Tag Archives: Food and drink

Adjusting to life back in the UK…

22 Saturday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Pubs, West Yorkshire

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My first full day back in the UK has been rather busy, although this morning was the opposite through catching up on my sleep whilst adjusting to a very different time zone. Thankfully, the day produced some sunshine which lifted the spirits after yesterday’s wall to wall gloom.

I did manage to some of the morning editing pictures from my travels. Right now I’ve been concentrating on railway images from Jakarta, which you can find here. Once those are finished I’ll be moving on to other images from Indonesia then gradually retracing my footsteps through Malaysia and Thailand – although that may take a while as there’s more travels in the offing.

This afternoon we had an appointment with Dawn’s parents in order to celebrate Norah’s 84th birthday. Dawn drove over to Huddersfield to pick them up and take the four of us to a pub restaurant I’ve not visited before in its new incarnation, the Dunkirk in Denby Dale.

We had a lovely afternoon with some excellent food off a menu that offered far more than standard pub grub. Oh, they also have 8 different real ales in the bar, which was a bonus! The food was both delicious and well presented. John and I had Ox cheek whilst the ladies had the fish and chips.

None of us had much room for dessert but we did see one thing on the menu which intrigued us which was the rice pudding brulé served with home-made jam.

We ended up ordering one to share between us all. As it was a generous portion that was more than enough to give us a taste of an original dessert which was both unusual and very tasty. Whilst the others stuck to ginger beer my meal was washed down with some well kept pints of Abbeydale Deception, a NZ pale of 4.1% strength.

Now the pair of us are back at Bigland Towers having an evening to ourselves. I’ve managed to get a few more pictures edited, so all in all, it’s been a very good day. Tomorrow’s going to be more home-based as we’ve both got things to sort out, although hopefully we’ll get out for a walk although the weather forecast isn’t looking optimistic. If it’s as wet as is threatened I may just end up editing more pictures and pack ready for my return to Manchester Airport on Monday…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 36. Time’s almost up…

19 Wednesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Indonesia, jakarta, Photography, Railways, Travel

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Today was my last full day here in Asia and it’s been a good one, despite the wet start. I’d set my alarm for 07:00, but it wasn’t needed, thanks to thin walls and noisy neighbours – the only drawback to where I’m staying.

My plan had been to head out before 09:00 but the drizzle and gloomy skies persuaded me to delay my departure for an hour. That worked out well as I ended up seeing part of the school run, Jakarta-style – which includes how many people you can fit on a scooter! I still haven’t beaten five – although I still have time tomorrow!

I retraced yesterday’s steps to Tanah Abang railway station only this time I took a different route where I finished up at the end of the line at Tanjung Priok. The Dutch built the port in the late 1800s and they rebuilt the railway station into a rather magnificent edifice in 1925. Nowadays, only one platform under the huge trains he’d roof is used by passenger trains (a shuttle service from Jakarta Kota). The rest is used for stabling intermodal wagons and locos for freight services out of the docks.

The station’s still well worth visiting as a relic of the Dutch era and as a piece of railway architecture.

My next stop was Jakarta Kota, the more well-known example of Dutch stations on Java. I managed a range of pictures there before moving on to something more modern by catching the train to Manggarai. This station’s changed out of all recognition since my last visit in 2017. Now, it possesses an upper level as the trains to Bogor run on elevated tracks at this point. There’s plenty of empty platforms in the trainshed on the same level – just waiting to be plugged into the network when new elevated tracks are completed.

This snd Jatinigara station further up the line are great examples of modern Javanese stations. I’d go as far as to say they’re world-class when it comes to facilities on offer. In fact, they could teach us a thing or two – like this, seen at Jatinigara (another station which has been heavily rebuilt and modernised).

A ‘co-working’ space on the main concourse above the tracks which is used by young and old. I think the plants are a really nice touch.

