Oh, Auckland!

First I must say this: I love Auckland! It's such a vibrant clean city--I hasten to add I'm not talking about some hookers outside my high rise apartment room--there's so much happening! I was there when backpackers from around the world lavishly splashed their dollars in the many bars downtown ... and in the bars within the hostels. Furthermore you could feel Christmas is in the air with the gigantic Santa and his reindeer! Hi, Ruldolf, the red nose reindeer ... gimme me a ride to the North Pole--I miss some fluffy snow!
Strolling up and down Queen Street was a fantastic experience! Lots of people walking everywhere and window shopping was fun! There was so much food everywhere--from hotdogs to kebabs... food, glorious food! How could I miss out the colorful folk along the street, illegally (?) expressing themselves for a dime or two! Sometimes there was a French magician making coins disappearing and reappearing in odd places; a wizarded old Maori strumming a guitar, belting out--get this--"Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna..." and then I stumbled across one of these John Lennon-type Krishna fellas handing out fliers about his religion!
One memorable incident had a small element of intrigue on Queen Street. I was with a long hair hippy-looking English fella whom I had met on our bus ride to Ellerslie to purchase a vehicle and we decided to drop by the International Hostel just to check out the accomodation rates. My bearded pal wanted to find out about employment as well. While waiting for the counsellor, we saw a youthful Caucasian Kiwi stroll over to a microphone on the registration counter. He started announcing that there were drinks like beer and food such as burgers and fries and exhorted everyone to purchase them and I was so impressed with his advertising skills that I turned to my British pal and said,"Ah, that's very enterprising!"
Sam* nodded his head in agreement, "It is, isn't it?"
I was startled when a sneering loud glutteral voice contemptiously interrupted us.
"You think that's clever? It's all *&^%$%&!!!" and a further string of vulgarities flew from his mouth. I was shocked... and concerned 'cos he seemed to have an Arnold Schwernegger physique and a tanned Germanic look with crew cut hair. He was clutching a beer in one hand.
Both Sam and I just grinned in a friendly manner at him and hastily walked away. I whispered jokingly to Sam, "He's gotta be a German mercenary or hitman!"
Sam looked at me and mumbled, "You think so? Nah, he's likely South African, an Afrikaneer." He added, "I've been there before."
That was an unpleasant incident.
Earlier that day, Sam and I had a good experience of Auckland hospitality. It was really a bad stroke of luck when we were dumped somewhere far from the Ellerslie Race Course by the Maori bus driver. We had told him all along we wanted to get to Ellerslie and yet he finally got us to drop off pointing to a direction which he said would lead us to the place. I was uneasy as he seemed to have a smirk on his face. As we walked along the road, we saw no sign of the course (I had been there a year ago and I felt we were not heading in the right direction). We even saw a Chinese Buddhist temple amongst all the houses! I decided then to stop walking and looked around and saw a Caucasian with a youth loading some bags into his white sports car outside his house.
Quickly I walked over to him and asked for road directions to Ellerslie Race Course. He was surprised and amused we were where we were as it was far away in the opposite direction! What happened next was incredible. The nice gent said he was actually going somewhere close to the place and we could squeeze in if we didn't mind! Pheew! How relieved we were! Readily, we scrambled in and soon we were speeding away! It must have been over a mile away! The friendly fella struck up a conversation with us and told us he and his family had been to many places, from England to Malaysia, to attend sport car races, sometimes driving cars themselves.
Now that was the most hospitable act I have ever experienced in my travels everywhere! Unfortunately, I can't remember his name. I do recall he was clean shaven, slim built and tall and wore short or long-sighted glasses.
Thanks a million, mate!

Mama Mia!

It's almost 4:00 p.m. and I'm sitting inside the Western Australia State Library, blogging now and listening to some beautiful live singing by an Italian choir ... You see, there's a celebration of the Italian community and their many contributions to the society here. There is presently an exhibition of moving testimonies in huge posters, accompanied by vintage pics of the early Italian immigrants, some of whom were p.o.ws of WW2! Fascinating ... really touching tales of discrimination and the consequences ... Certainly many democracies can learn to be repentant of their past mistakes and Downunder we can see with our very own eyes, a nation that is not afraid of its past shadows! Cool, even he Italian consul is here with some sort of Aussie statesman in the ceremony...Many of us are busy with our own activities but occasionally, some of us would glance at all the merry-making... uncommon practice out West that many asian libraries would frown upon in their old autocratic--or shall I say, authoriterian style!

How strange it is ... I wasn't supposed to be here! I would have been relaxing on the Indian Pacific train bound on a three-day ride to Adelaide! I tried booking a seat and even went to the train station at East Perth, after catching the metrotrain there but couldn't get a seat!

I sort of miss a wonderful French gal, Clemency who was on her merry way to Sydney on the Indian Pacific train. We were the only two persons sitting together and instantly hit it off. She entrusted her many belongings in my care when she had to go elseway and I did so likewise. She was smart, having just completed her uni and advertising studies ... She could be a Hollywood star with her stunning looks! Hell, sure wish I could flirt! Anyway, we couldn't help feeling a little sad to part as friends ... funny that she had just arrived from Auckland and I am on my way there!

