We met my friend at the hotel lobby and walked across the street to Restoran Muar. Muar is a city in the state of Johor. Every single dish was delicious. Kenric did not win the fight to pay because my friend knows the owner. We walked back to the hotel and waited for Kenric to change from his shorts and sandals into jeans and shoes.
Bar
We went to SkyBar at Traders Hotel. Since we are not staying at the hotel and didn’t have a reservation, we could only sit in one section of the bar. None of us like bars like this, but we were there for the view. My friend was already secretly telling the server he should give her the bill for the two glasses of red wine and a vodka cranberry. I told Kenric we need to get our cash ready.
Many minutes later when the drinks arrived, I snatched my friend’s card from her, and passed the server whatever cash Kenric handed me. Thankfully, my brain was stuck thinking if I should say, “Keep the change” or “We’re all set” because one glance at the cash I handed him, the server smiled and said, “That’s not enough.” Turns out Mr. High Roller handed me only 100 Ringgit (USD $25.48). At places like this, think San-Francisco prices – USD $33.11 (probably with a service charge included).
A little later, my friend looked at me with great pain on her face and said, “Can you please stop paying?” I truly understand her pain because if there’s one thing we Malaysians love to do is treat our friends to good food and drinks. So, if you dine with a Malaysian and you want to pay, offer to do so once and if it’s turned down, just sit back and enjoy the meal. If you really, really want to pay, you can give your credit card or cash to the restaurant beforehand; a habit of mine that drives Kenric’s Mom absolutely crazy. His Dad has given up.
The music was loud, the view was good, watching a middle-aged man trying to strike up a conversation with four young girls was uncomfortable, and seeing a group of ladies ranging from their 20s to their 60s dance with abandon to Despacito was joyful. During the day, hotel guests swim in the big pool in the middle of the bar. No one fell into the pool last night.
Supper
Next stop, supper. Yes, an official-sounding mealtime to give Asians an excuse to eat shortly after dinner. My friend said we would have to drive to the place to find out if it’s even open tonight as there’s no website or published phone number. It was, and once I caught a whiff of the food, I praised the invention of supper.
Pub
Next stop was my friend’s favorite local pub called Backyard. The live band was really good. A guy invited us to dance. I’m glad we didn’t because he deserves the whole dance floor. It was a very diverse group of people there; young, old, Indian, Chinese, Caucasian, business suits, shorts and sandals, etc. Everyone loved the band. Five of the six of them were Malaysians. The lead singer, a black male, sounds American. He was superb with his trombone. When he announced it was going to be the last song, someone yelled, “But I just got here!” So, they played two more.
Knowing the music would stop soon, an elderly gentleman intensified his search for a dancing partner, but the hostess kept smiling while shaking her head. My friend could tell he really wanted to dance, so she agreed. They were not exactly dancing to the music, but that made it so much more awesome.
It was such a great evening; to go to the local hidden gems (not the Sky Bar), to eat good food, enjoy great music, and for Kenric to see a side of Malaysia to which I no longer have access. Most of all, it was wonderful to be new friends again, as adults, after 25 years; to share the same love for traveling to unspoiled places, to have shared the same self-damaging work ethic, and to have gotten our priorities straight before it was too late. Cheers, Ah Yap!
The Cats of General Gurko Street He opened containers of wet food, and gave each cat a spoonful. He tore off pieces of sausage cat treats, and hand fed each of…
Day 40 We were really tired of the rich and oily food at restaurants, and just wanted something simple: instant noodles.
The Black Sheep of Hallstatt In English, the hotel name is "The White Lamb". The tag line is "Make yourself at home". Laughable, if it wasn't so insulting to paying…
A Local Casts a Spell on Us We’ve been giving hotdogs to the homeless dogs that hang out along Bulevardi Republika, a pedestrian-only boulevard which is also where we have our dinners.…
Give Thanks and Be Stronger Than Your Strongest Excuse In 2017, we had Thai food in Pristina, Kosovo for Thanksgiving. Last year, we had Thanksgiving in Redlands, California at Kenric’s grandparents’ home. Sadly, it…