I visited several other stations on the network but there’s far to many pictures to sort out now. Hopefully I’ll have time to write up my about my rail trips around Jakarta tomorrow as the system’s an excellent one. Having got home I had grabbed a shower then headed out to eat in one of the lack backstreet food stalls. Here’s today’s meal.

Rice, fish and loads of veggies (plus a potato cake). Oh, and that red blotch is chilis!

Whilst I was eating there the heavens opened which delayed me somewhat but then wet streets at night are so photogenic.

The backstreets where I’m staying are a maze, and on every corner there’s a place to eat.

Now I’m back at home getting ready for the off. My flight’s not until tomorrow evening, so I’m hoping to make the most of the morning. Let’s see…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 32. KL capers…

15 Saturday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Photography, Travel

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My day here in Kuala Lumpur started out sedentary – but early. For some reason I always wake up early in this part of the world. 6am is pretty standard. Today I forced myself to have a lie-in until my alarm went of at 7am. After all, I wasn’t travelling anywhere. My day was planned around meeting a Malaysian friend in Chinatown around 3pm which meant I was under no pressure. That was great as it gave me the opportunity to spend several hours editing pictures from my trip and getting them on my Zenfolio website. Most of the ones done today were from Bangkok and Thai railways – including the yellow line monorail. I posted a picture of this on social media a few days ago and it generated a lot of interest. You can find the rest of the pictures (and more besides) here.

The other thing I needed to do was get some washing done. Where I’m staying is fine for rinsing a few shirts, but that’s it, and after travelling so much in such hot and humid weather over the past week or so I really needed to get clothes washed properly before they disowned me, or I them! Now, I’m staying in Chinatown. Old jokes aside, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it was to find a laundry here. There’s a launderette a few streets away but it’s always packed. Finally, after wandering the streets for an hour I found an old backpackers (which I’ve got a sneaky feeling I stayed at 15 years ago) that’s become a laundry. It’s hard to find as it’s set back from the main street and unless you spot the sign you’d never know. After climbing up several flights of stairs I was greeted by a very nice young African lad (who slept on the premises) who confirmed that – yes indeed, they did laundry for RM7 (£1.30) a kilo, and would I like it back today? Winner!

This left me free to potter round at home, edit more pictures and be ready to meet my Malaysian friend (Alan Bligh) at 15:00 outside Pasir Seni station. Alan introduced me to a nearby coffee shop which is really rather funky. Not only is the coffee good but it’s the sort of place where (mostly young people) mix and/or work from via the internet. It’s also completely multi-racial, just like Malaysia itself. You have conservatively dressed Malay Muslim girls rubbing shoulder with scantily clad Chinese or Indian counterparts. The lads reflect the mix – along with a few Europeans who’re either studying here or just passing through.

Alan and I sat talking for several hours. He’s a mine of information on Malaysian railways, politics, the economy and much much more. We also touched on ‘travel’ TV and YouTube (but that’s another conversation) I leaned a hell of a lot, but the hard bit’s retaining it all. As I said to Alan ‘I wish I’d recorded all our conversation’! There was so much to absorb. All too soon it was time to part, but by then the heavens had opened and we were treated to a heck of a thunderstorm. Alan was also very kind enough to bring me a gift (which I’ll post a picture of later).

Saying goodbye (until next time) at Pasir Seni .

Back at ‘home’ I relaxed for a few hours (and edited more pictures) before nipping out to eat. I returned to a locally run stall where I ate last night. It’s got a fantastic array of meat, fish and veg. You just load your plate up of whatever takes your fancy. The cashier takes a look at what you’ve chosen and charges you accordingly (this cost me 12 ringgit, just over £2 but trust me – those plates ain’t small). I’d no idea what some of the stuff was – and half an idea with some, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I love trying food just for the hell of it. Here’s my plate.

You might recognise fish. At the front is Jackfruit. Next to that is beans. Between them is a chicken’s foot – not my favourite but the sauce was lovely. At the top (just out of focus) was the stunner. Tempe with small dried fish in a spicy sauce! You can see it in all it’s glory in the picture below. It’s the 2nd from the bottom. I’ll be back for more…
Talk about spoilt for choice. Oh, there’s more food lining the opposite wall, but a lot of that is varieties of fish-head curry!