Ah yes! Here's little update about this marvelous Aussie one-person only toilet ... I discovered that the public library one is really classy! When you enter inside it withits spaceous size, a male voice tells you to lock the door, followed by a lovely tune in the sound system ... It was soothing but the voice will remind you that "You have TEN minutes" in the loo. Hmmmnn ... I love the tune ...It was something about love--just forgotten its title... wonder if a different tune will come on? Gotta drop by to find out after this!

One little thing that bugs me about this place is FLIES! Nasty pests that will even attempt to enter your nostril and mouth, even when you're walking ... Malaysian flies are never this aggressive! Wonder if there are any attempts or campaigns Downunder to get rid of them permanently!

My Sarawak Governor's Honored Uncle

One of the most memorable moments in Auckland was the time I spent with my well-known uncle, Chong Yuk Hien, formerly the Miri District Council (Now renamed as Miri Municipal Council, following Miri's elevation to city status) secretary. A qualified architect, he retired to New Zealand in the eighties. With his departure, our Anglican church in Miri lost a very generous, gracious, God-fearing and humble gentleman. It was because of his love for Christ and church that he did a lot of architectural drawings for free without charging a single cent. There are indeed so few humble, kind and warm-hearted human being I know like him. Meeting him and spending time with him was the answer to my dreams as some of you are aware I did mention his story and his heroic actions in defending Sarawak against the offensive launched by the Brunei rebels to take over the Sarawak government in the sixties' Brunei Rebellion. For his courageous actions, together with a handful of local Ibans, in holding the northern front against the invading rebels, he was presented the colonial government's governor's award bu the last British governor, Governor Sir Alexander Waddell. In the pictures, my uncle and I climbed up Mount Wellington which is near his home. In my two weeks with my relatives, we had a marvelous time walking and climbing various places. Mt. Wellington is such a fascinating site. There was a Maori settlement at the summit, and it is believed that warring cannibalistic Maoris fought each other up there in many pitched bloody battles. I managed to reach the summit myself as my uncle found it quite tiring considering his age, and I went to the actual spot where there could be seen the remnants of a stone settlement. There were lots of stones and rocks in certain parts of the area. I could almost feel the presence of hundreds of blood-thirsty Maoris with their bloody curling cries in the lonely desolete place, as the wind howled and blew fiercely and the warm sun beat my face high up there ...

Memorable Beautiful New Zealand

If you ever travel to beautiful New Zealand... drive around and you'll experience and see sights and sounds that a tourist in a group tour won't ... Here are a few of many other pics that I took as I cruised around in my Nissan Sunny car.

Pic on left taken at Mount Maunganaui beach... fella beside me is from up North, used to have an intimate Malaysian Chinese gal from Kuala Lumpur... Right, he says she's a pretty good spicy cook and he loves all Malaysians 'cos of this sweet gal...! Now he's heart-broken -she's gone home!



These four cute chinhuhuas belong to a lady at Maketu Beach...









I drove all the way from Rotorua to Auckland in South Island and spent over a week with my relatives. It was a fantastic time... here an environmental expert is conducting a talk about what Kiwis can do to help the environmental cause. The talk was informative but conducted in Mandarin!Later, there were about ten lucky draws... and amazingly, I won a potted plant together with three others in our Sarawakian group (including my aunt and a couple)!












Here's a mysterious shot below taken at Maketu Beach... The Chinese alighted from a vehicle in front of me suddenly and then sat on a bench, sobbing her heart out. I was about to come out to chit-chat with her to comfort her when a shaggy long hair Caucasian Kiwi came from another vehicle to comfort her by wrapping his an arm around her neck!

By the way, for you history buffs out there, Maketu is rich in history and one book I found in Te Puke's fine library written by an Eurasian (Interestingly, I would meet one of her close relatives, a Justice of the Peace, one day!) Europeans first landed in that part in New Zealand's South Island but before they came, the various Maori tribes in this area were warring against one another... and yes, they ate their enemies up after defeating them!!!

More to come... So while Sarawakians here may have practised head-hunting centuries ago, the Maoris practised cannibalism!

Hello, New Zealand!

The Odyssey begins ...

The plane lands amidst the glowing warm lights of Auckland Airport in the wee hours of a Sunday... after the long wait at the Brisbane Airport and witnessing the distressing 'show' when a young female Caucasian passenger pleaded and pleaded with Aussie Customs to allow her to bring the toy into New Zealand ... and then sobbed when her child's toy was confiscated at the airport...

Queries by truly professional female Immigration Officers and a patient wait for final clearance ...

Out from the airport's departure lounge ... and into a surreal world of cold Summer air and into The Twilight Zone! The bus ride to Sky City is so marvellous... Songs from the past...60's and 70's oldies but goodies loudly blast from the stereo speakers in the comfortable clean vehicle that is driven by a high spirited cheerful and friendly middle-age man.

Imagine if it is Malaysia and every half an hour on the radio's English network (all controlled by the government) when some English songs are played ... a 5-minute Islamic talk interrupts rather annoyingly... and ten years ago it was never like that.

Here, the almost uninterrupted-except for a brief introduction to the station on air-musical presentation really pulls at the heart strings of any music lover...Cool hits like House of the Rising Sun, Rhythm of the Falling Rain, Lemon Tree, Groovy Kind of Love, Under the Boardwalk, To Sir with Love, Sound of Silence, Moon River, Born Free, Donna, Those were the Days , The Lion Sleeps Tonight so and many, many others ... All of them bring heart-wrenching memories of those days when life was so care-free... and dreams were endless...

To be continued.