Seeing red...
Holly flew back to London to start work at Fresh magazine -- congratulations! -- and Sandy and I headed up to Kuala Lumpur to spend Chinese New Year with Sandy's family.
Getting ready for Reunion Dinner at Sandy's parents' place. every year, on the eve of Chinese New Year, most Chinese people return to the house of the head of the family to eat together and usher in the New Year. Many stay up till midnight to pray to the various gods.
Steamboat ...
Reunion Dinner ...
After dinner we popped in to see Sandy's dad's younger brother, Ah Chek, and his family who live round the corner. It's more usual to visit relatives on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of the 15-day Chinese New Year but since they were driving up to Penang at 4am the next day this was the only chance to say hello.
Clockwise from bottom left: Sandy, Ah Yew, Ah Chim, Ma, Hueh Hueh, Ah Ngae, Pa, Ah Chek, Ah Pao ...
Ah Chek teaching Sandy aerobics ...
On the 1st day of New Year we braved the 37-degree heat to take a look at Tugu Negara (National Monument), built in remembrance of the soldiers who died during the World Wars and during the Emergency Period (fighting the communists).
A certain B.O. Tatham is listed on the memorial ... looks like I'm not the first Tatham here ...
Yee Sang or Yu Sheng is a festive salad of veggies, pickles, pomelo, raw fish slices, crackers, plum sauce and five-spice powder that is only served during Chinese New Year and is it eaten to encourage prosperity and good fortune in the coming year. Tossing the salad as high as possible, while shouting Loh Hei! Loh Hei!, increases one's good fortune so it's usually pretty messy.
Dinner in Jalan Alor, a red-light district of KL, which has some of the best Chinese food in town.
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