Dodging the rain on my way home I saw this. ‘Merdeka 118‘ is the 2nd tallest building in the world. Tonight, because of the weather it looked like the tower of Sauron. Earlier, because of the low cloud, the top of the tower had been lost completely.

Tomorrow’s my last full day in Malaysia before returning to Indonesia. I’ve got a lot planned. I won’t have time to do a rolling blog but expect future pictures of the expanding rail network around KL and the Klang valley soon…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 30. Border crossing….

13 Thursday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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Surprisingly, I had a really good night’s sleep on the train last night. It wasn’t that it was undisturbed as the track quality can make it a bit of a rocky ride sometimes. Plus, early in the morning, a large Chinese family got on somewhere to occupy the berths around me – but when I slept, it was deep. This is a very familiar journey to me in both directions, stretching back to 1998, so I feel very comfortable with it. It’s familiar.

Not long after 6 am, the train reaches Hat Yai, where it’s shunted and split. Our two sleeping cars plus a day coach are chopped off and parked in a platform awaiting a new SRT loco to take us forward (pics later). Meanwhile, morning ablutions take place in the toilets and washroom aboard, and the process of packing away beds begins.

10:50 (Malaysian time).

Well, that was painless! We arrived at the border crossing of Padang Besar on time and detrained straight into the queue for immigration. Both getting out of Thailand and into Malaysia was easy as you go through one set of controls after the other. There’s around 90 minutes to wait for the connection to Butterworth. Plenty of time to sort out an onward ticket. The KTMB office accepts Thai baht and there’s two ticket machines which take foreign credit cards to pay for the 11 ringgitt 40 sen ticket (around £2).

The 10:35 is worked by a 6-car, Chinese built SCS Electric unit so there’s normally no problem getting a seat – especially as most people crowd together at the entrance to the platform. Head to the rear of the incoming train and you’ll probably find it looks like this!

Don’t assume it’ll stay that way though, this is a local stopping train, and at Arau (the 2nd stop out of Padang Besar), it quickly fills up with people.

14:30.

By the time the train had got to Butterworth it was packed – but fine. People are well-behaved here. Well, unless you count mobile phone etiquette but the UK’s just as bad nowadays only with added  levels of stroppy entitlement.

The new passenger ferries have started running since I was last here (2023). I’ll post pictures and an initial verdict later. The bizarre thing is they no longer take cash, but the kiosk at Butterworth accepts Mastercard or Visa. All for a fare of 2 Ringgit (less than 40p).

Thankfully, the buses do still take cash, so my RM1:40 trip to Lebuh Chulia was paid for in ‘slummy’ from my last trip here!

I’m now having a breather before it’s time to check into my hotel in Jalan Muntri. Cheers!

17:20.

Having had a break at the room to download the camera I’m adding a few more pictures from the trip before venturing out now the day is cooling down. It ‘only’ got up to 32 degrees today with Humidity of 64%. I’ll add captions later…

Our train from Bangkok was split at Hat Yai where the last 3 coaches were taken forward to Padang Besar in Malaysia. 5226 backs onto the train to do the honours.
Checking tickets in the 3rd class coach from Hat Yai to Padang Besar.
One of the new ferries that ply between Butterworth on the mainland and Georgetown on Penang. Call me a nostalgic if you will, but I prefer the old ones.

23:20.

Time to wrap things up. Georgetown is one of my happy places in the world, and I can’t believe I’ve been mad enough to only give myself less than 24 hours here. Plus, I was gutted to find that the really good travellers bar is closed for a holiday. When I say bar, it’s really a shop that spills out every evening, taking over the backstreet outside with tables and chairs. I’ve met some really interesting people there in the past.

Instead, today I stopped to buy a beer from a local shop on Lebuh Chulia (and that shop has a history!) where I met a local who was missing the same place. We ended up chatting for ages.

