size mascot floats which were securely pinned onto the ground.

The ball of fire in front of the dragon was suspended in mid-air by thin strings. The light displays were impressive and though it was of a much smaller scale compared with the record-setting ones at Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom, Selangor, this New Village in Segamat, Johor set the bar in the District of Segamat, Johor. After all, amongst the twelve animal zodiacs, the dragon is the only mythical animal which represents auspiciousness, renewal, strength, values of which are sorely needed for us to pull through together and make up for the years lost to covid-19 pandemic and for us and our nation to recover fully economically, socially and politically. 

My mum was delighted to visit the light displays below:-

Chinese New Year and how it was celebrated worldwide in pictures by Says portal can be viewed HERE. The seven days of Chinese New Year and what each day signifies, as explained by The South China Morning Post which you can read HERE - Ren Ri is also the day employers must not reprimand their employees. A very good practical advice for Chinese bosses and generally good tip for all employers. Employees should behave well not just on 7th day of CNY but all year round to minimize such reprimands:) Schumi Wu (birding friend from Taiwan) shared a very beautiful picture of the crane in his Chinese New Year greeting as pictured below. The Lantern Festival myth has its origin in the killing of the Jade Emperor's crane by villagers and how the emperor's merciful daughter warned them of impending wrath. Read about this myth HERE

My mum visited her friends in Jementah on the second day of Chinese New Year. Pictured above are her friends from the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA). We had visited my mother's good friend Mr and Mrs Tan earlier that morning. We had previously bought pomelos from Mr and Mrs Tan. However due to current economic situation and viability of fruit crops, they switched to planting durians of Musang King variety instead for the past few years. They did have friends who still maintained pomelo plantations and had kindly gifted some to us. Jementah's agricultural background is evident in that almost every house had a plot of land filled with home-grown vegetables, fruits including sugar-cane, yam etc. Really reminded me of the villages I came across when I visited Chiayi, Taiwan years ago.    

Lovely mural painting on the side walls of this corner shop-lot.

Grove of bamboo plants painted on a section of the wall with a sink. Gives a calm effect when washing hands after a meal:)  

Mum enjoying her half-boiled eggs and toast at the only coffee shop that was opened that afternoon on the second day of CNY in Jementah. The nasi lemak was bought from a Makcik nearby. Not pictured above were the yummy cendol which we bought from a mobile stall next to the Chinese Guanyin temple. The Malaysian Indian couple speaks fluent Mandarin and we were very glad to know their children continued their cendol business legacy and their grand-daughter speaks Mandarin as well! 

Wall art of cat and dog peacefully co-existing with each other.  

 

A quiet green corner at the end of the row of shop-lots. My sister calling me to resume driving after we had completed our afternoon tea at Jementah. 

Enter the Dragon

Spring festival or the New Year is about to be welcomed by Chinese all over the world with the largest human exodus expected in China. Food and fruits with auspicious-sounding names are a necessity for Chinese New Year.  Dunkin Donuts are selling CNY-themed donuts which are pineapple-shaped (Ong Lai) and those with red-toppings layered with a gold coin ingot (Red Fortune). These can be viewed HERE. Whilst I was out grocery shopping to stock up for the coming Year of the Dragon, I came across a colourful packaging of a Yee Sang set which featured a pair of swallows:-Some of the interesting websites highlighting the Year of the Dragon include Genting Malaysia's website below:-Legoland Malaysia boasts a dragon built entirely out of plastic bricks, as displayed via their website below:-Watsons Malaysia is having a Chinese New Year promotions contest at their website HERE. Fengshui guru Datuk Joey Yap gave some tips on how to prepare for the Year of the Rabbit. As the rabbit hops away to give way to the dragon, his predictions for the 12 Zodiac animals can be viewed below:-

The Animal Signs in 2024 – Your Guide to the Wood Dragon Year [Joey Yap]

Two competing alcoholic beverage companies have a lovely website layout and a unique play on the characters HEI which means joyful celebrations in Cantonese, to market their products for the Year of the Dragon (as below). Internet users will need to verify their year of birth before entering the websites and where disclaimers are displayed reminding the user to be above drinking age in Malaysia and a non-Muslim before browsing the websites. 

I stumbled across a website from the Royal Museums Greenwich where the Newham Chinese Association explained how Chinese New Year is celebrated by Chinese communities outside of the UK, what decorations are made, what stories & myths are told, what is considered bad luck, why do people have lion and dragon dances, what things bring good luck, what food do people eat and regional differences during CNY celebrations from Northern to Southern China. There's a traditional lion dance performance in the Museum which was featured in this website. 

Where the Tapioca trees grow there you’ll find the Stilts

2023A (2024) has dawned upon us. It has been three years since Covid-19 wrecked havoc and tested the resolve of medical frontliners all over the world. I visited Tanjung Karang on the eve and first day of the New Year. After driving past a row of tapioca trees, I drove onto a road alongside rows of paddyfield fields and spotted a flock of Black-winged Stilts roosting in a block of paddyfield that was filled with water. This was on the eve of New Year’s Day. Tiny dots of stilts in this field as pictured below:- 

Selangor's well-known tourist spots along coastal areas would be places like Kuala Selangor, Kapar and Port Klang. Taman Alam Kuala Selangor is a wetlands nature reserve, and Jeram beach areas are wetland sites where one may venture to find waders and shorebirds. I've read about the shorebirds count conducted at Kapar Power Stations. I've personally never done a count there before. A smaller flock of stilts was seen on same ricefield paddy block on New Year’s Day below:- 

A global not-for-profit organization called Wetlands International has an office in Malaysia and their website can be explored HERE . They safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature and 2023 appeared to be a busy period for them as they hosted climate week in Johor, a Mangrove restoration programme in Bagan Pasir, Selangor, a workshop in Penang amongst others. Wetlands International appear to be the only international organization that is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands.   

Elegant-looking Stilt in the middle of this picture, stretching its pinkish-coloured leg like a ballerina would during warm-ups before a dance. 

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Tiny dots of stilts which I viewed through my binoculars (from inside my car) and hearing their calls from quite a far distance on New Year's eve when I was headed out of the paddyfields around 5pm that Sunday. Whilst on my return trip to KL, I managed to buy my mother’s favourite asam laksa from the Selayang night market. Not been birding consistently so seeing and hearing this flock of stilts was pure joy to me as I began my New Year thinking about these stilts which I kept mixing up with stints. In February 2022, flocks of Grey-headed Lapwings were spotted in one of these paddyfield plots in Tanjung Karang. A picture of one of these flocks of lapwings as depicted below and a photo which captured the beautiful emerald hues of a Northern Lapwing on the cover of Taiwan's Nature Conservation Quarterly Winter 2023 edition (see below) both showcase two different species of lapwings. Peninsular Malaysia has had a record of a vagrant Northern Lapwing sighting in Rompin, Pahang before. Here's to many more records of such sightings of both Grey-headed and the Northern Lapwings!