Meet Eric. A local chap born and bred here but with an international interest. One of those really nice people whom you bump into by chance and one of the reasons that I love travelling.
Here’s where we should have been sat outside

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 22. Thailand day 3…

05 Wednesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Food and drink, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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The Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke has a saying attributed to him, which is that (and it’s paraphrased) ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’. It’s the same with travelling. I’d planned to leave Bangkok on the international train to Padang Besar in Malaysia on the 9th. Only it’s full. The first available berths are on the 12th. Having checked online I’d a sneaky suspicion that I was going to be frustrated, but a trip out to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station (aka Bang Sue Grand Station) to book a ticket confirmed things. As station names go, it hardly trips off the tongue. But getting there was fun. I’ve no guide book for Thailand, I don’t really need one as I’ve been here so many time before, and the advent of the internet has eaten into their market. The fact ‘Lonely Planet’ guides are so crap they’re a waste of money is another issue (I’ll blog about that another time – honest!) There’s lots of ways of getting to Bang Sue (no sniggering at the back!)

The best way is the Chao Praya river taxi from nearby Phra Arthit pier which took me up river and delivered me at Bang Po. From there it’s two stops on the skytrain, but me being me – I decided to walk. That way, you get to explore and peer into Thai life. Like small businesses like this, which I spotted whilst passing. I haven’t got a Scooby Do what it is they’re making, but I find these places fascinating.

Having secured my onward train ticket at Bang Sue (now what did I say about sniggering?) I had a wander and found the new locomotive depot, which was full of old crocks like this.

I then paid the princely sum of 2 baht to catch a local train to the grand old terminal at Hualamphong, which is just as much a museum as a mainline terminal nowadays. All the long-distance trains have disappeared, along with a lot of the life. Instead, the tracks once used by trains to Chiang Mai and Malaysia are full of relics like this.

Still, there were some great pictures to be had – and as trains are now so infrequent I had time to pop over to and old restaurant opposite the station I know of old. I ordered a beer and the Papaya salad (Tom Sum). The cook asked me if I wanted it ‘spicy’ so I told him yes ‘Thai spicy’. ‘Kin hell – I’m very used to spicy food and regularly ladle the local chilli condiment onto my food, but this was weapons-grade! My tongue was on fire for a good half-hour!

Looks innocuous enough, doesn’t it? This Som Tum was nuclear!

My tastebuds re-appeared just before I caught the 16:30 train back to Bang Sue. Initially it seemed a fairly quiet train on departure. I was in for a surprise! One of the reasons Hualamphong was replaced as the main station is the number of level crossings in the way to Bang Sue. Trains stop at them all – and commuters know this, so stand in the tracks waiting for their train! Like this.

Oh, then there’s the poorer Bangkok residents who simply utilise the railway for recreation…

There’s so much that I could blog about today but the evening’s wearing on and I’m moving hotels tomorrow as well as working out a new itinerary. Hopefully, I’m meeting up with an old Thai friend in the evening, but a blog will still be in the offing…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 21. Thailand day 2…

04 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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I’ve had an easy day today here in Bangkok. I decided that my first day flying solo would be spent catching up on planning the rest of my trip, picture editing and generally kicking back in the vicinity of my cell, sorry – hotel room!

The temperature here in Bangkok is almost identical to that of Bali and Java, only it’s not the rainy season and we’re seeing more sunshine. Well, when the smog isn’t present. The day before I arrived flights had to be diverted from the airport I flew into due to visibility being crap thanks to pollution. Bangkok’s an amazing city but the air quality’s pretty crap. To be honest, I’ve not noticed it being too bad on this trip, but then I’ve been here less than 24 hours and nowadays the most prevalent smell around Banglamphu (the area I’m staying in) is the sweet smell of cannabis due to the amount of legal ‘medicinal’ shops selling grass and the amount of people smoking it! You can buy grass of various strengths by the gram or even individual rolled joints if you so decide. Of course, if you’re travelling into Malaysia or Indonesia you’d better ensure you have not a trace of it in your luggage or on your person as both country’s have very strict drug laws. In fact, when you fly with any Indonesian airline they point out that there’s the death penalty for drug trafficking, as a few unfortunates (including some Australians) have found out to their cost in the past.

Thailand is rather more relaxed on a lot of fronts, which is why it’s so much fun sitting somewhere people-watching. This place is still an international crossroads, even if the old ‘backpacker trail’ isn’t what is was when I first came here in 1992. But then, neither’s the Khao San Rd. In those days you could be locked out of the place you were staying in of you were out after midnight (as I once found out to my cost). Now, it’s gone from being a backpacker street to more ’24 hour party people’ with loud music blaring out from so many different places and even the arrival of ‘girly bars’. Admittedly, I haven’t stayed on the Khao San for 20 years. It was becoming difficult then because of the building of big, brash new hotels and the influx of Israelis’ (ask any old Asia traveler about Israelis’ and their reputation and they’ll no doubt explain). Now the Israeli’s’ have been supplanted by Russians, who’re also doing their bit to subvert international goodwill. Admittedly, the Russians are somewhat easier to spot. Well, the women are anyway. It’s the combination of endlessly posing for selfies/tiktok videos and the combination of bleached-blond hair and industrial quantities of lip filler that makes them stand out. You see, people-watching is one of the great (cheap) pleasures of being here in such a melting pot. There’s lots of younger travelers, bright-eyed and excited at being in such an exotic place, then there’s the older people (gulp, like me I suppose) who’ve been coming here for decades and who’ve decided to spend much of their retirement in Thailand due to the quality of life and cheaper cost of living. The other demographic that changed is that the tourists are no longer mostly European or North American. there used to be a lot of Yanks and Australians who came back due to serving in Vietnam in the 60’s-70’s as Thailand is where they went for ‘R&R’ (rest and recreation). I remember passing a bar they used to frequent with a sticker in the window about ‘Hanoi Jane‘ (Jane Fonda). Now they’re being supplanted by Chinese and Indian tourists, both countries with a burgeoning monied middle-class. It all makes for a very interesting melting pot.

OK, I’m going to call it a day now as I have a lot of stuff to sort out, so I’ll leave you with a few pictures.

Thailand is one of the best places in the world for street food. He’re a chap looking at buying a drive-by meal. Bugger McDonald’s!
My lunch of squash and egg along with green beans and pork (with rice, obviously) bought from my favorite street stall. They’ve been selling food since 1974 and I’ve been eating here since 1999. This still costs 50 baht (around £1.10), They’ve not put their prices up for years. The condiment is red and green chopped chilis with fish sauce and lemon juice. It’s not for the faint-hearted but I love it.
The view from the floor of my hotel. It looks out over Wat Chana Songkhram Ratchaworamahawihan, an 18th century royal temple.
Khao San Rd in all its glory. It’s been pedestrianised for many years due to encroachment and the sheer weight of people.
It’s rather calmer and more civilised outside the place I’m staying in. Soi Rambutri.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia days 11-14. We’ve been sociable…

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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Sorry for the gap in blogging but the two of us have been busy catching up with old friends of mine (and meeting new people too) so there’s been little time for blogging. Plus, we’ve had one day where the weather changed to glorious sunshine so we kicked back and spent most of our time by the hotel pool, making the most of it before the rains returned – which they did – with a vengeance! It’s not that it rains all day, every day, but we’ve had some spectacular thunder and lightning storms with torrential downpours to accompany them. Then, everything dries up and the heat and humidity make a return. Having such variable weather’s actually rather nice. It gives you a break from temperatures that hover around 31-32 degrees and sunshine that’s really intense – especially when you’ve come from the UK where we’ve had such a miserable summer that we’ve not had chance to catch much of a tan.

Here’s a small selection of pictures of life in Ubud.

Not a sign that you’re likely to see in many places, but then – this is Monkey Forest Rd!
Yes guys, that sign means you! These critters have spread beyond the confines of the forest with one troupe taking up residence in a half finished multi-story building, from which they raid the surrounding area.
Needless to say, the monkeys are represented in local art and sculpture like this…
Moneky Forest Rd is one of the main North-South streets in Ubud and it gets incredibly busy at times. Here it is during a quieter moment.
These scooter-based food stalls aren’t as common as they once were in central Ubud (compared to less touristy towns) but they still provide a service of cheap eats to the people who work in shops around town.
The band – again! We went out again on Monday night to catch the guys playing at a place down the road from where we’re staying. Only this time I took the camera…
We passed this gathering of the local men earlier today. I’ve no idea what it was about but it lasted for several hours.
Another old friend I had time to catch up with at his cafe (Maha on Monkey Forest Rd) was Putu Sukalawa. It’s as if I’d never been away…
How’s this for a splash of colour? Some of the guys from the local Vespa scooter club.
Mingling at Mingle cafe on Jalan Dewisita. A great place to sit and have a coffee (or something stronger) and watch the world go by.
Needless to say we’ve not been slow in trying various local Indonesian dishes. Here’s a Nasi Campur, which is different to the standard Nasi Goreng in that it contains sweetcorn and comes with a sliced omlette and chicken satay.

Tomorrow we take a break from Ubud to spend a couple of nights in Padangbai, which is a little town on the coast. It’s the port for ferries between Bali and Lombok, but it also has a couple of really nice little beaches. Oh, and great seafood! Expect updates from there…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 10. It may be raining, but at least it’s warm!…

24 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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Today we woke up to the sound of rain bouncing off the swimming pool and roofs outside our room, so it seemed as good a day as any to relax and enjoy a bit of a lie-in. Apparently, Bali has had a very wet wet season so far this January. But, it’s a minor inconvenience compared to back in the UK as – if nothing else – it’s warm rain and it can be quite spectacular, as it was the previous evening.

By mid morning the rain had abated and the sun popped out for a while, drying out most of what was left, so the two of us ventured out to explore different parts of Ubud before ending up at Mingle cafe for brunch and a rendezvous with my old friend Alison. We timed it well as the rain returned whilst we were there, a great excuse to linger and chat for longer whilst also watching the world go by. People watching is a particular pleasure here due to the combination of nationalities, backgrounds (and dress). Plus, the food’s always good. I tried something different, crispy fried tempe and tofu with a home-made sambal sauce.

Finally, the rain called it a day, giving us the opportunity to explore more of the backstreets, nooks and crannies of Ubud before returning home to relax. Here’s a couple of shots from our explorations.

A woman lies out offerings to the Gods on a street corner next to a sigh advertising just how many shops and places to stay there are down that particular street.
There’s nothing like hedging ones bets! A house displays both Hindu and Chinese symbols for prosperity

We tried somewhere different for our evening meal – a cafe just a few doors down the road from where we’re staying. The food was perfectly edible, but nothing to write home about. What was far more enjoyable was our next venue. Alison had told us that Made (another old acquaintance) was playing with a band at Otokafe, on the corner of Monkey Forest Rd and Jalan Pengosekan. I’ve been coming here long enough to remember when the site was rice paddies, but I was impressed by the venue and Made and the band were excellent. They covered a lot of rock and blues classics with real style, so much so that we stayed right to the end of their set. Gosh, a late night in Ubud, whatever next?

The band belting out some classics…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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Indonesia day 9. Getting into the swing of life back in Bali…

23 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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The pair of us are beginning to unwind after all our travels. This bit is the real holiday, where there’s no pressure to do much of anything other than enjoy being here. Of course, there’s slightly different perspectives. For Dawn, all this is new, for me, it’s a bit like slipping into an old and familiar routine. Whilst things have undoubtedly changed sine I was last here in 2017 a lot also feels very, very familiar – such as meeting up with Alison.

Alison’s an old friend of 25 plus years. We’ve met in many different countries in that time but for many years after leaving her native Australia she’s been living here and running the ‘Mingle’ cafe here in Ubud. Despite the gap in seeing each other we just took up where we left off, reminiscing about old times whilst at the same time talking about the present and future. It was a lovely interlude.

The weather’s been cool today. Well, cool for Bali. There’s been a fair amount of cloud around too, which meant I rejected the opportunity for a swim in order to catch up with some work and picture editing back at our room. Having edited over a hundred pictures from this trip I managed to upload them onto my Zenfolio website. You can find the travel pictures here and the railway ones here. Oh, there’s a bonus gallery. I took a series of shots of the rag-bag of ferries used on the route between Java and Bali. They’ve been added to the shipping gallery which you can find here.

To be honest, it was a good day to be staying close to home as late this afternoon the heavens opened and we were treated to another torrential downpour. Earlier, Alison told us that Bali’s experienced a very wet rainy season this year, which has caused a number of problems and led to the death of two tourists in the nearby Monkey Forest when a tree whose roots had been eroded eroded fell and crushed them.

Fortunately, by the time we headed out to eat the rain had abated. Tonight we tried a new eatery on Monkey Forest Rd called Tulasi vegetarian which specialises in Balinese food. This was my meal – and it was delicious!

Tomorrow’s plan is to have some pool time – and to get more pictures edited and on my website. After that who knows? Besides, when you can walk straight out of your room (ours is the first on the right) into this, why wouldn’t you want pool time?

See you tomorrow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

4th January picture(s) of the day…

04 Saturday Jan 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Today’s been a hanging around sort of day, but not in a bad way. We were up early as Dee had some shopping to do for her parents before the pair of us headed over the their home in Huddersfield where I whiled away a few hours editing more old pictures whilst Dawn went off too to do ‘girly’ things, like get her nails done. Afterwards, the four of us went out for lunch. We’d originally planned to head over the Pennines to Delph where there’s a lovey pub we frequent, but with the weather forecast warning of the potential for lots of snow arriving we hedged our bets and went somewhere more local. The weather has already been unkind to the area with the trans-pennine railway through the Colne valley closed due to flooding, so the last thing we wanted to do was get stranded.

We’d eaten at the nearby Olive Branch Inn (just outside Slaithwaite, on the Manchester Rd) for the first time just a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the food, so decided a revisit was on the cards. Having booked a table for 14:30 you can imagine our surprise to find we were the only customers in what’s normally a busy place. The young lady serving us said they’d had several cancellations due to people being put off by the threat of snow. Good for us, not so good for the restaurant. So, we had an excellent meal and the kitchen’s undivided attention!

Both Dawn and I opted for the same meal we’d had during our last visit – beef cheeks. It’s not a dish we’d seen before but the Olive Branch does it superbly. The meat is melt-in the mouth delicious! We’d certainly recommend it.

Beef cheek cooked for 4 hours, with button mushrooms, bacon, shallots and red wine sauce, served with creamy mash and brocolli.

Suitably stuffed and with one eye on the weather we dropped John and Norah back at their house before heading home ourselves. Now we’re relaxing in the warm (it’s Baltic outside), waiting to see what the weather may bring. The forecast keeps changing. Snow was meant to arrive around 21:00, now it’s 23:00. Here in the Pennines we’re meant to be getting between 20-40cm of the stuff, which is why we didn’t want to get caught earlier. Some of the cobbled hills around where we live are bad enough in the wet, add snow and ice and they can be lethal.

Still, I’ve had chance to add dozens of pictures to my Zenfolio website, including this one from a private visit to Toton depot in 2012.

In 2012 DB Schenker had started a ‘Super 60’ scheme, which involved rebuilding long-stored Class 60 locomotives, this included engines, traction motors, bogies, control gear, cabs and electrical systems. 60020 was one of the first batch. It’s seen here on the 7th September 2012, sat inside the depot waiting it’s turn for the work to begin.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312